Stories of the Prophets: All 25 Prophets in the Quran

The 25 prophets, in order

Tap a name to read the story. The order is the one most scholars and historians give. The Quran does not date every prophet, so the places of Idris, Ayyub, Shuayb, Dhul-Kifl, Ilyas and al-Yasa in the sequence are approximate.

1
Adamآدم
Named 25 times · His children, the first human family
Main surahs: Al-Baqarah, Al-Araf, Taha
2
Idris Enochإدريس
Named 2 times · The descendants of Adam, before Nuh, according to most historians
Main surahs: Maryam, Al-Anbiya
3
Nuh NoahUlul Azmنوح
Named 43 times · His people, who worshipped the idols Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Yauq and Nasr
Main surahs: Nuh, Hud, Al-Araf
4
Hudهود
Named 7 times · The people of Ad, at al-Ahqaf (the sand dunes of southern Arabia)
Main surahs: Hud, Al-Araf, Ash-Shuara
5
Salihصالح
Named 9 times · The people of Thamud, at al-Hijr in north-west Arabia
Main surahs: Al-Araf, Hud, Ash-Shuara
6
Ibrahim AbrahamUlul Azmإبراهيم
Named 69 times · His people and his father, who worshipped idols, and later the people of Makkah through his son Ismail
Main surahs: Al-Anam, Al-Anbiya, As-Saffat
7
Lut Lotلوط
Named 27 times · The people of the cities near the Dead Sea (Sodom, in the books of history)
Main surahs: Al-Araf, Hud, Al-Hijr
8
Ismail Ishmaelإسماعيل
Named 12 times · The people who settled in Makkah, the tribe of Jurhum and his descendants
Main surahs: As-Saffat, Al-Baqarah, Ibrahim
9
Ishaq Isaacإسحاق
Named 17 times · The people of the land of Sham (greater Syria), after Ibrahim
Main surahs: Hud, Adh-Dhariyat, As-Saffat
10
Yaqub Jacobيعقوب
Named 16 times · His family and the people of Canaan; the father of the twelve tribes
Main surahs: Yusuf, Al-Baqarah, Maryam
11
Yusuf Josephيوسف
Named 27 times · The people of Egypt, and his own family
Main surahs: Yusuf, Ghafir, Al-Anam
12
Ayyub Jobأيوب
Named 4 times · His people in the land of Hawran (Syria), according to historians
Main surahs: Al-Anbiya, Sad, An-Nisa
13
Shuaybشعيب
Named 11 times · The people of Madyan, and the companions of the thicket (al-Aykah)
Main surahs: Al-Araf, Hud, Ash-Shuara
14
Musa MosesUlul Azmموسى
Named 136 times · Pharaoh and his chiefs in Egypt, and the Children of Israel
Main surahs: Al-Qasas, Taha, Al-Araf
15
Harun Aaronهارون
Named 20 times · Pharaoh, with Musa, and the Children of Israel
Main surahs: Taha, Al-Araf, Maryam
16
Dhul-Kiflذو الكفل
Named 2 times · Not stated in the Quran
Main surahs: Al-Anbiya, Sad
17
Dawud Davidداود
Named 16 times · The Children of Israel, as prophet and king
Main surahs: Al-Baqarah, Sad, Saba
18
Sulaiman Solomonسليمان
Named 17 times · The Children of Israel, as prophet and king; he also called the Queen of Saba to Allah
Main surahs: An-Naml, Al-Anbiya, Saba
19
Ilyas Elijahإلياس
Named 2 times · His people, who worshipped the idol Bal
Main surahs: As-Saffat, Al-Anam
20
Al-Yasa Elishaاليسع
Named 2 times · The Children of Israel, after Ilyas, according to historians
Main surahs: Al-Anam, Sad
21
Yunus Jonahيونس
Named 4 times · A people of a hundred thousand or more (Nineveh, in the books of history)
Main surahs: As-Saffat, Al-Anbiya, Al-Qalam
22
Zakariya Zechariahزكريا
Named 7 times · The Children of Israel; guardian of Maryam
Main surahs: Maryam, Al-Imran, Al-Anbiya
23
Yahya Johnيحيى
Named 5 times · The Children of Israel
Main surahs: Maryam, Al-Imran, Al-Anbiya
24
Isa JesusUlul Azmعيسى
Named 25 times · The Children of Israel
Main surahs: Maryam, Al-Imran, Al-Maidah
25
Muhammad Muhammad ﷺUlul Azmمحمد
Named 4 times (and once as Ahmad) · All of humanity and the jinn, as the final messenger
Main surahs: Al-Ahzab, Al-Fath, Muhammad

Who are the prophets of Islam?

A prophet (nabi) is a man chosen by Allah to receive revelation. A messenger (rasul) is a prophet sent with a message to a people who rejected it, often with a new law. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger, which is the view of most scholars. Belief in all of them is one of the six articles of faith: "We make no distinction between any of His messengers" (2:285).

The Quran names 25 of them. Eighteen are named together in one passage of Surah Al-Anam (6:83-86). Adam, Idris, Hud, Salih, Shuayb, Dhul-Kifl and Muhammad ﷺ are named elsewhere. Allah also says there were many more: "And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those whose stories We have related to you, and among them are those whose stories We have not related to you" (40:78).

How many prophets were there?

A well-known narration from Abu Dharr gives 124,000 prophets, of whom 313 were messengers. It is in Musnad Ahmad and Sahih Ibn Hibban, and scholars differ on its chain: some graded it authentic, others weak. What is certain is the Quran's statement that every nation was sent a warner (35:24).

The five messengers of firm resolve

Five are called Ulul Azm, the messengers of firm resolve: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad ﷺ. They are named together in 33:7 and 42:13, and Allah told the Prophet ﷺ: "So be patient, as were those of determination among the messengers" (46:35).

How the counts were made

The number of times each prophet is named was counted in the Arabic text of the Quran (the Tanzil Uthmani text), including forms with attached letters such as wa- and ya-. The counts match the figures usually given. For Hud we left out the three places where hud means "the Jews" (2:111, 135, 140), and for Salih and Yahya we counted only the name, not the ordinary words spelled the same way.

The 25 prophets at a glance

#	Prophet	Arabic	English	Times named
1	Adam	آدم	Adam	25
2	Idris	إدريس	Enoch	2
3	Nuh	نوح	Noah	43
4	Hud	هود	Hud	7
5	Salih	صالح	Salih	9
6	Ibrahim	إبراهيم	Abraham	69
7	Lut	لوط	Lot	27
8	Ismail	إسماعيل	Ishmael	12
9	Ishaq	إسحاق	Isaac	17
10	Yaqub	يعقوب	Jacob	16
11	Yusuf	يوسف	Joseph	27
12	Ayyub	أيوب	Job	4
13	Shuayb	شعيب	Shuayb	11
14	Musa	موسى	Moses	136
15	Harun	هارون	Aaron	20
16	Dhul-Kifl	ذو الكفل	Dhul-Kifl	2
17	Dawud	داود	David	16
18	Sulaiman	سليمان	Solomon	17
19	Ilyas	إلياس	Elijah	2
20	Al-Yasa	اليسع	Elisha	2
21	Yunus	يونس	Jonah	4
22	Zakariya	زكريا	Zechariah	7
23	Yahya	يحيى	John	5
24	Isa	عيسى	Jesus	25
25	Muhammad	محمد	Muhammad	4

How we tell the stories

Each story follows the Quran first, then hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and other collections with their grading. We use Ibn Kathir's Qasas al-Anbiya where it rests on that evidence. Many popular stories of the prophets come from Isra'iliyyat, reports taken from earlier scriptures and storytellers. We mark these clearly or leave them out, and each page has a section on what is authentic and what is not.

Questions

Who are the 25 prophets in Islam?

Adam, Idris, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, Yusuf, Ayyub, Shuayb, Musa, Harun, Dhul-Kifl, Dawud, Sulaiman, Ilyas, al-Yasa, Yunus, Zakariya, Yahya, Isa and Muhammad ﷺ.

Which prophet is mentioned most in the Quran?

Musa, named 136 times, followed by Ibrahim (69) and Nuh (43).

Who was the first prophet?

Adam was the first prophet. Nuh was the first messenger sent to a people who had fallen into shirk (Bukhari 4712, Muslim 194).

Who was the last prophet?

Muhammad ﷺ, "the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets" (33:40). There is no prophet after him.

How many prophets were there in total?

Only Allah knows. A narration of 124,000 prophets is reported in Ahmad and Ibn Hibban, but scholars differ on its authenticity. The Quran says some were told of and some were not (40:78).

Sources

Quran 6:83-86, 40:78, 33:7, 42:13, 46:35, translation by Sahih International.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4712; Sahih Muslim 194.
Musnad Ahmad and Sahih Ibn Hibban, the hadith of Abu Dharr on the number of prophets; scholars differ on its grading.
Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya.
Quran text: Tanzil, Uthmani script. Name counts made by AmalKit from that text.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Stories of the prophets, all 25 named in the Quran