Prophets of Islam
The Qur'an identifies a number of men as prophets in Islam. These are men who directly communicated with Allah and whose job it was to spread the word of God upon Earth. Many of these prophets are also found in the holy texts of Judaism and Christianity. While traditionally Muslims have believed the stories of the Qur'an to be history, some liberal movements in Islam argue that they are primarily illustrations of Islamic ethics; as such they may or may not be historically accurate. Modern historians generally take the view that neither the Qur'anic nor Biblical accounts of these stories are historically reliable.
Although only 25 prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur'an, a Hadith mentions that there were 124,000 of them in total throughout history, and the Qur'an says that God has sent a prophet to every people.
Of all the thousands of prophets, only 313 are believed to be messengers, or rasool; others are prophets or nabi. Only those prophets who were sent with holy books are considered "messengers".
The first prophet is Adam, while the last prophet is Muhammad, and thus his title Seal of the Prophets. Jesus is the result of a virgin birth in Islam as in Christianity, and is regarded as a prophet like the others, and as the Messiah. In the Bahá'àFaith, which arose from Islam, it is believed that there is no seal of the prophet, and that there are ongoing revelations.
Traditionally, five prophets are regarded as especially major: Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), Muhammad.
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2 Other Possible Prophets 3 External links |
The following are listed as prophets in the Qur'an; their Biblical names are given in parentheses when possible:
Al-Khidr is not mentioned by name, but is traditionally assumed to be referred to in Qur'an 18:66.
Dhul-Qarnayn is mentioned in the Qur'an, and often regarded as a prophet. His identity is controversial; many medieval Arabs identified him with Alexander the Great, while others disagree. The many differences between his accomplishments as described in the Qur'an and the history of Alexander the Great (and the fact that the latter was described as homosexual) lead many to believe that he is not the individual spoken of in the Qur'an. Some have speculated that Dhul-Qarnayn is actually Cyrus the Great, or even linked him with Gilgamesh.
There are numerous historical figures that may have been prophets, but this is a source of debate. Among them are Zoroaster.
Mary the mother of Jesus is not regarded as a prophet, but is regarded as having been sent a message from God via an angel.
Prophets in the Qur'an
Other Possible Prophets
External links