Who is Allah?

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The Great Ziggurat of Ur

Stories of the Prophets

One family
of messengers

Twenty-six figures, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all), in the order the Qur'an and its commentators follow. Each tells of the One God; each tradition tells them in its own words.

See all 26The timeline
Basra, Iraq as seen from STS-59. NASA JSC. NASA / JSC · Public domain

The three tellings · Elisha

Each faith in its own words. Our pictures show places and objects only; films that show the prophets are labelled.

All the prophets →

Hebrew Bible · Torah

Elijah casts his mantle on Elisha as he ploughs with twelve yoke of oxen.

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha: ‘Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee.’ And Elisha said: ‘I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.’”2 Kings 2:9 · JPS 1917

The Christian telling

Jesus recalls that Elisha healed a foreigner, Naaman the Syrian.

“There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”Luke 4:27 · WEB (British Edition)

The Qur'an

Elisha is named among those God preferred above His creatures.

“And make mention of Ishmael and Elisha and Dhu'l-Kifl. All are of the chosen.”Qur'an 38:48 · Pickthall (1930)

Read side by side → Stories three faiths share →

Where to begin

“God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways…”Hebrews 1:1 · World English Bible (British Edition)
“Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.”Qur'an 2:136 · Pickthall (1930)

Each tradition counts differently. Islam speaks of many prophets, 25 of them named in the Qur'an; the Talmud counts 48 prophets and seven prophetesses of Israel (Megillah 14a); Christians read the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Mary is included here because both Christians and Muslims honour her, without claiming the title of prophet for her.

Watch

P is for Prophets | A to Z of Religion and Beliefs | BBC Teach · BBC Bitesize for TeachersPlays on “Belief in the prophets and messengers” →
P is for Prophets | A to Z of Religion and Beliefs | BBC TeachBBC Bitesize for Teachers · 2 minBBC Teach's neutral two-minute primer on what a prophet is across faiths; UK, kids-friendly, sets up the section.

Shared by all three

A film that tells this story across the traditions. It plays here, on the page.

Watch

Three traditions, three films

Each told by its own community, in its own words, side by side. More on F-ILM.

A Jewish telling

Why Is Abraham Considered the Father of Mankind?Jewish Learning Institute · 4 minJLI: why Judaism calls Abraham the father of mankind; short, warm, Jewish voice.

A Christian telling

How to Read the 15 Prophetic Books in the BibleBibleProject · 5 minBibleProject's short guide to how Christians read the prophetic books.

A Muslim telling

Ep 9: He Is the Bridge Between Us All | Abraham Series | Nouman Ali Khan \ Dhul Hijjah 2025Nouman Ali Khan - Official - Bayyinah · 39 minNouman Ali Khan on Abraham as the bridge between Jews, Christians and Muslims; the section's thesis in Muslim words.

Timeline

From the dawn of time to the 7th century

Solid line: dates historians discuss. Dashed grey: dates as tradition places them, before history can check. Filled dots are pages you can read now. Scroll sideways.

In Qur'anic order

The twenty-six

All twenty-six pages are ready to read, each with its snapshot below. Pictures show the land, the cities and the objects of each prophet's world, never the prophet.

Showing 26.

Noah

Noaḥ · Nūḥ

A righteous man in a violent age, an ark, a flood and a promise to all life.

TorahGospelQur'anBefore history (tradition)

Hud

Hūd

Sent to the proud people of 'Ad in southern Arabia, of the many-columned Iram.

Qur'anAncient Arabia (tradition)

Salih

Ṣāliḥ

Sent to Thamud, who carved their homes into rock, with the sign of a she-camel.

Qur'anAncient Arabia (tradition)

Lot

Lot · Lūṭ

Abraham (peace be upon him)'s nephew, who sheltered his guests and was rescued from the cities of the plain.

TorahGospelQur'anc. 2000–1700 BCE (tradition)

Isaac

Yitzḥak · Isḥāq

The son of laughter, promised to Abraham (peace be upon him) and Sarah in their old age.

TorahGospelQur'anc. 2000–1700 BCE (tradition)

Shu'ayb

Shuʿayb (possibly Jethro)

Sent to Midian with the One God and honest trade: full measure and weight.

Qur'anMidian (tradition)

Mary

Miryam · Maryam

Chosen and pure, the virgin mother of Jesus (peace be upon him), honoured by Christians and Muslims.

GospelQur'an1st c. BCE – 1st c. CE

Muhammad

Muḥammad

Born in Makkah about 570 CE; for Muslims the final messenger, through whom the Qur'an came.

Qur'an570–632 CE

Also

Beyond the twenty-six

Also in the Hebrew Bible

  • Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10). Anoints Saul and David (peace be upon him). Tafsir commonly identifies “their prophet” in Qur'an 2:246–248 as Samuel.
  • Isaiah (Isaiah 2:4). The prophet the New Testament quotes most. “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.”
  • Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). The prophet of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Some commentators name him in the tafsir of Qur'an 2:259.
  • Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1). Visions in exile by the river Chebar. Possibly the Qur'an's Dhul-Kifl.
  • Daniel (Daniel 12:3). Wisdom at the court of Babylon. His shrine stands at Susa (Shush, Iran).
  • Miriam, Deborah and Huldah (Exodus 15:20). Women prophets of Israel. The Talmud counts seven prophetesses (Megillah 14a).

Also in the Qur'an

  • Luqman (Qur'an 31:12–19). A wise man, not generally counted a prophet, and his advice to his son.
  • Dhul-Qarnayn (Qur'an 18:83–98). A righteous ruler who builds a barrier; who he was is debated.
  • Talut and Jalut (Qur'an 2:246–251). Saul and Goliath: see David (peace be upon him). David →
  • Al-Khidr (Qur'an 18:65–82). The hidden guide of Moses (peace be upon him). Read the story →
  • The People of the Cave (Qur'an 18:9–26). Young believers who slept for centuries. Read the story →
  • Asiya and the family of Imran (Qur'an 66:11). Pharaoh's wife and Mary (peace be upon her)'s family, honoured in the Qur'an. Mary →
About the sources and translations

Quotations come only from public-domain translations: the Qur'an in Marmaduke Pickthall's The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930); the Hebrew Bible in the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation; the New Testament in the World English Bible, British Edition. Hadith are paraphrased with their collection and number. “As tradition places it” means the date a tradition gives, before history or archaeology can test it. Pages about each faith are spot-checked by readers from that faith; tell us if we have got something wrong.

Picture credits
Shared stories and parablesThe stories told in fullScripture on F-ILMFree films, labelled by traditionVoices of scriptureHear the Qur'an, the Torah and the Gospel as they are read aloud

Watch more: One family of messengers

5 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.

  • The Stories of The Prophets | 1. Introduction: The Need of Sending Prophets | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi

    Yasir Qadhi · 55 min

  • The Stories of The Prophets | 4. The Prophets Named in The Quran | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi

    Yasir Qadhi · 65 min

    Yasir Qadhi: the prophets named in the Qur'an, the list this page follows.

  • Women Prophets in Islam?

    Let's Talk Religion · 3 min

    Let's Talk Religion: were there women prophets in Islam?

  • Covenant & Conversation | Vayera | Rabbi Sacks

    The Rabbi Sacks Legacy · 13 min

    The Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant & Conversation on Vayera, Abraham, the first of the shared prophets.

  • The journey of Jesus in 3 ½ minutes

    Bible Society · 4 min

    Bible Society: the journey of Jesus in three and a half minutes, told with maps and text.

  • More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free