Stories of the Prophets

Allah created Adam (peace be upon him) with His own hand and taught him the names of all things, then commanded the angels to prostrate to him out of honour. All obeyed except Iblis (Satan), who refused out of arrogance and was cast out. Adam and his wife Hawwa (Eve) were placed in the Garden and permitted everything but one tree. Deceived by Satan, they ate from it — then turned back to Allah in sincere repentance, and He forgave them. They were sent to live on earth, the beginning of humankind.

Nuh (peace be upon him) called his people to worship Allah alone for a very long time, met mostly with mockery and rejection. On Allah's command he built an ark, and when the flood came he carried aboard the believers and pairs of the creatures. Those who denied, including one of his own sons who refused to believe, were drowned. The believers were saved, and life began anew.

Ibrahim (peace be upon him), honoured in the Quran as Khalilullah (the intimate friend of Allah), reasoned his way to the one God and rejected the idols of his people, even those of his own father. He was thrown into a fire for smashing their idols, and Allah made it cool and safe for him. Tested with the command to sacrifice his son Ismail, both father and son submitted — and Allah ransomed the son with a great sacrifice, an event commemorated at Eid al-Adha. With Ismail, he raised the foundations of the Kaaba in Makkah.

Yusuf (peace be upon him), a son of the Prophet Ya'qub (Jacob), was thrown into a well by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. Falsely accused and imprisoned despite his innocence, he stayed patient and truthful. Allah gave him the knowledge to interpret dreams, and he rose to become a trusted minister overseeing Egypt's stores through years of famine. When his brothers came seeking food, he forgave them completely and reunited his family. His full story is told in Surah Yusuf, called by the Quran "the most beautiful of stories."

Musa (peace be upon him) is the Prophet mentioned most in the Quran. Saved as an infant from Pharaoh's slaughter, he was raised in Pharaoh's own palace. Allah spoke to him directly at the sacred valley and sent him with clear signs to confront Pharaoh's tyranny and free the Children of Israel. When Pharaoh pursued them, Allah parted the sea for Musa and drowned Pharaoh's army. Musa received the Torah (Tawrat) as guidance for his people.

Dawud (peace be upon him) was both a Prophet and a just king. As a young man he defeated the giant Jalut (Goliath). Allah gave him the Zabur (Psalms), a beautiful voice for glorifying God so that the mountains and birds echoed with him, and the ability to work iron. He was known for his devotion — fasting and praying more than most — and for judging between people with fairness.

Sulaiman (peace be upon him), son of Dawud, was granted a kingdom unlike any other: he understood the speech of birds and ants, commanded the wind and the jinn, and ruled with wisdom. Despite this immense power he remained humble, thanking Allah for every favour and asking to be counted among the righteous. His exchange with the Queen of Sheba, whom he guided to worship Allah, is recounted in Surah an-Naml.

Yunus (peace be upon him) was sent to a people who rejected him, and he left in frustration before Allah permitted it. Aboard a ship in a storm, he was cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. In the darkness he called upon Allah: "There is no god but You; glory be to You. I have surely been among the wrongdoers." Allah answered him, delivered him, and his people believed and were spared.

Isa (peace be upon him) was born miraculously to the virgin Maryam (Mary) by Allah's command — "Be, and it is." As an infant he spoke in the cradle to defend his mother's honour. He was a mighty Messenger given the Injil (Gospel), who by Allah's permission healed the sick and gave life to the dead as clear signs. Muslims honour him deeply as a Prophet and the Messiah, but not as divine or the son of God. The Quran teaches that he was not killed or crucified; rather Allah raised him to Himself, and he will return before the end of time.

Muhammad ﷺ, born in Makkah, was known even before prophethood as al-Amin — "the trustworthy." At the age of forty he received the first revelation of the Quran through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). For years he called his people from idolatry to the worship of Allah alone, enduring persecution with patience, until he and his followers migrated (the Hijrah) to Madinah and established a community founded on justice and mercy. Over twenty-three years the complete Quran was revealed. He is the Seal of the Prophets — the last Messenger — and Allah describes him as "a mercy to all the worlds" (Surah al-Anbiya 21:107). His example (the Sunnah) remains the practical guide for how to live the message of the Quran.