Why Muslims Believe in Every Prophet

One of the most surprising things for many non-Muslims to learn is this: a Muslim cannot be a Muslim without believing in Moses. Or Abraham. Or Jesus.

This is not a courtesy. It is not interfaith politeness. It is a core requirement of Islamic faith.

The principle

Belief in the prophets is one of the six articles of Islamic faith — the foundation a Muslim's creed rests on. To deny any prophet Allah sent is, according to mainstream Sunni theology, to fall outside of Islam.

The Quran is explicit:

“Say: We believe in Allah, and in what was revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; and in 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 submitted.”

— Quran 3:84

Read that again carefully. “We make no distinction between any of them.” A Muslim does not honor Muhammad ﷺ above Jesus or Moses or Abraham. They are all messengers of the One God, each sent to their people, each carrying the same essential message.

The twenty-five named

The Quran names twenty-five prophets by name. They include:

Adam — the first human and the first prophet. Idris — known to Jews and Christians as Enoch. Nuh — Noah, who built the ark. Hud — sent to the people of ‘Ad. Salih — sent to the people of Thamud. Ibrahim — Abraham, the friend of Allah, father of monotheism. Lut — Lot, nephew of Abraham. Ismail — Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham, ancestor of the Arabs. Ishaq — Isaac, the younger son of Abraham. Yaqub — Jacob, also known as Israel. Yusuf — Joseph, who interpreted dreams in Egypt. Ayyub — Job, who endured suffering with patience. Shu'ayb — sent to the people of Madyan. Musa — Moses, who led the Children of Israel from Egypt. Harun — Aaron, his brother. Dhul-Kifl — possibly Ezekiel. Dawud — David, who was given the Psalms. Sulaiman — Solomon, who ruled with wisdom. Ilyas — Elijah. Al-Yasa — Elisha. Yunus — Jonah, who was swallowed by the great fish. Zakariya — Zechariah. Yahya — John the Baptist. Isa — Jesus, the messiah, son of Mary. Muhammad ﷺ — the seal of the prophets.

And many more

The Quran says explicitly that these are not all of them:

“We sent messengers before you. Of them are some We have related to you, and some We have not related to you.”

— Quran 40:78

How many in total? A famous (though debated) hadith puts the number at 124,000 — sent to every people, in every land, throughout history. The Quran simply says: “There has not been a nation but a warner has passed within it” (35:24).

This is a stunning theological claim. It means that every human community in history — every tribe, every civilization, every island — received guidance from God. None were forgotten.

The same message

What did all these prophets teach? The same thing. The Quran is unambiguous:

“We did not send any messenger before you except that We revealed to him: There is no god but Me, so worship Me.”

— Quran 21:25

Tawhid — the oneness of God — was the message of every prophet from Adam onward. The details of practice (how to pray, what to eat, what days to fast) varied by community and era. But the core message — worship the One who created you, alone — never changed.

When Christians read the Old Testament, they read the teachings of Muslim prophets — Moses, Abraham, David. When Jews read the Torah, they read the teachings of prophets Muslims revere. The Quran considers itself the final installment in this same series, not a contradiction of it.

Why Muhammad ﷺ is ‘the seal’

Muslims believe Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet — Khatam an-Nabiyyin, the seal of the prophets. After him, no other prophet will come until the return of Jesus at the end of times.

This is not because Muhammad ﷺ was greater than the others. It is because the message was finally complete. The Quran is preserved (unlike previous scriptures, which Muslims believe were altered over time). The example of the Prophet ﷺ is documented in unprecedented detail. The deen is sealed — perfect and final.

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you, and have approved Islam as your religion.”

— Quran 5:3

What this means for you

If you are a Christian or Jew exploring Islam, understand: Muslims do not see you as worshipping a different God. We see you as worshipping the God of Abraham — the same God we worship. We see your prophets as our prophets. We see your scriptures as scriptures Allah revealed, even if we believe they have been altered over time.

The disagreement is not about whether Moses or Jesus mattered. They mattered profoundly. The disagreement is about what came after — whether the Quran is, as Muslims believe, the final word from the same God.

That is a question worth examining carefully. We invite you to do so.