Nabis

Also known as: Anbiya, Nabi

Nabis

In Islam, nabis (أنبياء, anbiyāʾ, singular: نبي, nabī) are the prophets sent by God to guide humanity. Islamic tradition distinguishes between nabis (prophets) and rasuls (messengers)—all messengers are prophets, but not all prophets are messengers. A messenger (rasul) brings a new scripture or law, while a prophet (nabi) reinforces the message of previous messengers.

The Chain of Prophets

Islam teaches that God sent prophets to every nation throughout history, beginning with Adam and concluding with Muhammad, who is called the “Seal of the Prophets” (خاتم النبيين, Khatam an-Nabiyyin). While tradition holds there were 124,000 prophets, the Quran names 25 prophets explicitly.

The 25 Named Prophets

The prophets named in the Quran are:

Adam (آدم)
Idris/Enoch (إدريس)
Nuh/Noah (نوح)
Hud (هود)
Saleh (صالح)
Lut/Lot (لوط)
Ibrahim/Abraham (إبراهيم)
Ismail/Ishmael (إسماعيل)
Ishaq/Isaac (إسحاق)
Yaqub/Jacob (يعقوب)
Yusuf/Joseph (يوسف)
Ayyub/Job (أيوب)
Shu’ayb/Jethro (شعيب)
Musa/Moses (موسى)
Harun/Aaron (هارون)
Dhulkifl/Ezekiel (ذو الكفل)
Dawud/David (داود)
Sulayman/Solomon (سليمان)
Ilyas/Elijah (إلياس)
Alyasa/Elisha (اليسع)
Yunus/Jonah (يونس)
Zakariya/Zechariah (زكريا)
Yahya/John the Baptist (يحيى)
Isa/Jesus (عيسى)
Muhammad (محمد)

Ulu al-‘Azm: The Resolute Messengers

Five prophets are given special honor as “Possessors of Determination” (أولو العزم, Ulu al-‘Azm) for their extraordinary perseverance against opposition:

Nuh/Noah - endured centuries of rejection
Ibrahim/Abraham - father of monotheism, willing to sacrifice his son
Musa/Moses - led the Israelites from bondage
Isa/Jesus - performed miracles and preached despite persecution
Muhammad - delivered the final message despite intense opposition

Common Characteristics

All prophets share certain qualities according to Islamic teaching:

Truthfulness (sidq) - they never lie
Trustworthiness (amanah) - completely reliable
Intelligence (fatanah) - wise and discerning
Conveyance (tabligh) - faithfully delivered God’s message
Immunity from major sin (ismah) - protected from serious wrongdoing

Belief in Prophets

Belief in all prophets is one of the six articles of Islamic faith. Muslims must believe in and respect all prophets equally, making no distinction between them (Quran 2:285). To reject any prophet is to have incomplete faith.