Prophet Isaiah, known as Shia, was one of the prophets who lived between the time of David and Zakariah.
Isaiah and Hezekiah
According to Muhammad Ibn Ishaaq, Isaiah, whose full name was Isaiah Ibn Amoz, appeared before the time of Zakariah and Yahya, known as John the Baptist. He was among the prophets who foretold the coming of Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them. During his lifetime, the king of Israel was Hezekiah, also known as Hazkia, who listened closely to Isaiah's guidance and followed his advice for the good of the kingdom.
At one point, matters among the Israelites reached a critical moment. King Hezekiah fell ill with an infected foot, and at the same time, King Sennacherib of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem with an army of sixty thousand men.
Allah Grants More Life to Hezekiah
The people were filled with terror at this threat. The king asked Isaiah what Allah had revealed to him about Sennacherib and his army, but Isaiah told him that nothing had yet been revealed. Then a revelation came instructing Hezekiah to appoint a successor, since his death was near. When Isaiah delivered this news, the king turned toward the qibla, the direction faced in prayer, and prayed to Allah with deep sincerity, weeping and invoking Him for mercy, reminding Allah of his good deeds and just rule over the children of Israel, and placing his trust fully in Him.
Allah answered his prayer and had compassion on him. He revealed to Isaiah that He had been moved by Hezekiah's weeping and would extend his life by fifteen more years, saving him also from the threat of Sennacherib. When Isaiah delivered this good news, Hezekiah's illness was healed and his sorrow lifted. He fell in prostration, praising Allah as the One who grants kingship to whomever He wills, and takes it away from whomever He wills, who raises and lowers whomever He chooses, the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the First and the Last, who shows mercy and answers the prayers of the troubled.
When he lifted his head, Allah revealed to Isaiah that the king should extract the juice of a fig and apply it to his wound, and that he would be completely healed. Hezekiah did as instructed and was cured.
Allah Destroys Hezekiah's Enemies
Allah then sent death upon the army of Sennacherib. By morning, the entire army lay dead, except for Sennacherib himself and five of his companions, one of whom was Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Israel had them captured and placed in shackles, displaying them publicly for seventy days as a mark of humiliation, feeding each of them only a loaf of barley bread each day, before finally imprisoning them.
Allah then revealed to Isaiah that the king should send the captives back to their own land so they could warn their people of what had happened. When they returned, Sennacherib gathered his people and told them everything. The priests and magicians told him that they had warned him about the power of this nation's Lord and prophets, but he had refused to listen, for this was a people whose God could not be overcome by anyone. Sennacherib was struck with fear of Allah after this, and he died seven years later.
Israel After Hezekiah's Death
Ibn Ishaaq also reported that after King Hezekiah's death, conditions among the Israelites worsened. Political confusion spread and wickedness increased. Isaiah continued to preach what Allah had revealed to him, calling the people to righteousness and warning them of Allah's severe punishment if they continued in their ways. His preaching turned the people against him, and they resolved to kill him, forcing him to flee.
Isaiah's Death
Ibn Ishaaq also recorded an account, drawn from Israelite tradition, describing how Isaiah was once passing by a tree that opened up, allowing him to hide inside it. Satan saw him do this and pulled at the edge of his garment, leaving it exposed outside the tree. When his pursuers saw this, they brought a saw and cut through the tree, killing him along with it. Indeed, from Allah we come, and to Him we return.