25 Prophets of Islam
Ever wondered who is a prophet, and if
there is a connection between the work of one prophet and another? The
Quran explains the role of a prophet and the relationship between the
work of one prophet and another, while sharing with you the names and
life of some of the prophets of God. Twenty-five names are mentioned in
the Quran.
They include: Adam, Idris (Enoch), Nuh (Noah), Hud (Heber), Salih
(Methusaleh), Lut (Lot), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaq
(Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Shu'aib (Jethro), Ayyub (Job),
Dhulkifl (Ezekiel), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Dawud (David), Sulayman
(Solomon), Ilias (Elias), Alyasa (Elisha), Yunus (Jonah), Zakariya
(Zachariah), Yahya (John the Baptist), Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad. Peace
be upon them all.
Islam teaches that God created man with a
purpose. To help man understand his purpose God raises up prophets from
society to teach us. Prophets were sent at different times in history
and were all human beings supported by God.
Belief in all the prophets of God is
essential in Islam because all of the prophets were sent by the same
God. To accept some and reject others could imply a racial bias or
ignorance about the role of prophets and the fact that they all invited
people to the same God. They conveyed whatever guidance they were asked
to share with mankind at that stage in mankind’s spiritual evolution.
Muslims believe that Adam (peace be upon
him) was the first prophet and Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last
prophet, and in between the two of them there were numerous prophets
sent. God instructs us:
“Say: ‘We believe in God, and in what has
been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac,
Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the
Prophets, from their Lord: we make no distinction between one and
another among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam).’ ” (Quran
3:84)
All prophets were collectively inspired by
the same God. Their role was to help us understand the purpose of life
and how best to live it, so that God is pleased with us. God says:
“We have sent you inspiration, as We sent
it to Noah and the Messengers after him: We sent inspiration to Abraham,
Ismail, Issac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and
Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.” (Quran 4:163)
When Muslims teach their children the
stories of the lives of the prophets, they not only teach about the life
of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him, who Muslims believe was the last
prophet from God), but also about:
(a) The miraculous birth of Jesus (peace be
upon him), as well as the fact he was able to perform miracles by God's
permission.
(b) The story of Moses (peace be upon him),
his upbringing and his eventual confrontation with Pharaoh’s oppression.
(c) Abraham's (peace be upon him) search
for God. His destruction of the idols of his people and God's cooling of
the fire when his people tried to burn him for his act of rebellion.
(d) The lives of Noah, Joseph, Solomon,
Jonah, and other prophets (peace be upon them).
TO GET A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF PROPHETHOOD, AND LEARN WHAT THE QURAN TEACHES ABOUT ABRAHAM, MOSES, AND JESUS (PEACE
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25 Prophets of Islam