Short answer
The Qur'an names twenty-five prophets, in the list commonly taught. The first are Adam, Idris, Noah, Hud and Salih. Then come Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. After them are Job, Shu'aib, Moses, Aaron, Dhul-Kifl, David and Solomon. Then come Elias (Elijah), Elisha, Jonah, Zachariah, John and Jesus. The last is Muhammad (ﷺ). God (﷾) sent many more whose names are not given, because He sent a messenger to every people. Most scholars count five as the messengers of strong will: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (ﷺ). Scriptures are named for Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (ﷺ). A Muslim must believe in all of them and make no distinction between them.
Full explanation
Eighteen names in one passage
One passage of the Qur'an, in chapter 6 (al-An'am), names eighteen prophets together. They are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Elias (Elijah), Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah and Lot. It says God (﷾) guided them. It counts some among the righteous. It says He favoured others above all peoples.
“That was the reasoning about Us, which We gave to Abraham (to use) against his people: We raise whom We will, degree after degree: for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all (three) guided: and before him, We guided Noah, and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron: thus do We reward those who do good: And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous: And Isma'il and Elisha, and Jonas, and Lot: and to all We gave favour above the nations:”
The other seven
The other seven are named elsewhere. God (﷾) chose Adam. Idris (often identified with Enoch) is called a man of truth and a prophet. Dhul-Kifl is named with him among the patient. Hud was sent to the people of 'Ad, Salih to Thamud, and Shu'aib to Madyan (Midian). Each is called a brother of the people he was sent to. The last is Muhammad (ﷺ), the Messenger of Allah (﷾) and the Seal of the Prophets (the last of them).
“Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people,-”
“Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet:”
“And (remember) Isma'il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience;”
“To the 'Ad People (We sent) Hud, one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) ye do nothing but invent!”
“To the Thamud People (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein: then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is (always) near, ready to answer."”
“To the Madyan People (We sent) Shu'aib, one of their own brethren: he said: "O my people! worship Allah: Ye have no other god but Him. And give not short measure or weight: I see you in prosperity, but I fear for you the penalty of a day that will compass (you) all round.”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
Where the scholars differ
The Qur'an gives no dates for the prophets. So the order in the short answer is the one commonly taught. Scholars differ on where some belong, such as Job, Dhul-Kifl, Jonah and Elias. Scholars also differ on whether Dhul-Kifl was a prophet or a righteous man. The Qur'an says God (﷾) chose Adam, and that Adam received words from his Lord, who turned to him in mercy. It does not call him a prophet in those words, but Muslims count him as the first prophet. The Qur'an names others who are not usually counted. Luqman was given wisdom, and Dhul-Qarnayn was a righteous ruler. Most scholars do not count either as a prophet.
“And (remember) Isma'il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience;”
“Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people,-”
“Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
“we bestowed (in the past) Wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to Allah." Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, Worthy of all praise.”
“They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain. Say, "I will rehearse to you something of his story."”
Many more whose names are not given
The Qur'an says plainly that the list is not complete. God (﷾) told the Prophet (ﷺ) the stories of some messengers and not of others. He sent a messenger to every people. There was never a nation without a warner. So a Muslim believes in all the prophets God (﷾) sent, named and unnamed.
“We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. It was not (possible) for any messenger to bring a sign except by the leave of Allah: but when the Command of Allah issued, the matter was decided in truth and justice, and there perished, there and then those who stood on Falsehoods.”
“Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others We have not;- and to Moses Allah spoke direct;-”
“For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, (with the Command), "Serve Allah, and eschew Evil": of the People were some whom Allah guided, and some on whom error became inevitably (established). So travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who denied (the Truth).”
“Verily We have sent thee in truth, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner: and there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past).”
The messengers of strong will
The Qur'an tells the Prophet (ﷺ) to be patient, as the messengers of strong will (ulu al-'azm) were patient. It does not name them. Most scholars say they are the five named together twice elsewhere: Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, with Muhammad (ﷺ) himself, the one addressed as "thee". God (﷾) took a solemn promise (a covenant) from them. He gave them all one religion.
“Therefore patiently persevere, as did (all) messengers of inflexible purpose; and be in no haste about the (Unbelievers). On the Day that they see the (Punishment) promised them, (it will be) as if they had not tarried more than an hour in a single day. (Thine but) to proclaim the Message: but shall any be destroyed except those who transgress?”
“And remember We took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn covenant:”
“The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him).”
The scriptures named in the Qur'an
Five of the prophets are linked by name to a scripture. The Qur'an speaks of the Books of Abraham and Moses. It says God (﷾) revealed the Torah (Taurat) to Moses. It says He gave David the Psalms (Zabur), and gave Jesus the Injil (the Gospel Jesus preached). And it says He sent down the Qur'an to Muhammad (ﷺ), confirming what came before.
“And this is in the Books of the earliest (Revelation),- The Books of Abraham and Moses.”
“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.”
“And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (Between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright.”
“We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.”
“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”
“It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”
- One of the five messengers of strong will (Qur'an 46:35). Most scholars say they are the five the Qur'an names together in 33:7.
- The Seal of the Prophets, the last of them (Qur'an 33:40), and also one of the five.
Adam
Idrisoften identified with Enoch
Noah (one of the five messengers of strong will)
Hudsent to the people of 'Ad
Salihsent to Thamud
Abraham (one of the five messengers of strong will)
Lot
Ishmael
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Job
Shu'aibsent to Madyan (Midian)
Moses (one of the five messengers of strong will)
Aaron
Dhul-Kiflnamed among the patient
David
Solomon
EliasElijah
Elisha
Jonah
Zachariahthe father of John
JohnJohn the Baptist
Jesus (one of the five messengers of strong will)
Muhammad (ﷺ) (one of the five messengers of strong will; the last of the prophets)
Most scholars count these twenty-five, in the order commonly taught: the Qur'an gives no dates for the prophets. Many more were sent whose names are not given. Numbers such as 5:44 point to a chapter and verse of the Qur'an.
Belief in all of them
The believers say they make no distinction between any of God's (﷾) messengers. The Qur'an calls anyone who believes in some and rejects others an unbeliever. So a Muslim who rejected Moses or Jesus would not be a Muslim. This is Islam's answer: believe in every prophet, from Adam to Muhammad (ﷺ), and make no distinction between them.
“The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."”
“Those who deny Allah and His messengers, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His messengers, saying: "We believe in some but reject others": And (those who) wish to take a course midway,- They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.”
Perspectives
The Islamic perspective
The Qur'an names twenty-five prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (ﷺ), and says there were many more. A Muslim believes in every one of them.
The Qur'an names eighteen prophets in a single passage of Surat al-An'am.
Adam, Idris, Dhul-Kifl, Hud, Salih, Shu'aib and Muhammad (ﷺ) are named elsewhere. With the eighteen, these are the twenty-five in the list commonly taught.
The Qur'an says many messengers were sent whose stories it does not tell, and that every people had one.
Most scholars identify the messengers of strong will as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (ﷺ).
The Qur'an names scriptures given to Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (ﷺ).
Believing in some messengers while rejecting others is unbelief.