Prophets of God

Muslims believe in Prophets other than those mentioned by name in the Qur’an. Muslims believe that God has sent over 124,000 Prophets and 313 Messengers all over the world, as mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recorded in the authentic narrations.

Accordingly, numerous great historical figures could possibly rank as Prophets, but debate and contention surround this matter. Such figures could include: Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha, Krishna, and Rama. Some of the accounts of these historic personalities have common elements within their stories, which could indicate possible connection or commonality; for example, there exists amazing similitude in the life-events of Krishna (of India) with the Musa (Moses of Egypt).

Both were born in a time when male children were being executed, so both were kept in a bucket and flown in a river, both were very beautiful and attractive babies, both were found by the then Queen of the Castle, and were brought up within the household of the King, both grazed cows (cattle) as shepherd, both had miracle in the form of shining hand, both had a huge snake associated to their lives, both are linked to splitting and churning of sea, both are connected to lifting of a mountain, and the list goes on…

However, Muslims will state that there is no way of knowing for sure, since they are not mentioned by name in the Qur’an. An argument often used in support of the Prophethood of such men is that they came with The Word of God, however it’s a different story that the Message later got corrupted, distorted or lost – either fully or partially. This accounts for the differences between Islam, and the religions of the past, with which each man today is associated.

Belief in the Prophets of God is a central part of Muslim faith. The Qur’an mentions twenty-five Prophets, most of whom are mentioned in the Bible as well. Who were these Prophets? Where did they live? Who were they sent to? What are their names in the Qur’an and the Bible? And what are some of the miracles they performed? We will answer these simple questions.

Before we begin, we must understand two matters:

• In Arabic two different words are used, Nabi and Rasool. A Nabi is a Prophet and a Rasool is a Messenger or an apostle. It is opined by many of the scholars that a Messenger (Rasool) is the Prophet (Nabi), who is given revised law (sharia) by God, which amends, changes, replaces, or abrogates the old law and promulgates the new one to be followed. The two words, though, are close in meaning for our purpose.
• There are a couple of men mentioned in the Qur’an about whom Muslim scholars are uncertain whether they were Prophets or not: Dhul-Qarnain (18:83), Luqman (Chapter 31), and Uzair (9:30).
• Adam (Aadam) is the first Prophet in Islam. He is also the first human being according to traditional Islamic belief. Adam is mentioned in 25 verses and 25 times in the Qur’an. God created Adam with His hands and created his wife, Hawwa or Eve from Adam’s He lived in Paradise and was sent to earth under the grand scheme of creation. The story of his two sons is mentioned once in Chapter 5 (Al-Maidah).
• Idrees or Enoch is mentioned twice in the Qur’an. Other than that, little is known about him. He is said to have lived in Babylon, Iraq and migrated to Egypt and that he was the first one to write with the pen.
• Nooh or Noah is mentioned 43 times in the Qur’an. He is said to be from Kirk, Iraq. Polytheism (Shirk) appeared for the first time among his people who lived close to the present-day city of Kufa, in the south of Iraq. His wife was an unbeliever as mentioned in (Qur’an: 66: At-Tahreem). His son also chose disbelief and was drowned in the flood. The story is found in (Qur’an: 11: Hud). One of his great miracles was the Noah’s Arc, which he built on God’s command that rested on Mt. Judi.
• Hud is said to be Heber in English. He is mentioned 7 times in the Qur’an. Hud is the first person to have spoken Arabic and was the first Arab prophet. He was sent to the people of Aad in the area known as Al-Ahqaf, which is around Hadramaut in Yemen and the Ar-Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter). God destroyed them by a fierce wind that blew for 8 days and seven nights.
• Saaleh is mentioned 9 times in the Qur’an. He was an Arab prophet sent to the people of Thamud who lived in an area known as Al-Hijr between Hijaz and Tabuk. Al-Hijr was the ancient name. Today, the place is known as “Madain Salih” in Saudi Arabia and is a UNESCO world heritage site. They are magnificent structures literally carved in the mountains. The people demanded he produce a female camel out of the rocks to prove his claim to being a prophet. He did, and warned them not to harm it, but they killed it despite the warning of Saaleh. A loud shriek – Saihah – killed them all.
• Ibrahim or Abraham is mentioned 69 times in 25 chapters of the Qur’an. His father’s name was Aazar. They lived in the city of Ur in the Chaldean kingdom. He escaped from Ur to Harran, in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, in today’s Syria, when Nimrod, the king tried to burn him alive. From Harran he went to Palestine with his wife Sarah and the son of his brother, Lot (Loot in Arabic) and his wife. Due to a famine, they were forced to move to Egypt. He later returned with Lot to the south of Palestine, Ibrahim settling in Bir Sab’a and Lot settled close to the Dead Sea. Abraham then moved his second wife, Hagar, to Mecca with his son Ishmael and left them there at God’s Mecca was a barren land and the well of Zamzam was provided by God for their survival. The ancient tribe of Jurhum settled their due to Zamzam. Abraham is said to be buried in Hebron, Palestine. Abraham had two sons: Ishaq or Issac and Ismael or Ishmael.
• Issac is mentioned 16 times in the Qur’an. Issac lived with his father, Abraham, and died in Hebron, Palestine. Issac is the fore-father of the Jews.
• Ishmael is mentioned 12 times in Qur’an. God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael. He went to Mecca with his parents and was left there with his mother. Abraham visited Ishmael several times in Mecca, and during one of those times, God ordered Abraham and Ishmael to build the Ka’bah (the Holy House). Ishmael died in Mecca and was buried there. Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs.
• Lot or Loot is mentioned 17 times in the Qur’an. He is the nephew of Abraham, the son of Abraham’s Lot lived towards the southern tip of the Dead Sea. His people were from Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot believed in Abraham and after their return from Egypt, they settled in separate locations. People of Sodom were the first to commit homosexuality. That is why homosexuals are sometimes called sodomites. His wife was not a believer. She did not commit the sin, but accepted it. Rocks were rained down on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that crushed them.
• Yaqub or Jacob, the son of Issac and the grandson of Abraham is mentioned 16 times in the Qur’an. Jacob’s other name was Israel. The “Bani Israel”, Children of Israel, or Israelites are named after him. All the Hebrew prophets came from him, the last of whom was Eesa or Jesus. Jacob is the father of the twelve tribes known as Al-Asbaat (7:160) in the Qur’an. He is said to have traveled to north of Iraq, returned to Palestine and then settled in Egypt and died there. He was buried in Hebron, Palestine, along with his father according to his last will. The Bible mentions that Issac married Rebecca and his son Jacob married Rachel (Rahil in Arabic).
• Yusuf or Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel is mentioned 17 times in the Qur’an. He was left in a Jerusalem well by his brothers, and then taken to Egypt where he attained a high rank in the government. Later, his father, Jacob, and brothers settled in Egypt.
• Shuaib or Jethro, mentioned 11 times in the Qur’an, was sent to the people of Madyan, who was one of the sons of Abraham. Shuaib lived between the time of Lot and Moses and was an Arab prophet. His people worshipped a tree called Al-Aykah (15:78, 26:176, 38:13, 50:14). They were highway robbers, and cheated in business dealings. Several punishments came down upon them: an awful cry combined with an earthquake destroyed them.
• Ayyub or Job is mentioned 4 times in the Qur’an. He is said to have lived close to either the Dead Sea or Damascus. He was an affluent prophet who was tested by God with poverty and sickness, but he was patient and was helped by his loyal wife who stayed by him in every hardship. Eventually, they are immensely rewarded by God for their patience.
• Yunus or Jonah, also known as “Dhun-Noon” is mentioned 4 times in the Qur’an. He lived in Nineveh, close to Mosul, in Iraq. He left his people before God allowed him to, headed towards modern day Tunisia, but possibly ended up in Yafa. He was swallowed by the whale; he then repented to God and went back to his people in Iraq where all 100,000 of them repented and believed in him.
• Dhul-Kifl is mentioned twice in the Qur’an. Some scholars say, he was the son of Job, others say he is Ezekiel of the Bible.
• Musa or Moses is the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Qur’an, appearing 136 times. Before Moses, Joseph had started spreading the message of monotheism (tawhid: worship of One, true God) among the people of Egypt. His mission was strengthened when his father, Jacob, and his brothers also settled in Egypt, slowly converting all of Egypt. After Yusuf, the Egyptians turned back into polytheism (shirk) and the children of Jacob, the Israelites, multiplied and gained prominence in the society. Moses was the first prophet sent to the Israelites at a time when the Pharaoh of Egypt was enslaving them. Moses fled to Madyan to flee persecution. God made him a prophet at Mount Toor, situated in the Sinai and he was given nine great miracles.
• Haroon or Aaron is the brother of Moses and is mentioned 20 times in the Qur’an.
• Ilyas or Elijah is mentioned two times each in the Qur’an. He lived with Al Yas’a in Baalbek.
• Al Yas’a is mentioned two times each in the Qur’an, He lived with Ilyas in Baalbek.
• Dawud or David is mentioned in the Qur’an 16 times. He led the Israelites in war and won, and had many miracles.
• Dawud’s son, Suleiman or Solomon is mentioned 17 times and was also a king with great miracles. Both are buried in Jerusalem.
• Zakariyyah or Zechariah is mentioned 7 times. He was a carpenter. He raised Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• Yahya or John is the son of Zechariah and is mentioned 5 times. He was killed in Jerusalem, and his head was taken to Damascus.

The name Eesa or Jesus is mentioned 25 times, Messiah 11 times, and the ‘son of Mary’ 23 times. He was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. He is said to have visited Egypt with his mother. He is the last prophet among the Children of Israel.

Five prophets were Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shuaib, Ismail, and Muhammad (peace be upon then all). Four of them were send to the Arabs, whereas Muhammad was sent to all human beings.

In conclusion, Prophets, biblical and non-biblical, are integral to the Islamic scripture. Muslims see themselves as the true inheritors of the mission of the Prophets sent by God to humanity: Submission and obedience of The One True God alone.