Hanif

In Islam, the term ḥanīf (Arabic: حنيف, lit. 'a renunciate [of idolatry]') refers to any pre-Islamic Arabian who followed Abrahamic monotheism. These jahiliyyah-era renunciates shunned Arabian polytheism and worshipped the Abrahamic God. The word is found twelve times in the Quran: ten times in the singular form and twice in the plural form.^[1] According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad himself was a ḥanīf (before he met the angel Gabriel) and a direct descendant of Abraham's eldest son Ishmael.^[2] Likewise, all Islamic prophets and messengers before Muhammad—that is, those affiliated with Judaism and/or Christianity, such as Moses and Jesus—are classified as ḥunafā' to underscore their God-given infallibility.^[2]