Allah tells us about the beginning of human creation. Allah told the angels about the creation of Adam and his progeny.

After 'breathing His Own spirit' into Adam, Allah commanded the angels and Iblis to prostrate (bow down) to him. All the angels prostrated. Iblis, a jinn of previous high status who would stay with the angels, did not obey this command. Shahr bin Haushab described that, when there was mischief on the earth, Allah sent an army of angels to separate them off onto remote lands and Iblis was one of those who was captured and taken to the heavens, and he stayed there.

In paradise, Allah taught Adam the names of things. Ibn Abbas said these were the names of those objects through which people recognise things and communicate with each other. Mujahid and others explain that Allah taught Adam the names of dishes and pots, telling him the names of every thing.

It is told by some of the companions that Adam used to wed the son from one birth to the daughter from another birth. From each pregnancy was one male and one female, no birth siblings were to marry each other. Abel (Habil) wanted to wed the sister of Cain (Qabil). Cain was older than Abel and his sister was more beautiful, so Cain wanted to keep her for himself. His father, Adam told Cain to marry off his sister to Abel but he refused. Adam told them to do a sacrifice and then left to perform Hajj, which they did. Abel sacrificed a big lamb as he was a shepard and Cain a bundle of the worst crops he had grown.

After Abel was killed, Seth (Shith) was born. The Prophet ﷺ said that 'Allah sent down one hundred and four scriptures, of them were fifty upon Seth' [Al-Bidayah Wan-Nihayah 1/230]. We are told by Ibn Ishaq that before Adam died, he took a covenant with Seth, teaching him prayer and warning him of the great flood to come. He explained that man were not to be left alone. He also said that all humans came from the progeny of Seth as all the other children did not have any lineage.

After Adam and his son Seth, Idris was the first man to be sent as a prophet. Perhaps in Babylon.

Nuh (Noah) was the son of Lamech, who was the son of Methuselah, the son of Idris (Enoch), the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth who was the son of Adam. Nuh was born 126 years after the death of Adam, according to Ibn Jarir. In a different narration the Prophet ﷺ was asked 'O Messenger of Allah! Was Adam a prophet? He replied 'Yes, prophet to whom (Allah) spoke.' He then asked 'how many years were there between Adam and Noah?' The prophet said 'ten centuries' [Ibn Hibban 6190, Al-Hakim 2/262]. Similarly, Ibn Abbas said the Prophet ﷺ said "There were ten centuries between Adam and Noah, they all lived according to Islam' [Al-Hakim 2/546]. Ibn Abbas understood this as ten centuries of people living in accordance to Islam, there might have been more time in between. Note that the lifespan of people of the past was longer than now.

After Noah warned his people for 950 years, his mission was complete and he gave his people a sufficient chance to turn back to the truth. Before their punishment, he was commanded to build a large ship.

Prophet Hud is the son of Shaleh, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem who was the son of Noah. It is also said he was first the son of Eber then Shelah.

The people of Ad firstly were punished by wanting rain, suffering in a drought and famine. They asked their gods for rain and when they saw clouds in the sky they thought it was rain bringing them relief from their gods. However, this rain was that of destruction and not of hope as they wished it was.

Thamud were a famous Arab tribe who came after the people of Prophet Hud that were taken by idol-worship. They were named after their ancestor Thamud who was the brother of Jadis - their father being Athir, son of Iram, son of Shem, son of Noah. The tribe lived between Hijaz and Tabuk. Our Prophet Muhammed ﷺ passed by this area when travelling to Tabuk.

The people of Thamud arrogantly rejected the message of Prophet Saleh, calling him bewitched, they asked for a sign. Another way that rejectors of truth historically use is to call their prophets, liars/soothsayer/bewitched or insane.

Before they could kill Saleh, Allah punished the disbelieves of Thamud, as per promise, they had received a three day warning - and instead of using this time to repent they continued in their disbelief and arrogance, so after three days, a mighty blast hit them from above and below (thunderbolts and violent earthquake). They all died, before the mighty and terrifying cry was over. They remained in their houses lifeless.

When our Prophet Muhammed ﷺ was on his was on his way to the Battle of Tabuk with the Muslims, they camped at Al-Hijr near where the Thamud used to live. Some drank from the same well that the people of Thamud used to drink. Some were preparing food when the Prophet ﷺ stopped them and they fed their food to their camels. He reached the well the she-camel used to drink and warned his people to not enter the houses of those who were punished. Saying [Ahmad 2:117] and [Ahmad2:91, also in Bukhari 433, Muslim 2980] Imam Ahmad narrated [Ahmad 4:231] And this is a general prohibition not to visit the places where Allah’s punishment had occurred. therefore we should avoid tourism in such places.

Ibrahim was the son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Shelah, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah [according to the narration of the People of the Book].

One day his people had a festival which was celebrated annually by leaving their town. Ibrahim's father wanted him to take part but he told his father that he was ill, so could not join them.

When they realised their arguments had no evidence, Ibrahim's people decided to prepare a punishment for him for breaking their idols.

Nimrod was an extremely haughty and arrogant king who claimed that he was the lord. He was rebellious and materialistic. Ibrahim showed him that this was not true and highlighted his ignorance. It is likely that Nimrod was the king of Babylon. He was the son of Canaan, son of Kosh, son of Shem, son of Noah. Others say he was the son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah.

Abu Hurairah narrated that Abraham did not tell a lie except on three occasions, twice for the sake of Allah (Exalted and Almighty) when he said: "I am sick," (when his people were holding a festival in honour of their gods, Abraham excused himself by saying he was sick; see Quran Ayah 37:89), and when he said: "(I have not done this but) the big idol has done it." The (third was) that while Abraham and Sarah (his wife) were going (on a journey), they passed by (the territory of) a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant: 'This man (i.e., Abraham) is accompanied by a very charming lady." So, he sent for Abraham and asked him about Sarah saying: "Who is this lady?" Abraham said: "She is my sister."

Ibrahims' wife, Sarah could not become pregnant due to her old age so she offered her gifted slave Hagar to marry Ibrahim. It was from this that Ibrahim was given his son Ishmael (Ismail) when Ibrahim was an old man. It was from Ishmael's lineage our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎ was to be born.

Ibrahim took Hagar and his son Ishmael to a deserted valley with no signs of life whatsoever, At this time there was no one in Makkah nor was there any water. Ibrahim gave them a leather bag containing some dates and a small amount of water and left to go back to Sarah. Ishmael was still a baby at this time. His mother, Hagar followed him saying 'Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no other person nor anything else?' She repeated this many times but he did not look back at her. She then asked 'Has Allah commanded you to do this?' To which he responded yes. She said 'Then He will not neglect us'.

When Ishmael reached his youth, had travelled and was able to look after the matters of his father, Ibrahim had a dream that he was being commanded to offer his son in sacrifice and as Ibn Abbas said the dreams of the Prophets were revelations. It was a tremendous trial that Ibrahim would be asked to sacrifice his own son, who he had previously left, as another trial, in a barren land with his mother Hajar.

The good news of Isaac's coming was given to Ibrahim and his wife Sarah by angels who were on their way to punish the people of Lot by the command of Allah.

Allah commanded Ibrahim, the father of many prophets and monotheists to build His house in a sacred land that was by now. Ibrahim prayed that it would be a place of security for all Muslims and for his offspring to be righteous and Allah accepted his prayers.

In his history book, Ibn Jarir mentioned the following: Abraham was born during the reign of Nimrod, who was a tyrant king and ruled for a long time, possibly around one thousand years according to some accounts.

Prophet Lot, who was the nephew of Prophet Ibrahim, went to the city of Sodom as instructed by Ibrahim. Sodom was a major city where people engaged in homosexuality, which was the first of its kind in human history. Lot called upon his people to worship only Allah and not engage in homosexuality, but they ignored his warnings and continued their indecent behaviour. When Lot called them to the way of Allah they wanted to expel him.

Despite several chances to change, it became clear that they would not listen. As a result, Allah sent angels who told Lot about the impending destruction of his people.

The people of Midian were Arabs who lived in a city called Midian. This city was close to the Syrian borders and not far from the Dead Sea. Midian was a well-known tribe, descended from Midian, the son of Madian and grandson of Ibrahim.

A group of them took heed of Shuaib's preaching, whilst the majority arrogantly rejected.

The first of Ibrahim's children was Ishmael from his wife Hagar. Ishmael was the son who was sacrificed as a test from Allah - more on this story here. Whereas in Jewish scripture it was his brother Isaac. In the context of the people of the book, Ibrahim was 86 years old when his first born Ishmael was born.

Ibrahim had his second son Isaac when he was over 100 years old and his brother Ishmael was about 13 years old.

Joseph was the most noble and honoured amongst the twelve sons of Jacob. The strongest opinion of scholars is that he was the only of Jacob's children to be a prophet and receive revelation.

Joseph waited in the well until a caravan from Egypt came by and went to get water from that well. They were shocked to find such a beautiful and well mannered boy and they took Joseph as merchandise, selling him for a small price.

Aziz, the minister, and his wife realised that in order to stop the rumours and perhaps stop others seeing the beauty of Joseph they would put him in prison - although they had proved his innocence. If they imprisoned him, the rumours would stop as it would seem he was in the wrong, not the minister's wife. So, through the wisdom of Allah, he was unjustly prisoned - safe from their evil plots.

One day, the king had a dream. He asked his ministers if any of them could interpret his dream but none could and thought they were just random confused dreams with no meaning.

Once Joseph's innocence was openly proved, the king decided to establish him into his close circle.

The famine had begun, and it was now becoming difficult for people. Joseph's brothers set off for Egypt to collect their rations of grain. They reached Joseph but did not recognise him - he was now in a very powerful position in the region and a mature man.

When the brothers went back to Jacob, he did not believe them but advised patience, saying he trusts the plan of Allah. Jacob in all his immense grief for his son Joseph, cried and cried until he lost his sight.

Job was a Roman, he was the son of Moss, son of Razeh, son of Esau, son of Isaac who was the son of prophet Ibrahim - according to Ibn Ishaq - this is the strongest opinion. Some others say he was the son of Moss, son of Rawel, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Ibrahim. This view of Job being of the descendants of Ibrahim is mentioned by Allah in the Quran.

Due to his patience, Allah rewarded Job immensely. According to a narration from Abdullah bin Abbas, Allah granted him clothing from heaven. When his wife returned, she did not recognize him at first. He told her that Allah had restored his health, returning his body to its former state. Ibn Abbas also mentioned that Allah restored his wealth and children, doubling what he had before. Wahb bin Munabbih said that Allah commanded Job to wash himself in a special spring to be cured and to make a sacrifice for his people, as they had disobeyed Allah regarding Job. So, when Job was instructed to strike the ground with his foot, as mentioned in the Quran (38:42), a spring emerged. He washed himself with its water, and through the mercy of Allah, he was completely healed.

Ibn Kathir says it seems obvious that, as in the Quran Dhul-Kifl is mentioned alongside other prophets, that he was a prophet himself - which is the popular opinion. Nevertheless, there are others who suggest he was not a prophet but a pious man. Either way we will discuss here what we know about Dhul-Kifl from narrations as we are not explicitly told about his life in the Quran, but there are surely many lessons we can learn from him.

In line with the above verse, there were generations before Moses who were destroyed. Scholars believe that part of these people were the people of Ar-Rass.

We hear about the Dwellers of the Town in Surah Ya Sin.

Jonah is mentioned 4 times in the Quran. Historians say that he was sent to the people of Nineveh in the land of Mosul to spread the message of Allah.

When the people on the ship drew lots, Jonah's name was chosen. However, knowing his virtues they decided to draw again. But, again, Jonah's name was chosen.

This timeline will also include Haurn (Aaron), brother of Moses and prophet - as well as Khidr, who is often regarded as a prophet, although there is difference of opinions. Moses was the son of Imran, son of Qahath, son of Azar, son of Levy, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

It is said that Moses was picked up by the slave girls of Pharaoh, who brought Moses in the basket to the wife of Pharaoh, Asiyah (bint (daughter of) Muzahim bin (son of) Ubaid bin Raiyan bin Walid). Some narrations suggest she could have been of Israelite heritage. When Asiyah opened the basket, she saw Moses' illuminated face and Allah made her fall in love with him.

When Moses was older, one day in the main city of Egypt, he came across a man from the Israelites and another who was a Coptic Egyptian. They were fighting and the Isralite called Moses for help. He hit the man and the blow was fatal so unintentionally he killed the coptian, he was physically a very strong man, so the murder was just out of his anger.

In fear, Moses left Egypt travelling in the direction of Madyan, although he had not left Egypt before and did not know where he was going. [Recall Madyan was the city where the people of Shoaib were previously]. Moses left with nothing; and as his travelling continued he became very weak and desperately in need of food, drink and shelter. He asked Allah for His goodness to befall him.

Once Moses had completed the term agreed and Musa was prepared for prophethood through ten years of shepherding to develop patience and skills , he left to go back to Egypt with his family. It was cold and dark and he was travelling through the desert and near mount sinai he lost his way when he came across a fire in the distance.

When Moses returned back to Pharaoh, him and his brother went to preach the oneness of Allah (Tawheed) and that he alone should be worshipped. It is said by some that Moses and Aaron went to the gate of the palace saying they were messengers of God and the guards began to mock them. They waited outside for a long time until the guards had the courage to tell Pharaoh.

After arrogantly rejecting the first two signs Allah gave through Moses, Pharaoh made a plan which he hoped to shame Moses, gathering all the best magicians of the whole of the Egyptian kingdom which at the time was riddled with magic practices. They were called by Pharaoh, and so came in their masses, to support their ruler as they have been doing through illusions to subdue the public.

Embarrassed and shocked after Pharaoh's plan had backfired, his ministers began provoking him, telling him to severely harm Moses and those who believed in him. We are told about two ministers of Pharaoh in the Quran - Haman who was a minister of architecture and Korah was an Israeli who converted to Pharaoh's religion and gained a lot of wealth working for the evil regime.

We have already spoken about two of the signs Moses showed his people - (1) the staff turning into a serpent and (2) his hand shining white. (3) The storm, (4) The locust, (5)The louse,(6)The Frog,(7)The Blood, (8) The Year of drought, (9) The scarcity of crops.. In addition, there were other trials Allah gave them in order to show them the reality of this world and who really has power - if Pharaoh was all-powerful then no bad would befall him. Furthermore, these trials were sent as a mercy and chance to change their ways. After all, it is easier to get closer to Allah when you are in need. However, when there were good times, they attributed it to themselves, saying that is what they deserve. When something bad happened, they would blame it as a bad omen from Moses and say their associate gods were angry with him.

Despite much preaching, many signs and trials, Pharaoh and his people persisted in their arrogant ways. There was growing enmity towards the believers and it was now necessary for the Coptic Egyptians' punishment. It is said that those who did believe (apart from the Magicians) were the wife of Pharaoh, the hairdresser girl of pharaoh's daughter the believing man we spoke about previously and the man who came from the furthest town who warned Moses (in 28:20) whom we also covered earlier. Others say that there was a big group of Coptic Egyptians who converted (as suggested by 10:82)

After Pharaoh and his army was destroyed, Allah made the Israelites inheritors of their land and wealth.

Moses began a journey with his people, and lost their way,not knowing where they were headed. They travelled day and night. They arrived at Sinai, where Moses had first spoken to Allah. Moses asked Allah for guidance on leading his people. Allah told him to fast for thirty days and then go to Mount Sinai to receive the laws to govern his people. After Moses fasted for thirty days, he hesitated to speak to Allah because he worried about his bad breath, so he chewed a tree leaf to freshen his breath so Allah asked Moses to fast for ten more days and then return. Moses followed this instruction. Based on this our prophet told us that the breath of fasting person is more beloved to Allah than the smell of musk. Allah told Moses to fast for a total of forty days. Moses then asked his brother Aaron to take care of the people and guide them in the right way.

Moses was away for forty days, and his people started to get worried. They didn't know Allah had given Moses ten extra days. A man named Aaron Samiri, who was drawn to doing bad things, He collected all the gold jewellery they were given from the Egyptians, dug a hole, put the gold in it, and melted it down with a big fire. While he was making the idol, he used te dust he had picked up from the horse of jibreel hnd stepped in the sea, who didn't know better. From the melted gold, he made a golden calf. Samiri enticed them, telling them to worship it as their god. He said this was the god Moses was looking for when he ventured off to Mount Tur. Allah rebukes this in 20:89 and 7:149.

There was a very wealthy man amongst the Israelites. He was old and had nephews who wanted him to die to be able to inherit his wealth. One night, one of them killed him. The next morning, they all started arguing about who killed the old man. One suggested speaking with Moses for advice. Moses first asked everyone to speak out if they know of any truth about what happened. No one answered. Moses asked Allah to show them a sign. Allah commanded the people to slaughter a cow. Yet, the people responded haughtily not believing that would be the response of Allah.

Moses gave a speech to Israelites, where someone asked him "Who is the greatest person in knowledge?" Moses said it was him. So, Allah reprimanded him, as he did not relate his knowledge to Allah SWT. Allah said to him "I have a slave at the junction of the two seas who is more knowledgeable than you. Moses replied "My Lord! How I can find him?"

Many scholars say that Korah (Qarun) was a cousin of Moses, some saying it was his uncle. He had abundant wealth. So much so that the keys alone could not be carried by strong men. It has been said that "Qarun's treasure keys were made of leather. Each key looked like a finger, and each key unlocked a different storeroom. Whenever he travelled, the keys would be carried on sixty mules with white marks on their foreheads and feet."

Moses' character is highly praised, as the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Quran. In hadith we are told that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "Moses was a shy person and used to cover his body completely because of his extensive shyness. One of the children of Israel hurt him by saying, 'He covers his body in this way only because of some defect in his skin, either leprosy or scrotal hernia, or he has some other defect.' Allah wished to clear Moses of what they said about him, so one day while Moses was in seclusion, he took off his clothes and put them on a stone and started taking a bath. When he had finished the bath, he moved towards his clothes so as to take them, but the stone took his clothes and fled; Moses picked up his stick and ran after the stone saying, 'O stone! Give me my garment!' Till he reached a group of Bani Israel who saw him naked then, and found him the best of what Allah had created, and Allah cleared him of what they had accused him of. The stone stopped there and Moses took and put his garment on and started hitting the stone with his stick. By Allah, the stone still has some traces of the hitting, three, four or five marks. This was what Allah refers to in His Saying:-- "O you who believe! Be you not like those Who annoyed Moses, But Allah proved his innocence of that which they alleged, And he was honourable In Allah's Sight." (33.69) [Bukhari 3404]

Joshua is mentioned without his name in the Quran, in the story of Moses and Khidr as being Moses' assistant. He was the son of Nun, son of Ephraim, son of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Some time after Joshua, Ezekiel was sent as a prophet to the Israelites. According to Ibn Ishaq, the Isralites fled out of fear of a plague and settled in a new area. Allah commanded their death, and they all fell dead. After a few centuries, Ezekiel wandered by them and was asked whether he wanted them to be brought back to life. To which he responded yes. So, by the power of Allah, he was commanded to call the corpse back to life. Their bones began to have flesh and they came back to life, praising Allah.

Genealogists believe that Elias (An-Nashabi) was the son of Ibn Ya-Sin, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron - or son of Elazar, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron - recall Aaron was the brother of Moses, and a prophet himself.

It is narrated that Elisha came after Elias. They both lived in the land of Ba'labak (Heliopolis, The City of the Sun). He advised his people to the way of Allah, calling them to the truth until he died. He is mentioned twice in the Quran.

The Children of Israel followed the right path after Moses for a while. But as time passed, they started changing their religious practices, and some even began worshipping idols. However, Allah always sent Prophets to guide them, instructing them to do good and avoid evil, following the teachings of the Torah. When they did wrong, Allah allowed their enemies to defeat them, causing many deaths and capturing many of them, as well as taking over their lands.

It is said that David was the son of Jesse, son of Aweid, son of Aber, son of Salmun, son of Nashun, son of Amenadab, son of Iram, son of Hasrun, son of Fars, son of Judah, son of Jacob who was the son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Most of the story around this dispute comes from the Jews and Christians (Isra'iliyat narrations), but have questionable validity hence they will not be mentioned here. Allah knows best.

We have mentioned in the story of Adam, the hadith [narrated by Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi and others] which mentioned that: “When Allah created Adam He wiped his back, so each soul to be created from Adam’s descendants until the Judgment Day would be conceived from his back (Adam’s back). Allah created a glitter of light between the eyes of each human then He showed them to Adam who then asked: ‘O Lord! Who are these?’ Allah said, ‘These are your children.’ Then Adam saw a man and liked the glitter between his eyes so he asked, ‘‘O’ Lord, who is this?’ Allah said, ‘This is a man of the latest nations of your children called David (Dawud).’ Adam then asked, ‘Lord, how many years is he going to live?’ Allah said, ‘Sixty’, Adam then said, ‘O Lord! Give him forty years of my age.’ When Adam’s days were over, the angel of death came to him. At this, Adam said, ‘I do have forty years left, don’t i?’ The angel said, ‘Didn’t you give these forty years for your son David?’ Adam denied and so did his children.’ He forgot and so did his children. He made mistakes and so did his children.”

It has been said that Solomon was the son of David, son of Jesse, son of Aweid, son of Aber, son of Salmun, son of Nashun, son of Amenadab, son of Iram, son of Hasrun, son of Fars, son of Judah, son of Prophet Jacob, son of Prophet Isaac, son of Prophet Abraham.

Solomon one day noticed a Hoopee bird was missing. It was said that this bird's job was to look for water flying around vast lands when water was needed. Once found, the army would follow and be able to dig to find valuable water sources. Fun fact: Hoopee birds can detect the presence of subterranean water under the earth with exceptional precision by tapping its beak into the land from which it is able to detect deep water sources. When Solomon noticed he was not there disobeying his command, he threatened to discipline him, or at worst, kill him.

When her messengers came back to her with her undelivered gift, and told her what Solomon said, she felt it was right to surrender to Solomon's acts. So, she set off with her troops to Solomon, coming in submission.

One evening, Solomon was shown fine horses and became fascinated, stroking and admiring them until the time for maghrib salah passed and the sun set. Him missing the salah was a mistake, and might not have been mandatory for those believers at that time. Nevertheless, it distracted him from the remembrance of Allah.

We hear about Solomon's death in Surah Saba. Allah concealed his death from the jinns who worked for him. He died, leaning on his staff. He stayed like that for a long time, perhaps nearly a year. Until a creature had eaten through the stick and it fell, as did Solomon - showing to the jinn that he had died. It also became clear to Jinn and men alike that the Jinn do not know the Unseen as they (the Jinn) used to imagine and try to deceive people.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Isaiah was a prophet who came before Zachariah and John the Baptist (Yahya). He also prophesied about the coming of Jesus and Muhammad ﷺ. When he came, a king called Hezekiah ruled over the Israelites. The king listened to Isaiah but they were in a dangerous situation; their king was ill and king Sennacherib from Babylon was steadily approaching with an army of 6 thousand men.

Jeremiah was from the family of Levy, son of Jacob. Allah tells us that He made a declaration to the Children of Israel in the Scripture, meaning that He had already told them in the Book which He revealed to them, that they would cause mischief on the earth twice, and would become tyrants and extremely arrogant, meaning they would become shameless oppressors of people.

Please see previous prophet section, Jeremiah bin Hilkiah, for background. It is narrated that Nebuchadnezzar pur two lions in a well with Daniel. But the hungry lions did not attack him. He was left there for a while, until he became hungry. Allah then revealed to his prophet Jeremiah in Syria to prepare some food and drink for Daniel.

There are differing opinions on who the below verse in Surah Baqarah refers to. One opinion (from Ibn Jarir) is that the man was Jeremiah when Allah revealed that Jerusalem was to be reconstructed. However, others (including Ali, Abdullah bin Salam, Ibn Abbas, Hasan, Qatadah) say this referred to Ezra.

We are told in Surah Ali Imran that Allah chose Adam, Noah, the houses of Abraham and Imran to uphold His religion. The houses of Abraham include his children Ishmael and Isaac. The house of Imran includes Mary, Imran's daughter and Jesus, her son. Imran was a descendant of David, he was a pious man who married a pious woman, Hannah.

When Zakariyya saw that Allah provided sustenance for Maryam by giving her the fruits of winter in summer and the fruits of summer in winter, he was eager to have a child of his own. By then, Zakariyya had become an old man, his bones feeble and his head full of grey hair. His wife was an old woman who was barren.

Please read Zakariya's timeline for the story of Mary's birth and upbringing. Angel came to Mary to give her good news that she had been chosen by Allah above all women. She was chosen to have a miraculous birth, a child born without a father, who will be able to speak as a baby, and in his adulthood, continue to call people to the way of Allah.

According to Ibn Jarir, the Gospel was given to Jesus when he was 30 years old. So, from a child to adulthood, Jesus was given wisdom; taught the Torah and the Gospel.

Jesus and his disciples were commanded to fast for 30 days. When their period of fasting came to an end, they asked Jesus to pray for a table spread of food from heaven. They wanted it to be a festival, for anyone and everyone to eat from as a sign that Allah had accepted their fast. Jesus warned them saying "Have Taqwa of Allah! And do not ask for this, for it may become a trial for you, but trust in Allah for your provisions, if you are truly believers." The disciples reiterated their intentions and Jesus asked Allah for what they wished for.

Jesus is the last and final Messenger from among the Children of Israel. He remained among the Children of Israel for a while, conveying the good news of the coming of Muhammad ﷺ, whose name is also Ahmad, the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger. After Muhammad ﷺ, there will be no prophethood or Messengers.

Jesus continued his mission despite facing threats from evil. Those against him accused him of using magic, breaking the law, and being allied with the devil. When they noticed that many poor people followed him, they started plotting against him.

A collection of some of the Quranic verses refuting outrageous claims of Allah having children; angels as daughters of Allah or Jesus being His son.

In the ancient city of Babylon, two angels named Harut and Marut descended to the earth, carrying with them a trial for humanity.

In the land of the Children of Israel, there was a wealthy man who had no children and only a nephew who would inherit his wealth. This nephew, driven by greed, decided to kill his uncle. Under the cover of night, he committed the crime and moved the body to the doorstep of another man, aiming to blame the innocent.

The People of the Cave earned their name from their remarkable story of fleeing from evil and seeking refuge in a spacious mountain cave. The term "Ar-Raqim" (the Inscription) in the verses mentioning this story in Surah Al-Kahf refers, according to the most widely accepted view, to a tablet that bore the names of these young men.

In this story, we witness the dangers of pride and self-conceit through the example of a wealthy man and his righteous, but less affluent, companion. Some say this companion was a brother, others a cousin. The narrative showcases how the wealthy man's arrogance led him astray.

Allah sets an example for the polytheists of Quraish by sending them the honorable Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but they belied him and rejected his message. This rejection mirrors the story of the man with two gardens.

Allah mentions in the Qur'an the story of the Sabbath-breakers, a group of people from the town of Aylah. Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas and others explain that these people were strictly adhering to the Torah's teachings, which prohibited fishing on Saturdays. Yet, fish appeared abundantly on Saturdays and disappeared on other days, testing the people's obedience to Allah's command.

Luqman Ibn 'Anqa' Ibn Sadun, or as stated by As-Suhaili from Ibn Jarir and Al-Qutaibi, was Luqman Ibn Tharan from the people of Aylah (Jerusalem). He was known for his piety, wisdom, and dedication to worship. Some accounts suggest he served as a judge during the lifetime of Prophet Dawud (Peace be upon him). However, Allah knows best.

Muhammad Ibn Ishaq claimed that the People of the Ditch lived after the advent of Jesus (Peace be upon him). However, other scholars disagreed, asserting that they lived before him (Peace be upon him). Despite the disagreement, many scholars mentioned that this incident was repeated more than once.

Every year, the leaders of the Quraish would make preparations for two journeys, one in the winter and one in the summer. In the winter, they would travel to Yemen and Al-Habashah. in the summer, they would travel to Ash-Sham and Iraq. It was the four sons of 'Abd Manâf who would lead the caravans. Hashim headed the caravan that would go to Ash-Sham and particularly to the area of Gaza; his journeys to Gaza became so famous that the town soon became known as Gaza of Hashim. Al-Muttalib headed the caravan that would go to Yemen. 'Abd Shams headed the caravan that would go to Al-Habashah. Naufal headed the caravan that would go to Iraq. These trading caravans of the Quraish would travel in complete safety; no one dared to harm them on their way, for they were the neighbors of the House of Allâh, the dwellers of His inviolable city.

An-Nusub and Al-Ansab were stones that surrounded the Kaaba. Upon them animals would be slaughtered by other than Allah's name. The first person to put up idols in Makkah was Amr bin Luhai Al-Azdi, who brought them from the lands of Ash-Sham (Syria and surrounding regions). These are the most important idols that people worshipped before the advent of Islam:

'Adnal-Ard' refers to the low-lying lands of Palestine near the Dead Sea, lands that sink as low as 392 meters below sea level. In the Arabic language, Adna means nearest and can also mean lowest. What the Qur'an informs us of in the above verses was realized by the victory of the Romans over the people of Persia in Palestine. That victory approximately coincided with the victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr (the year 2 H, or 624 in the Christian calendar). The area referred to is, in fact, the most low-lying part of the earth, and it was the nearest of the Roman lands to Persia and the Arabian Peninsula.

The first of those places is Ash-Sham (Syria and surrounding regions) in general, and Jerusalem in particular, for figs and olives grow in those lands. It is as if Allah is swearing by the message that was revealed to 'Isa (peace be upon him).

The two towns being referred to in the above verse are Makkah and Ta'if. The polytheists said, "The Quran should have been revealed to a great and important man in Makkah or in Ta'if." The scholars of Tafsir clarified that they were referring to Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah in Makkah, and to 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud Ath-Thaqafi in Ta'if.

Khâlid ibn Hizâm ibn Khuwailid ibn Asad ibn 'Abdul-'Uzza ibn Qusai ibn Kilâb Al-Qurashi Al-Asdi was the brother of Hakim ibn Hizâm and the cousin of Khadijah bint Khuwailid. Khâlid was one of the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He left Makkah intending to join those who were migrating to Al-Habashah (Ethiopia). However, he passed away due to a poisonous snakebite before reaching Al-Habashah. His death led to the revelation of verse 4:100.