Stories of The Prophets By Ibn Katheer

Belief in all of Allah's prophets and messengers is one of the six pillars of iman. The Qur'an itself commands us: "So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought." (Surah al-A'raf: 176). Stories of the Prophets by Imam Ibn Kathir is the most comprehensive and widely read compilation of the prophets' stories available in English — drawing directly from the Qur'an and authenticated narrations of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

What This Book Covers

29 Prophets — From Adam to Jesus (peace be upon them all)

The book covers the stories of 29 prophets and messengers in chronological order, beginning with Prophet Adam and concluding with Prophet Isa (Jesus), peace be upon them all. Each story is drawn from Ibn Kathir's monumental work Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End) — one of the most respected works of Islamic history — filtered through rigorous hadith scholarship to present only what is authentically established. The prophets covered include:

Adam · Idris (Enoch) · Nuh (Noah) · Hud · Salih · Ibrahim (Abraham) · Ismail (Ishmael) · Ishaq (Isaac) · Yaqub (Jacob) · Lut (Lot) · Shuaib · Yusuf (Joseph) · Ayyub (Job) · Dhul-Kifl · Yunus (Jonah) · Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) · Dawud (David) · Sulaiman (Solomon) · Zakariyyah (Zechariah) · Yahya (John) · Isa (Jesus) · and more

Authentically Grounded in Qur'an and Sunnah

Ibn Kathir was meticulous about distinguishing between what is established in the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah, what is reported from the People of the Book (Isra'iliyyat) with appropriate caveats, and what is rejected as unreliable. This makes the book markedly different from popular stories-of-the-prophets books that freely mix authentic narrations with Isra'iliyyat without distinction. A reader of this book knows what the Qur'an and Sunnah actually say about each prophet.

The Correct Aqeedah Toward the Prophets

The book opens by establishing the correct Islamic position on the prophets — that belief in all of them is obligatory, that exaggerating about any of them beyond what Allah has established is impermissible, and that denying any of them is a form of disbelief. This grounding in correct aqeedah makes the book not only historically rich but theologically sound.

About the Author

Imam Isma'il ibn Kathir (700–774 AH) studied under Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and wrote across tafsir, hadith and Islamic history. His Tafsir is taught throughout the Muslim world, and Stories of the Prophets is drawn from his history Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah. Translated by Husain Maqbool; revised second edition published by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH).

Who This Book Is For

This is an essential reference for every Muslim home. It is suitable for adults, teenagers, and older children who can read independently. It makes an excellent family read-aloud book, a supplementary text for Islamic schools and halaqahs, and a meaningful gift for a new Muslim who wants to understand the stories of the prophets directly from the Islamic sources.

Continue Reading

For this author's tafsir work, see the 10-volume abridged Tafsir Ibn Kathir and our guide Books by Ibn Kathir: where to start. For the life of the final Messenger, see our guide to the 3 essential Seerah books every Muslim should read, or browse the Seerah and biography collection.