Prophets in the Qur'an

IslamThe following are named as prophets in the Qur'an; their biblical names are given in parentheses.

Adam آدم

Adam is the first prophet of Islam and, according to Islamic tradition, the first human being. He was created by Allah but brought to life forty days after being kept. He is an important figure in Judaism and Christianity as well and is best known for the story of Adam and Eve. He is the first person that Allah created and the first person sent on Earth by Allah.

Idris (Enoch) ادريس

In Islam, Idris lived during a period of drought inflicted by Allah to punish the people of the world who had forgotten him. Idris prayed to Allah for salvation and an end to the suffering and so the world received rain. Idris is also credited in Islam with introducing writing, astronomy, and mathematics.

=Nuh (Noah) نوح=

Although best known for the Deluge, Nuh was a primary preacher of monotheism at his time. According to Islamic tradition, it was this faithfulness to Allah that led to his selection for building the Ark that would continue life on Earth. In contrast with Christian and Jewish traditions which say the Deluge was a global event, there is some difference in opinion in Islam over whether the flood associated with Nuh was localized or global.

=Hud (Heber) هود=

According to Islam, Hud, for who the eleventh sura of the Qur'an is named, was one of few people to survive a great storm inflicted by Allah to, like with the Deluge five generations earlier, punish the people of the world had forgotten about Allah.

=Saleh (Shelah) صالح=

According to the Qur'an, Saleh was ordered by Allah to leave behind his people after they disobeyed Allah's order to care for a camel and instead killed it. In Saleh's absence, Allah punished the people with a large earthquake.

Ibrahim (Abraham) ابراهيم

Ibrahim is regarded by Muslims today as one of the significant prophets as he is credited with building the Kaaba in Makkah. His family, including his son Ismail, is also credited with helping create the civilization around Makkah that would later give birth to the final prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Ibrahim is also noted for almost sacrificing his son Ismail for Allah in an event now commemorated annually by Eid ul-Adha.

Lut (Lot) لوط

Lut is most notable in Islam for attempting to preach against homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorra, only to be mocked and ignored by the people who lived there.

=Ismail (Ishmael) اسماعيل=

Ismail, first-born son of Ibrahim, is a notable prophet in Islam for his near-sacrifice. However, as an adult, according to Islamic tradition his and his mother Hagar's search for water in the region around Makkah led Allah to reveal the Zamzam Well.

Ishaq (Isaac) اسحاق

According to Islamic tradition, Ishaq, second-born son of Ibrahim, became a prophet in Canaan. He, along with his brother Ismail, carried on the legacy of Ibrahim as prophets of Islam.

Yaqub (Jacob) يعقوب

Yaqub, according to the Qur'an was "of the company of the Elect and the Good" (Yusuf Ali 38:47) and he continued the legacy of both his father, Ishaq, and his grandfather, Ibrahim. Like his ancestors, he was committed to worshipping and bowing to one Allah.

Yusuf (Joseph) يوسف

Yusuf, son of Yaqub and great-grandson of Ibrahim, became a prominent advisor to the pharaoh of Egypt since he was believed to have been able to predict the future. He spent a large part of his life away from his eleven brothers, who, jealous of Yusuf's success, told their father Yaqub that Yusuf had died.

Ayub (Job) أيوب

According to Islamic tradition, Ayub was rewarded by a fountain of youth, which removed all illnesses except death, for his service to Allah in his hometown outside Al Majdal.

Shoaib (Jethro) شعيب

Shoaib was a direct descendant of Ibrahim. According to Islam, he was appointed by Allah 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, their villages were destroyed by Allah.

Musa (Moses) موسى

Musa, referred to in the Qur'an more than any other prophet, is significant for revealing the Tawrat to the ancient Egyptians. The Qur'an says Musa realized his connection with Allah after receiving commands from him during a stop at Mount Sinai. He later went on to free the enslaved Egyptians after failing to convince the Egyptian pharaoh of Allah's power. Musa subsequently led the freed Egyptians for forty years through the desert on a long attempt to capture Canaan, the promised land. During this long journey, Musa received the Tawrat and the Ten Commandments during another trip to Mount Sinai. At the end of his life, according to Islamic tradition, Musa chose to die to be closer to Allah instead of taking an offer that would have extended his life.

Harun (Aaron) هارون

Harun served as an assistant to his elder brother Musa. In Islam, he, like Musa, was given the task of saving the Israelites from the Egyptian pharaoh. He would often speak for Musa when his speech impediment preventing him from doing so himself.

Dhul-Kifl (possibly Ezekiel) ذو الكفل

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 Allah. Some Muslims believe that Dhul-Kifl is in fact Gautama Buddha.

Daud (David) داود

In Islam, the Zabur (equated by some with the Psalms) were revealed to Daud by Allah. He is also significant as he is the one who conquered Goliath.

Sulayman (Solomon) سليمان

Sulayman learned a significant amount from his father Daud before being made a prophet by Allah. According to Islamic tradition, Sulayman was given power over all things, including the jinns. Known for his honesty and fairness, he also led a kingdom that extended into southern Arabia. He was the youngest among his nineteen brothers, he was thirteen years old when he became a prophet. He inherited his fathers throne because he made fair decisions..

Ilyas (Elijah) إلياس

Sulayman, descendant of Harun, took over control of the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula after Sulayman's 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.

Al-Yasa (Elisha) اليسع

Al-Yasa took over the job of leading the Israelites after Ilyas' death. He attempted to show the king and queen of Israel the powers of Allah, but was dismissed as a magician. Subsequently, the Assyrians were able to conquer the Israelites and inflict significant damage on them.

=Yunus (Jonah) يونس=

Islam says that Yunus was commanded by Allah to help the people of Nineveh towards righteousness. However, after Nineveh's people refused to listen to him, he became disgruntled and started to ignore him. After an incident where Yunus was spared death, he decided to re-commit himself to striving for Allah, attempting to lead the people of Nineveh to righteousness. But after returning to evil, illicit ways, the Scythians conquered them. [http://www.islam101.com/history/people/prophets/jonah.htm]

Zakariya (Zacharias) زكريا

A descendant of Sulayman, Zakariya was a patron of Maryam, mother of Isa. According to Islamic tradition, he prayed to Allah asking for a son, since his sterile wife al-Yashbi could not provide one. Allah granted his wishes, temporarily lifting his wife's sterility and allowing her to give birth to Yahya. His death was considered tragic as several Israelite s severed his body in half. [http://www.islam101.com/history/people/prophets/zakariya.htm] By. O.M.T

Yahya (John the Baptist) يحيى

Islam says that, like his father Zakariya, Yahya prayed to Allah to bless him with a son who could continue his legacy of guiding people towards Islam. His prayers were answered as Isa was born. Throughout his lifetime, Yahya captivated audiences with his powerful sermons that preached monotheism. by omer M.T

Isa (Jesus) عيسى

One of the highest ranked prophets in Islam, Isa was sent to guide the Children of Israel. The Qur'an makes it very clear that in Islam Isa is not the son of Allah, as Christianity teaches, but rather a prophet of Allah. He was able to perform many miracles but only by the will of Allah. Islamic traditions states that he committed his life to nonviolence and abstained from eating meat and drinking alcohol. It also states that he received the New Testament although the version seen today is different from the one revealed at the time. Muslims believe that Isa was not crucified on the cross but instead is in heaven, waiting to return to Imam Mahdi to defeat the dajjal. Muslim believe that Isa is not the son of Allah he is one of the prophes, and is going to battle the dajjal an evil crist who wants to have the earth for himself. Allah the almighty says at the end of Surat maryan in the Quran: And they say: Allah the most gracious has begotten a son' Indeed, you have made a abominable assertion." This is such an unjust and grave claim that: "At it the skies are about to burst, and the earth split asunder, and the mountains to crumble down crashing; for that they have attributed to the Most gracious a son! It is not befitting for the Most gracious to beget a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth, but comes to the Most gracious as a slave." Allah has refuted the claim of those who attribute such fallacy to him in these verus. All the existence belongs to Allah, because he is the creator, and so he has got no son no partner in this Divinity.

Muhammad محمد

Habib ul Azam, Imam ul Anbiya Sayyidina Muhammed ibn Abdullah(53 B.H-11 A.H; 571-632 AD) is the most revered and Last Prophet in Islam and the only one who does not exist in either Judaism or Christianity. According to Islamic tradition Muhammad never claimed Islam a new religion but in fact preached the unity of the religion since Adam the first person and prophet of Allah on the face of earth. The strongest Islamic belief is that Islam is the only religion which all prophets preached. Also Quran refers to all prophets as Muslims. Muhammad was born in Makkah where he spent the first part of his life as a well-travelled merchant. He would often spend his time in the mountains surrounding Makkah in prayer contemplating the situation with the city. According to Islamic beliefs, at the age of forty during one of those trips to the mountain, Muhammad began to, despite his illiteracy, receive and recite verses from Allah which today make up the Qur'an. He quickly began to spread the message he was receiving, convincing a few others in the city, including his wife, to convert a form of Islam similar to one practiced today. He became the leader of those who had submitted to Allah (Muslims), setting up a new city (present-day Medina) away from the oppressors in Makkah. Muhammad served not just as a prophet, but as a king/leader who helped defeat the Makkans in 624 during the Battle of Badr. He continued to lead the Muslims spreading Islam across the Arabian Peninsula. He performed the first hajj in 629 and established the form of Islam, with its five pillars still practiced by Muslims today. Others continued Muhammad's legacy after his death in 629 proclaiming themselves as caliphs (or successors) to Muhammad.