Andrew Henry tackles a theological puzzle that has lingered for centuries: the mysterious identity of Idrīs, the Islamic prophet often equated with the biblical Enoch. What makes this exploration compelling is not just the identification itself, but the revelation that the Quran offers almost no detail about him, leaving the rest of his legend to be constructed from a fascinating collision of Jewish, Christian, Greek, and Persian traditions. Henry's coverage is essential for anyone trying to understand how early Muslim scholars synthesized disparate wisdom traditions into a coherent prophetic lineage.
The Silence of the Quran
The core of Henry's argument rests on a striking observation: the Quran barely speaks about Idrīs. He notes that the prophet appears only twice, described simply as a "man of truth" who was "raised to a high position." Henry writes, "Like Enoch, the details come later in layers of commentary, legend, and interpretation that grew up around him." This is a crucial distinction. The text itself is sparse, yet the figure is massive in later tradition. Henry points out that the Quran never explicitly links Idrīs to Enoch, leaving the identification to be inferred by later scholars based on the shared motif of being "taken up" to heaven.
This framing is effective because it forces the reader to confront the difference between the scriptural text and the living tradition that grows around it. The author highlights that Idrīs is listed alongside other prophets like Ishmael and a mysterious figure named "Dulk," whose identity remains debated. Henry suggests, "Adris is already a mysterious figure and here he's listed next to yet another prophet whose identity is unclear." This juxtaposition underscores the enigmatic nature of Idrīs right from the source material.
Critics might note that relying on later commentaries to define a Quranic figure risks conflating the original message with centuries of cultural accretion. However, Henry's approach acknowledges this by treating the "layers" as historical data points rather than theological truths.
"The Quran itself never comes right out and says that Adris and Enoch are one and the same."
The Ascent and the Synthesis
The argument gains momentum as Henry traces how the "high position" mentioned in the Quran became the bridge to Enoch's story of being taken by God without dying. He details how early hadith literature, specifically from the first century of Islam, began to cement this link. Henry cites the early compiler Wahib Ibn Munab, who stated, "And Enoch's name in the Torah is Hebrew, and its translation in Arabic is Adris, and he is Adris, peace be upon him." This early identification is significant because it shows that the syncretism happened almost immediately, not as a late medieval invention.
Henry then expands the scope to include the figure of Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary Greek-Egyptian sage. This is where the piece becomes truly distinctive, weaving together the "three Hermeses" theory found in Islamic scholarship. Henry explains that while Europeans saw Hermes as a single figure, Muslim thinkers often interpreted the title "Thrice Great" as referring to three distinct individuals across history. He quotes the 13th-century chronicler who wrote, "Hermes is Enoch and he is Adris. Hermes is Syriak and means the scholar as Hermes Trismagist means the scholar of scholars."
This synthesis is the piece's intellectual high point. It demonstrates how Islamic scholars didn't just borrow from other traditions but actively reinterpreted them to fit a new cosmological framework. By identifying Idrīs as the first Hermes, scholars positioned him as the primordial source of all secret wisdom, from astrology to medicine. Henry notes that the 10th-century scholar Ibn Juljul claimed this first Hermes was "the first to study celestial events and the stars, making him the first known astrologer."
A counterargument worth considering is that this conflation of Idrīs, Enoch, and Hermes might obscure the distinct theological roles each figure plays in their respective traditions. However, Henry's narrative suggests that for these scholars, the continuity of wisdom was more important than the distinctness of the names.
"Adris is also not a name. He was called Adris because of his great scientific studies. His real name is Enoch."
The Legacy of Esoteric Wisdom
The final section of Henry's coverage explores how this identification transformed Idrīs into a symbol of universal knowledge. The author describes how the "Book of the Thousands" by the astrologer Abu Mashar al-Bali presented Hermes as a title for a lineage of sages, with the first being the pre-flood Enoch. Henry writes, "Abu Mashar presents the first Hermes as a figure who blends Hebrew, Persian, Arabic and Greek traditions into a single identity." This is a powerful illustration of the cosmopolitan nature of early Islamic intellectual history.
The commentary effectively shows that the story of Idrīs is not just about a prophet; it is about how a civilization absorbed and reorganized the wisdom of the ancient world. The identification of Idrīs with the "thrice great" Hermes allowed Muslim scholars to claim a direct lineage to the most ancient and revered sources of knowledge, placing them at the center of human history.
"The first Hermes inscribed hidden knowledge in the Egyptian language on stone pillars so they could survive forever."
Bottom Line
Andrew Henry's piece succeeds by revealing that the identity of Idrīs is less a fixed fact and more a dynamic intersection of cultures, where the Quranic silence was filled by a rich tapestry of Jewish, Christian, and Hellenistic lore. The strongest part of the argument is the detailed tracing of the "three Hermeses" theory, which offers a unique window into how Islamic scholars conceptualized the history of wisdom. The biggest vulnerability lies in the potential for this synthesis to blur the lines between historical prophets and mythological sages, a tension the author acknowledges but does not fully resolve. Readers should watch for how this specific case study reflects the broader Islamic engagement with pre-Islamic knowledge systems.