Source Attribution
This excerpt is taken from the book Aḥkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani.
Commonly, it is well known among people that one hundred and twenty-four thousand (124,000) Prophets came into this world, out of whom three hundred and thirteen (313) were Messengers. There are a few weak narrations reported with this meaning. For example, in a narration attributed to Abū Dharr رضي الله عنه, it is stated that there were 124,000 Prophets and among them 313 Messengers.
This narration is found in Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (361), and another narration mentioning 124,000 Prophets is reported in Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’ (551). However, its chain is fabricated due to Ibrāhīm ibn Hishām ibn Yaḥyā al-Ghassānī.
This narration is also reported through another chain in Musnad Aḥmad (21879, 31885; 5/178–179) and Musnad Abī Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī (1/383–385, ḥadīth 480), but its chain is not suitable as proof due to the unknown status of ʿUbayd ibn Khashkhāsh and the weakness of Abū ʿUmar al-Dimashqī.
It is also reported in al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim (2/597, ḥadīth 3166), Musnad Aḥmad, and Musnad al-Bazzār, but in this chain Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Saʿdī al-Baṣrī is weak.
The narration concerning the number of Prophets is also reported through Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī رضي الله عنه, which Imām Aḥmad recorded in Musnad Aḥmad (5/226, 5/265; ḥadīth 22644). In its chain, ʿAlī ibn Yazīd al-Hilwānī is weak.
Several other weak narrations regarding the number of Prophets are mentioned in al-Mustadrak (2/597–598), but they are not reliable as proof.
In conclusion, no authentic ḥadīth mentions the exact number of the Prophets and Messengers. We must understand that whatever number of Prophets and Messengers Allah Almighty sent, we believe in all of them. We do not differentiate between them in belief by accepting some and rejecting others. Rejecting even a single Prophet renders a person a disbeliever.
This excerpt is taken from the book Aḥkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani.
❖ Question:
What is the total number of the Prophets and Messengers?✿ Answer:
Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has not specified the exact number of the Prophets and Messengers ﷺ in the Noble Qur’an. Rather, He has commanded belief in the Prophets and Messengers in a general manner. Some Prophets and Messengers have been mentioned explicitly, and their circumstances have been described briefly. Likewise, no authentic ḥadīth of the Noble Messenger ﷺ states their total number.Commonly, it is well known among people that one hundred and twenty-four thousand (124,000) Prophets came into this world, out of whom three hundred and thirteen (313) were Messengers. There are a few weak narrations reported with this meaning. For example, in a narration attributed to Abū Dharr رضي الله عنه, it is stated that there were 124,000 Prophets and among them 313 Messengers.
This narration is found in Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (361), and another narration mentioning 124,000 Prophets is reported in Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’ (551). However, its chain is fabricated due to Ibrāhīm ibn Hishām ibn Yaḥyā al-Ghassānī.
Reference: Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: 4/378, 1/73
This narration is also reported through another chain in Musnad Aḥmad (21879, 31885; 5/178–179) and Musnad Abī Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī (1/383–385, ḥadīth 480), but its chain is not suitable as proof due to the unknown status of ʿUbayd ibn Khashkhāsh and the weakness of Abū ʿUmar al-Dimashqī.
It is also reported in al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim (2/597, ḥadīth 3166), Musnad Aḥmad, and Musnad al-Bazzār, but in this chain Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Saʿdī al-Baṣrī is weak.
The narration concerning the number of Prophets is also reported through Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī رضي الله عنه, which Imām Aḥmad recorded in Musnad Aḥmad (5/226, 5/265; ḥadīth 22644). In its chain, ʿAlī ibn Yazīd al-Hilwānī is weak.
Several other weak narrations regarding the number of Prophets are mentioned in al-Mustadrak (2/597–598), but they are not reliable as proof.
In conclusion, no authentic ḥadīth mentions the exact number of the Prophets and Messengers. We must understand that whatever number of Prophets and Messengers Allah Almighty sent, we believe in all of them. We do not differentiate between them in belief by accepting some and rejecting others. Rejecting even a single Prophet renders a person a disbeliever.
