{"id":3376,"date":"2022-01-02T10:42:50","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T08:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/?p=3376"},"modified":"2022-01-02T10:43:14","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T08:43:14","slug":"prophets-of-the-quran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/?p=3376","title":{"rendered":"PROPHETS OF THE QURAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0<\/strong>Imam Mufti<\/p>\n

The Quran mentions twenty five prophets, most of whom are mentioned in the Bible as well.\u00a0 Who were these prophets? Where did they live? Who were they sent to? What are their names in the Quran and the Bible? And what are some of the miracles they performed? We will answer these simple questions.<\/p>\n

Before we begin, we must understand two matters:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

a.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In Arabic two different words are used,\u00a0Nabi<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Rasool<\/i>.\u00a0 A\u00a0Nabi<\/i>\u00a0is a prophet and a\u00a0Rasool<\/i>\u00a0is a messenger or an apostle.\u00a0 The two words are close in meaning for our purpose.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are four men mentioned in the Quran about whom Muslim scholars are uncertain whether they were prophets or not:\u00a0Dhul-Qarnain<\/i>\u00a0(18:83),\u00a0Luqman<\/i>\u00a0(Chapter 31),\u00a0Uzair<\/i>\u00a0(9:30), and\u00a0Tubba<\/i>\u00a0(44:37, 50:14).<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Aadam<\/i>\u00a0or Adam is the first prophet in Islam.\u00a0 He is also the first human being according to traditional Islamic belief.\u00a0 Adam is mentioned in 25 verses and 25 times in the Quran.\u00a0 God created Adam with His hands and created his wife,\u00a0Hawwa<\/i>\u00a0or Eve from Adam\u2019s rib.\u00a0 He lived in Paradise and was expelled from there to earth for disobedience.\u00a0 The story of his two sons is mentioned once in Chapter 5 (Al-Maidah).<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Idrees<\/i>\u00a0or Enoch is mentioned twice in the Quran.\u00a0 Other than that little is known about him.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nooh<\/i>\u00a0or Noah is mentioned 43 times in the Quran.\u00a0 He is said to be from Kirk, Iraq.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 His wife was an unbeliever as mentioned in Chapter 66 (At-Tahrim).\u00a0 His son also chose disbelief and was drowned in the flood.\u00a0 The story is found in Chapter 11 (Hud).<\/p>\n

One of his great miracles was the Arc which he built on God\u2019s command that rested on Mt.\u00a0 Judi which is said to be between the Syrian-Turkish border today near the city of Ayn Diwar.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hud<\/i>\u00a0is said to be Heber in English.\u00a0 He is mentioned 7 times in the Quran.\u00a0 Hud is the first person to have spoken Arabic and was the first Arab prophet.\u00a0 He was sent to the people of\u00a0Aad<\/i>\u00a0in the area known as\u00a0Al-Ahqaf<\/i>\u00a0which is around Hadramaut in Yemen and the Ar-Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter).\u00a0 God destroyed them by a fierce wind that blew for 8 days and seven nights.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Salih<\/i>\u00a0is mentioned 9 times in the Quran.\u00a0 He was an Arab prophet sent to the people of\u00a0Thamud<\/i>\u00a0who lived in an area known as\u00a0Al-Hijr<\/i>\u00a0between Hijaz and Tabuk.\u00a0\u00a0Al-Hijr<\/i>\u00a0was the ancient name.\u00a0 Today, the place is known as “Madain Salih<\/i>” in Saudi Arabia and is a UNESCO world heritage site.\u00a0 They are magnificent structures literally carved in the mountains.\u00a0 The people demanded he produce a female camel out of the rocks to prove his claim to being a prophet.\u00a0 He did, and warned them not to harm it, but they killed it despite the warning of Salih.\u00a0 A loud shriek \u2013\u00a0saihah<\/i>\u00a0– killed them all.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ibrahim<\/i>\u00a0or Abraham is mentioned 69 times in 25 chapters of the Quran.\u00a0 His father\u2019s name was\u00a0Aazar<\/i>.\u00a0 They lived in the city of\u00a0Ur<\/i>\u00a0in the Chaldean kingdom.\u00a0 He escaped Ur to Harran, in the north of the Arabian peninsula, in today\u2019s Syria, when Nimrod, the king tried to burn him alive.\u00a0 From Harran he went to Palestine with his wife Sarah and the son of his brother, Lot (Loot<\/i>\u00a0in Arabic) and his wife.\u00a0 Due to a famine, they were forced to move to Egypt.<\/p>\n

He later returned with Lot to the south of Palestine, Ibrahim settling in Bir Sab\u2019a and Lot settled close to the Dead Sea.<\/p>\n

Abraham then moved his second wife, Hagar, to Mecca with his son Ishmael and left them there at God\u2019s command.\u00a0 Mecca was a barren land and the well of\u00a0zamzam<\/i>\u00a0was provided by God for their survival.\u00a0 The ancient tribe of Jurhum settled their due to\u00a0zamzam<\/i>.\u00a0 Abraham is said to be buried in Hebron, Palestine.<\/p>\n

\u00a07, 8. \u00a0\u00a0Abraham had two sons:\u00a0Ishaq<\/i>\u00a0or Issac and\u00a0Ismael<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong>or Ishmael.\u00a0 Issac is mentioned 16 times in the Quran whereas Ishmael is mentioned 12 times.\u00a0 Issac lived with his father, Abraham, and died in Hebron, Palestine.\u00a0 God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael.\u00a0 He went to Mecca with his parents and was left there with his mother.\u00a0 Abraham visited Ishmael several times in Mecca, and during one of those times, God ordered Abraham and Ishmael to build the\u00a0Ka\u2019bah<\/i>\u00a0(the Holy House).\u00a0 Ishmael died in Mecca and was buried there.\u00a0 Issac is the fore-father of the Jews and Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"ProphetsOfTheQuran2.jpg\"Lot or\u00a0Loot<\/i>\u00a0is mentioned 17 times in the Quran. He is the nephew of Abraham, the son of Abraham\u2019s brother. 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.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0Yaqub<\/i>\u00a0or Jacob, the son of Issac and the grandson of Abraham is mentioned 16 times in the Quran. Jacob\u2019s other name was Israel. The “Bani Israel<\/i>,” Children of Israel, or Israelites are named after him. All the Hebrew prophets came from him, the last of whom was\u00a0Eesa<\/i>\u00a0or Jesus. Jacob is the father of the twelve tribes known as\u00a0Al-Asbaat<\/i>\u00a0(7:160) in the Quran. 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<\/i>\u00a0in Arabic).<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0\u00a0Yusuf<\/i>\u00a0or Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel is mentioned 17 times in the Quran. 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.<\/p>\n

12.\u00a0\u00a0Shuaib<\/i>\u00a0or Jethro, mentioned 11 times in the Quran, was sent to the people of\u00a0Madyan<\/i>, who was one of the sons of Abraham.\u00a0Shuaib<\/i>\u00a0lived between the time of Lot and Moses and was an Arab prophet. His people worshipped a tree called\u00a0Al-Aykah<\/i>\u00a0(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.<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0\u00a0Ayyub<\/i>\u00a0or Job is mentioned 4 times in the Quran. 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.<\/p>\n

14.\u00a0\u00a0Yunus<\/i>\u00a0or Jonah, also known as “Dhun-Noon<\/i>,” is mentioned 4 times in the Quran. 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.<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0\u00a0Dhul-Kifl<\/i>\u00a0is mentioned twice in the Quran. Some scholars say he was the son of Job, others say he is Ezekiel of the Bible.<\/p>\n

16.\u00a0\u00a0Musa<\/i>\u00a0or Moses is the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Quran, appearing 136 times. Before Moses, Joseph had started spreading the message of monotheism (tawhid<\/i>: 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\u00a0Yusuf<\/i>, the Egyptians turned back into polytheism (shirk<\/i>) and the children of Jacob, the Israelites, multiplied and gained prominence in the society. Moses was the first prophet sent to the\u00a0<\/i>Israelites at a time when the Pharaoh of Egypt was enslaving them. Moses fled to\u00a0Madyan<\/i>\u00a0to flee persecution. God made him a prophet at Mt.\u00a0Toor<\/i>, situated in the Sinai and he was given nine great miracles.<\/p>\n

17.\u00a0\u00a0Haroon<\/i>\u00a0or Aaron is the brother of Moses and is mentioned 20 times in the Quran.<\/p>\n

18,19.\u00a0Ilyas<\/i>\u00a0or Elijah and\u00a0Yas\u2019a<\/i>\u00a0are mentioned two times each in the Quran, they both lived in Baalbek.<\/p>\n

20,21.\u00a0Dawud<\/i>\u00a0or David is mentioned in the Quran 16 times. He led the Israelites in war and won, and had many miracles. His son,\u00a0Suleiman<\/i>\u00a0or Solomon is mentioned 17 times and was also a king with great miracles. Both are buried in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

22.\u00a0\u00a0Zakariyyah<\/i>\u00a0or Zechariah is mentioned 7 times. He was a carpenter. He raised Mary, the mother of Jesus.<\/p>\n

23.\u00a0\u00a0Yahya<\/i>\u00a0or John is the son of Zechariah and is mentioned 5 times. He was killed in Jerusalem, and his head was taken to Damascus.<\/p>\n

24.\u00a0 The name\u00a0Eesa<\/i>\u00a0or Jesus is mentioned 25 times, Messiah 11 times, and the \u2018son of Mary\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Five prophets were Arabs:\u00a0Hud<\/i>,\u00a0Salih<\/i>,\u00a0Shuaib<\/i>,\u00a0Ismail<\/i>, and Muhammad. Four of them were send to the Arabs, whereas Muhammad was send to all human beings.<\/p>\n

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: worship of the One True God and obedience to Him.<\/p>\n

Selected References:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ibn Kathir.\u00a0Qasas ul-Ambiya<\/i>. Cairo: Dar at-Taba\u2019a wa-Nashr al-Islamiyya, 1997.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani.\u00a0Tuhfa ul-Nubala\u2019 min Qasas il-Ambiya lil Imam al-Hafid Ibn Kathir<\/i>. Jedda: Maktaba as-Sahaba, 1998.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mahmud al-Masri.\u00a0Qasas ul-Ambiya lil-Atfaal<\/i>. Cairo: Maktaba as-Safa, 2009.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Dr. Shawqi Abu Khalil.\u00a0Atlas al-Quran<\/i>. Damascus: Dar-ul-Fikr, 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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