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Muslims identify the prophets of Islam (النبوة في الإسلام) as those humans chosen by God in Islam (Allah) 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.^[1] 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 Quran, 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.^[2] Muslims believe that God finally sent Muhammad to transmit the message of the Quran, the holy book which, according to Islam, is universal in its message. The reason the Muslims believe the Quran 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[link]

In both Arabic and Hebrew, the term nabī (plural forms: nabiyyūn and anbiyāʾ) means "prophet". Forms of this noun occur 75 times in the Quran. The term nubuwwah (meaning "prophethood") occurs five times in the Quran. 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 Quran in ten instances.^[3]

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.^[4][5][6][7]

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

The following table shows these words in different languages:^[8]

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 Christian commentators interpret as a reference to the future prophet John the Baptist.^[9]

In the New Testament, however, the word "messenger" becomes more frequent, sometimes in association with the concept of a prophet.^[10]

"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:

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

—Matthew, Gospel of Matthew^[11]

Prophets and messengers in Islam[link]

This section improperly uses one or more religious texts as primary sources without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article by adding references to reliable secondary sources, with multiple points of view.

The table below charts the twenty-five named Quran prophets, and reference key elements of their role in Islam. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran itself refers to at least four other prophets but does not name them.^[12][13]

Prophets mentioned in the Quran

Name	Prophet	Messenger	Leader or Patriarch	Book	People
Adam	Prophet[14]		Leader and Patriarch	Scrolls of Adam[15]	Children of Adam
Noah	Prophet[16][17]	Messenger[18]	Patriarch		People of Noah[19]
Idris (Enocha)	Prophet[20][21]	Messenger[22]
Hud (Ebera)	Prophet[17][23]	Messenger[24]			People of ʿĀd[25]
Saleh	Prophet[17][26]	Messenger[24]			People of Thamud[27]
Abraham	Prophet[28][29]	Messenger	Leader[30]	Scrolls of Abraham[31]	People of Abraham[32]
Lot	Prophet[17][33]	Messenger[24]	Patriarch		People of Sodom and Gomorrah[34]
Ishmael	Prophet[35][36]		Leader and Patriarch		People of Arabia
Isaac	Prophet[37][38]		Leader and Patriarch[39]		People of Canaan
Jacob	Prophet[37]		Leader and Patriarch[39]		Fathered the Twelve Tribes of Israel
Joseph	Prophet[17][40]		Leader		Copts
Job	Prophet[17][41]		Patriarch		People of Job
Shuayb (Jethroa)	Prophet[17][42]	Messenger[24]			Midianites[43]
Moses	Prophet[44][45]	Messenger	Leader	Tawrat (Torah)[46]	Israelites and Copts[47]
Aaron	Prophet[48][49]		Patriarch		Israelites and Copts[47]
David	Prophet[17][50]		Leader (King of Israel)	Zabur (Psalms)[51]	Israel
Solomon	Prophet[17][52]		Leader (King of Israel)		Israel
Elijah	Prophet[17][53]	Messenger[54]			People of Elijah[55]
Elisha	Prophet[17][56]	Messenger			Israelites
Jonah	Prophet[14][17]	Messenger[57]			People of Jonah (Nineveh)[58]
Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiela)	Prophet[17][59]	Messenger[57]
Zechariah	Prophet[17][60]				Israelites
John the Baptist	Prophet[60][61]				Israelites
Jesus	Prophet[62][63]	Messenger	Leader	Injil (Gospel)	Israelites[64]
Muhammad	Prophet[65][66]	Messenger	Leader[30]	Quran	Entire Universe

^a Identification with Biblical prophet uncertain.

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

Distinguishing between prophets and messengers[link]

All messengers are commonly considered to be prophets. However not all prophets are considered as messengers.^[67] The Quran, 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.^{[citation needed]} 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;^[68] An-Nahl;^[69] Al-Mu’minoon;^[70] Ghafir;^[71] An-Nisa;^[72] Al-Qasas^[73]).

Scholars like Javed Ahmad 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 sunnat Allah (one of the ways of God in the Quran). 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.^[74]

Muslims distinguish between celestial and human messengers. In the Quranic 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 Quran to Muhammad, the prophet and the messenger.

Prophethood in Ahmadiyya Islam[link]

Unlike the majority of Muslims, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community does not recognize any difference between a messenger and a prophet. Ahmadiyya belief regards the terms encountered in the Quran to signify divinely appointed individuals - "warner" (nazir), "prophet", "messenger" - 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^[75] in accordance with the prophecies of Muhammad.

General Information[link]

Status in Islam[link]

The Quran speaks of the prophets as being the greatest human beings of all time.^[76] A prophet, in the Muslim sense of the term, is a person whom God specially chose to teach the faith of Islam.^[76] 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^[77] Others, such as John the Baptist, was called to prophesy while still in young age and Jesus prophesied while still in his cradle.^[78]

The Quran verse 4:69 lists various virtuous groups of human beings, among whom prophets (including messengers) occupy the highest rank. Verse 4:69 reads:^[3]

All who obey Allah and the messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah - 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, sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayah 69^[79]

Religion of preaching[link]

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.^[76] The Quran itself calls Islam the 'religion of Abraham'^[80] and refers to Jacob and the Twelve Tribes of Israel as being Muslim.^[81] Isaac, Ishmael, Jesus, Noah, Moses and the disciples of Jesus are just some of the other figures referred to as Muslims in the Quran.^[82] The Quran says:

The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein:...

—Quran, sura 42 (Ash-Shura), ayah 13^[83]

Scriptures and other gifts[link]

Holy books[link]

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 Quran, the final holy scripture, was sent because all the previous holy books had been either corrupted or lost.^[84] Nonetheless, Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures, even in their current forms.^[85] The Quran mentions some Islamic scriptures by name, which came before the Quran:

• Tawrat (Torah): According to the Quran, the Tawrat (Torah) was revealed to Moses,^[46] but Muslims believe that the current Pentateuch, although it retains the main message,^[86] has suffered corruption over the years. Moses and his brother 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.^[87] 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.^[88] The current Psalms are still praised by many Muslim scholars,^[89] but Muslims generally assume that some of the current Psalms were written later and are not divinely revealed.
• Book of Enlightenment: The Quran mentions a Book of Enlightenment,^[90] 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 Quran mentions certain Books of Divine Wisdom,^[91] 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.
• İnjil (Gospel): The İnjil (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, written by God, which was given to Jesus.^[92] 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.^[93]
• Scrolls of Abraham: The Scrolls of Abraham are believed to have been one of the earliest bodies of scripture, which were vouchsafed to Abraham,^[31] and later used by Ishmael and Isaac. Although usually referred to as 'scrolls', many translators have translated the Arabic Suhuf as 'Books'.^[94] 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,^[95] a lost text spoken of in the Hebrew Bible.^[96]

Holy gifts[link]

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.

• Wisdom: This attribute is spoken of in the Quran in numerous places. The Quran mentions that Abraham prayed for wisdom and later received it.^[97] It also mentions that Joseph^[98] and Moses^[99] both attained wisdom when they reached full age; David received wisdom with kingship, after slaying Goliath;^[100] Lot received wisdom whilst prophesying in Sodom and Gomorrah;^[101] John the Baptist received wisdom while still a mere youth;^[102] and Jesus received wisdom and was vouchsafed the Gospel.^[103]

Table of prophets/messengers in the Quran[link]

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

Other prophets[link]

The Quran mentions only 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. ..."^[106]
• "For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, ..."^[107]

Other prophets in the Quran[link]

• Samuel: The Hebrew prophet is referenced as "a prophet" in the Quran,^[12] in the context of the anointing of King Saul. Although his name is not given, he is mentioned by name in other Islamic literature.^[108]
• 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^[109] views Luqman as a saint, but not as a prophet. However, other Muslims regard Luqman as a prophet as well.^[110]
• Khidr: The Quran 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.^[111]
• 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.^[111]
• Three prophets of the town: These three unnamed prophets, who were sent to the same town, are referenced in chapter 36 of the Quran.^[112]

Other historical prophets[link]

Other historical figures have been at times been regarded as prophets by some Muslim scholars, but debate surrounds this matter. Such figures include:

• Confucius (551 BCE–479 BCE))^{[113][verification needed]}
• Socrates (469 BCE–399 BCE)^[114]
• Plato (428/427 BCE-348/347 BCE): Plato was highly regarded by all thinkers of the Islamic Golden Age.^{[citation needed]} Muslim philosophers, such as Alpharabius, spoke of him as highly as the prophets of Islam^[115]. Plato was also regarded as a mystic who possessed great esoteric knowledge.^{[116][verification needed]}
• Mani (AD 216–276)^{[117][verification needed]}

Prophets in Islamic literature[link]

Numerous other prophets have been mentioned by scholars in the Hadith, exegesis, commentary as well as in the famous collections of Qisas Al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets). These prophets include:

• Daniel^[118]
• Uzair^[119]
• Isaiah^[120]
• Jeremiah^[121]
• Zechariah, son of Berekiah^[122]
• Seth^[123]
• Shem^[124]
• Abel^[122]

Mary, mother of Jesus[link]

A few scholars (such as Ibn Hazm)^[125] see Maryam (Mary) as a nabi and a prophetess, since God sent her a message via an angel. The Quran, 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[link]

• Biblical narratives and the Quran
• False prophet
• Legends and the Quran
• Major prophets in the Bible
• Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions
• Twelve Minor Prophets

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Prophets in Islam
• Legacy of Prophets in Islam