Elijah was a prophet of the Children of Israel; he lived about 1000 years before the Christ; i.e. he lived about 3000 years ago, then he died, and his spirit or soul went up to heaven (like the spirits of all prophets and righteous people: their souls go to heaven following their death, and do not remain on earth together with devils and sinners.)
Therefore, Elijah or Elia the prophet of the Israelite lived and died in the past.
Elijah was stern against the idolatry and the worship of Baal or Baalim, and he slayed the false prophets [: priests] of the idol Baal.
There are predictions and prophecies that Elia or Elijah will be resurrected and will rise with his body, to carry out his duty.
But such predictions and prophecies are related to another person: a man called Ali or Mohammed-Ali: he was a Muslim, and he also was stern against the idolatry: which is the tomb worship, by his own people, and he interpreted the Quran by means of God's inspiration and revelation.
The name Elia or Elijah in Hebrew = Ali in Arabic.
This man: Mohammed-Ali had good manners and kindness of heart like the manners and kind heart of Prophet Elia or Elijah and he was the interpreter of the Quran and was acquainted about the Torah Bible of Moses and the prophets; he called it the Torah Collection (or Bible.)
Jesus Christ told people that he will die and go to his Lord in heaven, and that he will send them his apostle the Comforter to tell them many things that they did not understand in his time.
The angel who told Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilly that he was the Mahdi and instructed him to interpret the Quran:
Abu Abdallah said: I did not see him, neither was he speaking to me with audible voice, but I heard his words clearly which were revealed to me by revelation not by audible uttering.
The inspiring one said: You are the Mahdi, so carry out your duty!
And he said to him many things more.
Abu Abdallah asked him: who are you? The inspiring one said: I am the Christ!
Abu Abdallah said to me: I thought he was an angel called the Messiah (or Christ), but later on I knew that the Christ will send the Mahdi or the Comforter.
The Christ kept inspiring him for 3 days, then he stopped to do so.
But the revelations or inspirations continued regarding the explanation of the mysterious ayat of the Quran; Abu Abdallah said I don't know whether the inspiring one by now has been the Christ or another angel.