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al-Anbiya — The Prophets: Universal Prophethood and the Ismaili Natiq Schema

الأَنبِيَاءُ — النُّبُوَّةُ الكَونِيَّةُ وَمَنهَجُ النَّاطِقِينَ فِي الفِكرِ الإِسمَاعِيلِي
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Al-Anbiya (الأَنبِيَاء — the prophets; plural of *nabi*; from *n-b-' / n-b-w* — to bring news/announce; the nabi is the one who brings news from the divine realm to humanity; the Quran uses both *nabi* (prophet) and *rasul* (messenger/sent one), with various scholars distinguishing between the two: a rasul brings a new divine law/scripture while a nabi confirms a prior message) is the Quranic category for the long chain of human beings chosen by Allah to receive revelation and guide their communities. The 25 named prophets in the Quran include all the major Abrahamic figures: Adam, Idris, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, Ismail, Ishaq, Ya'qub, Yusuf, Shu'ayb, Ayyub, Musa, Harun, Dawud, Sulayman, Ilyas, Al-Yasa', Dhul-Kifl, Yunus, Zakariyya, Yahya, 'Isa, and Muhammad. The five *ulu al-'azm* (Prophets of Resolute Will): Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, 'Isa, and Muhammad — each bringing a major divine law (*sharia*) that superseded the previous. The universal doctrine: *'And there is no nation but that there has passed within it a warner.'* (35:24) — prophethood is not a Near Eastern phenomenon alone but has been sent to every human community throughout history. In Ismaili theology, the prophets are organized in the *dawr al-kashf* (cycle of disclosure) schema: six *natiq* (speaking prophets) who brought new divine laws — Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, 'Isa, Muhammad — each with an *asas* (foundation/executor) — Shith, Sam, Ismail, Harun/Yushua', Sham'un, 'Ali — who maintained the batin of each natiq's message.

The 25 Prophets Named in the Quran

The Abrahamic chain: The Quran presents prophetic history as a continuous chain — each prophet confirming the one before and anticipating the one after. The Prophet Ibrahim is the qibla of this chain: from him descend both the Ismaili line (through Ismail → Muhammad) and the Israelite line (through Ishaq → Ya’qub/Israel → Yusuf, Musa, Dawud, Sulayman, Zakariyya, Yahya, ‘Isa). The two lines converge in the Quran’s message: the same divine project from Adam to Muhammad.

Ulu al-‘azm (the five resolute): ‘And already We took a covenant from the prophets and from you and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and ‘Isa, the son of Maryam.’ (33:7) — five prophets of epochal significance, each who received a complete divine law (sharia) and whose covenants ground the prophetic tradition. The traditional list: Nuh (perseverance through rejection), Ibrahim (test of slaughter), Musa (long exile and patience with Israel), ‘Isa (spiritual depth without political success), Muhammad (combination of all).

See also: Nubuwwa, Ibrahim Al Khalil, Musa Al Kalim, Nuh, Dawud Wa Sulayman, Yusuf Al Siddiq, Isa Ibn Maryam

The Ismaili Natiq Schema

Six natiq, six asas: Ismaili cosmological history is structured around six natiq (speaking/law-giving prophets) and their corresponding asas (foundations/executors who maintained the inner/batin dimension of each dispensation):

Natiq (zahir law)Asas (batin guardian)
AdamShith (Seth)
NuhSam (Shem)
IbrahimIsmail
MusaHarun / Yushua’ (Joshua)
‘IsaSham’un (Simon/Peter)
Muhammad’Ali ibn Abi Talib

After Muhammad (the sixth and final natiq), the asas becomes the Imam — the line of ‘Ali and Fatima carrying the batin of the Muhammadan revelation through the Imamate.

The seventh: Ismaili theology anticipates a seventh natiq — the Qa’im — who will inaugurate the dawr al-kiyamat (cycle of resurrection) and reveal the full inner meaning of all previous religious laws, dissolving the zahir into pure batin. This seventh is identified in different Ismaili traditions but remains a future eschatological figure.

See also: Imamah, Ismaili Philosophy, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Al Zahir Al Batin, Nass Designation, Fatimid Caliphate, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Understanding Walayah, Akhira And Afterlife

See also: Nubuwwa, Ibrahim Al Khalil, Musa Al Kalim, Nuh, Dawud Wa Sulayman, Yusuf Al Siddiq, Isa Ibn Maryam, Imamah, Ismaili Philosophy, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Al Zahir Al Batin, Nass Designation, Fatimid Caliphate, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Understanding Walayah, Akhira And Afterlife

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