This talk investigates the early Qur'ān exegesis of Muqātil b. Sulaymān who lived in the turbulent period of socio-political transition from the Umayyads to the Abbasids. I analyze his interpretations of selected Qur'ānic presentations of the prophets, their struggles, responses to difficulties, and searches for certainty. Further, I discuss Muqātil's stances on the prophets in light of his theological leanings of the irjā' - the postponing of judgement regarding religious and ethical transgressions of others. In this, Muqātil highlights self-accountability and forgiving as prime qualities for the believers in following the prophetic examples.