HOW MANY PROPHET CAME ON EARTH ?( Muslim, Christian, Jews )

Assalamu Alaikum

potential of playing a role of Messenger of God………..here is a list of messengers for your ready reference…………

 

   In Judaism, the Talmud (Megillah 14a) says that there had been twice as many prophets as the number of people who left Egypt (2,600,000), but only those whose messages were for future generations were recorded. This count was 48 male and 7 female Prophets.

  

   Interesting to note that since Judaism sees Abraham as the first Prophet; Adam, Enoch, and Noah are not listed amongst the 48. The ones in yellow are those that Jews and Muslims agree have the role of “Prophet.” Of these 48, 22 have a book in the Hebrew Bible named after them. And from these 48 Prophets, only 12 are mentioned by name in the Qur’an.

  

   The 3 major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The other 12 are considered minor Prophets (because their books are small in comparison to those 3). According to Judaism, the Prophetic Period ended with Prophet Malachi in about 420 BCE, thusly because Jesus and Muhammad came after this period, they are not considered Prophets by Jews.

   In Islam, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in his Musnad has mentioned a Hadith no. 21257 that Allah sent 124, 000 Prophets (Anbiyah) and from among them 315 were the Messengers. The difference is that a messenger brings a book. The Qur’an mentions only 25 Prophets:

Adam
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Enoch (Idris)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Noah (Nuh)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Hud (Eber) (sent to the people of Ad)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Salih (Salah) (sent to the people of Thamud)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Abraham (Ibrahim),

Lot (Lut)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Ishmael (Ismael)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Isaac (Is’haq)

Jacob (Yakoob)

Joseph (Yusuf)

Job (Ayoub)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Shuaib (Jethro the Midianite)
Not Viewed as a Prophet by Jews

Aaron (Harun)

Moses (Musa)

David (Dawood)

Solomon (Sulaiman)

Elijah or Elias (Iliyas)

Elisha (Al-Yas’)

Jonah (Yunus)

Dhul-kifl (possibly Ezekial???)

Agreed upon if Ezekiel

Zachariya (the father of John the Baptist)
Rejected as a Prophet by Jews

John the Baptist (Yahya)
Rejected as a Prophet by Jews

Jesus (Isa)
Rejected as a Prophet by Jews

Muhammad
Rejected as a Prophet by Jews


PEACE BE UPON HIM ALL !

Note: There are several Prophets mentioned in the Qur’an and/or Hadith but not by name such as Prophet Samuel (Qur’an 2:246-248) and Prophet Joshua (Yusha’ bin Nun in Qur’an 5:23).

   One compilation of 46 male prophets (based on Seder Olam) lists the following:

(The ones in Yellow have a book in the Hebrew Bible named after them).
According to Judaism, the Prophetic period lasted from Abraham in 1800 BCE to Malachi and Mordechai in 425 BCE.

1. Avraham (Abraham): 1800 BCE

24. Hoshea

2. Yitzchak (Isaac)

25. Amos

3. Yaakov (Jacob)

26. Micha

4. Moshe (Moses)

27. Eliyahu (Elijah)

5. Aharon (Aaron)

28. Elisha

6. Yehoshuah (Joshua)

29. Yonah Ben Amitai

7. Pinchas

30. Yeshayah (Isaiah)

8. Elkanah (father of Shmuel)

31. Yoel (Joel)

9. Eli

32. Nachum

10. Shmuel (Samuel)

33. Habakuk

11. Gad

34. Zephaniah

12. Nosson (Nathan)

35. Uriah from Kiryat Yearim

13. David Hamelech (King David): The Psalms

36. Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah)

14. Shlomo Hamelech (King Solomon): Has 3 books

37. Yehezkel (Ezekiel)

15. Aidoin the Golah

38. Daniel (second year of Darius)

16. Micha Ben Yamla

39. Baruch

17. Ovadiah

40. Neriah

18. Achiah Hashiloni

41. Sharyah

19. Yehu Ben Hanani in the time of Asah

42. Machsiyah

20. Azaryah Ben Oded

43. Hagai

21. Haziel from Bnei Masni

44. Zechariah

22. Eliezer his cousin

45. Malachi

23. Morishah

46. Mordechai (425 BCE)

(Note: This list does not contain Joseph, Job, or Ezra).

The Talmud lists the 7 females as:

1. Sarah

2. Miriam (the sister of Moses)

3. Devorah

4. Hannah (mother of Samuel)

5. Avigail (who became a wife of King David)

6. Huldah (from the time of Jeremiah)

7. Esther

From the Muslim perspective

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 626: Narrated Abu Huraira: Once while a Jew was selling something, he was offered a price that he was not pleased with. So, he said, “No, by Him Who gave Moses superiority over all human beings!” Hearing him, an Ansari man got up and slapped him on the face and said, “You say: By Him Who Gave Moses superiority over all human beings although the Prophet (Muhammad) is present amongst us!” The Jew went to the Prophet and said, “O Abu-l-Qasim! I am under the assurance and contract of security, so what right does so-and-so have to slap me?” The Prophet asked the other, “Why have you slapped”. He told him the whole story. The Prophet became angry, till anger appeared on his face, and said, “Don’t give superiority to any prophet amongst Allah’s Prophets, for when the trumpet will be blown, everyone on the earth and in the heavens will become unconscious except those whom Allah will exempt. The trumpet will be blown for the second time and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Moses holding Allah’s Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness which Moses received on the Day of Tur has been sufficient for him, or has he got up before me. And I do not say that there is anybody who is better than Yunus bin Matta.”

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 608: Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet said, “One should not say that I am better than Jonah (i.e. Yunus) bin Matta.” So, he mentioned his father Matta. The Prophet mentioned the night of his Ascension and said, “The prophet Moses was brown, a tall person as if from the people of the tribe of Shanu’a. Jesus was a curly-haired man of moderate height.” He also mentioned Malik, the gate-keeper of the (Hell) Fire, and Ad-Dajjal.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 610: Narrated Abu Said: The Prophet said, ‘People will be struck unconscious on the Day of Resurrection and I will be the first to regain consciousness, and behold! There I will see Moses holding one of the pillars of Allah’s Throne. I will wonder whether he has become conscious before me of he has been exempted, because of his unconsciousness at the Tur (mountain) which he received (on the earth).”

Bukhari Volume 9, Book 83, Number 51: Narrated Abu Said: The Prophet said, “Do not prefer some prophets to others.”

Qur’an 002.136: Say ye: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).”

Qur’an 003.084: Say: “We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam).”

From the Jewish perspective

(http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/606154/jewish/Who-was-the-greatest-prophet.htm)

Although only 48 prophets and seven prophetesses are mentioned in the Bible,1 throughout our history our nation has been blessed with tens of thousands of individuals who transmitted the word of G‑d; each of them excelling in his or her unique area. Nevertheless, the Bible2 tells us that “there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Maimonides3 lists a number of ways in which Moses’ manner of communicating with G‑d was superior to that of any other prophet. He bases these differences upon G‑d’s statement:4 “If there be prophets among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. Not so is My servant Moses; he is the most trusted of all My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth; in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of G‑d…”

* All others received their prophecy while asleep or in a trancelike state. Moses, on the other hand, was fully aware and conscious when he stood before G‑d.
* Moses “saw” what G‑d was telling him with the clarity of literal vision. All others only received their communiqués by way of riddles and parables.
* While most prophets became fearful and agitated while receiving divine communication, Moses remained calm and collected. He spoke with G‑d “as a man would speak to a friend.”5
* Moses was able to converse with G‑d whenever he so wished.6 Other prophets had to wait for revelations from G‑d; they needed to enter a spiritually aware state in order to receive G‑d’s presence. Moses was constantly on such an elevated plane.
* Moses was the only Prophet that communicated directly with God, all of the other Prophets, (including Jesus), communicated through the Angel Gabriel.

Nasir Mulla ( nasir.ayaan@hotmail.com)