Prophets in Islam

Prophets of Islam (Arabic: نبي ) are male human beings who are regarded by Muslims to be prophets chosen by God. The term for prophet in Islam is nabi (pl. anbiyaa). All prophets preached the same message; to believe that there is only one God, not to commit idolatry, and to follow the word of God, not to commit sin, etc, and that they all came to preach Islam and to tell of the coming of the final prophet and messenger of God; Muhammad. They were, however, just different in Sharia (or the practice of religion) that they taught to their nations.

Islamic tradition dictates that messengers were sent by God to every nation. In Islam, only Muhammad was sent to convey God's message to the whole world, whereas other messengers (rasuls) were sent to convey their messages to a specific group of people or nation.

Unlike Judaism and Christianity, Islam distinguishes between a direct messenger of God (rasul) and a prophet (nabi). Both are divinely inspired recipients of God's revelation. However, in addition, nabis are given a divine message or revelation for a community in book form. While every nabi is a rasul, not every rasul is a nabi.

Muslims believe that the first prophet was Adam, while the last prophet and nabi was Muhammad, thus his title Seal of the Prophets. In Islam, Isa , the result of a normal birth. His birth was like Adam's. In the Qur'an and in the Bible, the existence of a mother or father is not mentioned about Adam. Every human after Adam is noted to have both parents. Because his mother's name is mentioned, it stands to reason that Isa (Jesus) had a father as well. He is, also, regarded as a nabi and a rasul because he received wahi (revelation) from God, through which God revealed the Injil (Gospel) to him. Contrary to Christianity, though, in Islam, it is heresy to claim that God had a son.

Muslims believe that God has sent over 124,000 messengers all over the world as mentioned in the Sahih Hadith. Five (sometimes known as Ulul Azmi or the Imams — i.e. leaders — of the Rasuls) are accorded the highest reverence for their perseverance and unusually strong commitment to God in the face of great suffering. These five are Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad.

Etymology

In both Arabic and Hebrew, the term nabī (pl. nabiyyūn and anbiyāʾ) refers to "prophet". These terms occur 75 times in the Qur'an. The term nubuwwa meaning "prophethood" occurs five times in the Qur'an. The terms rasūl (pl. rusul) and mursal (pl. mursalūn) denote “messenger” or "apostle" are more prevalent and occur more than 300 times. The term for a prophetic “message” is risāla (pl. risālāt) and appears in the Qur'an in ten instances.

The Syric form of rasūl Allāh (lit: messenger of God) is s̲h̲eliḥeh d-allāhā which occurs frequently in the apocryphal Acts of St. Thomas. The corresponding verb for s̲h̲eliḥeh, i.e. s̲h̲alaḥ, is used in connection with the prophets in the Old Testament (Exodus, iii, 13-14, iv, 13; Isaiah, vi, 8; Jeremiah, i, 7).

Prophets and Messengers in the Qur'an

In the following table the exact verses that mentioned the role of any Prophet or Messenger in Qur'an are arranged:

Prophets and Messengers in Qur'an

Name	Prophet	Messenger	Imam	Book	People	Shari'a
Adam
Idris (Enoch)	Prophet
Noah	Prophet	Messenger			People of Noah	Had Shari'a
Hud (Eber)		Messenger			A'ad
Saleh		Messenger			Thamud
Abraham	Prophet	Messenger	Imam	Books of Abraham	People of Abraham	Had Shari'a
Lot	Prophet	Messenger			People of Lut
Ishmael	Prophet	Messenger
Isaac	Prophet		Imam
Jacob	Prophet		Imam
Joseph	Prophet
Job	Prophet
Shoaib (Jethro)		Messenger			Midian
Moses	Prophet	Messenger		Books of Moses	Pharaoh	Had Shari'a
Aaron	Prophet
Dhul-Kifl
David	Prophet			Zaboor
Solomon	Prophet
Elijah	Prophet	Messenger			People of Elijah
Al-Yasa	Prophet
Jonah	Prophet	Messenger			People of Jonah
Zakaria	Prophet
John	Prophet
Jesus	Prophet	Messenger		Injil	Children of Israel	Had Shari'a
Muhammad	Prophet	Messenger		Qur'an	All people	Had Shari'a

Distinction between Prophets and Messengers

According to Uri Rubin, the Qur'an, as in the New Testament, ranks apostles (rasūl) higher than prophets (see 1 Cor 12:28-31; cf. Eph 3:5; 4:11). For example, in the Qur'an whenever both titles appear together, messenger comes first. The Qur'anic commentators state that a messenger is a prophet who is additionally given a message, a book which must be delivered. According to the Muslim scholar al-Baydawi, a messenger establishes a new religous law (sharia) whereas a prophet continues an old one. Furthermore, a prophet experiences revelation only in dreams whereas a messenger receives it from an angel. These would imply that prophets were more numerous than messengers and occupied a lower rank. According to A.J. Wensinck, both prophets and messengers are sent by God as preachers and warners to their people. In the case of messengers however, there seems to be a close relation between them and their people (ummah): God sends only one messenger to each people. This messenger will be the witness that God will take from that community on the Day of Judgment (see Sura X, 48; XVI, 38; XXIII, 46; XL, 5; IV, 45; XXVIII, 75). According to the Qur'an, Muhammad is sent to a people to whom no messenger has been sent yet. Lastly, a distinction should be made between celestial and human messengers. In the Qur'anic world, God has made the angels messengers but not prophets. The human messengers however are also prophets though not every prophet is a messenger.

The status of the prophets

The Qur'anic verse 4:69 lists various virtuous groups of human beings among whom prophets (which include messengers) occupy the highest rank. Verse 4:69 reads:

And whoever obeys God and the messenger, these will be [in paradise] with the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous, upon whom God has bestowed favors"

Qur'an

The following table lists the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an. Biblical versions of names are given where applicable:

And undoubtedly, We sent many Messengers before you, of them, there are some whose story We have narrated to you, and there are some whose story We have not narrated to you, and it is not for any Messenger that he should bring any sign without Allah's permission, but when the command of Allah will come, the matter shall be decided with truth, and then the men of falsehood shall lose there."

— Qur'an,

Name (Arabic & Arabic Translit.)	Name (Biblical)	Main Article(s)	No. of verses with mention
آدم Adam	Adam	Main articles: Islamic view of Adam, Adam (Bible), and Adam and Eve	5
	"Adam is the first prophet of Islam and the first human being. He was created by God but brought to life forty days after being kept as a dry body." He is an important figure in Judaism and Christianity as well and he is best known for the story of Adam and Eve.
إدريس Idris	Enoch	Main articles: Idris (prophet) and Enoch (ancestor of Noah)	3
	Idris lived during a period of drought inflicted by God to punish the people of the world who had forgotten God. Idris prayed for salvation and an end to the suffering, and so the world received rain.
نوح Nuh	Noah	Main articles: Islamic view of Noah and Noah	7
	Although best known for the Deluge, Nuh was a primary preacher of monotheism at his time. Muslims believe his faith in God led to his selection for building the Ark.
هود Hud	Eber	Main article: Hud (prophet)	9
	Muslims believe Hud, for whom the eleventh chapter of the Qur'an is named, was one of the few people to survive a great storm inflicted by God, similar to the Deluge five generations earlier, to punish the people of the `Ad who had forgotten about God. Hud, by comparison and records, is never mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible.
صالح Saleh	Shaloh	Main article: Saleh	7
	According to the Qur'an God ordered Saleh to leave behind his people, the tribe of Thamud, after they disbelieved and disobeyed God's order to care for a special camel and instead killed it. In Saleh's and his followers' (believers) absence, God punished the people with an utter cry from the skies that killed his people instantly. Note that Saleh is not Shelah mentioned in the Old Testament.
إبراهيم Ibrahim	Abraham	Main articles: Islamic view of Abraham and Abraham	5
	Abraham is regarded by Muslims today as one of the significant prophets, because he is credited with rebuilding the Kaaba in Mecca. His family, including his son Ishmael, is also credited with helping create the civilization around Mecca that would later give birth to the final prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Ibrahim is also noted for almost sacrificing his son Ismail (Ishmael) for God in an event now commemorated annually by Eid ul-Adha. He is also the first prophet to name the believers as "Muslims" meaning "those with full submission to God".
لوط Lut	Lot	Main articles: Islamic view of Lot and Lot (Bible)	2
	Lot is most notable in Islam for attempting to preach against homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorra in addition to preaching for his people to believe in the Oneness of God, only to be mocked and ignored by the people who lived there. Islam also denies the acts attributed to Lut that are mentioned in the Old Testament, like drinking and being drunk, and having intercourse with and impregnating his two daughters.
إسماعيل Isma'il	Ishmael	Main articles: Islamic view of Ishmael and Ishmael	9
	Ismaïl, first-born son of Ibrahim, is a notable prophet in Islam for his near-sacrifice in adulthood. As a child he and his mother Hagar's search for water in the region around Mecca led God to reveal the Zamzam well, which still flows to this day.
إسحاق Ishaq	Isaac	Main article: Isaac	9
	According to Islamic tradition, Isaac, second-born son of Ibrahim, became a prophet in Canaan. He, along with his brother Ismaïl, carried on the legacy of Ibrahim as prophets of Islam.
يعقوب Yakub	Jacob	Main article: Jacob	2
	Yakub, according to the Qur'an was "of the company of the Elect and the Good" and he continued the legacy of both his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. Like his ancestors, he was committed to worshipping God exclusively.
يوسف Yusuf	Joseph	Main articles: Islamic view of Joseph and Joseph (Bible)	3
	Yusuf, son of (Yakub) and great-grandson of Ibrahim, became a prominent advisor to the king of Egypt since the king was believed to have seen a dream, which was interpreted by Yusuf that predicted the economic state of Egypt. He spent a large part of his life away from his eleven brothers, who were jealous of Yusuf because their father favored him. They took him one day, telling their father that they where going to play and have fun, but they planned to kill him. Instead, they threw him down a well and told their father Yaqub that he was eaten by a wolf. According to Islam Yusuf was gifted with half of the beauty granted to mankind.
أيوب Ayyub	Job	Main article: Job (Bible)	8
	According to Islamic tradition, Ayyub was rewarded by a fountain of youth, which removed all illnesses except death, for his service to God in his hometown outside Al Majdal. Ayyub is believed to have suffered an illness for 18 years as test of patience by God.
شعيب Shu'aib	Jethro	Main articles: Shoaib and Jethro	2
	Jethro was a direct descendant of Abraham. According to Islam, he was appointed by God to guide the people of Midyan and Aykah, who lived near Mount Sinai. When the people of the region failed to listen to his warnings, God destroyed the disbeliever's villages. Although it is mentioned in the Qur'an, and by the reported speeches from Muhammad that Musa married one of Shu'aib's daughters, and the same thing is mentioned in the Old Testament for a man named Jethro, some scholars believe that Jethro in the Old Testament is not the same person as Shu'aib in the Qur'an.
موسى Musa	Moses	Main articles: Islamic view of Moses and Moses	5
	Moses, referred to in the Qur'an more than any other prophet, is significant for revealing the Tawrat (Torah) to the Israelites. The Qur'an says Musa realized his connection with God after receiving commands from him during a stop at Mount Sinai. He later went on to free the enslaved Hebrews after the Egyptian pharaoh denied God's power. Musa subsequently led the freed Hebrews for forty years through the desert after they refused to obey God's command and enter the Holy Lands, saying to Moses (as mentioned in Qur'an [Quran 5:24], "O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here." During this long journey, on another trip to Mount Sinai Musa received the Tawrat and the Ten Commandments. At the end of his life, according to Islamic tradition, Musa chose to die to be closer to God instead of taking an offer that would have extended his life.
هارون Harūn	Aaron	Main articles: Islamic view of Aaron and Aaron	8
	Harun (Aaron) served as an assistant to his older brother Musa (Moses). In Islam, he, like Musa, was given the task of saving the Israelites from the Egyptian pharaoh. He would often speak for Musa when Musa’s speech impediment prevented him from doing so himself.
ذو الكفل Dhul-Kifl	most likely Ezekiel	Main articles: Dhul-Kifl and Ezekiel	5
	The status of Dhul-Kifl as a prophet is debatable within Islam, although both sides can agree that he was indeed a righteous man who strived in the way of God. Some studies also note that Dhul-Kifl can be also Obadiah, who is mentioned in the Old Testament to be the one that took care of 100 prophets. He is also believed to have possibly been Gautama Buddha.
داود Dawud	David	Main article: David	7
	In Islam, the Zabur (Psalms) were revealed to Dawud (David) by God. He is also significant as he is the one who defeated Goliath. It is worth to note that the story of King David with Uriah according to the Islamic tradition is different, thus the acts attributed to King David in the Old Testament like sending Uriah to be killed for the purpose of marrying his wife is denied in Islam.
سليمان Süleyman	Solomon	Main articles: Islamic view of Solomon and Solomon	6
	Süleyman (Solomon) learned a significant amount from his father Daud before being made a prophet by God. According to Islamic tradition, Süleyman was given power over all things, including the jinn. Known for his honesty and fairness, he also led a kingdom that extended into southern Arabia.
إلياس Ilyas	Elijah	Main articles: Ilyas and Elijah	3
	Ilyas (Elijah), descendant of Harun (Aaron), took over control of the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula after Sulaiman's (Solomon)kingdom collapsed. Islamic tradition says he attempted to convince the people of the Peninsula of the existence of only one God, but when the people refused to listen they were smitten with a drought and famine.
اليسع Al-Yasa	Elisha	Main articles: Al-Yasa and Elisha	3
	Al-Yasa (Elisha) took over the job of leading the Israelites after Ilyas' (Elijah) death. He attempted to show the king and queen of Israel the powers of God, but was dismissed as a magician. Subsequently, the Assyrians were able to make people burn and inflict significant damage on them.
يونس Yunus	Jonah	Main articles: Islamic view of Jonah and Jonah	5
	Islamic tradition shows that Yunus (Jonah) was commanded by God to help the people of Nineveh towards righteousness. However, after Nineveh's people refused to listen to God, he became disgruntled and became angry for God. After an incident where Yunus was spared death, he decided to re-commit himself to striving for God, attempting to lead the people of Nineveh to righteousness. But after returning to evil, illicit ways, the Scythians conquered them.
زكريا Zakariya	Zechariah	Main articles: Islamic view of Zechariah and Zechariah (priest)	6
	A descendant of Süleyman, Zakariya (Zachariah was a patron of Maryam (Mary) the mother of 'Isa. According to the Qur'an, he prayed to God asking for a son, since his sterile wife al-Yashbi could not provide one. God granted his wishes, temporarily lifting his wife's sterility and allowing her to give birth to Yahya (John).
يحيى Yahya	John the Baptist	Main articles: Islamic view of John the Baptist and John the Baptist	2
	Yahya (John) was cousin to Isa and Islam says that, throughout his lifetime, Yahya captivated audiences with his powerful sermons that preached Abrahamic monotheism. The Qur'an does not mention baptism.
عيسى Isa	Jesus	Main articles: Islamic view of Jesus and Jesus	3
	One of the highest ranked prophets in Islam, Eisa al-Maseeh, (Jesus the Messiah) was sent to guide the Children of Israel. The Qur'an makes it very clear that in Islam, Jesus is not the begotten (physical) son of God, but rather a nabi and rasul (messenger) of God. 'Isa performed many miracles with the permission of God. For example, raising the dead, creating a bird from clay, talking as an infant. Islamic traditions states that he abstained from drinking alcohol. It also states that he received a revelation, the Injil (Gospel), though according to Islam, it has been distorted. Muslims believe that 'Isa was not crucified, meaning he was not killed on the cross. They believe that Isa was raised up to God and will return to Earth to fight the Dajjal during the time of the Mahdi, however in Quran there is no evidence and clear indication of Isa's return to Earth to fight the Dajjal.
محمد Muhammed		Main article: Muhammed	294
	Habib u'l A'zam, Imam u'l Anbiya Sayyidina Muhammed ibn 'Abdullah,(53 B.H-11 A.H; 571-632 AD) is the last prophet in Islam ("seal of the Prophets") Idolatry of any of the prophets should be avoided, as their messages from God hold the most weight. His father's name was 'Abdullah ibn 'AbdulMuttalib and his mother's name was Amina bint Wahb az-Zuhriyya. Muhammed (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam). Born in Mecca in 571 AD (53 AH), Muhammed spent the first part of his life as a well-travelled merchant. He would often spend his time in the mountains surrounding Mecca in prayer contemplating the situation with the city. At the age of forty, during one of those trips to the mountain, Muhammed began to, despite his illiteracy, receive and recite verses from Allah which today make up the Qur'an. He quickly spread the message he was receiving, converting a few others in the city, including his wife. He is the last (seal) of the prophets with a message to all humanity. When oppression became intolerable for his followers, Muhammed first asked his fellow Muslims to migrate to Medina and later himself migrated to Medina away from the oppressors in Mecca. Muhammad served not just as a prophet, but as a military leader who helped defeat the Meccans in 624 during the Battle of Badr. He continued to lead the Muslims as Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula. He performed the first hajj in 629 and established Islam as it is still practiced by Muslims today. Others continued Muhammad's legacy after his death in 632, having been given the position of caliph (or successor) to Muhammad. The Five Pillars of Islam were established from his Hadiths after Muhammad's death.

Other prophets

Muslims believe in other prophets other than those mentioned by name in the Quran. There are many verses in the Quran treating this:

• "And certainly We sent messengers (rasul) before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you..." ^{[Quran 40:78]}

• "For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger..."^{[Quran 16:36]}

Muslims believe that God has sent 124,000 messengers all over the world, as mentioned by the prophet Muhammad in the Sahih Hadith.

Al-Imran is mentioned in the Qur'an, he was father of Maryam. Al-Khidr is not mentioned by name, but is traditionally assumed to be referred to in Quran 18:66. Biblical prophets Danyal (Daniel), Ishaia (Isaiah), Armya (Jeremiah), and Samuel are mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his book as prophets.

Luqman is mentioned in the sura named after him but it is unclear whether he is a prophet or a wali. According to the most wide-spread shiite belief, Luqman was a wiseman, not a prophet nor a wali. The reported news hold that Luqman had a dream, and in that dream he was asked to choose between being a King and a wiseman, and he chose the second.

Additional numerous historical figures may have been prophets, but this is a source of debate and contention, among them: Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha, Krishna and Rama. However, Muslims will state that there is no way of knowing for sure since they are not mentioned by name in the Qur'an. An argument often used in support of the prophethood of such men is that they came with the word of God, but it was later corrupted, this accounting for the differences between Islam, and the respective religions with which each man is associated. The Hadith and Qur’an support such claims that say that a messenger was sent to every people.

Maryam mother of 'Isa

Main articles: Maryam and Mary

A few scholars (e.g. Ibn Hazm) have argued that she may have been a nabi and a prophetess, since she was sent a message from God via an angel. The Qur'an, however, does not explicitly state that she is one. According to the Islamic belief, she was a holy woman, but she was not a prophet. In the Qur'an, 'Isa is usually referred to as 'Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary), a matronymic, indicative of Jesus having no father.

See also

• Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions
• Nubuwwah
• Prophecy
• Nevi'im (Prophets in Judaism)
• Major Prophets in the Bible
• Minor Prophets in the Bible
• Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament