Almost all information about Habakkuk is drawn from the book of the Bible bearing his name,[3] with no biographical details provided other than his title, "the prophet".

Beyond the Bible, considerable conjecture has been put forward over the centuries in the form of Christian and Rabbinic tradition, but such accounts are dismissed by modern scholars as speculative and apocryphal.

Because the final chapter of his book is a song, it is sometimes assumed that he was a member of the Tribe of Levi, who served as musicians in Solomon's Temple.

[19] According to the Zohar (Volume 1, page 8b),[clarification needed] Habakkuk is the boy born to the Shunamite woman through Elisha's blessing: And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace (חֹבֶקֶת‎ – ḥōḇeqeṯ) a son.

And she said, Nay, my lord, [thou] man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.The only work attributed to Habakkuk is the short biblical text which bears his name.

[23][24] In the first part of the first chapter, the prophet sees the injustice among his people and asks why God does not take action: "O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?

The fifth-century Christian historian Sozomen claimed that the relics of Habakkuk were found at Cela near Bayt Jibrin, when God revealed their location to Zebennus, bishop of Eleutheropolis, in a dream.

The Organization's guide to the Hamadan province states that Habakkuk was believed to be a guardian to Solomon's Temple, and that he was captured by the Babylonians and remained in their prison for some years.

The surrounding shrine may date to the period of the Seljuq Empire (11–12th century); it consists of an octagonal wall and conical dome.

A stone upon the grave is inscribed in both Hebrew and Persian stating that the prophet's father was Shioua Lovit, and his mother was Lesho Namit.

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome contains a Baroque sculpture of Habakkuk by the 17th-century artist Bernini.

[44] The figures are arranged around the forecourt and monumental stairway in front of the Santuário do Bom Jesus do Matosinhos at Congonhas.

al-Ridha said, "and this is narrated in your book, 'Allah brought down speech on Mount Faran, and the heavens were filled with the glorification of Muhammad and his community.

[50] Some medieval Muslim scholars even provided commentaries on the biblical Book of Habakkuk, with the primary purpose of showing that the prophet had predicted the coming of Muhammad in Habakkuk 3:2–6, in a manner akin to the earlier Christian tradition of seeing in the book's prophecies allusions to the advent of Christ.

[55] Elsewhere, the same scholar glossed Habakkuk 3:4, 15 as follows: "The earth shines with his light, and his horses launched into the sea",[56] again interpreting the prophecy to be an allusion to the coming of Muhammad.

[57] One further prophecy of Habakkuk which Ibn Qutaybah cited, from extra-canonical Hebraic literature, was "You shall be exceedingly filled in your bows ... O Praised One (Muhammad).