The foundation of any Divine religion hinges on the prophets, specially chosen Divinely, to convey the guidance provided by the Lord of the universe so that no one goes astray by falling into the Satanic misguidance. Like the previous Divine Scriptures, specially Torah and Injeel, Al Qur’an also mentions previous prophets and their stories to confirm the unity of the divine message, console the Prophet ﷺ, provide lessons for believers, warn deniers, and illustrate Allah’s justice. They are timeless parables, not just historical accounts.
There is a mention of some twenty five prophets in Qur'an that includes some of the major prophets like Prophet Nūḥ (Noah), Ibrāhīm (Abraham), Mūsā (Moses), ʿĪsā (Christ) - (peace be upon them all), and many others. In fact all the prophets have been torch bearer to show the Divine enlightenment to the non Muslims. Let’s find out why Al Qur'an mentions the stories related to previous prophets:
To Confirm the Universal Message
The Qur’an shows that all prophets brought the same core message: Tawḥīd (Oneness of Allah), obedience, and accountability in the Hereafter:
Qur’an 21:25: “We did not send any messenger before you but We revealed to him: ‘There is no god but Me, so worship Me.’”
To Warn Those Who Reject
Previous nations who denied prophets faced destruction (ʿĀd, Thamūd, Pharaoh, People of Lūṭ). These are warnings to Quraysh of Makkah and to people of every era.
Qur’an 29:40: “So each We seized for his sin…”
A reminder that rejecting truth leads to ruin.
To Highlight Divine Justice and Sunnat Allah (Allah’s Way)
History shows a pattern: Truth prevails, falsehood perishes.
Qur’an 3:137: “Many ways of life have passed before you, so travel through the earth and see how was the end of those who denied.”
That is Allah’s justice is consistent and timeless.
To Invite Reflection (Tadabbur)
The Qur’an uses stories as parables and reminders, so believers don’t just read but reflect and apply.
They are told selectively — not in full chronological detail like history books — because the goal is lessons, not entertainment.
To Console and Strengthen the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ faced denial, mockery, and hostility. Stories of earlier prophets gave him strength and were a source of motivation to never to give in no matter how oppositions the idolaters and non believers made.
Qur’an 6:34: “Messengers before you were denied, but they patiently endured rejection… until Our help came to them.”
Qur’an 11:120: “We narrate to you the stories of the messengers to make your heart firm.”
Thus the struggle of the previous prophets showed him he was not alone and when one has been chosen to convey the Divine message to people, one has to be strong nerved and resilient to fight back the negative fallout.
To Provide Moral Lessons for Believers
The stories are not “history for history’s sake” but guidance. The mention of following prophets is made to show the believers how can the achieve moral ascendency over their rivals by drawing relevant lessons from the life of previous prophets. For example:
- Nūḥ (AS): Perseverance in daʿwah despite rejection.
- Ibrāhīm (AS): Firm belief in Tawḥīd against society’s idolatry.
- Mūsā (AS): Standing up against tyranny and oppression.
- Yūsuf (AS): Patience, resisting temptation, forgiveness.
Qur’an 12:111: “In their stories is a lesson for those of understanding. The Qur’an is not a fabricated tale but a confirmation and guidance and mercy for people who believe.”
Relevance for Us Today
The prophetic stories do not fade out in their substance for the environment in which they lived and tried to put across the Divine message has not outdated even today. Although, after Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was the last of the prophets and after him the prophetic chain ceased, we have Qur'an and Sunnah for our guidance. We must understand how Qur'an and Sunnah teach us guidance and so our best to teach others through healthy discussions and invitation to Islam.
Let us see how these stories are still relevant today:
- Strength in Faith: Like earlier prophets, believers today face challenges, but patience leads to Allah’s help.
- Moral Compass: Their examples are blueprints for dealing with temptation, injustice, family issues, or social opposition.
- Warning: Nations that became arrogant and corrupt were destroyed — a timeless reminder for societies today.
- Fighting Back Islamophobia: The deliberate spread of anti Islam campaign that has now matured as Islamophobia is similar to the anti Islam mindset during the period of all prophets. We need to understand these stories, their context and be ready to defend Islam rather than succumbing to Islamophobia.
- Da'wah / invitation to Islam: Da'wah or invitation to Islam is the sacred duty of all Muslims as has been that of all prophets. We Muslims therefore need to understand Islam more so that we do not bog down when answering queries of the non Muslims.
We have already published a Reference Page which carries links to our posts on stories and life experiences of previous prophet. Please refer to our reference page: Prophets mentioned in Qur'an to get enlightened about the previous prophets right up to last of the prophets, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. We have added exclusive pages about some of the prophets, while work is in hand to write about the remaining.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
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