After having gone through the Biblical Order1, 2 & 3 of prophets I found it more interesting to compare the Biblical and Holy Koranic Order of prophets in Abrahamic Religions. The previous article primarily focused on the characters from the Hebrew Bible; a book that is used by both Jews and Christians.
Humble Forgiveness; I will put an endeavor to encompass all Holy Prophets specifically the 25 prophets that are mentioned by name in the Holy Koran. The topic is emotionally sensitive and religiously vast vis-à-vis my own limited contemporary religious studies. Even then I am putting forward this effort with sheer honesty and for my generations to understand the basics of order of Holy Prophets mentioned in Holy Koran.
Again as I already mentioned; I do not have any specific religious education or expertise to write about such pronounced people from the past but I thought it vital to just put them in an order for understanding without stirring religious sentiments and sectarian sensitivities. In case of any omission, oversight or wrong interpretation I will look forward to, in my comments box and seek clemency against my modest struggle.
Comparison of Names in Hebrew Bible and Holy Koran
Before proceeding to the Holy Prophets; I would like to relate the noteworthy names of prophets in Hebrew Bible and Holy Koran for better considerations and reference in article. The names written in Bold and Italic are prophets mentioned in Holy Koran while names in () are same prophets mentioned in Hebrew Bible.
Like the Biblical Family Tree, the Islamic Version starts with Prophet Adam and Eve, the first man and first woman. In Islam traditions, Eve is usually called Hawa. Another major difference is that the 25 great people highlighted in Holy Koran are all considered to be prophets, whereas in the Biblical Account, the word prophet is only used for certain individuals such as Prophet Moses or Prophet Elijah.
In Holy Koran, Prophet Adam is seen as being a prophet, whereas in Judaism and Christianity, he is not specifically called as The Prophet. According to one Islamic tradition, Prophet Adam and Hawa had two sets of twins, a boy named Qabeel and Habeel. Those familiar with the Bible will recognize the two boys as being Cain and Abel. After the account of Qabeel and Habeel; ancestor’s line continues through a third brother, known as Shayth or Seth.
In some other traditions, their first child was a girl, born alone, called ʿAnāq.(Roberto Tottoli, “ʿAnāq”, in Encyclopedia of Islam, THREE, ed. by Kate Fleet and others (first published online 2009), <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_22679). When ProphetAdam’s death grew near, he appointed his son Seth as his successor. (Kathir, Al-Imam ibn (2013). Stories of the Prophets. Fortress iPublications.)
There are no direct evidence from Holy Koran about Prophet Seth as the third son of Prophet Adam. The Sunni scholar and historian Ibn Kathir in his Tarikh (book of history), Al-Bidāya Wa-n-Nihāya (البداية والنهاية), (http://www.australianislamiclibrary.org/al-bidaya-wan-nahaya.html) records ‘Seth, a prophet like his father Adam, transfers God’s Law to mankind after the death of Adam (Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Story of Adam and Seth).
According to some Muslim Scholars Prophet Sheeth was given some scriptures as mentioned in Holy Koran Surah Al-A’la verse 18-19 (This is Certainly ˹Mentioned˺ in the Earlier Scriptures ‘18’ – The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses ‘19’). Prophet Sheeth also plays some role in Sufism, and Ibn Arabi includes a chapter in his ‘Bezels of Wisdom’ on Prophet Sheeth, entitled ‘The Wisdom of Expiration in the Word of Seth’ (The Bezels of Wisdom – 1980, p. 60 by Ibn Al-Arabi).
The next major prophet mentioned in Holy Koran is Prophet Idris son of Prophet Sheeth and seen as being the equivalent of the Biblical Enoch. In fact, all of the names from Prophet Sheeth to Prophet Idris, as well as beyond, pretty much match up with the names given in the Hebrew Bible.
The spelling, which is based on Arabic, is just a bit different. Holy Koran describes Prophet Idris in verses 19:56-57 and 21:85-86 as ‘Trustworthy, Righteous, Patient and Exalted to a High Station’. According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Idris was “first men to use the pen as well as being one of the first men to observe the movement of the stars and set out scientific weights and measures.”(Lives of the Prophets, Leila Azzam).
According to some Islamic Historians,Prophet Idris’ life attributed “thirty portions of revealed scripture” to him. (A Dictionary of Islam, T.P. Hughes, Ashraf Printing Press, repr. 1989, pg. 192) hence understood by many early commentators to be both Prophet as well as messenger.
Prophet Idris’s wife was Aadanah. Prophet Idris’s son Methuselah would eventually be the Grandfather of Nuh (Noah). Hence Prophet Idris is identified as the Great-Grandfather of Noah. (http://qureshifamily.info/biography.aspx?q=8).
One main difference between the Bible’s version and the Holy Quran’s narration is that in the Holy Quran, Prophet Nuh had four sons, instead of just three, and that his fourth son drowned in the Flood, as well as Prophet Nuh’s wife, because they did not believe Prophet Noah’s message.
Prophet Noah’s wife name is not mentioned in the Quran. Some Muslim historians such as Al-Tabari suggested that Prophet Noah’s wife was Umzarah bint Barakil but cannot be confirmed. Muslim scholars generally agree that Prophet Noah had Four Sons; namely Ham, Shem, Yam and Japheth. According to the Holy Quran, one of Prophet Noah’s sons was disbeliever; refused to aboard the Ark, instead preferring to climb a nearby high mountain, but he was drowned. It is agreed among most Islamic Scholars that Yam was the one who drowned; the other three remained believers. (https://www.alislam.org/library/books/HadhratNuh.pdf).
I don’t have any overwhelming qualification to write anything. No specific professional studies on the subject and this was the only reason I wanted to write. The questions became haunting voices with one striking thoughts that ‘I have only one life, only one and I can’t live with these questions’. The moment I die, I will get answers to all my questions but wouldn't be able to tell anyone. Then Let's Find Some Answers.....
