How many prophets did God send and why did He send them?
In Islam, God sent approximately 124,000 prophets (PBUT) to every nation.
Each prophet was sent with the same core message – to teach and remind their people to recognise the fact that their life was not created without a purpose and that there is a Creator who has created them and everything around them.
God makes this clear in the Quran when he states:
“And We certainly sent to every nation a messenger, (saying), “Worship Allah (God alone) and avoid falsehood.” (Quran 16:36)
Hence, in Islam, all the prophets, including Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (PBUT) all believed in and worshipped the same God.
“Say, “We have believed in Allah (God) and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims (who) submit to Him (God alone).” (Quran 3:84)
Some might argue that Muhammad (PBUH) is not mentioned in the above verse. Yet there are numerous verses in the Quran where God commands the Muslims to obey Him and follow Muhammad (PBUH). Here is one example:
“And obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) so that you may obtain mercy.” (Quran 3:132)
Who are the prophets in Islam?
Although numerous prophets were sent to various nations, God has only revealed some of the names in the Quran and states that:
“And (We sent) messengers about whom We have related (their stories) to you before and messengers about whom We have not related to you.” (Quran 4:164)
Here is a list of the 25 prophets mentioned in the Quran:
- Adam
- Shiith (Seth)
- 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)
- Muhammad
(Peace be upon them all).
The three predominant prophets who’ve all descended from the prophet Abraham are Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (PBUT).
The Jews believe in Moses (PBUH), the Christians in Jesus (PBUH), whereas the Muslims believe and accept all three as the prophets because they were all sent by the same God:
What are the common views between Islam, Christianity and Judaism?
Who is Moses PBUH in Islam?
Who is Jesus PBUH in Islam?