interpretation of Prophetic History
With the very creation of man, God began sending prophets to the world. The very first man—Adam—was also the first prophet. This series of prophets continued from Adam to Jesus Christ. The prophets were sent revelations to convey the divine message to every group and community of people in this world. Finally, God decided to send the final prophet—Prophet Muhammad—to whom He would send the last divine book, which would be preserved with the message of God for all time so that no further prophets were required anymore.
All the messengers of God enjoy equal status. According to a tradition of the Prophet of Islam, the prophets were more than 100,000 in number. The Quran talks of nearly two and half dozen prophets. We can learn lessons from the lives of all the Prophets of God. In the chapter entitled Al-Baqarah (The Heifer), the Quran says: “We do not differentiate between any of His messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all return!” (2:285) Prophet Muhammad is recorded to have said, “Do not give me superiority over other Prophets.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2411) Muslims have been guided to believe in every prophet and the books they brought. Every prophet, therefore, serves as a model for humanity. We can learn important lessons from the lives of all the prophets of God.