[The Messengers, Angels, and Books of God]
وَقَدْ رُوِيَ بَيَانُ عَدَدِهِمْ فِي بَعْضِ الأَحَادِيثِ، وَالأَوْلَى أَنْ لاَ يُقْتَصَرَ عَلَى عَدَدٍ فِي التَّسْمِيَةِ؛ فَقَدْ قالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿ . . . مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ . . .﴾ (غافر، 40 :78 )، وَلاَ يُؤْمَنُ فِي ذِكْرِ الْعَدَدِ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِيهِمْ مَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ، أَوْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ هُوَ فِيهِمْ، وَكُلُّهُمْ كَانُوا مُخْبِرِينَ مُبَلِّغِينَ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، صَادِقِينَ نَاصِحِينَ. وَأَفْضَلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ مُحَمَّدٌ عَلَيْهِ الصلاةُ و السَّلاَمُ.
032- A statement of their number has been handed down in several traditions, but it is preferable not to limit their number in naming them, for God, the exalted, said, Of some of them we have told thee their stories, and of others we have not [Q. 40:78]. And there is no security in a statement of their number against there being entered in some who are not among them, or of there being excluded some who are of them. All of them were narrators conveying information from God, the exalted, veracious and sincere. The most excellent of the prophets is Muḥammad (may the peace and blessings of God be upon him).