Now that we have established the existence of God, wouldn’t it make sense that our Creator would communicate what He expects from us? That’s where the prophets come in. Here’s a quick introduction to the family tree of the prophets:
The prophets listed above and highlighted in blue appear in scriptures over 3,000 years old. Their names have been recorded in many languages throughout history from Ugaritic, Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ancient Egyptian, Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic across the Psalms, Torah, Old and New Testaments, and the Qur’an.
The Evolution of the Three Major Abrahamic Religions:
Judaism: From: Adam → through the prophets before and after Abraham→ to: Moses: Judaism emerged around the 13th century BC. Moses is regarded as the most important and greatest prophet, and within Judaism there remains an expectation of a future Messiah, which is alluded to in the Torah: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” Deuteronomy 18:15, therefore God’s message is not yet finished.
Christianity: From: Adam → through the prophets before and after Moses → to: Jesus: Christianity emerged in the 1st century. Jesus is regarded as the Messiah, Jesus foretold the coming of another after him, as recorded in John 16:7. References to this also appear in non-canonical (rejected) gospels, such as those mentioned in the Decretum Gelasianum (as you will read on page 7). According to this perspective, God’s message is still not yet finished.
Islam: From: Adam → through the prophets in history all the way including Jesus → to: Muhammad: Islam emerged in the 7th century and is understood to complete the prophetic message of those who came before him and affirming the absolute Oneness of God. Muhammad is regarded as the final prophet (the Seal of the Prophets), and with him God’s message is considered complete and reaffirmed: There is only One God.
True stories or all fairy tales?
This is only page 2 out of 23, so it’s still early. At this point, it may be hard to decide (especially if you are not a believer) whether the stories of the prophets are real or just fairy tales. But by the time you reach page 23, you’ll be able to make an informed decision. So please keep on reading.
What was their purpose and common message:
Throughout history, there were many prophets, as shown in the “Tree chart of the prophets,” but only a few were given scriptures. For example, David received the Psalms, Moses the Torah, Jesus the Gospel (distinct from the modern Bible, as explained in detail on page 07), and Muhammad the Qur’an. Their primary mission was to call people to worship God alone and uphold pure monotheism: “God is One.” They were sent to guide humanity in understanding God’s expectations, showing us how to live with justice, worship sincerely, treat others with compassion, and face life’s challenges with hope for the afterlife.
In Islam is there a distinction between these prophets? Are some considered higher in rank or divine?
There is no distinction between them, and none of them are divine. They were just prophets and messengers.
God says in the Qur’an:
“Say, We have believed in God and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendants, and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered.” Qur’an (2:84)
Can any of the Prophets Listed Above (Mentioned in the Psalms, the Torah, the Bible Old and New Testaments, and the Qur’an) be excluded?
In Islam, if a person rejects or excludes even only one of God’s prophets listed in the Psalms, the Thora, the Bible (old and new testaments) and the Qur’an , that person cannot be considered Muslim, as belief in all of God’s prophets is a fundamental requirement of the faith.
Was it an easy task to be a prophet and deliver God’s message?
No, far from it! All prophets faced tremendous hardship and adversity while delivering God’s message. Many of them were met with rejection, violence, mockery, and hostility from their own people and communities, they all faced brutal opposition, including attempts on their lives, imprisonment, or exile and some were murdered like Prophet Zakariya and Prophet John the Baptist (Yahya). Others, like Prophet Noah faced ridicule for preaching about the coming flood, and his people rejected him, even his own son turned against him and perished. Prophet Abraham was thrown into a blazing fire by his people for rejecting idolatry, and Prophet Moses faced Pharaoh’s tyranny, enduring threats to his life and the suffering of the Israelites. Prophet Joseph, was betrayed by his own brothers and thrown into a well, abandoned to die, he was later sold into slavery in Egypt, he also endured years of hardship and imprisonment, Prophet Jesus (Aissa in Arabic) was opposed by the religious leaders of his time and was ultimately betrayed by one of his own disciples, leading to attempt on his life. Prophet Muhammad faced severe persecution in Makkah, including physical abuse, few attempted assassination, economic boycott, exile, and the loss of loved ones, including his beloved wife Khadijah and uncle Abu Talib. Despite these immense challenges, the prophets remained steadfast, showing patience and unwavering trust in God, never abandoning their mission to guide their people to the truth. Their endurance in the face of hardship serves as a powerful example of faith and perseverance.
Why should we believe them?
They all shared remarkable qualities, including honesty, patience, trustworthiness, humility, compassion, courage, wisdom, and unwavering devotion to God. While only a few, such as Jesus and John the Baptist, were born as prophets, the majority were chosen by God and received their prophethood later in life as they become older and wiser (the majority after the age of 40). Though they lived in different times in history, different places, and spoke different languages without knowing one another (except for very few), they all conveyed the same message of monotheism “God is one”.
If only one, two, ten, or even just twenty of them had claimed to have received such a revelation, we might question their credibility or even their sanity. However, despite the approximately 2000 years gap between Abraham and Jesus, and the roughly 540-600 years between Jesus and Muhammad (depending on whether we count from their birth or death), they all conveyed the same message and NEVER CONTRADICTED ONE ANOTHER, the message was always the same: “God is one and you will meet Him after death”. Additionally, most of them couldn’t read or write or even understand each other’s languages (from Ugaritic, Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ancient Egyptian, Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew to Arabic) significantly strengthens the authenticity of their claims.
The last time Angel Gabriel appeared to a human was to the Prophet Muhammad, delivering the final testament, the Qur’an, over a period of 23 years. Gabriel informed Muhammad that he was the final prophet and messenger, sent to all of humanity. God promised that, unlike previous scriptures, the Qur’an would remain unchanged and uncorrupted until the end of time. This promise has held true to this day, as you will read more about on page 11 of this website in “What is the Qur’an”.
The Afterlife:
Another thing they all reported was an insight into the afterlife, they described what awaits us after death: the rewards of Heaven for the righteous and the consequences of Hell for those who reject God’s existence and or disobey His commands.
Above all, they emphasized God’s endless love and His readiness to forgive those who seek His mercy, more details about the afterlife in page 22 “Death the inevitable”.