Does the Quran Say Muhammad (PBUH) Was the First Muslim?

The Quran does not present Muhammad (PBUH) as the first human being to submit to Allah — it presents him as the first of his own nation to fully embrace that submission after receiving the final revelation. Three verses use this phrasing: Quran 6:14, Quran 6:163, and Quran 39:12. 

In each case, the Prophet (PBUH) is commanded by Allah to say these words to a specific audience — the polytheists of Makkah who worshipped idols alongside, or instead of, Allah. This is not chronological priority over Adam or Ibrahim; it is a declaration of sincerity and precedence within his own community, distinguishing him from those around him who clung to shirk (associating partners with Allah). 

1. Prophet Muhammad Is Commanded in the Quran to Declare Himself First to Submit

This verse instructs Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to publicly reject any protector besides Allah and to announce his own precedence in submission among the disbelievers he was addressing.

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ ۗ قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ ۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Say, “Is it other than Allah I should take as a protector, Creator of the heavens and the earth, while it is He who feeds and is not fed?” Say, [O Muhammad], “Indeed, I have been commanded to be the first [among you] who submit [to Allah] and [was commanded], ‘Do not ever be of the polytheists.’ “‘” (Quran 6:14)

2. Prophet Muhammad in the Quran Ties His Entire Life to Allah Alone as the First Muslim

Here the Prophet (PBUH) declares that his prayer, sacrifice, life, and death belong entirely to Allah, with no partner, and affirms his own place as first among the Muslims of his people.

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

“Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. (162) No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.”” (Quran 6:162-163)

3. The Prophet Is Ordered To Worship Allah With Complete Sincerity As Leader Of The Submitters

This verse pairs sincere worship (ikhlas) with the Prophet’s role as first among those who submit, tying the concept of being “first” directly to sincerity of intention rather than historical sequence.

قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion. And I have been commanded to be the first [among you] of the Muslims.'” (Quran 39:11-12)

Read Also: What Does the Quran Say About Life?

Earlier Prophets Are Also Called Muslims In The Quran

The Quran identifies submission to Allah — Islam in its linguistic sense — as the religion of every prophet before Muhammad (PBUH), which is why figures like Ibrahim, Musa, and even Adam’s family are described using the same term. Ibrahim (Abraham) is explicitly called neither Jewish nor Christian but a Muslim who submitted to Allah:

مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَٰكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Ibrahim was neither Jewish nor Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of those who associated others with Allah.” (Quran 3:67)

Musa (Moses) similarly instructs his people to place their trust in Allah “if you should be Muslims”, using the same root word (aslamtum) that gives Islam its name (Quran 10:84). 

This is precisely why classical scholars of tafsir read “first of the Muslims” in 6:14, 6:163, and 39:12 as first among the audience being addressed — the Quraysh and the wider Arab nation receiving the final message — not first in the entire history of mankind. 

Read Also: What Does the Quran Say About Love and Relationships?

What Does the Quran Say About Adam and Islam’s Universal Message?

The Quran does not use the phrase “first Muslim” for Adam, though many popular explanations describe him this way because he was the first human being to submit to Allah’s command after his creation. 

Allah’s selection of key figures across history

— “Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imran over the worlds” (Quran 3:33) —

reflects a single lineage of submission running from the first human being to the final Messenger. 

This is the framework behind the nine core Islamic principles: Islam is presented not as one option among world religions but as the restored and complete form of the same monotheism Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa (Jesus) all taught. 

Read Also: What Does the Quran Say About Lying?

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Summary

The Quran’s description of Muhammad (PBUH) as “first of the Muslims” refers to his precedence among the Quraysh, not to being history’s earliest believer. Ibrahim, Musa, and Adam all appear in the Quran as earlier examples of submission to Allah.

Reading each verse through its original audience removes any tension between these passages. This continuity across every prophet reflects Islam’s core claim: one message, renewed and completed, not reinvented, in the final revelation.

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