The 25 prophets named in the Quran
Here they are in the order commonly used, with the English form many readers will recognise:
- آدَم Adam (Adam)
- إِدْرِيس Idris (often linked to Enoch)
- نُوح Nuh (Noah)
- هُود Hud
- صَالِح Salih
- إِبْرَاهِيم Ibrahim (Abraham)
- لُوط Lut (Lot)
- إِسْمَاعِيل Isma‘il (Ishmael)
- إِسْحَاق Ishaq (Isaac)
- يَعْقُوب Ya‘qub (Jacob)
- يُوسُف Yusuf (Joseph)
- أَيُّوب Ayyub (Job)
- شُعَيْب Shu‘ayb
- مُوسَى Musa (Moses)
- هَارُون Harun (Aaron)
- ذُو الْكِفْل Dhul-Kifl
- دَاوُود Dawud (David)
- سُلَيْمَان Sulayman (Solomon)
- إِلْيَاس Ilyas (Elijah)
- الْيَسَع Al-Yasa‘ (Elisha)
- يُونُس Yunus (Jonah)
- زَكَرِيَّا Zakariyya (Zechariah)
- يَحْيَى Yahya (John)
- عِيسَى ‘Isa (Jesus)
- مُحَمَّد Muhammad ﷺ
Eighteen in one passage
Surah Al-An‘am names eighteen prophets in a single passage, starting with Ibrahim and ending with Lut (Quran 6:83–86). The verses describe them as people Allah guided and chose.
Other prophets, such as Adam, Idris, Hud, Salih, Shu‘ayb, Dhul-Kifl and Muhammad ﷺ, are named in other surahs.
Notes on some of the names
- Muhammad (مُحَمَّد) comes from the root ح م د, praise, and means “the praised one”. It appears four times in the Quran, for example Quran 48:29. The Quran also uses Aḥmad (أَحْمَد), from the same root (Quran 61:6).
- Yahya (يَحْيَى) comes from the root ح ي ي, life. The Quran says that no one had been given this name before him (Quran 19:7).
- Salih (صَالِح) means righteous, from the root ص ل ح.
- Musa (مُوسَى) is named in the Quran more often than any other prophet.
Many of these names are not Arabic in origin. Names such as Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya‘qub are shared with the Hebrew Bible, which is why they have familiar English equivalents.
Choosing a prophet’s name
Any of these names is a good choice. When you choose one, it helps to read the prophet’s story in the Quran with your child as they grow up, so that the name carries a lesson as well as a sound. Yusuf’s patience, Ibrahim’s trust in Allah and Musa’s courage are all told in detail.
Check the spelling you want to use in English, since several are spelled in different ways (for example Yusuf, Yousef and Yoosuf).
