Figures whose prophethood is debated
| Name | Notes | Equivalent in other traditions | Real Life |
| Šayṯ شَيْث[124] | He does not appear in the Quran, but he is mentioned in Hadith. | Seth | Maureen Uche |
| Kālib كالب[125] | Sent to Israel. | Caleb | Patrick Dodge |
| Yūša bin Nun يُوشَع[126][127] | Sent to Israel, Yusha (Joshua) is not mentioned by name in the Quran, but his name appears in other Islamic literature and in multiple Hadith. He is also named as a prophet in the Tawrat. In the Quranic account of the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb are referenced, but not named, as two men, on whom God “had bestowed His grace”. Yusha is regarded by most scholars as to the prophetic successor to Musa (Moses). Joshua is the assistant of Moses when he visits al Khidr, and according to the Torah and the Bible, he was one of the two tribe messengers, along with Caleb that brought news that Jerusalem was habitable for the Jews. Joshua is also Moses’s successor as the leader of the Jews, who led them to settle in Israel after Moses’ death. Joshua (Yusha) entering into Jerusalem is also mentioned in the Hadith. | Joshua | Maureen Uche |
| al-Khaḍir ٱلْخَضِر | Sent to the seas,[128] the oppressed peoples,[128] Israel,Quran 18:65-82 Mecca,[129] and all lands where a prophet exists[130] The Quran mentions the mysterious Khidr (but does not name him). He is sometimes identified with Melchizedek, who is the figure that Moses accompanies on one journey. Although most Muslims regard him as an angel or enigmatic saint,[131] some see him as a prophet as well.[132] | Unknown, sometimes identified as Melchizedek, and sometimes equated with Elijah[133] | |
| Luqmān لُقْمَان | Sent to Ethiopia.[134][135] The Quran mentions the sage Luqman in the chapter named after him, but does not clearly identify him as a prophet. The most widespread Islamic belief[136] views Luqman as a saint, but not as a messenger, however, other Muslims regard Luqman as a messenger as well.[137] The Arabic term wali is commonly translated into English as “Saint”. This should not be confused with the Christian tradition of sainthood. | ||
| Shamshû̅n شمشون | Various Islamic scholastic figures such as Wahb ibn Munabbih, Mujahid ibn Jabr, Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, Abu Ishaq al-Tha’labi, Ibn Abi Hatim [ar], Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Thalabi, and Badr al-Din al-Ayni has regarded Samson as prophet, and bestowing him the honorific “Peace Be Upon Him”, as they based the prophetic status of Samson on the interpretation of the Quran verses of Ya-Sin and Al-Qadr chapters.[138][139][140][141][142] | Samson | |
| Ṣamūʾīl صَمُوئِيل | Not mentioned by name, only referred to as a messenger/prophet sent to the Israelites and who anoints Saul as a king.[126][127] | Samuel | |
| Ṭālūt طَالُوت | Some Muslims refer to Saul as Talut, and believe that he was the commander of Israel. Other scholars, however, have identified Talut as Gideon. According to the Qur’an, Talut was chosen by Samuel to lead them into war. Talut led the Israelites to victory over the army of Goliath, who was killed by Dawud (David). He is also named as a prophet in the Tawrat. According to some, Saul is not a prophet, but a divinely appointed king.[143][144] | Saul[145] or Gideon | |
| Irmiyā إرميا[146] | He does not appear in the Quran or any canonical hadith, but his narrative is fleshed out in Muslim literature and exegesis. He is also named as a prophet in the Tawrat (the Arabic-language name for the Torah within its context as an Islamic holy book). Some non-canonical hadith and tafsirs narrate that the Parable of the Hamlet in Ruins is about Irmiya.[147][148] | Jeremiah | |
| Hizqil حِزْقِيل | He is often identified as being the same figure as Dhul-Kifl,[149] Although not mentioned in the Qur’an by the name, Muslim scholars, both classical[150] and modern[151] have included Ezekiel in lists of the prophets of Islam. | Ezekiel | |
| Dāniyāl دَانِيَال[152] | Usually considered by Muslims to be a prophet; he is not mentioned in the Qur’an, nor in Sunni Muslim hadith, but he is a prophet according to Shia Muslim hadith.[153][154] He is also named as a prophet in the Tawrat.[155] | Daniel | |
| Ḏū l-Qarnayn | He appears in the Quran 18:83-101 as one who travels to east and west and erects a barrier between mankind and Gog and Magog (called Ya’juj and Ma’juj).[157] | Traditionally believed to be Alexander the Great[158] | |
| Uzayr عُزَيْر | He is mentioned in the Quran,[159] but he is not specified to have been a prophet, although many Islamic scholars hold Uzair to be one of the prophets.[160][161] He is also named as a prophet in the Tawrat (the Arabic-language name for the Torah within its context as an Islamic holy book). | Ezra | |
| Imrān عِمْرَان | The Family of Imran (Arabic: آل عمران) is the 3rd chapter of the Quran. Imran, not to be confused with Amram,[162] is Arabic for the biblical figure Joachim, the father of Mary and maternal grandfather of Jesus. | Joachim | |
| Maryam مَرْيَم | Some scholars[163][164] regard Maryam (Mary) as a messenger and a prophetess, since God sent her a message through an angel and because she was a vessel for divine miracles.[165] Among those who accepted the prophetess status of Maryam were Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Hazm, and Abu Hasan al-Ash’ari. However, Islamic scholars across generations from Hasan al-Basri of Tabi’un gemeration; Al-Nawawi of medieval era Shafi’i school; Qadi Iyad of Maliki school; al-Juwayni the grand Imam of medieval Mecca and Medina; and modern scholars such as Muhammad Al-Munajjid and Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar stated that the consensus or majority of Islamic scholars rejected the prophet status of Mary and quoted the tradition from Hasan al-Basri that there are no prophets in Islam from women, or from Jinn.[166][167][168] | Mary |
Other persons
The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name but also tells that God sent many other prophets and messengers, to all the different nations that have existed on Earth. Many verses in the Quran discuss this:
- “We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them, there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee….”[169]
- “For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, …”[170]
In the Quran
- Sons of Jacob: These men are sometimes not considered to be prophets, although most exegesis scholars consider them to be prophets, citing the hadith of Muhammad and their status as prophets in Judaism. The reason that some do not consider them as prophets is because of their behavior with Yusuf (Joseph) and that they lied to their father.
- Ashab al-Kahf: The people of the cave, who slept about 300 years due to their piousness and sought refuge in the cave to escape religious persecution. They were mentioned in chapter 18 of the Quran.[171]
- Three people of the town: These three unnamed people who were sent to the same town are mentioned in chapter 36 of the Quran.[172][original research?]
In Islamic literature
Numerous other people have been mentioned by scholars in the Hadith, exegesis, commentary. These people include:
- Abel (Hābīl)[173]
- Shem (Sām)[174]
- Joel (Yūʾīl) [citation needed]
- Zechariah, son of Berechiah (Zakariyyā ibn Barkhiyyā)[173]
- Amos (ʿĀmūs)
- Hosea (Hūshiʿ)[175]
- Nahum (Nāḥūm)
- Isaiah (Ishaʿyāʾ)[176]
- Elizabeth (Alyaṣṣābāt)[177]