Prophets Of Islam: Apostles who preach the news of what comes from the revelation and Sharia
In Islam, Prophets and Messengers (in Arabic the words Nabi and Rasul are used), are people chosen by Allah (the God) to guide mankind, and their communities especially when they need it most and to bring them back to the path towards Allah.
According to the Quran, Allah has sent over 125,000 prophets to every nation and Muhammad was sent to convey Allah’s message to the idol-worshipping Arab tribes during his time and to convey the Quran for mankind to use and to learn from after his passing, and Muhammad was the last prophet.
Qur'an
There are many prophets in Islam, of them 25 prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur'an. These are:
- Adam (آدم)
- Idris (إدريس) (Enoch)
- Nuh (نوح) (Noah)
- Hud (هود) (Eber)
- Saleh (صالح) (Shelah)
- Ibrahim (إبراهيم)(Abraham)
- Lut (لوط) (Lot)
- Ismail (إسماعيل) (Ishmael)
- Ishaq (إسحاق) (Isaac)
- Ya'qub (يعقوب) (Jacob)
- Yusuf (يوسف) (Joseph)
- Ayub (أيوب) (Job)
- Shu'aib (شعيب) (Jethro)
- Musa (موسى)(Moses)
- Harun (هارون) (Aaron)
- Dul-Kifl (ذو الكفل) (Ezekiel)
- Dawud (داود) (David)
- Suleyman (سليمان)(Solomon)
- Ilyas (إلياس) (Elijah)
- Al-Yasa (اليسع) (Elisha)
- Yunus (يونس)(Jonah)
- Zakaria (زكريا)(Zechariah)
- Yahya (يحيى) (John the Baptist)
- Isa (عيسى) (Jesus)
- Muhammad (محمد)
Other prophets and/or chosen figures
Muslims believe in other prophets and/or chosen figures other than those mentioned by name in the Qur'an, such as: Joshua, Samson, Luqman, Caleb, Seth, Daniel, Isaiah, Hosea, Jeremiah, Shem, Benjamin, Khidr, and Dhu al-Qarnayn (traditionally believed to be a reference to Alexander the Great).
Known prophets
Prophets and messengers named in the Quran
According to tradition, Prophets (Nabi) mentioned in the Quran are sometimes interchanged with the word Messengers (Rasul), but not all Prophets were Messengers.
| Chronologically Ordered Number | Name | Arabic (transliteration) | Equivalent | Prophet (nabī) | Messenger (rasūl)!! Book | Time when a prophet lived (event or years) | Sent to | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam | آدَم (ʾĀdam) | Adam | ✓ | ✓ | Birth of humanity as we know it | Earth | First Prophet | |
| 2 | Idris | إِدْرِيس (ʾIdrīs) | Enoch | ✓ | Babylon | Tailor; inventor of the needle | |||
| 3 | Nuh | نُوح (Nūḥ) | Noah | ✓ | ✓ | Great Flood | The people of Noah | Survivor of the Great Flood | |
| 4 | Hud | هُود (Hūd) | Eber | ✓ | ✓ | ʿĀd tribe | Merchant | ||
| 5 | Saleh | صَالِح (Ṣāliḥ) | ✓ | ✓ | Thamud tribe | Camel breeder | |||
| 6 | Ibrahim | إِبْرَاهِيم (ʾIbrāhīm) | Abraham | ✓ | ✓ | Scrolls of Abraham | Migration to Iraq and spread of the message of Monotheism | The people of Iraq | Builder of the Kaaba, Founder of Abrahamic Religions |
| 7 | Lut | لُوط (Lūṭh) | Lot | ✓ | ✓ | The people of Lot | Historian and traveler | ||
| 8 | Ismail | إِسْمَاعِيل (ʾIsmāʿīl) | Ishmael | ✓ | ✓ | Mecca | Founder of the Arabian people | ||
| 9 | Ishaq | إِسْحَاق (ʾIsḥāq) | Isaac | ✓ | Jerusalem/Palestine | Founders of the Israelite people; Isra’ill | |||
| 10 | Yaqub | يَعْقُوب (Yaʿqūb) | Jacob | ✓ | |||||
| 11 | Yusuf | يُوسُف (Yūsuf) | Joseph | ✓ | ✓ | Egypt | Inventor | ||
| 12 | Ayyub | أَيُّوب (ʾAyyūb) | Job | ✓ | Edom | Known for his patience | |||
| 13 | Shuʿayb | شُعَيْب (Shu‘ayb) | Jethro | ✓ | ✓ | Midian | Shepherd | ||
| 14 | Musa | مُوسَىٰ (Mūsā) | Moses | ✓ | ✓ | Tawrah (Torah) Suhoof Musa (Scrolls of Moses) | ~1400s BCE-1300s BCE, or ~1300s BCE-1200s BCE | Pharaoh and his establishment | Challenged the Pharaoh and spread the word of the Torah/Tawrat, Founder of Judaism |
| 15 | Harun | هَارُون (Hārūn) | Aaron | ✓ | Pharaoh and his establishment | Vizier | |||
| 16 | Dhul-Kifl | ذُو ٱلْكِفْل (Zūlkifli) | Debated, Ezekiel, Buddha, Joshua, Obadiah Isaiah. | ✓ | Iraq | ||||
| 17 | Dawud | دَاوُۥد \ دَاوُود (Dāūd) | David | ✓ | ✓ | Zabur (Psalms) | ~1000s BCE-971 BCE | Jerusalem | Spread the word of Psalms/Zabur |
| 18 | Sulayman | سُلَيْمَان (Sulaymān) | Solomon | ✓ | ~971 BCE-931 BCE | Jerusalem | Copperworker, third and last king of the United Monarchy; built the First Temple; Son of Dawud | ||
| 19 | Ilyas | إِلْيَاس (ʾIlyās) | Elijah | ✓ | ✓ | The people of Ilyas | Silk weaver | ||
| 20 | Alyasa | ٱلْيَسَع (Alyasaʿ) | Elisha | ✓ | Samaria | ||||
| 21 | Yunus | يُونُس (Yūnus) | Jonah | ✓ | ✓ | The people of Younis | Swallowed by large fish | ||
| 22 | Zakariyya | زَكَرِيَّا (Zakarīyā) | Zechariah | ✓ | Jerusalem | Father of Yahya | |||
| 23 | Yahya | يَحْيَىٰ (Yaḥyā) | John the Baptist | ✓ | Jerusalem | ||||
| 24 | Isa | عِيسَىٰ (ʿĪsā) | Jesus | ✓ | ✓ | Injil (Gospel) | ~4 BCE-~30 CE, or ~0-~30 CE | The Children of Isra’ill | The Messiah, spread the word of the Gospel/Injil, Founder of Christianity |
| 25 | Muhammad | مُحَمَّد (Muḥammad) | Muhammad | ✓ | ✓ | Quran | 571-632 | The Arab Tribes and mankind | Shepherd, Founder of Islam; Seal of the Prophets, spread the word of the Quran |
Figures whose prophethood is debated
| Name | Arabic (transliteration) | Equivalent | Sent to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniyal | دانيال (Dānīyāl) | Daniel | Babylon | Usually considered by Muslims to be a prophet, but he is not mentioned in the Qur'an, nor in Sunni Muslim hadith, but he is a prophet according to Shia Muslim hadith. |
| Dhu Al-Qarnayn | ذُو ٱلْقَرْنَيْن (Ḏū al-Qarnayn) | Traditionally identified with Alexander the Great, while some modernists have identified him with Cyrus the Great, and others with Imru'l-Qays, Messiah ben Joseph, Darius the Great, Oghuz Khagan) | The people he met on his travels[Quran 18:83-101] | He appears in the Quran[Quran 18:83-101] as one who travels to east and west and erects a barrier between mankind and Gog and Magog (called Ya'juj and Ma'juj). |
| Hizqil | حزقيل (Ḥizqīl) | Ezekiel | Iraq | He is often identified as being the same figure as Dhul-Kifl, Although not mentioned in the Qur'an by the name, Muslim scholars, both classical and modern |
| Irmiya | إرْميا (Irmiyā) | Jeremiah | Palestine | He does not appear in the Quran or any canonical hadith, but his narrative is fleshed out in Muslim literature and exegesis, moreover some non-canonical hadith and tafsirs narrate that the Parable of the Hamlet in Ruins is about Irmiya. |
| Khidr | ٱلْخَضِر (al-Khaḍir) | Unknown, sometimes identified as Melchizedek, and sometimes equated with Elijah | The seas, the oppressed peoples, Isra’ill,[Quran 18:65-82] Mecca, and all lands where a prophet exists | The Quran also mentions the mysterious Khidr (but does not name him), identified at times with Melchizedek (who is the figure that Abram accompanies on one journey). Although most Muslims regard him as an enigmatic saint, some see him as a prophet as well. |
| Maryam | مَرْيَم (Maryam) | Mary | Israel | Some scholars regard Maryam (Mary) as a messenger and a prophetess, since God sent her a message through an angel and because she was a vessel for divine miracles. Islamic belief regards her as one of the holiest of women, but the matter of her prophethood continues to be debated. |
| Luqman | لقمان (Luqman) | - | Ethiopia | The Quran mentions the sage Luqman in the chapter named after him, but does not clearly identify him as a prophet. The most widespread Islamic belief views Luqman as a saint, but not as a messenger, however, other Muslims regard Luqman as a messenger as well. The Arabic term wali is commonly translated into English as "Saint". This should not be confused with the Christian tradition of sainthood. |
| Samuil | صموئيل (Ṣamūʾīl) | Samuel | Israel | Not mentioned by name, only referred to as a messenger/prophet sent to the Israelites and who anoints Saul as a king. |
| Shith | شيث (Šiṯ) | Seth | Mankind | He is not mentioned in the Quran, but he is mentioned in Hadith, and is revered within Islamic tradition. |
| Talut | طالوت (Ṭālūt) | Traditionally identified with Saul, while some have identified him with Gideon | Israel | Some Muslims refer to Saul as Talut, and believe that he was the commander of Israel. Other scholars, however, have identified Talut as Gideon. According to the Qur'an, Talut was chosen by Samuel to lead them into war. Talut led the Israelites to victory over the army of Goliath, who was killed by Dawud (David). |
| Uzair | عزير (ʿUzayr) | Ezra | Israel | He is mentioned in the Quran, but he is not specified to have been a prophet, although many Islamic scholars hold Uzair to be one of the prophets. |
| Yusha | يُوشَعُ (Yūša) | Joshua | Israel | Yusha (Joshua) is not mentioned by name in the Quran, but his name appears in other Islamic literature and in multiple Hadith. In the Quranic account of the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb are referenced, but not named, as two men, on whom God "had bestowed His grace". Yusha is regarded by most scholars as the prophetic successor to Musa (Moses). |
References
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