The Prophets of the Quran

The concepts of prophethood and revelation go hand in hand, being the connection in human and scriptural form with the Divine, respectively.

The imminence of God is hinted at by this worldview, because it makes Him communicable and near, as well as His transcendence because His true grandeur cannot be fathomed.

Thus, revelation is a condescension from the archetypal form as Lawh al Mahfudh (The Preserved Tablet), into the human awareness as restricted to the form of the Arabic language, and with the limitations of people in mind.

Ebrahim Moosa writes:

"While the written word in ink and on paper as uttered by mortal tongues is revered as the Qur'an, it cannot be deemed an eternal entity in this form. The eternal Qur'an is ineffable, expressed in the psychic "inner speech" as a mimesis of the articulated verbal and written speech." 1

The prophets of God in Islam are sinless individuals, people that are sent at every time and to every nation, with the essential and perennial message of the Oneness of God, and the implication to follow all that the prophet is inspired with, including the moral code, ritual practice, and the remaining metaphysical convictions.

According to some prophetic traditions, over a hundred thousand prophets have been sent by God over the course of history. Of those, only around twenty five are mentioned by name in the Quran.

Some are named with extensive detail, like Moses, and others are mentioned in passing, such as Elisha. Many of the biblical prophets are in common with the quranic prophets, the parallels between theirs stories are intriguing.

When I was younger, I compiled all of the chapter and verse references to the prophets in the Quran. They are useful for those interested in everything that the Quran has to say about a prophet, all in one place.

Here they are below:

Prophets Mentioned By Name In The Quran

1.) Adam (Adam)

2.) Nuh (Noah)

3.) Musa (Moses)

4.) Harun (Aaron)

5.) Shuayb (Jethro)

6.) Isa (Jesus)

7.) Yahya (John the Baptist)

8.) Zakariyya (Zechariah)

9.) Dawud (David)

10.) Sulayman (Solomon)

11.) Ibrahim (Abraham)

12.) Ismail (Ishmael)

13.) Ishaq (Isaac)

14.) Lut (Lot)

15.) Yaqub (Jacob)

16.) Yusuf (Joseph)

17.) Hud

18.) Salih

19.) Ilyas (Eijah/Elias)

20.) Al Yasa (Elisha)

21.) Yunus (Jonah)

22.) Ayyub (Job)

23.) Idris (Enoch)

24.) Dhul Kifl (Ezekiel)

25.) Uzair (Ezra)

Luqman (Was likely not a prophet)
Dhul Qarnayn (Was likely not a prophet)

This brings a total of twenty five prophets mentioned by name in the Quran. Below, the chapter and verse references are provided:

Adam (Adam)

2:30-39

3:33

4:1

5:27-32

7:11-28

7:172-174

15:26-44

17:61-65

17:70

18:50

19:58

20:115-123

38:67-85

36:60-61

Nuh (Noah)

3:33

4:163

6:84

7:59-64

7:69

9:70

10:71-74

11:25-49

11:89

14:9-15

17:3

17:17

19:58

21:76-77

22:42

23:23-31

25:37

26:105-122

29:14-15

33:7-8

37:75-82

38:12

40:5-6

40:31

42:13

50:12

51:46

53:52

54:9-16

57:26

66:10

69:11-12

71:1-28

Musa (Moses)

2:40-101

2:105-115

2:120-122

2:136

2:246-253

3:84

4:153-155

4:164

5:20-26

5:43-44

6:84

6:91

6:154

7:103-171

8:52-54

10:75-94

11:17

11:96-102

11:110-111

14:5-8

16:124

17:2

17:4-8

17:101-104

18:60-82

19:51-53

20:9-99

21:48-49

22:44-46

23:45-49

25:35-36

26:10-68

27:7-14

28:3-52

28:76-82

29:39-40

32:23-25

33:7-8

33:69

37:114-122

38:12

40:23-54

41:45

42:13

43:46-56

44:17-33

45:16-17

46:12

46:29-32

50:13

51:38-40

53:36

54:41-42

61:5

62:5-8

66:11

69:9-10

73:15-16

79:15-26

85:17-20

87:18-19

89:10-14

Harun (Aaron)

4:163

6:84

19:28

19:53

Shuaib (Jethro)

7:85-93

9:70

11:84-95

15:78-79

22:44

25:38 (possible or 36:13 people)

26:176-191

29:36-37

38:13

50:12 (possible, or Yasin)

50:14

Isa (Jesus)

2:87

2:116-117

2:136

2:253

2:42-60

3:84

4:156-159

4:163

4:171-173

5:17-19

5:46-47

5:72-78

5:109-120

6:85

9:30-32

10:68

17:111

18:4-5

19:16-40

19:88-93

21:25-27

21:91

23:50

25:2-3

33:7-8

42:13

43:57-66 (v. 61-62 are also Jesus)

57:27

61:6

61:13-14

66:12

Yahya (John the Baptist)

19:2-15

21:89-90

Zakariyya (Zechariah) (John Is Included)

3:33-41

6:85

19:2-15

21:89-90

Dawud (David)

4:163

5:78

6:84

17:55

21:78-82

27:15-16

34:10-11

38:17-26

Sulayman (Solomon)

2:101-103

4:163

6:84

21:78-82

27:15-44

34:12-21

38:30-40

44:34-37 (Tubba are tribe of Saba)

50:14 (Tubba)

Ibrahim (Abraham) (Ismail/Ishaq included)

2:124-132

2:135-141

2:258

2:260

3:33

3:65-69

3:84

3:95-97

4:54-55

4:125

4:163

6:74-88

6:161

9:70

9:114

11:69-76

14:35-41

15:51-60

16:120-123

19:41-50

19:58

21:51-72

22:26-37

22:43

22:78

26:69-89

29:16-35

33:7-8

37:83-113

38:45-47

42:13

43:26-30

51:24-37

53:37

57:26

60:4-6

87:18-19

Ismail (Ishmael)

19:54-55

21:85-86

38:48

Ishaq (Isaac)

37:112

38:45-47

Lut (Lot)

4:16

6:86

7:80-84

9:70 (town overturned)

11:74-83

15:57-77

21:71

21:74-75

22:43

26:160-175

27:54-58

29:26-35

37:133-138

38:13

50:13

51:31-37 (v. 36- Lot’s family Muslim)

53:53-54

54:33-39

66:10

69:9-10 (overturned)

Jacob (Yaqub) (Ismail & Ishaq included)

2:132-134

3:84

3:93-94

4:163

6:84

19:6

19:49

19:58

21:72-73

38:45-47

Yusuf (Joseph) (Jacob Is Included)

12:3-103

6:84

40:34

Hud

7:65-72

7:74