Every Muslim believes in Allah and His prophets and messengers. The very first prophet in Islam is Adam, and the last prophet was Muhammad ﷺ. Who were the prophets of Allah and which prophets were also messengers? Continue reading if you want to know all about the prophets and messengers of Allah.
Contents
What is a prophet?
A prophet is described in Islam as the one chosen by God to follow Him and proclaim His will to mankind.
The word “prophet” is an Arabic word and is considered to be the highest degree you can get from God as a human being. Allah has sent prophets for mankind to guide us to material, spiritual, and intellectual perfection. Prophets are ideal people, who come up with solutions through Divine inspiration and who form the interface between earth and the unseen.
The duty of a Prophet
Allah has provided the various prophets with a number of tasks. The prophets have all fulfilled their obligations on earth. In addition, prophets have even brought about all kinds of extraordinary events including the various miracles they performed (with the help of Allah). Prophets are to inform mankind about entering paradise through rewards, and that by sinning you will be punished after death. After all, a prophet can teach us why we were created by God and the best way to honor Him. It is important to be aware of the meaning of creation.
Attributes of prophets
Prophets possess certain qualities that make them unique, including:
- Sincerity (Sidq): Prophets are sincere, do not lie and always tell the truth.
- Trustworthiness (Amāna): Prophets are trustworthy in all that is entrusted to them.
- Intelligence and Alertness (Faṭāna): Prophets are not only smart and alert but are also highly intelligent.
- Sin-free (Iṣma): Prophets do not commit sins and thus can be considered completely sin-free.
- Proclaim (Tablīgh): Prophets proclaim the word and the precepts of Allah to mankind.
Prophets and Messengers in Islam
According to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ , there have been at least 315 messengers and as many as 1,000 prophets. There are other sources that claim there were as many as 124,000 prophets. Only 25 prophets are mentioned by name in the Quran, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and Jesus. God has sent one prophet for every nation. In Islam, prophets are ordinary persons who share prophetic typologies, advocate monotheism, convey the message of Allah and establish goodness. The prophets in Islam are all connected to each other and help mankind to stay on the right path. In Islam, Muhammad ﷺ was the last messenger of Allah. In addition to prophets, Allah has also sent one messenger per nation. These messengers are provided with laws that humanity must follow. Messengers are people too, but they believe that their message comes from Allah.
Prophet vs Messenger
The terms “prophet” and “messenger” are often confused with each other, but there is a difference between the two. Both a prophet and a messenger have received a divine revelation, but only in the case of a messenger was this revelation to be proclaimed to mankind. A prophet may also invite people to participate in Islam, but in most cases a messenger is sent to a people who disbelieve. Prophets are more often sent to believing nations with the legislation of the previous messenger to teach and judge the people. All messengers are also prophets, but by no means all prophets are messengers.
All the prophets and messengers of Islam
The 25 names of prophets mentioned in the Quran are Adam, Enoch, Noah, Hud, Salih, Abraham, Lut, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, Ezekiel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Zechariah, John, Jesus (PBUH) and Muhammad ﷺ . All prophets have different ranks with certain prophets being exalted above others. Such is the case with the last 5 prophets. In addition, 9 messengers are mentioned in the Quran. These include Noah, Salih, Lut, Jethro, Moses, Ishmael, Hud, Jesus (pbuh) and Mohammed ﷺ .
Female prophets
The fact that no female prophets are mentioned in Islam also means that there were none. There are many reasons why women were not prophets. For example, men are physically stronger and can handle heavier physical tasks.
False prophets and self-proclaimed prophets
Messengers and prophets have a lofty position in obedience, integrity, trustworthiness and character through which Allah recommends us to follow them. Believing in prophets and messengers is one of the focal points in Islam. If you are Muslim, you believe that Allah is the only God and then you believe in the prophets and the messengers. Only Allah knows exactly how many messengers and prophets He has sent for us.