Biblical and Quranic narratives

The Quran, the central religious text of
Islam, contains references to more than
fifty people and events also found in the
Bible. While the stories told in each book
are generally comparable, important
differences sometimes emerge. The
versions written in the Hebrew Bible and
the Christian New Testament predate the
Quran's versions archaeologically. As
such, non-Muslims regard the Quran's
versions as being derived directly or
indirectly from the earlier materials.
Muslims understand the Quran's versions
to be witness accounts from an
omnipotent God. As such, Muslims
generally hold that the earlier versions are
distorted through flawed processes of
transmission and interpretation, and
understand the Quran's versions to be
more accurate to the actual events.
Often, stories related in the Quran tend to
concentrate on the moral or spiritual
significance of events rather than the
details. [1] Biblical stories come from
diverse sources and authors, so their
attention to detail varies individually.
Torah narratives
Adam and Eve (ﺁﺩﻡ Adam and
ﺣﻮﺍﺀ Hawwaa)
Main articles: Adam , Eve, Adam and
Eve, and Adam in Islam
According to one of the Genesis creation
narratives, God initially created the first
human, a man named Adam, from the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life ; thereafter God
created a woman named Eve from one of
Adam's ribs. God placed them in the
paradisiacal Garden of Eden, telling them
to eat any food there they wished, except
that from a single tree, the "tree of the
knowledge of good and evil", warning that
if they did eat from the tree, they would
die. [2] According to the story, a Serpent
(often believed to be Satan) tempted them
to partake of fruit from the tree, telling
them that they would become like God
themselves by doing so; both then ate
from it. Immediately thereafter, they
became ashamed and covered their
nakedness with leaves. [3] God questioned
them concerning their actions, reminding
them of His command to not eat of the
tree. [4] He next put enmity between the
woman and the serpent, and between
humans and the 'tempter', [5] then forced
Adam and Eve to leave the garden,
following which these two humans then
populated the earth. [6]
According to the Islamic creation narrative
in the Quran, before creating Adam from
clay by uttering the simple word "Be", [7]
God informed the Angels of His divine plan
to "create a vicegerent on earth". When
they asked him "will You place therein one
who will do harm and shed blood, while
we, we hymn Your praise and sanctify
You?" He said: "Surely I know that which
you know not." [8] After creating Adam,
God taught him the names of all things as
well as those of the Angels, which Adam
then repeated correctly after the Angels
were unable to comply when God asked
them to do so from their own
knowledge. [9] God next commanded all of
the angels to prostrate themselves before
God, to honour God's new creation and to
display obedience to God.[10][11][12] All
of them did except for Iblis (thereafter
known as Shaitaan), was arrogant and
refused to comply because he thought
Adam was inferior to him because he was
created from clay, while Iblis was created
from fire. Shaitaan subsequently swore to
mislead mankind from the "straight path
of God", [13] and God responded to his
arrogance and disobedience by expelling
him from Heaven.
Islam believes that God thoroughly forgave
Adam and Eve their transgression when
they begged His mercy; while in the
biblical story death is a punishment for
transgressing God's command and death
remains on Adam, Eve and their
descendants. [14]
Among the many significant differences
between the stories are:
In the Bible, God tells the man to name
the animals. [15] In the Quran, God
teaches Adam the names "of all things"
and Adam repeats them. [16]
In the second of the Bible's creation
stories, the woman is created from the
rib of the man. In the Quran, Eve is not
mentioned by name, but it states that
all mankind were "created from one
and created from it, its mate". Details
of Eve's creation are not mentioned in
Quran. [17][18]
In the Bible, the forbidden tree is named
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil ( 3:5 ), and while its fruit is often
depicted as an apple, the Bible does not
describe the fruit. [19] In the Quran the
forbidden tree is not named but
Shaitaan calls it The Tree of Eternity to
deceive Adam and his wife. [16]
In the Bible, God creates man in His
own image. [20] In the Quran, God says
"There is nothing like unto Him." [21]
In the Quran, God tells the angels to
prostrate before Adam (as a sign of
respect and obedience), but Iblis
(thereafter referred to as Shaitaan)
refuses. [22] In the Bible, no such
account is given.
According to the Bible, because of
God's curse, serpents have to crawl and
eat dust, women have to suffer in
childbirth, and men have to sweat for a
living. [23] This apparently differentiates
blessing and obedience from pain and
sinning. According to the Quran, no
such curse was issued. The difficulties
of life on earth are what makes it
different from life in paradise.
(See also: Bible: Book of
Genesis : 2:4 ,4:1 , and Qur'an: Surah
Al-Baqara :30-39, [24] Surah Al-A'raf :19–
27, [25] and Surah Ta-Ha :115. [26]
Cain and Abel (Qābīl and
Hābīl)
Main articles: Cain and Abel , Cain and
Abel in Islam , and Biblical figures in
Islamic tradition § Cain and Abel
See Genesis 4:1–16 and Al-Ma'ida
Quran 5:27–32 .
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had
two sons: Cain, the eldest, and Abel, his
brother. Each made sacrifices to God, but
God only accepted Abel's sacrifice and
offering, and not Cain's because Abel gave
the best of his flocks, indicating that God
came first in his heart. Cain, on the other
hand, gave a sacrifice from the fruit of his
ground, which shows that he was more
focused upon only making a sacrifice
rather than pleasing the Lord.(Gen.
4:1-7 ; see Al-Ma'ida Quran 5:30–
32 ). Although God attempted to
remonstrate with Cain about his attitude,
Cain refused to listen and ultimately
murdered his brother, Abel (see Al-Ma'ida
Quran 5:30 ; Gen. 4:8 ). Cain was
subsequently called to account by God,
who condemned him to a lifetime of
wandering and fruitless toil, while
promising to take vengeance upon any
who tried to avenge his brother's blood
upon him. Abel, on the other hand was
regarded by the Bible as righteous.
The Quran relates a slightly different
version; as in the Bible, both offered
sacrifice and Cain's was rejected; Cain
threatens Abel, who points out that killing
him would put Cain among the
companions of the fire; Cain murders Abel,
but regrets it. The Quran then draws a
lesson: Because of that, We decreed upon
the Children of Israel that whoever kills a
soul unless for a soul or for corruption
[done] in the land - it is as if he had slain
mankind entirely. And whoever saves one
- it is as if he had saved mankind entirely'
Compare the last part with the Talmud
Yerushalmi (Mishnayot), Mishnah
Sanhedrin Tractate 4:5, and Folia 23a,
and in the Talmud Bavli Folia 37a.
לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי ללמדך שכל המאבד
נפש אחת ‏[ מישראל ‏] מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו
איבד עולם מלא וכל'המקיים נפש אחת
מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם
Therefore, humans were created singly, to
teach you that whoever destroys a single
soul [of Israel], Scripture accounts it as if
he had destroyed a full world; and
whoever saves one soul of Israel, Scripture
accounts it as if she had saved a full
world. ( [27] )
Noah (ﻧﻮﺡ Nūḥ)
Main articles: Noah in Islam and Noah
See Genesis 6:5–9:29 and mainly Hud
11:25–48 as well as Al-A'raf 7:59–
64 , Yunus 10:71–73 , Al-Muminun
23:23–28 , Ash-Shu'ara 26:105–121 ,
Al-Qamar 54:9–16 , and all of Nuh
71:1–28
Noah is described in the Bible as a
righteous man who lived among a "wicked
people". God decided to kill all the people
through a vast flood, while saving the
righteous Noah and his immediate family;
so he commanded Noah to build an Ark,
using God's own instructions. (Gen. 6:9–
16 ; Hud 11:39 ) Noah did so and he,
his family, seven pairs of birds and
"clean" (hoofed) animals, and two of each
other animal species (a female and a
male) board the Ark (Gen. 6:19 ; Hud
11:42 ). Water gushes up from the
ground and rains fall from the sky,
flooding the earth and killing all the
wicked. (Gen. 7:11–12 ; Al-Qamar
54:11–13 ). All aboard the Ark are safe
until the waters retreat (Gen. 8:14 ; Hud
11:44 ). There is disagreement among
Jews, Christians and Muslims concerning
whether the flood was local or
global. [ citation needed ]
There are several differences between the
biblical and Quranic versions of the story
of Noah:
The Quran focuses on a dialogue
between Noah and the wicked (Hud
11:32–37 ), in which Noah
unsuccessfully attempts to remonstrate
with his countrymen, who reject his
message. Genesis does not mention
such a dialogue. (In the Christian Bible,
2Peter2:5, Noah is called a "preacher of
righteousness".)
In the Quran, Noah's wife and one of
his sons reject him (Hud 11:43 ) and
die in the flood, while some people
outside his family are faithful and join
him (Hud 11:42 ). In the biblical
narrative, Noah's wife together with his
three sons and their wives all board the
Ark, but no others.
In the Quran, there is no such indication
that the flood was universal:, although
many Islamic scholars claim to
interpret otherwise.
In the Quran, the Ark is said to rest on
the hills of Mount Judi (Hud 11:44 );
in the Bible, it is said to rest on the
mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4 ) The
Al-Djoudi (Judi) is apparently a mount
in the biblical mountain range of Ararat.
The Quran cites a particular mount in
the Ararat Range, whereas the Bible just
mentions the Ararat Range by name.
There is a Mount Al-Djoudi in the
present-day Ararat mountain range in
Turkey.
Abraham (Ibrāhīm ﺍﺑﺮﺍﻫﻴﻢ )
Main articles: Abraham in Islam and
Abraham
Promised a son
Main article: Isaac in Islam
See Genesis 18:1–15 , 22:1–20 and
Hud 11:69–74 , Al-Hijr 15:51–56 , As-
Saaffat 37:102–109 , and Adh-Dhariyat
51:24–30 . Several messengers come to
Abraham on their way to destroy the
people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham
welcomes them into his tent and provides
them with food. They then promise their
host that Isaac (ʾIsḥāq ﺇﺳﺤٰﻖ) will soon be
born to Abraham's wife, Sarah (Sārah
ﺳﺎﺭﺓ ). Sarah laughs at the idea because
she is far too old to bear children. The
Hebrew name יצחק means 'he laughs" and
is one of the literary tropes in the biblical
story. These literary connections are
typically lost in Quranic versions of
biblical stories.
Genesis 18:12 "After I am waxed old
shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also?"
Hud 11:72 ( Yusuf Ali ) . "She said:
"Alas for me! shall I bear a child,
seeing I am an old woman, and my
husband here is an old man? That
would indeed be a wonderful thing!""
The angels rebuke her, telling her that by
God's will she can bear a son. A
conversation ensues in which Abraham
admits that he wished God to have mercy
on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Sacrifices his son
Main articles: Ishmael in Islam and
Ishmael
In another narrative, Abraham receives a
command (in his dream) from God to
sacrifice his son. Abraham agrees to this
and prepares to carry out the sacrifice.
Before he can do so, however, God tells
him to stop and gives him a replacement
sacrifice. Abraham is subsequently
honored for his faithfulness to God. (As-
Saaffat 37:102–108 ; Genesis 22:2–
18 )
However, there are several differences
between the biblical and Quranic
accounts: [ citation needed]
In Genesis, the sacrificial son is Isaac,
whereas in the Quran name of the son
is not mentioned explicitly, however
Muslims assume it is Ishmaeil (As-
Saaffat 37:102–112 ). Therefore,
Muslims assumes the sacrificial son
was Ishmael (Ismā'īl ﺇﺳﻤﺎﻋﻴﻞ) and that
this event happened prior to Isaac's
birth. It may be added that the name
Abraham is a literary trope in Genesis
Ab- "father-of(-many-nations)" while
the Arabic name masks the connection.
In the New Testament the son is Isaac
(James 2:21).
While God seems to speak directly to
Abraham in Genesis, He speaks through
a vision in the Quran.
In the Quran, Abraham directly tells his
son (Again name is not mentioned in
the text however assumed to be
Ishmael (Ismā'īl ﺇﺳﻤﺎﻋﻴﻞ)) that he
intends to sacrifice him. In Genesis,
Abraham tells Isaac, that "God will
provide the sacrifice."
Abraham's Journeys in the
Bible and Quran
The Bible describes Abraham as in Iraq-
Syria, then in Canaan, Paran and Egypt,
with his final days in Canaan and Hebron.
Both Isaac and Ishmael attend Abraham's
funeral.
The Quran mentions that Abraham left his
wife and Ishmael (as an infant) in the land
where present-day Mecca is, while he left
to what was apparently Palestine.
Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah
(Lūṭ ﻟﻮﻁ and "The People of
Lot")
Main articles: Lot (Bible) , Lot in Islam ,
and Sodom and Gomorrah
According to the Bible, after visiting
Abraham, two angels go to the city of
Sodom in which Abraham's nephew Lot is
a foreigner. They tell him God will soon
destroy the city because of the wickedness
of the people. The men of the city, upon
hearing that Lot is entertaining male
visitors, converge upon his house and
demand that the men be brought out so
that they can have sex with them. Lot
offers his daughters in their place, but the
men insist upon raping the angels instead.
After blinding the city's inhabitants, the
angels tell Lot and his family to flee by
night and to not look back. The following
morning, God destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah with a shower of fiery stones
from the sky. Lot's wife looked back to
see the burning city and was turned into a
pillar of salt. [28]
The story continues further after the
destruction of the twin cities, with Lot
leaving Zoar (where he had fled for
refuge) with his two daughters to live in a
cave. [29] Fearing that all the men were
dead, the daughters decided that in order
to 'preserve the seed of their father ' and
procreate , they must have sexual
intercourse with him; [30] they decide to
get him into a drunken stupor so as to be
able to 'lie with him' and obtain his
seed .[31] And so they each sleep with
their father (one each on successive
nights), having intoxicated him to a point
wherein he could 'perceive not', [32][33]
[34] and thus get impregnated by him. The
Bible then continues "And the firstborn
bare a son, and called his name Moab:
the same is the father of the Moabites
unto this day. And the younger, she also
bare a son, and called his name Ben-
ammi: the same is the father of the
children of Ammon unto this day". [35][36]
The biblical story of Lot ends here.
According to the Quran, Lot (or Lut, as he
is called in the Quran) was a Prophet. He
was also a nephew of Prophet Ibrahim
( Abraham ). [citation needed ] A group of
Angels visited Ibrahim as guests [37] and
gave him glad tidings of a son "endowed
with wisdom"; [38][39] they told him that
they had been sent by God to the "guilty
people" [40] of Sodom,[41] to destroy
them[42][43] with "a shower of stones of
clay ( brimstone)" [44] and deliver Lot and
those who believed in him. However, Lot's
wife was specifically excluded, with the
angels saying "she is of those who lag
behind". [45][46] The Quran draws upon
Lot's wife as an "example for the
unbelievers", as she was married to a
righteous man but refused to believe in his
words; hence, she was condemned to the
Hellfire ; [47] otherwise, the story of them
leaving the city proceeds much as in the
Bible. The story of Lot in the Quran ends
after describing the destruction of the city.
There are several differences between the
Quran and Bible:
In the Quran, Lot is described a prophet,
like his uncle Abraham. In Genesis
(Genesis 19:1–29), Lot is not described
as a prophet. In the New Testament, (2
Peter 2:7,8) Peter the Apostle describes
Lot as a righteous man who was daily
tormented by the lawless deeds he saw
in Sodom.
In both the Bible and in the Quran,
Abraham pleads for God to have mercy
(Quran 11:75 ; Gen. 18:24–33). In
Genesis, God agrees to spare Sodom if
just ten righteous men can be found
there (but they are not found). In the
Quran, God commands Abraham not to
ask for mercy on them. 11:76
In Genesis, Lot's wife leaves with Lot
but turns around briefly and God turns
her into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26). In
the Quran, there is no mention of her
leaving; rather Lot and his followers
were commanded by the angels not to
turn, but Lot is informed that his wife
will turn and look behind (quran hud
11:123), and thus be destroyed with the
rest of the two cities. 11:81
Following the destruction of Sodom, the
Bible describes an incestous event
between Lot and his two daughters, at
his daughters' behest, in Genesis
19:30-38. The Quran does not describe
any such event, and Muslims reject any
such occurrence . [ citation needed]
(See Also: Bible: Genesis 19:1–26 .
Quran: Surah Al-Hijr 57–77, Surah Hud
74–83, Surah Al-A'raf 80–84, Surah Ash-
Shu'ara 160–174, Surah An-Naml 54–58,
Surah Al-Ankabut 28–35, Surah As-
Saaffat 133–138, Surah Adh-Dhariyat 31–
37, and Surah Al-Qamar 36–39.)
Joseph (Yūsuf ﻳﻮﺳﻒ )
The narratives of Joseph can be found in
Genesis 37–45 and in the Quran 12.4–
102.
In both the Bible and the Quran, Joseph
has a vision of eleven stars and the sun
and the moon all bowing to him which he
shares with his family.
(Genesis 37:9) And he dreamed yet
another dream, and told it his brothers,
and said, "Behold, I have dreamed a
dream more; and, behold, the sun and the
moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me."
(Yusuf|12.4) Behold! Joseph said to his
father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars
and the sun and the moon: I saw them
prostrate themselves to me!"
Joseph's brothers became jealous that
their father preferred Joseph over them,
and so they form a plot to kill Joseph.
However, one brother convinces them not
to kill him but throw him down a well
while they are alone. The brothers come
to the father asking his permission to take
Joseph out with them to enjoy and play
with them. Jacob expresses his
reservations against letting him go with
them and expressing fear about a wild
animal killing him while they were not
careful about him. The sons assure the
father of their being a mighty group
against any threats to Joseph. The father
eventually agrees to send Yusuf with them
(in the Quran), while in the Bible, Jacob
sends Joseph out of his own accord
without sons trying to persuade him to let
him go with them. (Yusuf|12.8–10;
Genesis 37:20–22) They agree. They
subsequently lie to their father as to
Joseph's whereabouts, covering his
clothing in blood and asserting that a wild
animal had attacked him. A caravan
passing the well inspires the brothers to
pull Joseph out of the well and to sell him
as a slave to traders in the caravan. Later
the traders sell him to a wealthy Egyptian.
(Genesis 37:27–36; Yusuf|12.20–22)
Joseph grows up in the house of the
Egyptian. When Joseph is a grown man,
his master's wife tries to seduce him.
Joseph resists and runs away, but is
caught by other servants and reported to
his master. The wife lies to her husband,
saying that Joseph tried to rape her.
(Yusuf|12.25; Gen. 39:12); At this point
the two stories differ.
In the Bible, Joseph's master (named as
Potiphar) refuses to believe Joseph's
denial and imprisons him. In the Quran,
Joseph's master (who is only identified as
"the Vizier") accepts the suggestion of
another wise person to check Joseph's
tunic. If it is torn from the front, the wise
person asserts, it will prove Joseph a liar;
but if it is torn from the back (as proves
to be the case), Joseph will be vindicated
and the master's wife proven a liar and an
adulteress. The Vizier reprimands his wife,
and permits Joseph to remain in his
household. However, during a subsequent
dinner party thrown by the Vizier's wife to
prove the reason of her lust for Joseph,
Joseph is commanded to appear before
the wife and her ladyfriends; they cut their
hands with knives out of lust for him, and
although the Vizier again recognizes
Joseph's innocence, he orders him
imprisoned nevertheless. In prison, Joseph
meets two men. One has a dream of
making wine and the other dreams of
carrying a stack of breads that birds are
eating. Joseph tells the first that he will
serve the Pharaoh again and the second
will be executed. Both things happen,
precisely as Joseph foretold. Although
Joseph asks the first man to bring his
name and unjust imprisonment to the
attention of the Pharaoh, (referred to in
the Quran as only the King, not a
Pharaoh) the first man quickly forgets
about him once restored to the royal
favor.
Sometime thereafter, Pharaoh had a
dream:
(Genesis 41:17–24) "17.Then Pharaoh
said to Joseph, "In my dream I was
standing on the bank of the Nile, 18.when
out of the river there came up seven cows,
fat and sleek, and they grazed among the
reeds. 19.After them, seven other cows
came up – scrawny and very ugly and
lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in
all the Land of Egypt. 20. The lean, ugly
cows ate up the seven fat cows that came
up first. 21.But even after they ate them,
no one could tell that they had done so;
they looked just as ugly as before. Then I
woke up." 22." In my dreams I also saw
seven heads of grain, full and good,
growing on a single stalk. 23.After them,
seven other heads sprouted – withered
and thin and scorched by the east wind.
24.The thin heads of grain swallowed up
the seven good heads. I told this to the
magicians, but none could explain it to
me."
(Quran: Yusuf|12.43) The king (of Egypt)
said: "I do see (in a vision) seven fat kine,
whom seven lean ones devour, and seven
green ears of corn, and seven (others)
withered. O ye chiefs! Expound to me my
vision if it be that ye can interpret
visions."
Pharaoh's cup-bearer, who had been
previously imprisoned with Joseph,
suddenly remembers his promise and tells
Pharaoh about the man who foretold his
own restoration to favor. Pharaoh sent to
the prison, asking Joseph to interpret his
dream.
In the Quranic account, Joseph insists that
the Vizier's wife vindicate him before the
king before Joseph will agree to do so
(this is not mentioned in the Bible);
Pharaoh summons the Vizier's wife, who
admits her lies about Joseph and
proclaims his innocence. The Quran now
rejoins the biblical narrative, where Joseph
reveals the meaning of the king's dream:
Egypt will have seven years of good crops
followed by seven years of famine and the
famine will be worse than the abundance.
The king rewarded Joseph by giving him
charge over the store houses and the
entire land of Egypt.
During the famine, Joseph's brothers
came to Egypt to buy food, but the
youngest was left with their father. While
Joseph recognized them, they did not
recognize him. He demanded that they
return with the missing brother. The
brothers return home and find that Joseph
had hidden in their packs more than they
paid for. They asked their father if they
might return with the youngest brother.
Reluctantly, their father allows this. They
return, and after some further incidents
Joseph ultimately reveals himself to his
brothers. (Genesis 45:1; Yusuf| 12.90).
In both the Quran and the Bible, the
missing brother is Benjamin, (Arabic: ﺑﻦ
ﻳﺎﻣﻴﻦ) Joseph's only full blood brother.
The others are half-brothers.
The Qur'an correctly does not refer to the
king of Egypt during Joseph's time as the
"Pharaoh." The titular word "Pharaoh" was
given to the kings of Egypt during the New
Kingdom period later historically. This
distinction is not found in the Bible.
Moses (Mūsā ﻣﻮﺳﻰ )
Main articles: Moses in Islam and
Moses
In the Bible, the narratives of Moses are in
Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers , and
Deuteronomy . The narratives here are
mostly in Exodus 1–14 and 32. In the
Quran, the Moses narratives are in the
following passages: 2 .49–61, 7 .103–160,
10 .75–93, 17 .101–104, 20 .9–97, 26 .10–
66, 27 .7–14, 28 .3–46, 40 .23–30, 43 .46–
55, 44 .17–31, and 79 .15–25.
Pharaoh slew the young male children of
the Israelites (II:46), and to avoid this
fate, Moses' mother cast Moses as an
infant into a small ark, where God
protected him. Moses was found by the
household of the Pharaoh, who adopted
him. Moses' sister, Miriam, had followed
Moses, and she recommended that his
own mother serve as nurse to him. When
Moses became an adult, he saw an
Egyptian fighting with an Israelite, and he
interceded and killed the Egyptian. The
next day, the Israelite asked whether
Moses intended to kill him as well. The
Pharaoh tried to have Moses killed and
Moses fled to a watering place in Midian .
He met some sisters and watered their
herd. When the women's father, Jethro ,
learned of Moses, he invited him to stay
and gave him a daughter, Zipporah , to
marry.
In Midian, Moses saw a fire and
approached it. God spoke to him, and told
him to remove his shoes. God said that he
had chosen Moses. God said to throw
down his staff and to stretch out his arm
as signs. His staff turned into a serpent
and then returned to the form of a staff.
His arm became white although he was
not sick. God commanded him to go to
Pharaoh to deliver a message. Moses said
that he could not speak well. So God
provided Aaron, his brother, to help Moses
speak.
God sent Moses to the court of Pharaoh .
Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses.
Moses threw down his staff and it became
a serpent. Pharaoh's magicians also threw
down their staffs which turned into snakes.
But the snakes of Pharaoh's magicians
were swallowed by Moses' serpent. God
caused a famine. God sent plagues of
locusts, frogs, blood, and destruction. God
sent at least nine signs to Pharaoh but
Pharaoh disregarded the first few signs
and when he couldn't disregard them any
longer, he agreed to let the Israelites go
but after God allowed tranquility, Pharaoh
still stubbornly refused to let the Israelites
go so God made every first-born Egyptian
son die and spared every Israelite (the first
Passover). Pharaoh became hysterical and
demanded that Moses and the Israelites
leave at once only to pursue them with his
army after their exit. Then God helped
Moses lead the Israelites into a desert and
across a sea. Moses struck the sea with
his staff and the sea split in half exposing
dry land (while creating a wall of water on
each side) for the Israelites to walk
through. Pharaoh and his army were
catching up to the Israelites but the water
returned to its original state. Pharaoh and
his army drowned. (Exodus 14:7, II:47)
Moses left the Hebrews for forty nights.
He put his brother Aaron in charge of the
people (Al-Baqara|2.48) On a mountain,
God gave Moses a revelation of precepts
for Israel to follow. God made tablets with
writing on them which Moses carried back
to Israel.
Moses asked to see God. The people saw
the fire and lightning and the mountain
and were afraid. While Moses was gone,
the Israelites demanded to worship an
idol. They used the gold from their
ornaments to construct a golden calf
whom they said was the god who rescued
them from Egypt. Aaron does not stop
them. Then Moses returned and chastised
them and Aaron. Many were killed for their
action. God sent down manna and quail to
eat but the Hebrews still rebelled against
God, and complained about the food.
Moses asked God for water and God
answered him. Moses struck a stone with
his staff and water came forth. The
Israelites were divided into twelve tribes.
God gave the Israelites a bountiful land,
but this occurred at different times in the
two scriptures. Besides that and the many
additional details in the
Torah ,[citation needed ] there are other
differences:
The biblical Moses is reluctant to
become a prophet and makes excuses.
He eventually agrees and Aaron speaks
and performs miracles at first until
Moses is ready and takes over. In
Quran, Aaron was made God's
messenger on Moses' request to back
him up in the difficult task. Moses
asked God to give him human support
from family, then asks for Aaron (his
brother) praising Aaron by saying that
he (Aaron) is better speaker than him
(Moses).
The sorcerers, in the Quranic story,
repent after seeing Moses' signs and
submit to God at the anger of Pharaoh.
In the Quran, Pharaoh didn't repent but
tried to deceive Moses and God by
saying that now he believes in one God,
the God of Moses and Aaron (while
drowning). But God didn't accept this
because he sought repentance at the
time of death after seeing the angels.
In the Bible, Moses first goes to
Pharaoh without showing any signs.
In Exodus, Aaron helps make the golden
calf. In the Quran, Aaron himself was a
messenger of God and was representing
Moses in his absences. He opposed
that idea with all his might and warned
the Israelites that God will be angry
with them. In the Quran, a person
named Samiri(not to be confused with
Samaritans) leads the Israelites to
worship the golden calf.
Pharaoh drowns in Exodus. In the
Quran, Pharaoh drowned as well, but
God said in the Quran that he preserved
the pharaoh's body as an example for
generations to come (or made an
example for coming generations)
( Ramesses II )
See also Aaron , Islamic view of Aaron ,
and Islamic view of Pharaoh .
Destruction of Korah (Qarun)
Main article: Korah
The story of the destruction of Korah
appears in Numbers 16:1–50 in the Torah
and in Al-Qasas 76–82 in the Quran.
Korah was an Israelite living during the
time of Moses. Because of his
wickedness, God caused him to die by
opening the ground and swallowing him
and his home (Numbers 16:31–33; Al-
Qasas|28.81). In the Quran, Karon is
simply a rich man who is too arrogant. In
the Torah, he leads a minor rebellion
against Moses. God also kills the others
who rebel with him and destroys their
homes.
Later Hebrew Bible
narratives
Gideon/Talut
In the Quran and the Bible there are
stories about smaller armies winning
victory over larger ones. One story in the
Quran and Bible share strong
resemblances, although they are placed in
different times and attributed to different
characters. The Bible story features
Gideon from the Book of Judges and the
Quran story features Talut (usually
translated as Saul ).
In the Book of Judges 6-8 of the Bible,
Gideon receives commands from God to
take the Israelites to war against the
Midianites. Gideon is reluctant, but
accedes after making God prove Himself
with three different tests. As they are
heading to fight, God tells Gideon to send
away those who are homesick or afraid of
dying. Because the army is still large
enough to credit its own strength for
victory, God tells Gideon to observe the
drinking habits of his troops at the river.
God says to send those who do not drink
with their hands, but lap the water directly
like a dog, back to their homes. The
remaining Israelites go on to victory.
In 2 :246-248 of the Quran, God chooses
Talut (generally considered to be Saul) to
lead the Israelites into battle against the
army of Goliath. On their way, God tells
Talut to warn the men that they will be
tested by God, and that they must not
drink from the next river in order to pass
the test. Despite this warning, most of the
men disobey and drink from the river. God
tells Talut to leave the disobedient
members behind, unless they only drank
one handful, so that the army will consist
of only faithful members. The army then
goes on to defeat General Goliath's army.
Saul, David and Goliath (Tālūt
ﻃﺎﻟﻮﺕ, Dāwūd ﺩﺍﻭﺩ and ﺟﺎﻟﻮﺕ
Jalut)
Main articles: Saul , Islamic view of
Saul , and Goliath
The story appears in 1 Samuel 8–12 and
17:1–58. The Prophet Samuel is
petitioned by the Israelites for a king. God
sends Samuel to appoint Saul as king,
although with the warning that kings only
take from their people. At least a few
people are not happy with Samuel's
choice, but Saul then prophecises and
wins some victories, so the people
embrace him. Later Saul falls out of God's
favor and God promises to appoint
someone else as king. The Philistines
attack and are bolstered by the fear
engendered by their champion Goliath , a
giant. God sends Samuel to recruit David,
who kills Goliath . David eventually goes
on to become Israel's new king.
A similar story appears in the Qu'ran
2 :246–251. The Israelites demand their of
prophet to appoint a king, and so God
appoints the man Talut . The people
respond poorly to the selection, upset that
Talut does not seem special. God gives
the Ark of the Covenant back to the
Israelites in order to verify His choice (this
is an event that predates Saul in the
Bible). Talut leads the men to battle
against an army lead by the General
Goliath. The Israelite army is small and
doubtful, but a few men trust that God can
still give them victory. David then kills
Goliath and becomes king of Israel. The
account also bears similarity to when
Gideon led an army. See the above
Gideon/Talut subsection.
The Queen of Sheba
Main articles: Queen of Sheba and
Islamic view of the Queen of Sheba
The story appears in 1 Kings 10:1–13 and
2 Chronicles 9: 1–13 and in verses Surah
27 20–44. The two stories have almost
nothing in common. In each, the Queen of
Sheba comes to visit Solomon and is
impressed by his wisdom and riches. In
the Bible, the visit is only diplomatic. In
the Quran, the Queen becomes monotheist
and peace is established in the kingdoms.
Although not part of the Quran, Islamic
tradition holds that the name of the Queen
of Sheba is Bilqis or Balqis.
Jonah (Yunus ﻳﻮﻧﺲ ) and the
big fish
Main articles: Jonah and Islamic view
of Jonah
In both the Bible and the Quran, Jonah is
swallowed by a "big fish", usually inferred
to be a whale. The Book of Jonah in the
Bible consists of four chapters about
Jonah's mission to Nineveh. Jonah is
referenced three times in the Quran: in
verses 139–148 of Sura 37 (As-Saaffat)
(Those who set the ranks), verses 87–88
of Sura 21: al-Anbiya' (The Prophets) and
verses 48–50 of Sura 68: al-Qalam (The
Pen)/Nun. It is mentioned in verse 98 of
Sura 10: Yunus (Jonah) and verse 86 of
Sura 6: al-An'am (The Cattle).
In the Quran, Jonah gets frustrated by his
own people and abandons them to God's
mercy, however without asking permission
from God and thus going against his given
responsibility. In the Quran, it is also
mentioned that if Jonah had not prayed
inside the belly of the fish he would have
stayed in there until the Judgement day. In
the Bible, Jonah pays a fare to sail to
Tarshish. In both stories, he boards the
ship loaded with passengers, lots are cast
and Jonah is thrown overboard and
swallowed by a large fish (Jonah 1:17,
As-Saaffat 37|142). After praying, he is
cast out of the fish and washed ashore,
and God causes a gourd to grow (37|146)
or weeds (2:5). In the Bible, Jonah
continues into Nineveh, and the city is
spared by God. In the Quran, God causes
the gourd to grow to comfort Jonah after
he lies on the shore in a sickly state (As-
Saaffat 37|145), in the Bible the gourd
plant grows up to provide shade for Jonah
while he waits for Nineveh to be destroyed
(4:6). According to an Islamic
tradition [ citation needed] however, the big
fish gets frightened at first, fearing it
might have swallowed a holy person as it
heard prayers and supplications read in a
wonderful voice from her stomach, hearing
which numerous sea creatures had
surrounded it. But she comforts herself
later since it was God's order to swallow
Jonah. After two days the fish casts him
out the beach of an island and he is very
weak. The gastric juices with the hot
sunlight burned his skin till the point he
was about to scream of pain. God causes
a vine to grow over him and provide him
fruit and shade. He recovers and goes
back to his people who had become good
after he left. According to the Bible,
Ninevah was a great city, with more than
one hundred twenty thousand people and
much livestock (Jonah 4:11). In the Quran,
the number of the people he was sent
towards as a prophet exceeded a hundred
thousand. They believed in his message
and God granted them prosperity for a
long time. (As-Saaffat 37|147–148). In
the New Testament, Jesus refers to the
Ninevites repenting at the preaching of
Jonah (Matthew 12:41, Luke 11:32).
Haman
Main articles: Haman (Bible) and
Haman (Islam)
In the Bible, Haman was an Agagite noble
and vizier of the empire under Persian
King Ahasuerus who desires to persecute
the Jews. In the Quran, Haman is an
adviser and builder under a Firaun
(Pharaoh) of ancient Egypt whose
narrative relationship with Moses is
recounted in the Quran.
The structure which Firaun commands
Haman to build is similar to the Tower of
Babel in Genesis , unrelated to the
narrative of Haman in the Bible. Both
structures are made from burnt bricks for
the purpose of ascending to the heavens.
However, it's also been suggested that
these two are different individuals. The
name "Haman" was in fact mentioned in
old Egyptian tablets which now stand in
the Hof Museum, Vienna [ citation needed]
(Walter Wreszinski, Ägyptische Inschriften
aus dem K.K. Hof Museum in Wien, 1906,
J. C. Hinrichs' sche Buchhandlung).
New Testament
narratives
Zechariah and John (Zakariya
(ﺯﻛﺮﻳﺎ) and Yahya (ﻳﺤﻴﻰ ))
Main articles: Zechariah (priest) ,
Islamic view of Zechariah , John the
Baptist, and Islamic view of John the
Baptist
The story of Zechariah is told in the
Gospel of Luke 1:5–80 and Luke 3:1–22
and in the Quran 19.2–15. Zechariah and
his wife reached an old age without
bearing children. God spoke to Zechariah
and told him his wife would conceive,
despite her barrenness, and his name
would be John. As a sign that this would
happen, God struck Zechariah mute until
John was born though he communicated
using signs. John became a great and
righteous prophet and came to confirm
God's Word. Both accounts mention
John's death.
The two accounts never directly disagree,
but each has unique elements: In the Bible
Zechariah is a priest. God speaks to him
on Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies. He
doubts that God will act and his muteness
is a sign and punishment. In the Quran,
God promises him a child and he
questions how would it come about since
he is an old man and his wife long barren.
Upon which he is told that for God it is
indeed very easy and that hasn't God
created you already while you were
naught. In the Quranic narrative Zechariah
is also reminded that the sign he should
seek for would be a muteness for three
nights although without being restrained
from speech, implying, [48] [ citation needed ]
he simply would not find an occasion to
talk to anyone. Zechariah, therefore, is
found emerging from his chamber and
reminding his people to celebrate the
praises of the Lord through an
inspirational gesture (Surah Maryam 19|
1–11). In the Bible Zechariah confirms
that the son's name is John and receives
his speech back.
Mary ("Maryam" ﻣﺮﻳﻢ)
Main articles: Mary in Islam and Mary
(mother of Jesus)
Mary's life is told in several books of the
New Testament and Quran 19.16–35. In
the Bible, in the sixth month after the
conception of John the Baptist by
Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to the Virgin Mary, at Nazareth. Mary
was of the house of David, and was
betrothed to Joseph, of the same royal
family. And the angel having taken the
figure and the form of man, came into the
house and said to her: 'Hail, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.' Mary having heard
the greeting words did not speak; she was
troubled in spirit, since she knew not the
angel, nor the cause of his coming, nor the
meaning of the salutation. And the angel
continued and said: 'Fear not, Mary, for
thou hast found grace with God. Behold
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt
bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his
name Jesus. (In Matthew 1:21–22 a
meaning for the name is given "for he
shall save his people from their sins. In
Hebrew ישוע sounds like the Hebrew word
for salvation "ישועה "). He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Most
High; and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of David his father; and he
shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of his kingdom there shall be no end.'
Not doubting the word of God, unlike
Zachariah, but filled with fear and
astonishment, she said: "How shall this be
done, because I have not known a man?'
The angel, to remove Mary's anxiety and
to assure her that her virginity would be
spared, answered: 'The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee and the power of the
Most High shall overshadow thee. And
therefore also the Holy which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God.' In
token of the truth of his word he made
known to her the conception of John, the
miraculous pregnancy of her relative now
old and sterile: 'And behold, thy cousin
Elizabeth; she also has conceived a son in
her old age, and this is the sixth month
with her that is called barren: because no
word shall be impossible with God.' Mary
may not yet have fully understood the
meaning of the heavenly message and
how the maternity might be reconciled
with her vow of virginity, but clinging to
the first words of the angel and trusting to
the omnipotence of God she said: 'Behold
the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me
according to thy word.'
In Luke, Mary is betrothed to Joseph but
the Quran never mentions any man. In the
Quran, 'her people' have a conversation
with Mary accusing her of fornication. In
the Bible, no such conversation happens
but Joseph knows that people are thinking
this.
The Quran states in the chapter named
after Mary, verse 16–37: In the Book, tell
the story of Maryam, when she went away
from her family (for Prayer) to a place in
the East. She placed a screen (to hide
herself) from them; Then We sent to her
Our angel, and he appeared before her in
the form of a man of respect in every way.
She said: "Verily, I ask shelter from you
with the Most Gracious (Allah):(Do not
come near me) if you guard yourself
against evil." He said: "I am a messenger
from your Lord, only to announce to you,
the gift of a righteous son." She said:
"How shall I have a son, when no man has
touched me, and I am not indecent?" He
said: "It will be so: Your Lord says 'That is
easy for Me: And (We wish) to appoint
him as a Sign to men and a Mercy from
Us': It is a thing (already) ordained." So
she started to carry him (Jesus), and she
went (to rest) with him to a far place. And
the pains of childbirth took her to the
trunk of a palm tree: She cried "Oh! If I
had died before this! If I was a thing
forgotten and not seen!" Then (a voice)
cried to her from under the tree: "Do not
feel sad! Because your Lord has made a
stream underneath you; And shake
towards yourself the trunk of the palm
tree: It will drop fresh ripe dates upon you.
So eat and drink and cool (wet your) eye.
And if you see any man, say, 'I have
promised solemnly to the Most Gracious,
and this day I will not enter into talk with
any human being.'" At the end she brought
the baby to her people, carrying baby
Jesus in her arms. They said "O Maryam!
Truly an amazing thing have you brought!
O sister of Aaron! Your father was not an
adulterous man, and your mother was not
an immoral woman!" Then, she pointed to
the baby. They said, "How can we talk to
one who is only a child in the cradle?" He
(Baby Jesus) said, "Indeed I am a servant
of Allah: He has given me the Injeel
(Gospel) and made me a prophet; and he
has made me blessed where ever I be, and
has commanded for me prayer and charity
as long as I live; Allah has made me kind
to my mother, and not arrogant or
miserable;And Peace is on me the day I
was born, the day I die, and the day I will
be raised up alive!" Jesus, the son of
Maryam was like this: It is a statement of
truth, about which they dispute
(uselessly). It is not suited for Almighty
Allah that He should father a son. Glory to
Him! When He determines anything, He
only says to it, "Be", and it is. Jesus said:
"And surely Allah is my Lord and your
Lord: Him alone you therefore worship:
That is the Straight Path." Then, the
groups differed among themselves: so this
is a warning to the disbelievers because of
the Judgement on a great Day!
(Translation: Syed Vickar Ahamed, 2007.
Approved by Al-Azhar Islamic Research
Academy, Cairo, Egypt.)
Jesus (Isa ﻋﻴﺴﻰ) (Hebrew
ישוע )
Main articles: Jesus in Islam and Jesus
Jesus's ministry takes up the whole of the
four Gospels ( Matthew , Mark , Luke and
John ) in the Bible, as well as being the
focus of the subsequent books of the New
Testament. Some stories common to all
four Gospels include that Jesus was
baptized by John the Baptist, [49]
subsequently traveled as an itinerant
preacher and healer, took on twelve
apostles , miraculously fed 5000 people at
least once, [50] entered Jerusalem on a
donkey, [51] drove merchants from the
Second Temple ,[52] predicted his betrayal
by one of his disciples, [53] was
crucified, [54] but resurrected from
death. [55] It must be noted that each
gospel represents a different perspective,
with some different information and
emphases than each of the other gospels.
Christians accept all four books as part of
the canon of Scripture.
Jesus directly appears several times in the
Quran: al-Imran 35–59; an Nisa' 156–
158; al-Ma'idah 109–120; Maryam 16–
35, al-Mu'minun 50; az-Zukhruf 57–65;
as-Saff 6 and 14. He is also indirectly
referred to in other locations.
The Quran contains few narratives from
Jesus ' life, but does include many brief
descriptions in common with the Bible:
Made the dead to live [56]
Was the prophesied Messiah [57]
Had disciples .[58]
Taught disciples to carry on his
ministry. [59]
Healed individuals inflicted with
blindness and leprosy . [56]
The details of Jesus's birth differ from
those offered in the gospels of Matthew
and Luke (see above section ). Other
accounts in the Quran do not exist in the
Bible. Two such stories, one in which
infant Jesus verbally testifies to Mary's
virginity and another in which young Jesus
forms and breathes life into clay birds,
have counterparts in non-canonical
Christian literature (see Infancy
Gospels). [60] The Quran rejects that Jesus
ever expected to be interpreted as divine
and that he only taught strict tawhid .
Somewhat surprisingly, it also denies the
crucifixion [61] (see Islamic view of Jesus'
death).
Other figures
Main article: List of people in both the
Bible and the Qur'an
The Quran and Bible have over 50 people
in common, typically in the same
narratives. The Quran identifies Enoch and
Ishmael as prophets, but they are never
given a story. In the Bible, all these men
are identified as righteous people but not
prophets — except Ishmael who is not
written of favorably.
There is also one person mentioned in the
Quran, Dhul-Qarnayn , who is not
mentioned in the Bible by that name but
whose story is similar to stories about
Cyrus the Great as mentioned in other
Jewish and Christian writings (see Cyrus
the Great in the Quran .)
Mixed similarities
In several cases, the Quran and the Bible
have common events but occur in different
narrations.
Idol calf and Samaritan
In the Bible, in Moses' absence certain
people who went out of Egypt with the
Hebrews worship a golden calf saying
"This is your God, O Israel, who brought
you up out of Egypt." Hundreds of years
later, Samaria was founded and became
the capital of the Northern Kingdom of
Israel. King Jeroboam, its first king, also
made two golden calves and said, "These
are your gods, O Israel, who brought you
up out of Egypt." Later, around 700 BC,
another people group occupies Samaria
called the Samaritans.
The Quran tells the story of a calf while
Moses is gone. A man called "the Samari"
Yusuf Ali or "the Samaritan" ( Arberry ) is
blamed for protagonizing their idolatry.
A verse in Hosea 8:5–6 contains the same
content as Ta-Ha |20.97 where Hosea
refers to the Jeroboam calf and the Quran
refers to the earlier calf. Both feature a
prophet speaking to the Samaritan/
Samaria promising to destroy the calf.
“ Throw out your calf-idol,
O Samaria! My anger
burns against them. How
long will they be
incapable of purity? They
are from Israel! This calf
– a craftsman has made
it; it is not God. It will be
broken in pieces, that calf
of Samaria. ”
“ (Moses) said: "Get thee
gone! but thy
(punishment) in this life
will be that thou wilt say,
'touch me not'; ... Now
look at thy god, of whom
thou hast become a
devoted worshipper: We
will certainly (melt) it in
a blazing fire and scatter
it broadcast in the
sea!"( Yusuf Ali
[ Quran 20:97 ] ) ”
In the Quran, Moses' punishment that the
Samari cannot be touched is the same as
the modern Samaritan's punishment where
no Jew was allowed to touch them
because of their idolatry. In his
commentary, Yusuf Ali claims that the
Samari is not a Samaritan.
Miriam and Mary
In Arabic, both the names Mary and
Miriam are called Maryam . Mary, mother
of Jesus , is the only female to have her
name mentioned in the Quran. While
speaking about Mary, the mother of Jesus,
the Quran also calls her as the sister of
Aaron. There is an Aaron in the Bible,
namely Aaron the brother of Moses, who
also had a sister Miriam. According to
Muslim interpreters, this Aaron is different
from the brother of Moses. Moses and
Jesus were separated far apart in time,
but it was a tradition to give people the
names of prophets and pious persons who
lived before them as mentioned in the
following hadeeth:
Mughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I
came to Najran, they (the Christians of
Najran) asked me: You read" O sister of
Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the
Quran, whereas Moses was born much
before Jesus. When I came back to
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) I asked him about that, whereupon
he said: The (people of the old age)
used to give names (to their persons)
after the names of Apostles and pious
persons who had gone before them.
(Sheik Muslim – Adaaab Book)
Hannah and Hannah
Further information: Hannah (biblical
figure) and Saint Anne
In the Books of Samuel, Hannah is grateful
that God gave her a son, Samuel. She
dedicated him to God by letting him live
with Eli the prophet and priest.
In the Quran, Mary's mother is grateful to
God for Mary and dedicates her to God.
Mary then lives in the household of
Zechariah the prophet.
In the Bible, Zechariah is also a priest.
Mary's mother is unnamed in the Quran.