Muslims believe that prophets and messengers were sent to nations throughout history.
They all came with the message ‘There is no God but Allah.’
It is estimated that about 124,000 prophets were sent over time.
Muslims believe in all the prophets, respecting all of them equally.
Muslims are not permitted to speak ill of any prophet.
25 Prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an, including;
Adam: The first human created by Allah
Yunus (Jonah): Swallowed by a whale
Nuh (Noah): Built the Ark
Ibrahim (Abraham): Father of the Faiths
Ismail (Ishmael): Helped build the Ka’bah
Ishaaq (Issac): Son of Prophet Abraham and brother of Prophet Ishmael
Yusuf (Joseph): Had the ability to interpret dreams
Dawud (David): Fought Goliath (Jaalut), given the psalms
Musa (Moses): Freed the children of Israel from the Pharaoh; given the Torah
Isa (Jesus): Given the Gospel
Muhammad: The last and final messenger, the seal of the Prophets; given the Qur’an.
Peace be upon them all.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) – Brief Introduction
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Makkah (now in Saudi Arabia) in 570.
His father died before he was born; his mother died when he was 6 years old. He was raised by his paternal grandfather until he was eight years old and then by this paternal uncle.
He was a thoughtful man who spent a lot of time in contemplation in the nearby hills.
In 610, at the age of forty, during one of his many retreats to Mount Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, he received the first revelation from the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel). This was when he was informed of his Prophethood.
His message was rejected by the majority of the leaders of Makkah who persecuted the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers, so in 622 CE they migrated to Medina where they were welcomed. This migration is called the Hijra. This is the year from which the Islamic calendar is calculated.
In 629 he returned to Makkah. Before entering the city he sent word to citizens of Makkah that anyone who remained in his home, or in Abu Sufyan’s home, or in the Ka’bah would be safe. The army entered Makkah without fighting.
The Prophet performed his first and last pilgrimage in 632 CE. One hundred twenty-thousand men and women performed pilgrimage that year with him. Two months later, Prophet Muhammad (s) fell ill and after several days died, eleven years after the Hijra ( 632 CE), in Medina. He is buried in the same place where he died.
The life and actions of the Prophet are called the Sunnah and are followed by Muslim. The sayings of the Prophet have been collated and authenticated in collections of Hadith.
In his last sermon he said ‘…I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and my example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray…’
