The 25 Prophets in Islam: Complete List, Family Tree and Chart

Islam teaches that Allah sent prophets to every nation, each calling people back to the worship of the One God. The Qur'an names 25 of these prophets, from Adam (AS), the first human, to Muhammad ﷺ, the Seal of the Prophets. This guide lists all 25 in order, explains how prophets differ from messengers, and shows how many of them are connected by family.

If you learn best visually, our Chart of the Prophets poster lays out this whole family tree on one page.

What is the difference between a prophet and a messenger?

A prophet (nabi) is a man chosen by Allah to receive divine revelation. A messenger (rasul) is a prophet who was also given a new scripture or code of law to deliver to his people. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger.

The Qur'an makes clear that the 25 named prophets are only some of those Allah sent: "And messengers about whom We have related to you before and messengers about whom We have not related to you" (Qur'an 4:164).

The 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, in order

The table below follows the commonly taught chronological order. For each prophet it gives the Arabic name, the English or Biblical equivalent where one exists, how many times the name itself appears in the Qur'an, and the first verse (in mushaf order) where it appears.

How these counts were made: we counted every occurrence of each name in the Arabic text of the Qur'an, including forms with attached letters such as wa- ("and"), bi- and li-. Only the name itself is counted; titles, descriptions and pronouns are not. Ambiguous words were checked verse by verse: hudan ("Jews", e.g. 2:111) is not counted for Hud, the adjective salih ("righteous") is not counted for Salih, and the verb yahya ("he lives", e.g. 20:74) is not counted for Yahya. Our totals match the figures most commonly published. Some prophets are also mentioned by other names, which are not included in the counts above:

• Ya'qub is also called Isra'il. That name occurs 43 times, but 41 of these are in the phrase "Children of Israel" (Bani Isra'il). Only two refer to Ya'qub himself (3:93 and 19:58).
• 'Isa is also called al-Masih (the Messiah) 11 times, first in 3:45.
• Muhammad ﷺ is named Ahmad once, in 'Isa's glad tidings (61:6).
• Yunus is also called Dhun-Nun, "the one of the whale" (21:87), and Sahib al-Hut, "the companion of the whale" (68:48).
• Ilyas is greeted as Il Yasin in 37:130, according to most commentators.

Eighteen of these prophets are named together in one passage of Surah Al-An'am (Qur'an 6:83–86): Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya'qub, Nuh, Dawud, Sulayman, Ayyub, Yusuf, Musa, Harun, Zakariyya, Yahya, 'Isa, Ilyas, Isma'il, Al-Yasa', Yunus and Lut. The other seven (Adam, Idris, Hud, Salih, Shu'ayb, Dhul-Kifl and Muhammad ﷺ) are mentioned in other surahs.

Surahs named after prophets

Six surahs of the Qur'an carry the name of a prophet, one is named after the prophets as a whole, and one is named after Maryam, the mother of 'Isa (AS).

Surah Al 'Imran (3), "The Family of 'Imran", is also linked to the prophets: Allah chose "Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of 'Imran over the worlds" (Qur'an 3:33).

The prophets in the Qur'an by the numbers

• Most mentioned: Musa (AS) is named 136 times in 34 different surahs, more than any other person in the Qur'an. Next come Ibrahim (69 times in 25 surahs) and Nuh (43 times in 28 surahs).
• Least mentioned: Idris, Dhul-Kifl, Ilyas and Al-Yasa' are each named only twice.
• All 25 together: the names of the 25 prophets appear 509 times, in 49 of the Qur'an's 114 surahs.
• The surah naming the most prophets is Al-An'am (6), with 18 in the passage 6:83–86. Next is Al-Anbiya' (21) with 15 by name, or 16 if Yunus is counted under his title Dhun-Nun (21:87).
• The only woman named in the Qur'an is Maryam (AS), the mother of 'Isa. Her name appears 34 times in 12 surahs, more often than the name 'Isa (25 times). Surah 19 is named after her, and 'Isa is called "son of Maryam" (ibn Maryam) 23 times.
• A story told in one surah: 25 of the 27 mentions of Yusuf (AS) are in Surah Yusuf (12), which tells his life as one continuous story. His name appears only twice elsewhere (6:84 and 40:34).
• "Their brother": Hud, Salih and Shu'ayb are each introduced as the "brother" of the people they were sent to: "To 'Ad, their brother Hud", "to Thamud, their brother Salih" and "to Madyan, their brother Shu'ayb" (7:65, 7:73 and 7:85, repeated in 11:50, 11:61 and 11:84).
• Muhammad ﷺ by name: he is named Muhammad four times (3:144, 33:40, 47:2 and 48:29) and Ahmad once (61:6). Elsewhere Allah addresses him by titles such as "O Prophet" and "O Messenger".
• The longest mission: Nuh (AS) stayed among his people "a thousand years less fifty" (Qur'an 29:14).
• Yunus's people: they are the only people in the Qur'an described as believing in time for the punishment to be lifted (10:98), and Yunus was sent to "a hundred thousand or more" (37:147).

Prophets and the lands they were sent to

The Qur'an names some of these places directly. Others are known from the traditional sources and are marked as such.

The family tree of the prophets

Many of the prophets are related, which is why a chart helps so much. A few connections stand out:

• Ibrahim (AS) is the father of two prophetic lines. Through Isma'il comes Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Through Ishaq comes Ya'qub, and from Ya'qub's twelve sons come the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il).
• Many later prophets come from Bani Isra'il, including Musa, Harun, Dawud, Sulayman, Zakariyya, Yahya and 'Isa.
• There are fathers and sons: Ibrahim and his sons Isma'il and Ishaq, Ishaq and Ya'qub, Ya'qub and Yusuf, Dawud and Sulayman, and Zakariyya and Yahya.
• There are brothers and cousins: Musa and Harun were brothers. In the hadith of the Night Journey, Yahya and 'Isa are described as maternal cousins (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Seeing these links together shows the Qur'anic message that all the prophets were one brotherhood preaching one faith: "We make no distinction between any of His messengers" (Qur'an 2:285).

The five greatest messengers (Ulul 'Azm)

Scholars identify five messengers of "firm resolve" (Ulul 'Azm), based on Qur'an 46:35, 33:7 and 42:13:

• Nuh (AS)
• Ibrahim (AS)
• Musa (AS)
• 'Isa (AS)
• Muhammad ﷺ

The revealed books and who received them

• Suhuf (Scrolls): Ibrahim and Musa (Qur'an 87:19)
• Tawrat (Torah): Musa
• Zabur (Psalms): Dawud
• Injil (Gospel): 'Isa
• Qur'an: Muhammad ﷺ

How many prophets were there in total?

The Qur'an names 25. A well-known narration in Musnad Ahmad puts the total number of prophets at 124,000, though scholars differ on how authentic it is. What is agreed is that Allah sent guidance to every nation: "And for every nation is a messenger" (Qur'an 10:47).

Learn the prophets at a glance

Memorising 25 names, their order and their family links is much easier when you can see them. The ISLAMICA Chart of the Prophets turns all of this into one clear infographic, suitable for:

• family rooms and study corners
• Islamic school classrooms and homeschooling
• mosques, revert classes and da'wah tables

It comes in two formats:

• Premium printed poster: 50 × 70 cm, professional matte print, shipped to you worldwide.
• Digital download: a high-resolution 300 dpi file you can print at home or at any print shop, available instantly.

Looking for more? Explore our Beautiful Names of Allah and Ten Companions Promised Paradise posters.

Frequently asked questions

How many prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur'an?

Twenty-five, from Adam (AS) to Muhammad ﷺ.

Who was the first prophet in Islam?

Adam (AS), the first human being, was also the first prophet.

Who was the last prophet in Islam?

Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet, described in the Qur'an as the "Seal of the Prophets" (Qur'an 33:40).

Are Jesus and Moses prophets in Islam?

Yes. 'Isa (Jesus) and Musa (Moses) are among the five greatest messengers in Islam, and Muslims are required to believe in and honour them.

Which prophets were Arab?

Hud, Salih, Shu'ayb, Isma'il and Muhammad ﷺ are generally counted as the Arab prophets.