Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam () as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well. Each prophet, in Muslim belief, preached the same main belief of worshiping God (which in Arabic is translated as ''Allah'') and in the avoidance of idolatry and sin. Each came to preach Islam at different times in history and some, including Jesus, told of the coming of the final prophet and messenger of God, who would be named Muhammad. Each prophet directed a message to a different group of people, and thus would preach Islam in accordance with the times. Although many lay Muslims and many Western scholars and writers hold the view that Islam began with Muhammad in Mecca, this contradicts the Qur'an, which says that Muhammad simply was the last prophet who preached the same faith that Adam preached to his children.

Islamic tradition holds that God sent messengers to every nation. Muslims believe that God finally sent Muhammad to transmit the message of the Qur'an, the holy book which, according to Islam, is universal in its message. The reason the Muslims believe the Qur'an is universal and will remain uncorrupted is because they believe that previous Islamic holy books, namely the Torah given to Moses; the Psalms given to David; and the Gospel given to Jesus, were for a particular time and community and because they believe that, even if the books were corrupted, many prophets were still to come who could tell the people of what was correct in the scripture and warn them of corruptions. Muhammad therefore, being the last prophet, was vouchsafed a book which, in Muslim belief, will remain in its true form till the Last Day.

Etymology

In both Arabic and Hebrew, the term ''nabī'' (plural forms: ''nabiyyūn'' and ''anbiyāʾ'') means "prophet". Forms of this noun occur 75 times in the Qur'an. The term ''nubuwwa'' (meaning "prophethood") occurs five times in the Qur'an. The terms ''rasūl'' (plural: ''rusul'') and ''mursal'' (plural: ''mursalūn'') denote “messenger” or "apostle" and occur more than 300 times. The term for a prophetic “message”, ''risāla'' (plural: ''risālāt'') appears in the Qur'an 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 Old Testament.

The words "prophet" (Arabic: ''nabi'', نبي) and "messenger" (Arabic: ''rasul'', رسول) appear several times in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The following table shows these words in different languages:

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Prophet and Messenger in the Bible ! Arabic !! Arabic Pronunciation !! English !! Greek !! Greek pronunciation !! Strong Number !! Hebrew !! Hebrew pronunciation !! Strong Number |- ! نبي | Nabi || Prophet || προφήτης || prophētēs || G4396 || נביא || nâbîy' || H5030 |- ! رسول | Rasul || Messenger, Apostle || ἄγγελος, ἀπόστολος || ä'n-ge-los, ä-po'-sto-los || G32, G652 || שליח,מלאך || mal·äk', shä·lakh' || H4397,H7971 |}

In the Old Testament the word "prophet" (Hebrew: ''navi'') occurs more commonly, and the word "messenger" (Hebrew: ''mal'akh'') refers to angels (Arabic: ملائكة, Malāīkah), But the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi, speaks of a messenger that some commentators interpret as a reference to the future prophet John the Baptist.

In the New Testament, however, the word "messenger" becomes more frequent, sometimes in association with the concept of a prophet.

"Messenger" can refer to Jesus, to his Apostles and to John the Baptist.

It seems that in the New Testament a messenger can have a higher rank than prophets: Jesus Christ said about John the Baptist:

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Prophets and messengers in Islam

The table below charts the twenty-five named Qur'anic prophets, and reference key elements of their role in Islam. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Qur'an. The Qur'an itself refers to at least four other prophets but does not name them.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width: auto; text-align: center;" width="98%" |+Men of God in the Qur'an !width="23%"| Name !width="11%"| Prophet !width="11%"| Messenger !width="11%"| Leader or Patriarch !width="11%"| Book !width="11%"| People |- ! Adam (Adam) | 20px Prophet |||| 20px Leader and Patriarch || Scrolls of Adam||Children of Adam |- ! Idris (Enoch) | 20px Prophet ||20px Messenger || || || |- ! Nuh (Noah) | 20px Prophet || 20px Messenger || 20px Patriarch || || People of Noah |- ! Hud (Eber) | 20px Prophet || || || People of ʿĀd |- ! Saleh | 20px Prophet |- ! Ibrahim (Abraham) | 20px Prophet || 20px Messenger || 20px Leader|| Scrolls of Abraham || People of Abraham |- ! Lut (Lot) | 20px Prophet |- ! Isma’il (Ishmael) | |- ! Is'haq (Isaac) | |- ! Yaq'ub (Jacob) | |- ! Yusuf (Joseph) | |- ! Ayyub (Job) | 20px Prophet |- ! Musa (Moses) | 20px Prophett || 20px Messenger || 20px Leader || Torah, Scrolls of Moses|| Israelites and Egyptians |- ! Harun (Aaron) | 20px Prophet ||||20px Patriarch || || Israelites and Egyptians || || || People of Elijah |- ! Al-Yasa (Elisha) | |- ! Yunus (Jonah) | 20px Prophet || || || People of Jonah (Nineveh) |- ! Dhu'l-Kifl (Ezekiel) | 20px Prophet || 20px Messenger || 20px Leader || Gospel || Israelites |- ! Muhammad (Paracletos) | 20px Prophet || 20px Messenger || 20px Leader |} Identification with Biblical prophet uncertain.

For Ahl al-Kitab (followers of the Holy Books), see People of the Book.

Distinguishing between prophets and messengers

All messengers are commonly considered to be prophets. However not all prophets are considered as messengers. The Qur'an, like the quoted passage from the New Testament, may rank a messenger higher than a prophet. For example, whenever both titles appear together, "messenger" comes first. Crucially, a messenger delivers a ''new religious law'' (Sharia) revealed by God, whereas a prophet continues an old one. God sends both prophets and messengers as givers of good news and as admonishers of their people. A messenger will become the witness that God will take from that community on the Day of Judgment (see the following ''sura''; Yunus; An-Nahl; Al-Mu’minoon; Ghafir; An-Nisa; Al-Qasas).

Scholars like Javed Ghamidi and Amin Ahsan Islahi maintain that the key difference between Prophets and Messengers is that denial of a Messenger invites punishment from God - this is termed as sunnatAllah (one of the ways of God in the Qur'an). Thus, for example, denial of Noah's invitation by his people, caused the flood to come upon them. This is an extension of the view above that Messengers become witnesses to the delivery of the Divine message to their respective nations, and their nations are judged accordingly by God.

Muslims distinguish between celestial and human messengers. In the Qur'anic world, God calls the angels 'messengers' but not prophets. The human messengers, however, also function as prophets — though not every prophet serves as a messenger. Angels always carry "orders" to the human prophets or messengers on what to say, what to do, and so forth. For example, Gabriel - the angel - delivered the Qur'an to Muhammad, the prophet and the messenger.

Prophethood in Ahmadiyya Islam

Unlike the majority of Muslims, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community does not recognize any difference between a messenger (''rasul'') and a prophet (''nabi''). Ahmadiyya belief regards the terms encountered in the Qur'an to signify divinely appointed individuals - "warner" (''nazir''), "prophet" (''nabi''), "messenger" (''rasul'') - as generally synonymous. Ahmadis however categorise prophets as law-bearing ones and non-lawbearing ones. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community also recognizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) as a Prophet of God, and also sees him as the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the latter days and view it in accordance with the prophecies of Muhammad.

General Information

Status in Islam

The Qur'an speaks of the prophets as being the greatest human beings of all time. A prophet, in the Muslim sense of the term, is a person whom God specially chose to teach the faith of Islam. Before man was created, God had specifically selected those men whom He would use as prophets. This does not, however, mean that every prophet began to prophesy from his birth. Some were called to prophesy late in life, in Muhammad's case at the age of 40 and in Noah's case at 480 Others, such as John the Baptist, was called to prophesy while still in young age and Jesus prophesied while still in his cradle.

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

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Religion of preaching

In Muslim belief, every prophet preached Islam. The beliefs of charity, prayer, pilgrimage, worship of God and fasting are believed to have been taught by every prophet who has ever lived. The Qur'an itself calls Islam the 'religion of Abraham' and refers to Jacob and the Twelve Tribes of Israel as being Muslim. Isaac, Ishmael, Jesus, Noah, Moses and the Disciples of Jesus are just some of the other figures referred to as Muslims in the Qur'an. The Qur'an says:

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Scriptures and other gifts

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 Muslim's must believe in all the scriptures to be a Muslim. Muslims believe the Qur'an, 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 Qur'an mentions some Islamic scriptures by name, which came before the Qur'an:

Torah: According to the Qur'an, the 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 Aaron used the Torah to preach the message to the Children of Israel. The Qur'an 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. Psalms: The Qur'an 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. Book of Enlightenment: The Qur'an 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. Books of Divine Wisdom: The Qur'an 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'', comes from the same source as the Arabic ''Zabur'' for the Psalms. Gospel: The Gospel was the holy book revealed to the prophet Jesus, according to the Qur'an. 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, written by God, which 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 don't represent the original Gospel, which was a single book written not by a human but by God. Scrolls of Abraham: 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', many translators have translated the Arabic ''Suhuf'' as 'Books'. 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. Scrolls of Moses: 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.

Holy gifts

The Qur'an 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. Wisdom: This attribute is spoken of in the Qur'an in numerous places. The Qur'an 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 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.

Table of prophets/messengers in the Qur'an

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

!Name (Arabic & Arabic Translit.)	!Name (Biblical)	!Main Article(s)	!Number of times mentioned by name
آدمAdam
إدريسIdris
colspan="3"
نوحNuh
colspan="3"|Although best known for his role in the story of the Deluge, Nuh became a primary preacher of monotheism in his day. Muslims believe his faith in God led to him being selected to build the Ark.
هودHud
colspan="3"
		صالحSaleh
colspan="3"
إبراهيمIbrahim
لوطLut
colspan="3"
إسماعيلIsma'il
colspan="3"
إسحاقIs'haq
يعقوبYaqub
يوسفYusuf
colspan="3"
أيوبAyyub
شعيبShu'ayb
موسىMusa
colspan="3"
هارونHarūn
ذو الكفلDhul-Kifl
داودDawud
colspan="3"
سليمانSulayman
إلياسIlyas
colspan="3"|Ilyas took over control of the southern part of the Israel after the kingdom of Solomon collapsed. Islamic tradition says he attempted to convince the people of Israel of the existence of only one God, but the people remained persistent in their disbelief.
اليسعAlyasa
	Elisha took over the task of leading the Israelites after the death of Elijah. He attempted to show the king and queen of Israel the power of God, but they dismissed him as a magician.
يونسYunus
زكرياZakariyya
colspan="3"|Zachariah became the guardian of Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the Qur'an, he prayed to God asking for a son, since his sterile wife Elizabeth could not provide one. God granted his wishes, lifting his wife's sterility and allowing her to give birth to John the Baptist
يحيىYahya
عيسىIsa
colspan="3"
محمدMuhammad

Other prophets

The Qur'an mentions only 25 prophets by name but also tells that God sent many other prophets and messengers, to all 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, ..."

Other prophets in the Qur'an

Samuel: The Hebrew prophet is referenced as "a prophet" in the Qur'an, Luqman: The Qur'an 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. However, other Muslims regard Luqman as a prophet as well. Khidr: The Qur'an also mentions the mysterious Khidr, identified at times with Melchizedek, who is the figure that Moses accompanies on one journey. Although most Muslims regard him as an enigmatic saint, some see him as a prophet as well. Dhul-Qarnayn: Dhul-Qarnayn, often identified with Alexander the Great or Cyrus the Great, is a revered ruler in Islam. His narrative, which parallels that of Alexander in the Alexander Romance, does not explicitly denote him as a prophet but some Muslims believe he was a prophet as well. Three prophets of the town: These three unnamed prophets, who were sent to the same town, are referenced in Chapter 36 of the Qur'an.

Prophets in Islamic literature

Numerous other prophets have been mentioned by scholars in the ''Hadith'', exegesis, commentary as well as in the famous collections of ''Stories of the Prophets''. These prophets include: Daniel Uzair Isaiah Jeremiah Zechariah, son of Berekiah Seth Shem Abel Ezekiel Eber: Many of the classical scholars, such as Ibn Kathir used to equate the Arab prophet Hud with the Hebrew patriarch Eber.

Mary, mother of Jesus

A few scholars (such as Ibn Hazm) see Maryam (Mary) as a ''nabi'' and a prophetess, since God sent her a message via an angel. The Qur'an, however, does not explicitly identify her as a prophet. Islamic belief regards her as the holiest of women, but not generally as a prophet.

See also

Biblical narratives and the Qur'an

False prophet

Legends and the Qur'an

Nubuwwah (Prophethood in Islam)

Major prophets in the Bible

Nevi'im (Prophets in Judaism)

Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions

Twelve Minor Prophets

Stories of The Prophets

Notes

Category:Judeo-Islamic topics Category:Islamic theology Category:Islam

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