In Islamic lore, Islam is as old as creation. Allah, which is Arabic for ‘the’ God, created 1,24,000 prophets (paigambar), who encouraged all humans to follow the path prescribed by God. Of these, only 25 are referred to in the Quran, and they reveal many commonalities with prophets and patriarchs mentioned in Jewish lore.

Four of Allah’s messengers were special (rasul) as they actually carried God’s messages, in the original form. They were Musa (Moses), Dawood (David), Isa (Jesus) and Prophet Muhammad, who brought Torah, Psalms, Gospel and Quran to humanity. Dawood is associated with singing, yet in orthodox Muslim circles music is ‘haram’, against God’s law. There are whispers in Islamic occult circles of secret messages given to Ibrahim and to Suleiman (Solomon). The latter knew how to control Djinn (genie) that enabled him to build grand temples of stone overnight.