The Companions of the Cave in the Quran

The “Companions of the Cave” were a group of righteous young men who lived at least several centuries, if not more, before the revelation of the Quran. These young men had rejected the worship of false deities, and instead served Allah alone, much to the anger of their people. In order to avoid execution, or …

The One with Two Horns: Story of Dhul-Qarnayn

Dhul-Qarnayn is a title, meaning the one “with two horns”. What the actual name of Dhul-Qarnayn was, or when and where he lived, is not certain, although people have equated Dhul-Qarnayn to several historical figures without any convincing evidence. Allah had granted immense power and substantial means to Dhul-Qarnayn, who remained grateful to Him, and …

The Man of the Fish: Story of Prophet Yunus

Yunus (Jonah) lived about 2,800 years ago in modern-day Iraq. He was sent by Allah to preach to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, which was one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of over 100,000. However, because of his people’s hostile attitude to the word of Allah, Yunus …

Two Splendid Kingdoms: Dawud and Sulayman in the Quran

Dawud (David) and Sulayman (Solomon) were two prophets who were granted magnificent kingdoms and wisdom by Allah. Dawud succeeded Talut (Saul) as king of the Israelites, and the Psalms was revealed to him. He was granted eloquent speech and a melodious voice; birds and mountains used to exalt Allah alongside him. Allah further taught him …

The Warrior King: Story of Talut

Talut (Saul) lived about 3,000 years ago, and was the first Israelite king. The Quran briefly describes the appointment of Talut as king and narrates how the army of true believers led by Talut defeated the far mightier Philistine army of Jalut (Goliath) that worshiped false deities. The effective leadership of Talut, and later, the …

The Savior of Israelites: Story of Prophet Musa

Musa (Moses) is the most frequently mentioned person in the Quran. He was born in Egypt about 3,500 years ago and belonged to the tribe of Israel that had migrated to Egypt from Canaan (Palestine) during the time of Yusuf (Joseph). At the time of Musa’s birth, the ruler of Egypt, known as the Pharaoh, …

The Estranged Brother: Story of Prophet Yusuf

Yusuf (Joseph) was born in Canaan (Palestine) to Yaqub (Jacob), the son of Ishaq (Isaac), who was the son of Ibrahim (Abraham) – all of whom were prophets. The intriguing life story of Yusuf has been described by Allah as “the best of stories” (12:3) and has been completely narrated in a single chapter. As a …

The Perished Nations of Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shuayb

After the great flood that destroyed the nation of Nuh, many other nations rose to power, and prophets were usually appointed from amongst those nations for their guidance. The reason we analyze together the stories of four prophets – Hud, Salih, Lut (Lot), and Shuayb – is that they all present a common theme. In …

The Great Flood: Story of Prophet Nuh

Nuh (Noah) was the next major prophet after Adam. His people became indulged in worshipping idols named Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr – these possibly being the names of righteous individuals from earlier generations whose statues were made to honor them, and were later exalted to divine status. Nuh preached to his people to …

The First of Humanity: Story of Adam and Hawwa

Allah created the first human being, Adam, from turaab – translated as dust or soil. He then blew into him through the Spirit, and commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, which they did. However, one of the jinn known as Iblis (Satan), present among the angels, refused to do so, and Allah expelled him …