The Prophets of Islam, in Order

Muslims believe in all of the prophets Allah sent — we make no difference between them. We don't know their exact number; only 25 are named in the Qur'an, and the rest are known to Allah alone. Below are those 25, in the order they are most commonly taught, each with a single line so your child can begin to place them in time. May the peace of Allah be upon them all.

The 25 prophets named in the Qur'an

• Adam — the first human being, and the first prophet.
• Idris — raised by Allah to a high station.
• Nuh (Noah) — built the ark and was saved from the great flood. Read his story →
• Hud — sent to the people of ‘Ad.
• Salih — sent to Thamud, given the sign of the she-camel.
• Ibrahim (Abraham) — the friend of Allah, who was saved from the fire and built the Kaaba. Read his story →
• Lut (Lot) — called his people away from great wrongdoing.
• Ismail (Ishmael) — son of Ibrahim, helped raise the Kaaba.
• Ishaq (Isaac) — son of Ibrahim, a prophet and father of prophets.
• Yaqub (Jacob) — father of Yusuf, patient in grief.
• Yusuf (Joseph) — betrayed and imprisoned, then raised to honour in Egypt. Read his story →
• Ayyub (Job) — tested with illness and loss, patient throughout.
• Shu‘ayb — sent to the people of Madyan.
• Musa (Moses) — spoke with Allah and led his people through the parted sea. Read his story →
• Harun (Aaron) — brother of Musa and his helper.
• Dhul-Kifl — praised in the Qur'an for his patience.
• Dawud (David) — a prophet and king, given the Zabur (Psalms).
• Sulayman (Solomon) — a king who understood the speech of animals. Read his story →
• Ilyas (Elijah) — called his people back to worshipping Allah alone.
• Al-Yasa‘ (Elisha) — a prophet after Ilyas.
• Yunus (Jonah) — swallowed by the whale, and called on Allah in the dark. Read his story →
• Zakariya (Zachariah) — prayed for a child in his old age.
• Yahya (John) — son of Zakariya, gentle and devout.
• Isa (Jesus) — born to Maryam by Allah's word, who spoke from the cradle.
• Muhammad ﷺ — the final prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, sent as a mercy to all the worlds.

The first and the last

The first prophet was Adam, peace be upon him — the first human Allah created. The last is Muhammad ﷺ, whom the Qur'an calls the Seal of the Prophets (Surah al-Ahzab 33:40); there is no prophet after him. Every prophet in between brought the same core message: worship Allah alone.

A simple way to teach the order

• Start with the famous few. Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and Muhammad ﷺ are the ones to learn first — the rest fit around them over time.
• Anchor each to one image. Nuh's ark, Ibrahim's fire, Musa's sea, Yunus's whale — a picture in the mind fixes the name.
• Tell the story, then the name. Children remember the adventure long before the list, and the name comes with it.

The Sukun Kids app tells the stories of many of these prophets as immersive, narrated adventures your child can listen to or read along with — a gentle way to learn who they were, one story at a time. Browse all the stories →