Allah ﷻ out of his infinite love has sent guidance to us since the beginning of humanity. These exceptional human beings chosen by Allah ﷻ, serve as intermediaries between us and the divine.
As Muslims, we believe that all prophets have come with the same message that there is no god but Allah. As followers of the last prophet we also say “Muhammad ﷻ is the messenger of Allah”.
During his life, our Prophet ﷺ taught us who some of these prophets were and the lives they led. Let’s find out more about the lives of some of the greatest prophets of Islam!
Nuh – Noah
Nuh (as) was a prophet who lived ten generations after Adam (as). By this time, the people had forgotten about Allah and Idol worshiping had become deeply rooted in the society.
Throughout his life, Nuh was constantly ridiculed by his people. But Nuh (as) never gave up and continued preaching all throughout his life! Despite all his efforts, only around 80 people accepted Islam – mostly from amongst the poor and weak of society.
After 900 years of preaching, Nuh (as) made a dua to Allah ﷻ to destroy the disbelievers. Allah ﷻ accepted his dua and inspired him to build a ship to carry the believers and the animals.
“Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years, less fifty. Then the Flood overtook them, while they persisted in wrongdoing.”
Quran 29:14
Eventually a great flood came which destroyed all the non-believers but spared those inside Nuh’s ship.
Ibrahim – Abraham
Ibrahim (as) is the patriarch of several prophets and kings amongst the Israelites. Him and his son Ishmael built the Ka’bah. And with his son Isaac, he established Masjid al-Aqsa. His life is an example of Tawhid and complete trust in Allah ﷻ.
When he was young man, Ibrahim (as) was catapulted into a raging fire by the people of his nation. Before he was thrown, Jibreel (as) came and asked him “Oh Ibrahim, do you wish for anything?” to which Ibrahim(as) replied “nothing from you”.
When he entered the fire, Allah ﷻ made the fire cool and Ibrahim (as) sat peacefully inside the fire.
“We ordered, “O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!””
Quran 21:69
Musa – Moses
Four generations after the death of Ibrahim (as), the Israelites had migrated to Egypt in search of wealth. However, instead of wealth they found persecution and enslavement.
Musa (as) was sent during this time and confronted Pharoah to accept Islam and to free the Israelites from enslavement.
When Pharoah refused, Allah ﷻ sent multiple signs to prove the prophethood of Musa (as). But each sign only made him more arrogant.
Eventually, Musa and the believers fled Egypt with Pharoah and his army hot on their trail. This led to the parting of the red sea which allowed Musa (as) and the believers to cross but swallowed up pharoah and his soldiers.
‘Isa – Jesus
Isa (as) was born a virgin birth to Maryam (as) who is one of the holiest women in Islam.
During his life he preached to the Israelites and the Romans to believe in “La ilaha il Allah” and to live a simpler life.
However, most of them refused despite the miracles that Isa (as) was sent with.
The da’wah of Isa (as) angered many elites among his society. This caused him to be convicted and sentenced to crucifixion. But Allah ﷻ saved him and ascended him to heaven.
“and for boasting, “We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” But they neither killed nor crucified him—it was only made to appear so. Even those who argue for this ˹crucifixion˺ are in doubt. They have no knowledge whatsoever—only making assumptions. They certainly did not kill him.”
Quran 4:157
As the Messiah, Isa (as) will one day return to Earth and fight against Dajjal with the believers.
Muhammad ﷺ – The Final Prophet
Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet of Allah ﷻ. Born as an orphan, he was well respected and known for his honesty and trustworthiness in his society.
“Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was the finest of human beings in character. I never felt any silk, or anything at all. that was softer than the palm of the hand of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). I never smelled any musk, nor any perfume, more fragrant than the sweat of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)!””
Shama’il Al Muhamadiyyah
At the age of 40 he received his first revelation from Jibreel (as) in the cave of Hira. This began his mission as a prophet.
He would continue preaching to his society in Mecca over the next 13 years to believe in the oneness of Allah. But only a few believed in him, mostly from amongst the poor and weak of society.
After much persecution and ridicule, the prophet ﷺ and his followers left Mecca for Medina which became established as the new base for his mission.
From medina, the number of believers would grow exponentially and 8 years after Hijra, there would be over 124,000 Muslims to retake Mecca.