Table of Prophets/messengers in The Quran
See also: Prophets in the QuranThe following table lists the prophets mentioned in the Quran. Biblical versions of names also appear where applicable:
| Name (Arabic & Arabic Translit.) | Name (Biblical) | Main Article(s) | Number of times mentioned by name |
|---|---|---|---|
| آدم Ādam |
Adam | 25 | |
| Adam, the first human being, ranks as the first prophet of Islam. Adam and his wife, Eve, fell from the Garden of Eden after they ate from the forbidden tree. On earth, Adam received his first revelations and lived many generations. | |||
| إدريس Īdrīs |
Enoch | 2 | |
| Idris is believed to have been an early prophet sent to mankind. The traditions that have built around Idris' figure have given him the scope of a prophet, philosopher, writer, mystic and scientist. | |||
| نوح Nūḥ |
Noah | 43 | |
| 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. | |||
| هود Hūd |
Eber | 7 | |
| Muslims believe that only Hud, for whom the eleventh chapter of the Quran takes its name, and a few other people survived a great storm, similar to the Deluge five generations earlier. God inflicted the storm to punish the people of ʿĀd who had forgotten God. | |||
| صالح Ṣāliḥ |
Saleh | 9 | |
| According to the Quran, 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. When Saleh and the believers fled from Thamud, God punished the people with a loud noise from the skies that killed his people instantly. Note that Saleh does not equate to the Shelah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. | |||
| إبراهيم Ibrāhīm |
Abraham | 69 | |
| Muslims regard Ibrahim as one of the most significant prophets, because they credit him with rebuilding the Kaaba in Mecca. His family included such great figures as his sons, Ishmael and Isaac, as well as his prophetic grandson Jacob. Holy women from his household included Sarah and Hagar. Because of his significance as a patriarch, Abraham is often titled Father of the Prophets. | |||
| لوط Lūṭ |
Lot | 27 | |
| Muslims know Lut best for attempting to preach against homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, in addition to encouraging his people to believe in the Oneness of God, although his community mocked and ignored him. Islam denies the acts which the Hebrew Bible attributes to Lot, like drinking and becoming drunk, and having intercourse with and impregnating his two daughters. | |||
| إسماعيل Ismā‘īl |
Ishmael | 12 | |
| As a child, Ishmael - with his mother, Hagar - searched for water in the region around Mecca, leading God to reveal the Zamzam Well, which still flows as of 2012. He is also credited with the construction of the Kaaba along with Ibrahim. | |||
| إسحاق Isḥāq |
Isaac | 17 | |
| According to Islamic tradition, Ishaq, the second-born son of Ibrahim, became a prophet in Canaan. He and his brother Ismaïl carried on the legacy of Ibrahim as prophets of Islam. | |||
| يعقوب Ya‘qūb |
Jacob | 16 | |
| The Quran portrays Jacob as "of the company of the Elect and the Good". He continued the legacy of both his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. Like his ancestors, he deliberately worshipped God exclusively. | |||
| يوسف Yūsuf |
Joseph | 27 | |
| Joseph, son of Jacob and great-grandson of Abraham became a prominent adviser to the pharaoh of Egypt after he interpreted the King's dream which predicted the economic future of Egypt. According to Islam, Joseph received the gift of half of the beauty granted to mankind. | |||
| أيوب Ayyūb |
Job | 4 | |
| According to Islamic tradition, Job received the reward of a Fountain of Youth, which removed all illnesses, except death, for his service to God in his hometown. It is mentioned that Job lost his wealth, family, and health for many years as test of patience carried out by God. | |||
| شعيب Shu‘aib |
Jethro | 11 | |
| According to Islam, God appointed Shu'ayb, a direct descendant of Abraham, to guide the people of Midian and Aykah, who lived near Mount Sinai. When the people of the region failed to listen to his warnings, God destroyed the disbelievers' villages. | |||
| موسى Mūsá |
Moses | 136 | |
| Moses, whom the Quran refers to more than to any other prophet, had the distinction of revealing the Tawrat (Torah) to the Israelites. The Quran says Moses 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. Moses subsequently led the Hebrews for forty years through the desert after they refused to obey God's command and enter the Holy Land. On another trip to Mount Sinai during this long journey, Moses received the Torah and the Ten Commandments. | |||
| هارون Hārūn |
Aaron | 20 | |
| Aaron served as an assistant to his brother Moses. In Islam, he, like Moses, received the task of saving the Israelites from the Egyptian pharaoh. He would often speak for Moses when Moses’ speech-impediment prevented him from doing so himself. | |||
| ذو الكفل Dhul-kifl |
most likely Ezekiel | 2 | |
| The status of Dhul-Kifl as a prophet remains debatable within Islam, although all parties to the debate can agree in seeing him as a righteous man who strived in the way of God. Some studies identify Dhul-Kifl with Ezekiel, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Ezekiel. | |||
| داود Dāwud |
David | 16 | |
| In Islam, God revealed the Psalms to David. Dawud also has significance as the slayer of Goliath and defeater of the Philistines. Note that Islamic tradition and the Bible differ in their accounts of the story of King David and Uriah. | |||
| سليمان Sulaimān |
Solomon | 17 | |
| Solomon learned a significant amount of knowledge from his father David before God made him a prophet. According to Islamic tradition, Sulayman received power to manipulate nature (including the jinn) and the power to communicate with and control animals. Known for his honesty and fairness, he also headed a kingdom that extended into southern Arabia. | |||
| إلياس Ilyās |
Elijah | 2 | |
| Ilyaseen or Ilyas took over control of the Kingdom of Samaria 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. | |||
| اليسع Alyasa‘ |
Elisha | 2 | |
|
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. |
|||
| يونس Yūnus |
Jonah | 4 | |
| Islamic tradition states that God commanded Jonah to help the people of Nineveh towards righteousness. However, Nineveh's people refused to listen to his message, so Jonah decided to abandon trying to help them and left. After being swallowed by a whale, Jonah repented in the stomach of the whale until it spewed the prophet out on dry land. | |||
| زكريا Zakariyyā |
Zechariah | 7 | |
| Zachariah became the guardian of Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the Quran, 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 | |||
| يحيى Yaḥyá |
John the Baptist | 5 | |
| Of John, Islam states that, throughout his lifetime, he captivated audiences with his powerful sermons which preached Abrahamic monotheism. | |||
| عيسى ‘Īsá |
Jesus | 25 | |
| God sent one of the highest-ranked prophets in Islam, Jesus, to the Children of Israel. The Quran makes it clear that Jesus was not divine nor did he have a share in God's divinity and rather spoke only of the worship of God. Jesus is called the Masih in Muslim belief. In Christianity, they believe that Jesus was crucified. Islam confirms that the Children of Israel wanted to kill Jesus by crucifying him on a cross, but God did not let this happen. Muslims believe that God raised Jesus to heaven (as in flying higher and higher, elevating) and saved Jesus from the Children of Israel, and then they crucified a man that was made to appear as Jesus. This is considered by Muslims as a miracle. Jesus will return to Earth near al-Qiyamah (Resurrection Day, Day of Judgement) to restore peace and rid the world of its evil, according to the sayings of Muhammad. The Quran also refers to this in Sura Maryam, when Jesus spoke out of his cradle "...peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I'll die, and the day I'll be raised back to life (again)!" | |||
| محمد Muḥammad |
Parakletos or Paraclete (Maulana Rumi mentions in his Masnavi, Book I, that the Bible contained the name Ahmad (which is the Arabic equivalent of 'Parakletos' or 'Paraclete')) | 4 | |
| Muhammad is important for sealing prophecy in Muslim belief and reinforcing the same faith that started with Adam. Muslims don't view Muhammad as the beginner of a new religion, but the Quran states that Muhammad simply preached the same religion as Adem (Adam), Ibrahim (Abraham), Nuh (Noah), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus) and all the other prophets, and continued the holy religion. Sunni Muslims follow Muhammad by following his sayings, what he had told them what to do and not to do. and doing all the things that he did. Shia Muslims follow Muhammad sayings too, but are also focused on his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. Shia's believe that Ali is the successor of Muhammad and that Ali is the first of The Twelve Imams. Shia's also believe that Muhammad al-Mahdi is the last Imam and is currently alive and is hiding in the Major Occultation, and that Mahdi will return near al-Qiyamah along with Jesus to rid the world of its evil. | |||
Read more about this topic: Prophets In Islam
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