People mentioned in the Qur’an

From Sentinel Apologetics

The Quran makes mention of 32 people, and all of them are defined as “prophets” without distinguishing between them. Among these names there are only 6 people that can NOT be clearly identified in the Bible. Nevertheless, the remaining 26 people come mostly from the Pentateuch. Thus, here’s a list statistically aligned from most referred in the Quran:

  • Jesus (130 times)
  • Moses (130 times)
  • Abraham (69 times)
  • Mary (11 times by name and 34 times as “mother” of Jesus)
  • Noah (43 times)
  • Adam (25 times)
  • Lot (25 times)
  • Aaron (20 times)
  • Isaac (17 times)
  • Solomon (17 times)
  • David (16 times)
  • Jacob (16 times)
  • Ishmael (12 times)
  • Jonah (4 times; the Arabic form Yūnus is taken from the LXX form Iōnas rather than the Hebrew Yōnāh)
  • Job (4 times)
  • Elijah (2 times)
  • Elisha (1 time)
  • Saul (1 time; Surah 2:247-249 is erroneously fused with Gideon’s story from Judges 7:4-7)
  • Joseph (mentioned only as the name for Surah 12)
  • John the Baptist
  • Zechariah. – Shu‘ayb (Jethro)
  • Idris (Enoch)
  • Hūd (Eber)
  • Dhū ’l-Kifl (Ezekiel)
  • Luqmān (a figure whose origin is in Nubia, Sudan, or Ethiopia)
  • Ṣāliḥ (believed to have prophesied to the Arabian tribe of Thamūd)
  • Al-Khadir (one of the cave dwellers in Surah 18)
  • Dhū ’l -Qarnayn (Alexander the Great).

Why was the Qur’an revealed?

You’ll often hear Muslims say that the Qur’an is the message for all mankind. However, the Qur’anic data doesn’t back this up…

P1. Every nation has been sent a messenger (16:36, 10:47 and 35:24)… despite the historical record not being able to substantiate this.

P2. Messengers are sent in the language of his people (14:4).

P3. Muhammad was the first person sent to warn the Arabs (36:6, 34:44 and 32:3)… despite Abraham and Ishmael supposedly having established the Kaaba generations before.

C. Muhammad was sent to those living in and around Mecca (42:7) to give them a warning in Arabic so that it would be clear to them (41:3, 43:3, 44:58, 26:195-196).  

The Qur’an says that the Jews and Christians are to follow their own Scriptures (5:43, 5:68). Rather than having to trust what Christians and Jews *say* about their Greek and Hebrew Scriptures, the Qur’an is sent confirming it in *Arabic* (46:12), a revelation in their own tongue (41:44, 6:155-157).