Isaiah

Gender Masculine

Scripts יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Ancient Hebrew)

From the Hebrew name יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yesha’yahu) meaning “YHWH is salvation”, from the roots יָשַׁע (yasha’) meaning “to save” and יָה (yah) referring to GOD. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC, at a time when Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Judah.

ISAIAS
Late Latin form of ISAIAH used in some versions of the Bible.

Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as “the prophet” and the traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BC and c. 686 BC, separated by approximately 15 years, and that the book includes dramatic prophetic declarations of Cyrus the Great in the Bible, acting to restore the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Another widely held view is that parts of the first half of the book (chapters 1–39) originated with the historical prophet, interspersed with prose commentaries written in the time of King Josiah a hundred years later, and that the remainder of the book dates from immediately before and immediately after the end of the exile in Babylon, almost two centuries after the time of the historical prophet.

In Islam

Isaiah, or his Arabic name أشعياء (transliterated: Ishaʻyā’), is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an or Hadith, but he often appears as a prophet in Islamic sources, such as Qisas Al-Anbiya and Tafsir. Tabari (310/923) provides the typical account of Islamic traditions concerning Isaiah. The narrative of Isaiah in Islamic literature can be divided into three sections. The first establishes Isaiah as Israel’s prophet during Hezekiah’s reign; the second relates Isaiah’s actions during Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem; and the third warns the nation of impending doom. Parallel to the Hebrew Bible, Islamic tradition states that Hezekiah was king in Jerusalem during Isaiah’s time. Hezekiah listened and obeyed Isaiah’s advice, but failed to quell the turmoil in Israel. This tradition holds that Hezekiah was a righteous man and that the turmoil worsened after him. After the king’s death, Isaiah told the people not to forsake GOD, and warned Israel to cease from its persistent sin and disobedience.

In the courts of Al-Ma’mun, the seventh Abbasid caliph, Ali al-Ridha, the great-grandson of Muhammad and an important scholar (Imam) of his time, was questioned by the high Jewish rabbi to prove through the Torah that both Jesus and Muhammad were prophets. Among his various proofs, the Imam referred to the Book of Isaiah, stating, “Sha’ya (Isaiah), the Prophet, said in the Torah regarding what you and your companions say: ‘I saw two horsemen to whom (He) illuminated the earth. One of them was on a donkey and the other on a camel. Who is the horseman on the donkey and who is the horseman on the camel?'” The rabbi was unable to answer with certainty. Al-Ridha continued by stating that “As for the rider of the donkey, it is ‘Isa (Jesus); and as for the rider of the camel, it is Muhammad, may GOD bless them both and their family. Do you deny that this (statement) is in the Torah?”. The rabbi replied, “No, I do not deny it.”.

^{Jane Dammen McAuliffe Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān Volume 2 Georgetown University, Washington DC p. 562-563
al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef (2001). The life of Imam ‘Ali Bin Musa al-Ridha. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. p. 121. ISBN 978-9644383298.}