Prophet

== Islam ==
{{Main|Prophets and messengers in Islam}}
{{Islamic prophets}}

The [[Quran]] identifies a number of men as "[[Prophets of Islam]]" ({{lang-ar|نبي}} ''nabī''; pl. {{lang|ar|أنبياء}} ''anbiyāʾ''). [[Muslim]]s believe such individuals were assigned a special mission by [[God in Islam|God]] to guide humanity. Besides [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]], this includes prophets such as [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham (''Ibrāhīm'')]], [[Moses in Islam|Moses (''Mūsā'')]] and [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus (''ʿĪsā'')]].

[[File:Rashid al-Din Tabib - Jami al-Tawarikh, f.45v detail - c. 1306-15.png|thumb|A [[depictions of Muhammad|depiction of Muhammad]] receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. From the manuscript ''[[Jami' al-tawarikh]]'' by [[Rashid-al-Din Hamadani]], 1307, [[Ilkhanate]] period.]]
Although only twenty-five prophets<ref>{{cite book|last= Wheeler|first= Brannon M.|title= Prophets in the Quran: an introduction to the Quran and Muslim exegesis|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&pg=PA8|series= Comparative Islamic studies|publisher= [[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|access-date=2011-01-29|date=2002-06-18|isbn= 978-0-8264-4957-3|page= 8|quote= There are 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Quran [...] Among those mentioned by name are: [[Adam]] (mentioned 25 times by name), [[Idris (prophet)|Idris]] (1), [[Noah]] (43), [[Hud (prophet)|Hud]] (7), [[Salih]] (10), [[Abraham]] (69), [[Ishmael]] (12), [[Isaac]] (17), [[Jacob]] (16), [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]] (27), [[Joseph (son of Jacob)|Joseph]] (27), [[Shoaib|Shuayb]] (11), [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] (4), [[Dhul-Kifl|Dhu al-Kifl]] (2), [[Moses]] (137), [[Aaron]] (20), [[David]] (16), [[Solomon]] (17), [[Elijah]] (1), [[Elisha]] (2), [[Jonah]] (4), [[Zechariah (priest)|Zechariah]] (7), [[John the Baptist|John]] (5), [[Jesus]] (25), [[Muhammad]] (4).}}</ref> are [[Prophets and messengers named in the Quran|mentioned by name in the Quran]], a [[hadith]] (no. 21257 in ''[[Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal]]'')<ref>{{cite web| url = http://islamic-replies.ucoz.com/Number_Prophets_and_Messengers.html| title = Number Of Prophets & Messengers}}</ref> mentions that there were (more or less) 124,000 prophets in total throughout history. Other traditions place the number of prophets at 224,000. Some scholars hold that there are an even greater number in the history of mankind, and only God knows.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} The Quran says that God has sent a prophet to every group of people throughout time and that Muhammad is the last of the prophets, sent for the whole of humankind.<ref>{{qref|16|36|b=y}}</ref> The message of all the prophets is believed to be the same. In Islam, all prophetic messengers are prophets (such as [[Adam]], [[Noah]], [[Abraham]], [[Moses]], [[Jesus]], and [[Muhammad]]) though not all prophets are prophetic messengers. The primary distinction is that a prophet is required to demonstrate God's law through his actions, character, and behavior without necessarily calling people to follow him, while a prophetic messenger is required to pronounce God's law (i.e. revelation) and call his people to submit and follow him. Muhammad is distinguished from the rest of the prophetic messengers and prophets in that God commissioned him to be the prophetic messenger to all of mankind. Many of these prophets are also found in the texts of Judaism (The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings) and Christianity.<ref>(see [[Biblical narratives and the Quran]])</ref>

Muslims often refer to Muhammad as "the Prophet", in the form of a noun.<ref>''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary''. p. 1111</ref><ref>Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion, William A. Graham, William Albert Graham – 1993, p93</ref><ref>The militia – Page 100, James B. Whisker – 1992 "The work of Mohammed (569–632), commonly called the Prophet, the Koran was revealed in a series of visions over a period of many years beginning in 610"</ref><ref>Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz’ 26 (Part 26): Al-Ahqaf 1 To Az-Zariyat 30, Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman – 2009</ref> Jesus is the result of a [[Virgin birth of Jesus|virgin birth]] in Islam as in Christianity, and is regarded as a prophet.<ref>{{qref|3|45|b=y}}</ref>

Traditionally, four prophets are believed to have been sent [[Islamic holy books|holy books]]: the [[Torah in Islam|Torah (''Tawrat'')]] to Moses, the [[Zabur|Psalms (''Zābūr'')]] to David, the [[Gospel in Islam|Gospel(''Injil'')]] to Jesus, and the Quran to Muhammad; those prophets are considered "Messengers" or ''rasūl''. Other main prophets are considered messengers or ''nabī'', even if they didn't receive a Book from God. Examples include the messenger-prophets [[Aaron#Islam|Aaron (''Hārūn'')]],  [[Ishmael in Islam|Ishmael (''Ismāʿīl'')]] and [[Joseph in Islam|Joseph (''Yūsuf'')]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Although it offers many incidents from the lives of many prophets, the Quran focuses with special narrative and rhetorical emphasis on the careers of the first four of these five major prophets.{{who?|date=September 2023}}
Of all the figures before Muhammad, the significance of Jesus in Islam is reflected in his being mentioned in the [[Quran]] in 93 [[Ayah|verses]] with various titles attached such as "Son of [[Mary in Islam|Mary]]" and other relational terms, mentioned directly and indirectly, over 187 times.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Jesus the Messiah in Muslim thought|last=Schumann, Olaf H.|date=2002|publisher=ISPCK/HMI|isbn=81-7214-522-5|location=Delhi|oclc=51207017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Jesus in the Qur'ān|last=Parrinder, Geoffrey|authorlink=Geoffrey Parrinder|date=2 May 2013|isbn=978-1-85168-999-6|location=London|oclc=826659885}}</ref> He is thus [[List of people mentioned by name in the Quran#Prophets|the most mentioned person]] in the Quran by reference; 25 times by the name Isa, third-person 48 times, first-person 35 times, and the rest as titles and attributes.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Understanding Islam and Christianity|last=McDowell, Josh.|authorlink=Josh McDowell|others=Walker, Jim, 1956-|isbn=978-0-7369-4991-0|location=Eugene, Oregon|oclc=859328502|date = October 2013}}</ref> Moses (''Musa'') and Abraham (''Ibrahim'') are also referred to frequently in the Quran. As for the fifth, the [[Quran]] is frequently addressed directly to Muhammad, and it often discusses situations encountered by him. Direct use of his name in the text, however, is rare. Rarer still is the mention of Muhammad's contemporaries.

Several prominent exponents of the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] [[Isma'ilism|Ismaili]] [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imams]] explained that throughout history there have been six enunciators ({{transliteration|ar|natiqs}}) who brought the exoteric ({{transliteration|ar|[[Zahir (Islam)|zahir]]}}) revelation to humans, namely: [[Adam (prophet of Islam)|Adam]], [[Noah in Islam|Noah]], [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]], [[Moses in Islam|Moses]], [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] and [[Muhammad]]. They speak of a seventh enunciator ({{transliteration|ar|natiq}}), the Resurrector (Qa’im), who will unveil the esoteric ({{transliteration|ar|[[Batin (Islam)|batin]]}}) meaning of all the previous revelations. He is believed to be the pinnacle and purpose of creation. The enunciators (sing. {{transliteration|ar|natiq}}) who are the Prophets and the [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imams]] in their respective times, are the highest hierarch ({{transliteration|ar|hadd}}). The enunciators ({{transliteration|ar|natiqs}}) signal the beginning of a new age ({{transliteration|ar|dawr}}) in humankind, whereas the [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imams]] unveil and present the esoteric ({{transliteration|ar|[[Batin (Islam)|batin]]}}) meaning of the revelation to the people. These individuals are both known as the ‘Lord of the Age’ ({{transliteration|ar|sahib al-’asr}}) or the ‘Lord of the Time’ ({{transliteration|ar|sahib al-zaman}}). Through them, one can know God, and their invitation to humans to recognize God is called the invitation ({{transliteration|ar|[[Dawah|da’wa]]}}).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Virani|first=Shafique|authorlink=Shafique Virani|title=Hierohistory in Qāḍī l-Nuʿmān's Foundation of Symbolic Interpretation (Asās al-Taʾwīl): The Birth of Jesus|url=https://www.academia.edu/41992496|journal=Studies in Islamic Historiography|year=2019|pages=147–169|language=en|doi=10.1163/9789004415294_007|isbn=9789004415294|s2cid=214047322}}</ref>

According to [[Shia Islam]], all Prophets and [[Shia Imams|Imams]] are [[infallible]] and the belief in their abstinence from intentional and unintentional sins is a part of the creed. Thus, it is accordingly believed that they are the examples to be followed and that they act as they preach. This belief includes some [[Wali|ʾAwliyāʾ]] such as [[Shia view of Fatimah|Lady Fatima]] and [[Mary in Islam|Lady Mary]].

=== Ahmadiyya ===
{{Main|Prophethood (Ahmadiyya)}}
[[File:Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (c. 1897).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad|Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad]] (1835–1908), a religious leader from [[British Raj|India]], and founder of the [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam]].<ref name="Upal 2021"/><ref name="Korbel-Preckel 2016"/>]]

During his lifetime, [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad|Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad]] said that he was a [[Prophethood (Ahmadiyya)|prophet]] of [[God in Islam|God]] and became the founder of the [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam]],<ref name="Upal 2021"/><ref name="Korbel-Preckel 2016"/> which embodied the ''[[Mahdi|Mahdī]]'' of [[Islam]]<ref name="Upal 2021"/><ref name="Korbel-Preckel 2016"/> and fulfilled the messianic prophecies regarding the coming of a [[Messiah|savior]] to various other religious traditions, including [[Christianity]] and [[Hinduism]].<ref name="Upal 2021">{{cite book |author-last=Upal |author-first=M. Afzal |author-link=Afzal Upal |year=2021 |chapter=The Cultural Genetics of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Jamāʿat |editor1-last=Cusack |editor1-first=Carole M. |editor1-link=Carole M. Cusack |editor2-last=Upal |editor2-first=M. Afzal |title=Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=21 |doi=10.1163/9789004435544_034 |doi-access=free |isbn=978-90-04-43554-4 |issn=1874-6691 |pages=637–657}}</ref>

Followers of the [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam]] believe that Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a [[Prophethood (Ahmadiyya)|prophet]] of [[God in Islam|God]],<ref name="Upal 2021"/><ref name="Korbel-Preckel 2016"/> who is said to be a fulfillment of the various Islamic prophecies regarding the [[Second Coming|second advent]] of [[Jesus]] (''[[Jesus in Islam|ʿĪsā]]'') before the [[Islamic eschatology|end of time]].<ref name="Upal 2021"/><ref name="Korbel-Preckel 2016">{{cite book |last1=Korbel |first1=Jonathan |last2=Preckel |first2=Claudia |year=2016 |chapter=Ghulām Aḥmad al-Qādiyānī: The Messiah of the Christians—Peace upon Him—in India (India, 1908) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtY6DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA426 |editor1-last=Bentlage |editor1-first=Björn |editor2-last=Eggert |editor2-first=Marion |editor3-last=Krämer |editor3-first=Hans-Martin |editor4-last=Reichmuth |editor4-first=Stefan |editor4-link=Stefan Reichmuth (academic) |title=Religious Dynamics under the Impact of Imperialism and Colonialism |series=Numen Book Series |volume=154 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |pages=426–442 |doi=10.1163/9789004329003_034 |isbn=978-90-04-32511-1}}</ref>

Ahmadi thought emphasizes the belief that Islam is the final dispensation for humanity as revealed to Muhammad and the necessity of restoring it to its true intent and pristine form, which had been lost through the centuries.<ref name="Valentine">{{cite book |last=Valentine |first=Simon |title=Islam and the Ahmadiyya jamaʻat: History, belief, practice |year=2008 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-70094-8 |page=xv passim}}</ref> Its adherents consider Ahmad to have appeared as the Mahdi—bearing the qualities of [[Jesus in Ahmadiyya Islam|Jesus]] in accordance with their reading of scriptural prophecies—to revitalize Islam and set in motion its moral system that would bring about lasting peace.<ref>{{cite book |first=Antonio R. |last=Gualtieri |title=Conscience and Coercion: Ahmadi Muslims and Orthodoxy in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCwHaOabz7YC&pg=PA18 |year=1989 |publisher=Guernica Editions |isbn=978-0-920717-41-7 |pages=18–20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Prophecy Continuous: Aspects of Ahmadi Religious Thought and Its Medieval Background | author=Friedmann, Yohanan | year=2003 | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=116–17, 121 | isbn=965-264-014-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Adil Hussain |last=Khan |title=From Sufism to Ahmadiyya: A Muslim minority movement in south Asia |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0253015297 |pages=2, 42–48}}</ref> They believe that upon divine guidance he purged Islam of foreign accretions in belief and practice by championing what is, in their view, Islam's original precepts as practised by Muhammad and the [[Sahabah|early Muslim community]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Antonio R. |last=Gualtieri |title=Conscience and Coercion: Ahmadi Muslims and orthodoxy in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCwHaOabz7YC&pg=PA22 |year=1989 |publisher=Guernica Editions |isbn=978-0-920717-41-7 |page=22}}</ref> Ahmadis thus view themselves as leading the propagation and renaissance of Islam.<ref name="Valentine"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Louis J. |first=Hammann |url=https://www.alislam.org/introduction/intro-louis-hammann.html |title=Ahmaddiyyat - an introduction |publisher=Ahmadiyya Muslim Community [online] |year=1985 |access-date=27 February 2018 |archive-date=11 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611191746/https://www.alislam.org/introduction/intro-louis-hammann.html |url-status=live }}</ref>