This paper examines the identity of Dhūl-Kifl as presented in the Quran and classical Islamic scholarship, focusing on the tension between scriptural ambiguity and exegetical expansion. While the Quran mentions Dhūl-Kifl twice without providing explicit genealogical or historical detail, later exegetical and narrative traditions attempt to identify him through various claims, including associations with Ayyūb and al-Yasaʿ. Through a critical analysis of the broader exegetical tradition alongside narrative literature, this study demonstrates that many commonly cited identifications lack firm textual grounding in early authoritative sources. The paper highlights how later narrative traditions, often influenced by Isrāʾīliyyāt, contributed to the circulation and gradual solidification of speculative claims, including familial links and lines of succession. By distinguishing between verifiable exegetical statements and later interpretive developments, the study argues for a more restrained and textually grounded understanding of Dhūl-Kifl’s identity, emphasizing the Quran’s deliberate non-specificity as methodologically significant.
