Please tell me about Daniel, the Apostle?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

Daniel was a Prophet who was sent to Banu Israel (Children of Israel). We could not find any religious text in the Quran or the Sunnah about him. The common relevant view held by the Muslim scholars is that he lived after the era of Prophet David (Daawood) and before Prophets Zakariyya (Zechariah) and Yahya (John), may Allaah exalt their mention. This coincided with the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed the city, killed the children of Israel therein, took some Israelites as captives, and burned the Torah.

Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya narrated the following tradition with a chain of narration, on the authority of ʻAbdullaah ibn Abu Al-Hatheel. It reads:

"Nebuchadnezzar let loose two lions against Daniel whom he had thrown into a pit; yet they did not harm him in any way. He remained as long as Allaah wished him to remain. Then, when he desired food and drink, Allaah revealed to Prophet Jeremiah, who was in Sham (the Levant) at the time, 'Prepare food and drink for Daniel.' He said, 'O Lord, I am in Jerusalem while Daniel is in Babylon in Iraq!' Allaah, The Exalted, revealed to him, 'Do what I have commanded you to do, and I shall send you one who will carry you and what you have prepared.' Jeremiah did so and Allaah sent him someone who carried him until he arrived at the brink of the pit. Daniel asked, 'Who is this?' Jeremiah answered, 'This is Jeremiah.' Daniel asked, 'What brought you?' He answered, 'Your Lord sent me to you.' Daniel said, 'My Lord remembered me?' Jeremiah said, 'Yes.' Daniel said, 'Praise be to Allaah, Who never forgets those who remember Him! And Praise be to Allaah, Who never forgets those who appeal to Him! And Praise be to Allaah, Who never entrusts those who trust Him to any other! And Praise be to Allaah, Who compensates good with good, rewards patience with salvation, dispels harm and distress, assures us when we are overwhelmed with our sins, and is our hope when skill fails us...'"

It was known among the Companions that the grave of Daniel was discovered during the conquest of Tustar (in Persia, Iran) in the reign of ʻUmar ibn Al-Khattaab who gave orders that news of this grave should be withheld lest people would take his grave as a place of worship or perform any polytheistic practices.

Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya also reported the following tradition with a good chain of narration, as indicated by Al-Haafith Ibn Katheer, on the authority of Abu Az-Zinaad, who said:

"I have seen a ring on the hand of Abu Burdah ibn Abi Moosa Al-Ash'ari. On its stone, the image of two lions and a man between them, whom they were licking, was inscribed. Abu Burdah remarked, 'This is the ring of that man whom the people of this town say is Daniel. Abu Moosa took it the day that he (Daniel) was buried (after being found in the reign of ʻUmar ibn Al-Khattaab). The learned people of the town told Abu Moosa that soothsayers and astrologers told the king in Daniel’s time that a boy would be born on the night of such and such a day who would destroy him and his kingdom. So, the king swore to kill all the baby boys born on that night. So they threw Daniel in the lions’ den, but the lion and lioness began to lick him and did not harm him. His mother came and took him. Thus, Allaah saved him and he lived until the age of such-and-such. Abu Moosa remarked, 'Scholars of this village said that Daniel carved his image and the image of the two lions on the stone of his ring in order not to forget the blessing of Allaah bestowed upon him in this incident.''"

Needless to say that the story of Daniel was based on the traditions reported in the Isra'iliyyaat (i.e. the body of narratives originating from Jewish and Christian traditions), none of which have been authentically attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam. However, there is no religious impediment to relating such traditions and reports as long as they do not contradict the Islamic sharee'ah as evidenced by the general indication of the hadeeth that reads, "Relate traditions from the children of Israel; there is no harm in that."

Allaah knows best.