Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

Explaining the Purposiveness of the Stories of the Divine Prophets in the Qur'an and the Old Testament

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Quranic Studies, Faculty of Qur’an, University of Quran and Hadith, Tehran, IRAN.
2 Ph.D. in Quranic Studies, Faculty of Qur’an, University of Quran and Hadith, Tehran, IRAN.
Abstract
The stories of the Prophets (Qaṣaṣ al-Anbīyāʼ) in the Qur'an and the Old Testament (OT), while seemingly narrating shared figures, reflect two distinct conceptual frameworks at the level of structure, function, and message. This article employs a comparative approach to examine the fundamental differences between these two texts in narrating the Prophets' stories. It demonstrates that the Qur'an presents these narratives as a tool for individual spiritual development, social reform, and the realization of Divine Laws (Sunan Ilahi) in history. In contrast, these stories in the OT are predominantly ethnocentric, historical, and confined to the fate of the Israelites. In the Qur'an, the Prophets are universal models for combating oppression, inviting to Monotheism, and establishing a Monotheistic Nation; whereas in the OT, they often function as tribal leaders or local advisors. These differences have profound implications in the educational, theological, and civilizational spheres, such that the Qur'anic stories have served as a civilizational and epistemic pillar of the Islamic world, shaping the Ummah system and its universal values. Conversely, the OT's perspective on these stories largely serves to establish ethnic and territorial identity. The present article uses a descriptive-analytical method, analyzing the content of the Holy Qur'an and the Old Testament, to investigate this distinction and its functions across social, historical, and doctrinal dimensions. In the Qur’an, prophets are introduced as universal exemplars—leaders in the struggle against injustice, advocates of monotheism, and architects of a unified, God-conscious community. In the Hebrew Bible, however, prophets typically function as tribal leaders or local moral reformers. These divergent portrayals carry far-reaching implications in theological, educational, and civilizational domains. Qur’anic prophetic narratives, as a foundational epistemic and civilizational component of Islamic thought, have played a pivotal role in shaping the vision of a global ummah and its ethical values. In contrast, the Hebrew Bible’s rendering of prophetic stories serves predominantly to affirm national and territorial identity. This article employs a descriptive-analytical method, using content analysis of the Qur’an and the Hebrew Bible, to investigate this structural and functional divergence and its ramifications in the social, historical, and doctrinal dimensions.
Keywords

The Holy Qur’an.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Berlin, A; Brettler, M. Z. (Eds). (2014). The Jewish Study Bible (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brueggemann, W. (1982). Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, W. (1991). Exodus: Interpretation, a Bible Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, W. (2001). The Prophetic Imagination (2nd ed.). Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Brueggemann, W. (2012). Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Fishbane, M. A. (1989). Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Javadi Amoli, A. (1996 AD/1375 SH). Thematic Commentary on the Quran. Vol. 3. Tehran: Raja Cultural Publishing Center.
Kugel, J. L. (2008). How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now. New York: Free Press.
Levenson, J. D. (1987). Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible. San Francisco: HarperOne.
Levenson, J. D. (2012). Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Misbah Yazdi, M. (2022 AD/1401 SH). Jāmiʿa wa Tārīkh az Nigāh-i Qurʾān. Qom: Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute Publications.
 Motahhari, M. (1979 AD/1399 AH). Collection of Works by Master Shahid Motahari. Qom: Sadra.
Quṭb, S. (1995 AD/1415 AH). al-Taṣwīr al-Fannī fī al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Shurūq.
Rashi. (n.d.). Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah: Genesis 12:2. Sefaria. Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.12.2
 Rouhani, M. (1994 AD/1414 AH). al-Muʿjam al-Iḥṣāʾī li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm. Mashhad: Astan Quds Razavi.
Ṣadr, S. M. (2001 AD/1380 SH). Historical Traditions in the Quran. (Musavi Isfahani, J. Trans). Tehran: Tafahum.
Sefaria. (n.d.). Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (JPS 1985 Edition). Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Tanakh
Ṭabāṭabāʾī, M. (1970 AD/1390 AH). al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān. 2nd Ed. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī lil-Maṭbūʿāt.
Tottoli, R. (2002). Biblical Prophets in the Quran and Muslim Literature. London/New York: Routledge.
Walzer, M. (1986). Exodus and Revolution (Rev and Ed). New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0465021638.
Zaydān, A. (1993 AD/1413 AH). al-Sunan al-Ilāhiyya fī al-Umam wa al-Jamāʿāt wa al-Afrād fī al-Sharīʿa al-Islāmiyya. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Risālah.