Respect and Appreciation for All Prophets

Muhammad (peace be upon him) showed unparalleled respect for and appreciation of all the prophets who preceded him; among them were Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all). Allah revealed to him words to the effect that one who denies or disrespects any of the prophets cannot be a Muslim. Islam regards all of the prophets as one brotherhood, inviting people to the belief that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, without associates.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) spoke affectionately of his brethren, the prophets and messengers, referring to some as "the righteous servant" or "my brother." He directed his followers to respect and revere them all, and prohibited them from considering him better than any one of them. Even more important are the abundant words, which Allah revealed in the Qur'an in praise of the former prophets and messengers, and ordering Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to take them as role models. This confirms the brotherhood of the prophets as well as the great appreciation of the final one for previous ones; his respect for and praise of them. In fact, Allah made the accounts of earlier prophets a comfort for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during the abuse and exhaustion he sustained while calling people to Islam.



Here are some texts confirming the aforementioned:
Allah says: "Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example. Say, "I ask of you for it [i.e., this message] no payment. It is not but a reminder for the worlds." [Surat Al An`am: 90].
And He says: “The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so have the believers. All of them believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear, and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." [Surat Al Baqarah: 285].

An entire chapter of the Qur'an is named "Al-Anbiyaa" (The Prophets). After mentioning a good number of them and some of their outstanding attributes, Allah concluded by saying: "Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive." [Surat Al Anbiya': 90].

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared: "I am the closest of people to Jesus, Son of Mary, in this world and the next. The prophets are brothers; their mothers are different but their religion is one." [Reported by Al Bukhari].


And he (peace be upon him) added: "I say as the righteous servant (i.e., Jesus) said: 'I was a witness over them as long as I was among them.'" [Reported by Al Bukhari].

He (peace be upon him) also said: "I remembered the saying of my brother, [Prophet] Solomon, 'My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower.'" [Reported by Al Bukhari].

This is the positive attitude of the Qur'an and Sunnah (prophetic teachings) regarding the prophets and messengers of God. In reality, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed all Muslims through revelation from Allah that someone who rejects any one of the former prophets is not a Muslim. This is attested to as follows: “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between – those are the disbelievers, truly.'' [Surat An-Nisa': 150].


In addition, we find in the Qur'an condemnation of those Jews who killed and maligned prophets: “We had already taken the covenant of the Children of Israel and had sent to them messengers. Whenever there came to them a messenger with what their souls did not desire, a party [of messengers] they denied, and another party they killed.” [Surat Al Ma'idah: 70].

Allah also revealed: “They have been put under humiliation wherever they are overtaken, except for a rope [i.e., covenant] from Allah and a rope [i.e., treaty] from the people. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from Allah and have been put under destitution. That is because they rejected the verses of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.” [Surat Al `Imran: 112].