Prophets and messengers in Islam

Prophets in Islam (Arabic: الأنبياء في الإسلام‎, romanized: al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals believed to serve as examples of ideal human behavior and to spread God's message on Earth. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (Arabic: رسول‎, romanized: rusul, sing. رسول‎, rasūl), those who transmit divine revelation, most of them through the interaction of an angel. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran states: "There is a Messenger for every community". Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith.

Muslims believe that the first prophet was also the first human being, Adam, created by God. In the Quran, a total of twenty-five prophets are mentioned including Alyasa (Elisha), Ayyub (Job), Sulaiman (Solomon) and others. There are four Arab prophets mentioned in the Quran namely Hud, Saleh, Shuaib and Muhammad. The Tawrat (Torah) was revealed to Musa (Moses), Zabur (Psalms) was revealed to Dawud (David), and the Injil (Gospel) was revealed to Isa (Jesus).

The last prophet in Islam is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, whom Muslims believe to be the "Seal of the Prophets" (Khatam an-Nabiyyin), to whom the last revelation Quran was revealed in a series of revelations. Muslims believe the Quran is the sole divine and literal word of God, thus immutable and protected from distortion and corruption, destined to remain in its true form until the Last Day.

In Islam, every prophet preached the same core beliefs, the Oneness of God, worshipping of that one God, avoidance of idolatry and sin, and the belief in the Day of Resurrection and life after death. Prophets and messengers are believed to have been sent by God to different communities during different periods in history.

Etymology

In Arabic and Hebrew, the term nabī (Arabic plural form: أنبياء, anbiyāʼ) means "prophet". Forms of this noun occur 75 times in the Quran. The term nubuwwah (Arabic: نبوة‎ "prophethood") occurs five times in the Quran. The terms rasūl (Arabic plural: رسل, rusul) and mursal (Arabic: مرسل, mursal, pl: مرسلون, mursalūn) denote "messenger with law given by/received from God" and occur more than 300 times. The term for a prophetic "message" (Arabic: رسالة, risālah, pl: رسالات, risālāt) appears in the Quran in ten instances.

The Syriac form of rasūl Allāh (literally: "messenger of God"), s̲h̲eliḥeh d-allāhā, occurs frequently in the apocryphal Acts of St. Thomas. The corresponding verb for s̲h̲eliḥeh—s̲h̲alaḥ, occurs in connection with the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.

The words "prophet" (Arabic: نبي‎, romanized: nabī) and "messenger" (Arabic: رسول‎, romanized: rasūl) appear several times in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The following table shows these words in different languages:

Prophet and Messenger in the Bible

Arabic	Arabic Pronunciation	English	Greek	Greek pronunciation	Strong Number	Hebrew	Hebrew pronunciation	Strong Number
نَبِيّ	Nabīy	Prophet	προφήτης	prophētēs	G4396	נְבִיָּא	navi' /nabiʔ/	H5030
رَسُول or مُرْسَل	Rasūl, Mursal	Messenger, Prophet, Apostle	ἄγγελος, ἀπόστολος	äggelos, äpostolos	G32, G652	מַלְאָךְ, שָׁלַח (verb)	mal'ach /malʔak/, shalah /ʃalaħ/ (verb)	H4397, H7971

In the Hebrew Bible, the word nabi ("spokesperson, prophet") occurs commonly. The biblical word for "messenger", mal'akh, refers today to Angels in Judaism, but originally was used for human messenger both of God and of men, thus it is only somewhat equivalent of rasūl. According to Judaism, Haggai, Zaqariah, and Malachi were the last prophets, all of whom lived at the end of the 70-year Babylonian exile. With them, the authentic period of Nevuah ("prophecy") died, and nowadays only the "Bath Kol" (בת קול, lit. daughter of a voice, "voice of God") exists (Sanhedrin 11a).

In the New Testament, however, the word "messenger" becomes more frequent, sometimes in association with the concept of a preacher (apostle or prophet). "Messenger" may refer to Jesus, to his Apostles and to John the Baptist. But the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi, speaks of a messenger that Christian commentators interpret as a reference to the future prophet John the Baptist (Yahya).

Characteristics

The Quran is a revelation from the last prophet in the Abrahamic succession, Muhammad, and its contents detail what Muslims refer to as the straight path. According to Islamic belief, every prophet preached submission and obedience to God (Islam). There is an emphasis on charity, prayer, pilgrimage, fasting, with the most emphasis given to the strict belief and worship of a singular God. The Quran itself calls Islam the "religion of Abraham" (Ibrahim) and refers to Jacob (Yaqub) and the Twelve Tribes of Israel as being Muslims.

The Quran says:

In matters of faith, He has laid down for you [people] the same commandment that He gave Noah, which We have revealed to you [Muhammad] and which We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and Jesus: 'Uphold the faith and do not divide into factions within it'-...

— Quran 42:13

Prophets in Islam are exemplars to ordinary humans. They exhibit model characteristics of righteousness and moral conduct. Prophetic typologies shared by all prophets include prophetic lineage, advocating monotheism, transmitting God's messages, and warning of the eschatological consequences of rejecting God. Prophetic revelation often comes in the form of signs and divine proofs. Each prophet is connected to one another, and ultimately support the final prophetic message of Muhammad. The qualities prophets possess are meant to lead people towards the straight path. In one hadith, it was stated: "Among men the prophets suffer most."

Protection from sin and failure

Classical Islamic teaching, especially Shia Islam, teach that unlike other human beings, prophets have the quality of ʿiṣmah, i.e. are protected by God from making mistakes or committing grave sins. This does not mean, they do not err, rather that they always seek to correct their mistakes. It is argued that sin are necessary for prophets, so they can show the people how to repent. Jasser Auda mentioned instances of the Quran correcting Muhammad on certain matters, in Quran 8:67; Q9:43; and 80:1-3.

Some doubt whether there is Quranic basis for ʿiṣmah, (Jasser Auda mentioned instances of the Quran correcting Muhammad on certain matters, in Quran 8:67; 9:43; and 80:1-3). but since in Islam (and Abrahamic faiths in general) divine revelation (the Quran and Sunnah) is transmitted by human beings—normally subject to error, weakness, frailty—the doctrine of ʿiṣmah prevents this problem, and became "mainstream Sunni doctrine" by the ninth century CE. Scholars are not in agreement on whether prophets are subject to error in judgments outside their divine mission.

The Quran speaks of the prophets as being the greatest human beings of all time. Quran 4:69 lists various virtuous groups of human beings, among whom prophets (including messengers) occupy the highest rank. Verse 4:69 reads:

All who obey God and the messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of God—of the prophets (who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!

— Quran 4:69

Stories of the prophets in the Quran demonstrate that it is "God's practice" (Sunnat Allah) to make faith triumph finally over the forces of evil and adversity. "We have made the evil ones friends to those without faith." "Assuredly God will defend those who believe." The prophets are divinely inspired by God but "share no divine attributes", and possess "no knowledge or power" other than that granted to them by God. Prophets are considered to be chosen by God for the specific task of teaching the faith of Islam.

Age

Some were called to prophesy late in life, such as Muhammad at the age of 40. Some were called to prophesy at a young age, such as John the Baptist. Jesus prophesied while still in his cradle.

Female prophets

The question of Mary's prophethood has been debated amongst Muslim theologians. The Zahirite ("literalist") school argued that Mary as well as Sara the mother of Isaac and Asiya, the mother of Moses are not considered as prophets. The Zahirites-based this determination on the instances in the Quran where angels spoke to the women and divinely guided their actions. According to the Zahirite Ibn Hazm of Cordova (d. 1064) women could be placed under the categorization of nubuwwa ("prophethood") but not under risala ("messengerhood") which could only be attained by men. Ibn Hazm also based his position on Mary's prophethood on Qurān 5:75 which refers to Mary as "a woman of truth" just as it refers to Joseph as a "man of truth" in Q12:46. Other linguistic examples which augment scholarship around Mary's position in Islam can be found in terms used to describe her. For example, In Q4:34 Mary is described as being one of the "qanitin", or one who exhibits "qunut" ("devout obedience"). This is the same term used for male prophets in the masculine gender plural of Arabic. The feminine plural, which is not used, would be "qanitat."

Challenges to Mary's prophethood have often been based on Q12:109 which reads "We have only sent men prior to you". Some scholars have argued that the use of the term "rijal" or men should be interpreted as providing a contrast between men and angels and not necessarily as contrasting men and women.

Some scholars, particularly in the Sunni tradition, have rejected this doctrine as bid'a ("heretical innovation").

Prophetic lineage

Abraham is widely recognized for being the father of monotheism in the Abrahamic religions, however, in the Quran he is recognized as a messenger and a link in the chain of Muslim prophets. Muhammad, God's final messenger and the revelator of the Quran, is a descendant of Abraham. In the Quran it reads, "He [God] said: 'I am making you [Abraham] a spiritual exemplar to mankind.'" (Q. 2:124) This phrase is affirming Islam as an Abrahamic religion, and further promoting Abraham as an important figure in the history of the Quran. This confirmation of the prophetic relationship (between Abraham and Muhammad) is significant to Abraham's story in the Quran – due to the fact that the last messenger, Muhammad, completes Abraham's prophetic lineage. This relationship can be seen in the Quranic chapter 6:

"That is Our Argument which We imparted to Abraham against his people. We raise up in degrees whomever We please. Your Lord is indeed Wise, All-Knowing. And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and guided each of them; and Noah We guided before that, and of his progeny, [We guided] David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Thus We reward the beneficent. And Zechariah, John, Jesus and Elias, each was one of the righteous. And Ishmael, Elijah, Jonah and Lot; each We exalted above the whole world. [We also exalted some] of their fathers, progeny and brethren. And We chose them and guided them to a straight path." (Q. 6:83-87)

These particular verses support the Quranic narrative for Abraham to be recognized as a patriarch and is supported by his prophetic lineage concluding with Muhammad. Although Muhammad is considered the last prophet, some Muslim traditions also recognize and venerate saints (though modern schools, such as Salafism and Wahhabism, reject the theory of sainthood).

The Quran presents the world of Abraham as interlocking dramas or conflicts. The divine drama concerns the events of creation and banishment from the garden; while the human drama concerns the life and history of humanity but, also inclusive of the ever-changing events in of individual lives and those of the prophets. This is the situation that calls the faith of the Prophets to follow and reclaim the message of the Straight path and this is characterization of the conflicts between the two dramas. The Islamic morality is founded on this virtuous living through faith in the life ordained by the divine. This is the Divine task given to believers accompanied by the divine gift that the Prophets had in revelation and perspective of ayat. This the key feature to the authority of their revelation because not only is the source of revelation is Allah but it produces texts that are seen as distinctive than other poetry but it fits within the Abrahamic tradition. Poetry especially, in the Arabian context, connects the Quran to Pre-Islamic poetry which originates from the jihn; however, the Quran's place within other religious contexts gives the revelation to Muhammed the same authority of the Hebrew texts and the New Testament.

Monotheism

The Quran states,

"And (remember) Abraham, when he said to his people: 'Worship Allah and fear Him; that is far better for you, if only you knew. Indeed, you only worship, apart from Allah, mere idols, and you invent falsehood. Surely, those you worship, apart from Allah, have no power to provide for you. So, seek provision from Allah, worship Him and give Him thanks. You shall be returned unto Him.'" (Q. 29:16-17)

This passage promotes Abraham's devotion to God as one of his messengers along with his monotheism. Islam is a monotheistic religion, and Abraham is one who is recognized for this transformation of the religious tradition. This prophetic aspect of monotheism is mentioned several times in the Quran. Abraham believed in one true God, Allah, and promoted an "invisible oneness" (tawḥīd) with him. The Quran proclaims, "Say: 'My lord has guided me to a Straight Path, a right religion, the creed of Abraham, an upright man who was no polytheist.'" (Q. 6:161) One push Abraham had to devote himself to God and monotheism is from the pagans of his time. Abraham was devoted to cleansing the Arabian Peninsula of this impetuous worship. His father was a wood idol sculptor, and Abraham was critical of his trade. Due to Abraham's devotion, he is recognized as the father of monotheism.

Eschatology

Prophets and messengers in Islam often fall under the typologies of nadhir ("warner") and bashir ("announcer of good tidings"). Many prophets serve as vessels to inform humanity of the eschatological consequences of not accepting God's message and affirming monotheism. A verse from the Quran reads: "Verily, We have sent thee [Muhammad] with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: and thou shalt not be held accountable for those who are destined for the blazing fire." (Q2:119) The prophetic revelations found in the Quran offer vivid descriptions of the flames of Hell that await nonbelievers but also describe the rewards of the gardens of Paradise that await the true believers. The warnings and promises transmitted by God through the prophets to their communities serve to legitimize Muhammed's message. The final revelation that is presented to Muhammed is particularly grounded in the belief that the Day of Judgement is imminent.

Signs and divine proofs

Throughout the Quran, prophets such as Moses and Jesus often perform miracles or are associated with miraculous events. The Quran makes clear that these events always occur through God and not of the prophet's own volition. Throughout the Meccan passages there are instances where the Meccan people demand visual proofs of Muhammad's divine connection to God to which Muhammad replies "The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a plain warner." (Q29:50) This instance makes clear that prophets are only mortals who can testify to God's omnipotence and produce signs when he wills it. Furthermore, the Quran states that visual and verbal proofs are often rejected by the unbelievers as being sihr ("magic") The Quran reads: "They claim that he tries to bewitch them and make them believe that he speaks the word of God, although he is just an ordinary human being like themselves. (Q74:24-25)

Representation and prophetic connection to Muhammad

There are patterns of representation of Quranic prophecy that support the revelation of Muhammad. Since Muhammad is in Abraham's prophetic lineage, they are analogous in many aspects of their prophecy. Muhammad was trying to rid the Pagans of idolatry during his lifetime, which is similar to Abraham. This caused many to reject Muhammad’s message and even made him flee from Mecca due to his unsafety in the city. Carl Ernest, the author of How to Read the Qur’an: A New Guide, with Select Translations, states, "The Qur’an frequently consoles Muhammad and defends him against his opponents." This consolation can also be seen as parallel to Abraham's encouragement from God. Muhammad is also known to perform miracles as Abraham did. Sura 17 (al-isrā) briefly describes Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey where he physically ascended to the Heavens to meet with previous prophets. This spiritual journey is significant in the sense that many Islamic religious traditions and transformations were given and established during this miracle, such as the ritual of daily prayer. (Q17:78-84) Muhammad is a descendant of Abraham; therefore, this not only makes him part of the prophetic lineage, but the final prophet in the Abrahamic lineage to guide humanity to the Straight Path. In Sura 33 (al-ahzāb) it confirms Muhammad and states, "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets. Allah is Cognizant of everything". (Q33:40)

Obedience

The Quran emphasizes the importance of obedience to prophets in Surah 26 Ash-Shu'ara, in which a series of prophets preaching fear of God and obedience to themselves.

• verse 108 has Noah saying 'fear God and Obey me'
• verse 126 has Hud saying 'fear God and obey me'
• verse 144 has Saleh saying 'fear God and obey me'
• verse 163 has Lot saying 'fear God and obey me'
• verse 179 has Shu'ayb saying 'fear God and obey me'

Scriptures and other gifts

Holy books of Islam

See also: Islamic holy books

The revealed books are the records which Muslims believe were dictated by God to various Islamic prophets throughout the history of mankind, all these books promulgated the code and laws of Islam. The belief in all the revealed books is an article of faith in Islam and Muslims must believe in all the scriptures to be a Muslim. Muslims believe the Quran, the final holy scripture, was sent because all the previous holy books had been either corrupted or lost. Nonetheless, Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures, even in their current forms.

The Quran mentions some Islamic scriptures by name:

• Tawrat (Torah): According to the Quran, the Tawrat (Torah) was revealed to Moses, but Muslims believe that the current Pentateuch, although it retains the main message, has suffered corruption over the years. Moses and his brother Haroon (Aaron) used the Torah to preach the message to the Children of Israel. The Quran implies that the Torah is the longest-used scripture, with the Jewish people still using the Torah today, and that all the Hebrew prophets would warn the people of any corruptions that were in the scripture. Jesus, in Muslim belief, was the last prophet to be taught the Mosaic Law in its true form.
• Zabur (Psalms): The Quran mentions the Psalms as being the holy scripture revealed to David. Scholars have often understood the Psalms to have been holy songs of praise. The current Psalms are still praised by many Muslim scholars, but Muslims generally assume that some of the current Psalms were written later and are not divinely revealed.
• Books of Divine Wisdom (Arabic: possibly identified as الْزُبُر az-Zubur): The Quran mentions certain Books of Divine Wisdom, translated by some scholars as Books of Dark Prophecies, which are a reference to particular books vouchsafed to some prophets, wherein there was wisdom for man. Some scholars have suggested that these may be one and the same as the Psalms as their root Arabic word, Zubur (Quran 35:25) - the plural for the word "Scriptures", comes from the same source as the Arabic Zabur for the Psalms.
• Injil (Gospel): The Injil (Gospel) was the holy book revealed to Jesus, according to the Quran. Although many lay Muslims believe the Injil refers to the entire New Testament, scholars have clearly pointed out that it refers not to the New Testament but to an original Gospel, which was sent by God, and was given to Jesus. Therefore, according to Muslim belief, the Gospel was the message that Jesus, being divinely inspired, preached to the Children of Israel. The current canonical Gospels, in the belief of Muslim scholars, are not divinely revealed but rather are documents of the life of Jesus, as written by various contemporaries, disciples and companions. These Gospels contain portions of Jesus's teachings but do not represent the original Gospel, which was a single book written not by a human but was sent by God.
• Quran: The Quran (Arabic: القرآن‎‎, romanized: al-Qurʼān) was the revelation revealed to Muhammad.
• Scrolls of Abraham: (Arabic: الْصُّحُفُ ٱلْأُولَى‎, romanized: aṣ-Ṣuḥufu 'l-Ūlā, lit. 'Books of the Earliest Revelation' and/or Arabic: صُّحُفِ إِبْرَهِيم‎, romanized: Ṣuḥufu 'Ibrahīm). The Scrolls of Abraham are believed to have been one of the earliest bodies of scripture, which were vouchsafed to Abraham, and later used by Ishmael and Isaac. Although usually referred to as 'scrolls/ manuscript', many translators have translated the Arabic Suhuf as 'the Scriptures'. The Scrolls of Abraham are now considered lost rather than corrupted, although some scholars have identified them with the Testament of Abraham, an apocalyptic piece of literature available in Arabic at the time of Muhammad. The verse mentioning the "Scriptures" is in Quran 87:18-19 where they are referred to "Books of the Earliest Revelation".
• Scrolls of Moses: (Arabic: الْصُّحُفُ ٱلْأُولَى‎, romanized: aṣ-Ṣuḥufu 'l-Ūlā, lit. 'Books of the Earliest Revelation' and/or Arabic: صُّحُفُ مُوسَى‎, romanized: Ṣuḥufu Mūsā). These scrolls, containing the revelations of Moses, which were perhaps written down later by Moses, Aaron and Joshua, are understood by Muslims to refer not to the Torah but to revelations aside from the Torah. Some scholars have stated that they could possibly refer to the Book of the Wars of the Lord, a lost text spoken of in the Hebrew Bible. The verse mentioning the "Scriptures" is in Quran 87:18-19 where they are referred to "Books of the Earliest Revelation".
• Book of Enlightenment (Arabic: الكِتَابُ ٱلْمُنِير‎, romanized: Kitābul-Munīr): The Quran mentions a Book of Enlightenment, which has alternatively been translated as Scripture of Enlightenment or the Illuminating Book. It mentions that some prophets, in the past, came with clear signs from God as well as this particular scripture.

Holy gifts

Muhammad was given a divine gift of revelation through the angel Gabriel. This direct communication with the divine underlines the human experience but the message of the Quran dignifies this history of revelation with these select people in human history the foundation for Muhammed's prophetic lineage.

The Quran mentions various divinely-bestowed gifts given to various prophets. These may be interpreted as books or forms of celestial knowledge. Although all prophets are believed by Muslims to have been immensely gifted, special mention of "wisdom" or "knowledge" for a particular prophet is understood to mean that some secret knowledge was revealed to him. The Quran mentions that Abraham prayed for wisdom and later received it. It also mentions that Joseph and Moses both attained wisdom when they reached full age; David received wisdom with kingship, after slaying Goliath; Lot (Lut) received wisdom whilst prophesying in Sodom and Gomorrah; John the Baptist received wisdom while still a mere youth; and Jesus received wisdom and was vouchsafed the Gospel.

The nature of revelation

During the time of Muhammad's revelation, the Arabian peninsula was made up of many pagan tribes. His birthplace, Mecca, was a central pilgrimage site and a trading center where many tribes and religions were in constant contact. Muhammad's connection with the surrounding culture was foundational to the way the Quran was revealed. Though it is seen as the direct word of God, it came through to Muhammad in his own native language of Arabic, which could be understood by all the peoples in the peninsula. This is the key feature of the Quran which makes it unique to the poetry and other religious texts of the time. It is considered immune to translation and culturally applicable to the context of the time it was revealed. Muhammad was criticized for his revelation being poetry which, according to the cultural perspective, is revelation purely originating from the jihn and the Qurash but the typology of duality and its likeness to the other prophets in the Abrahamic line affirms his revelation. This likeness is found in the complexity of its structure and its message of submission of faith to the one God, Allah. This also revels that his revelation comes from Allah alone and he is the preserver of the Straight Path as well as the inspired messages and lives of other prophets, making the Quran cohesive with the monotheistic reality in the Abrahamic traditions.

Known prophets

Prophets and messengers named in the Quran

According to Sunni tradition, Prophets mentioned in the Quran are also messengers, but not all prophets are messengers. According to Quranism, it is the opposite.

Prophets and messengers in the Quran

Chronologically Ordered Number	Name	Arabic (transliteration)	Equivalent	Prophet (nabī)	Messenger (rasūl)	Archprophet	Book	Time when a prophet lived (event or years)	Sent to	Law (Sharia)	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)		✓	✓				ʿĀd tribe		Merchant
5	Saleh	صَالِح (Ṣāliḥ)		✓	✓				Thamud tribe		Camel breeder
6	Ibrahim	إِبْرَاهِيم (ʾIbrāhīm)	Abraham	✓	✓	✓	Scrolls of Abraham	Migration of the Jews to Iraq	The people of Iraq	✓	Builder of the Kaaba
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	✓					Palestine		Founders of the Israelite people
10	Yaqub	يَعْقُوب (Yaʿqūb)	Jacob	✓					Twelve Tribes of Israel
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 lead the migration back to Israel
15	Harun	هَارُون (Hārūn)	Aaron	✓					Pharaoh and his establishment		Vizier
16	Dhul-Kifl	ذُو ٱلْكِفْل (Zūlkifli)	Debated, Ezekiel, Buddha, Joshua, Obadiah Isaiah.	✓					Iraq		Identity still unknown
17	Dawud	دَاوُۥد \ دَاوُود (Dāūd)	David	✓	✓		Zabur (Psalms)	~1000s BCE-971 BCE	Jerusalem		Military commander, second king of Israel
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 fish
22	Zakariyya	زَكَرِيَّا (Zakarīyā)	Zechariah	✓					Jerusalem		Father of Yahya
23	Yahya	يَحْيَىٰ (Yaḥyā)	John the Baptist	✓					Jerusalem		Was assassinated
24	Isa	عِيسَىٰ (ʿĪsā)	Jesus	✓	✓	✓	Injil (Gospel)	~4 BCE-~30 CE, or ~0-~30 CE	The Children of Israel	✓	The Messiah
25	Muhammad	مُحَمَّد (Muḥammad)	Muhammad	✓	✓	✓	Quran	571-632	World	✓	Shepherd, merchant, founder of Islam; Seal of the Prophets

Figures whose prophethood is debated

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)	Unknown (Some of the theories about his identity include: Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, 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 have included Ezekiel in lists of the prophets of Islam.
Irmiya	إرْميا (Irmiyā)	Jeremiah	Israel	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, Israel,[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)	Saul or 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).

To believe in God's messengers (Rusul) means to be convinced that God sent men as guides to fellow human beings and jinn (khalq) to guide them to the truth.

Prophethood in Ahmadiyya

Main article: Prophethood (Ahmadiyya)

The Ahmadiyya Community does not believe that messengers and prophets are different individuals. They interpret the Quranic words warner (nadhir), prophet, and messenger as referring to different roles that the same divinely appointed individuals perform. Ahmadiyya distinguish only between law-bearing prophets and non-law-bearing ones. They believe that although law-bearing prophethood ended with Muhammad, non-law-bearing prophethood subordinate to Muhammad continues. The Ahmadiyya Community recognizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) as a prophet of God and the promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the latter days. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement rejects his status as a prophet, instead considering him to be a renewer of the faith. However, all other Muslims and their scholars argue that the Ahmadiyya community are not Muslim.

Other persons

The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name but also tells that God sent many other prophets and messengers, to all the different nations that have existed on Earth. Many verses in the Quran discuss this:

• "We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee...."
• "For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, ..."

In the Quran

• Caleb (Khalab): In the Quran, Caleb is mentioned in the 5th surah of the Quran (Q5:20-26).
• Dhul-Qarnayn : Dhul-Qarnayn.
• Joachim (Imran): The Family of Imran (Arabic: آل عمران) is the 3rd chapter of the Quran. Imran, not to be confused with Amram, is Arabic for the biblical figure Joachim, the father of Mary and maternal grandfather of Jesus.
• Khidr: The Quran also mentions the mysterious Khidr (but does not name him), identified at times with Melchizedek, who is the figure that Moses accompanies on one journey. Although most Muslims regard him as an enigmatic saint or an angel, some see him as a prophet as well.
• Luqman: 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 prophet. The Arabic term wali (Arabic ولي, plural Awliyā' أولياء) is commonly translated into English as "Saint". However, the wali should not be confused with the Christian tradition of sainthood. A key difference is that the wali continues what a prophet taught without any change. However, other Muslims regard Luqman as a prophet as well.
• Mary (Maryam): Some scholars (such as Ibn Hazm) regard Maryam (Mary) as a nabi and a prophetess, since God sent her a message through an angel and because she was a vessel for divine miracles. Although the Quran does not explicitly identify her as a prophet, scholarship has been devoted to interpreting her as such. Islamic belief regards her as one of the holiest of women, but the matter of her prophethood continues to be debated.
• Three persons of the town: These three unnamed person, who were sent to the same town, are referenced in chapter 36 of the Quran.
• Samuel (Samuyal): Not mentioned by name, only referred to as a prophet sent to the Israelites and who anoints Saul as a king.
• Saul (Talut) : Saul is not considered a prophet, but a divinely appointed king.
• Sons of Jacob: These men are sometimes not considered to be prophets, although most exegesis scholars consider them to be prophets, citing the hadith of Muhammad and their status as prophets in Judaism. The reason that some do not consider them as prophets is because of their behaviour with Yusuf (Joseph) and that they lied to their father.
• Joshua (Yūsha' bin Nūn) : Joshua is the assistant of Moses when he visits al Khidr, and according to the Torah and the Bible, he was one of the two tribe messengers, along with Caleb that brought news that Jerusalem was habitable for the Jews. Joshua is also Moses' successor as the leader of the Jews, who led them to settle in Israel after Moses' death. Joshua (Yusha) entering into Jerusalem is also mentioned in the Hadith.

In Islamic literature

Numerous other people have been mentioned by scholars in the Hadith, exegesis, commentary. These people include:

• Habil (Abel)
• Danyal (Daniel)
• Elizabeth (Alyassabat)
• Hosea (Hūshiʿ)
• Joel (Yū'il)
• Amos (ʿĀmūs)
• Isaiah (Shi'a)
• Jeremiah (Irmīyyah)
• Seth (Shīth)
• Shem (Sām)
• Nahum (Nāḥūm)
• Zechariah, son of Berekiah (Zakariyya ibn Barakah)

See also

• The Twelve Imams
• Succession to Muhammad
• Biblical and Quranic narratives
• Major prophets in the Bible
• Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions
• Twelve Minor Prophets
• Peace be upon him

References

Bibliography

• Brown, Daniel W. (1996). Rethinking tradition in modern Islamic thought. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521570778. Retrieved 10 May 2018. Search this book on

External links

• First prophet of islam: adam aleh salam
• Prophets in Islam

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Joseph (Genesis)
• Abraham

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