Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

The Concept of Prophethood in the Qur'an and the Torah: From Tribal Eldership to Universal Mission

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahmoud Sheikh 1
Nazanin Jalili 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Religions and Comparative Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, IRAN.
2 PhD Student of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, IRAN.
10.22034/qb.2026.2084976.1069
Abstract
This study, employing a comparative approach, examines the concept of prophethood in the Qur'an and the Torah, demonstrating that these two religious traditions are grounded in two distinct theological and social logics. A lexical and context-oriented analysis of eight instances where the Hebrew term "נָבִיא" (navi) appears in the Pentateuch of the Torah reveals that prophethood in this text, rather than being an independent revelatory office, is embedded within structures of kinship, eldership, and tribal leadership. In the Torah, God's relationship with the prophet is shaped not on the basis of a general mission to convey revelation, but rather according to his position as elder, father, and Shaykh of the tribe of the "People of God." The criteria for selection in this model are primarily based on age, lineage, social status, and familial standing, and the principal functions of prophethood include patriarchal intercession, mediation, blessing, preservation of genealogical covenant, and ensuring the continuity of the ethnic identity of the Children of Israel. In contrast, an analysis of over 75 Qur'anic verses containing the word "Nabī" and its derivatives presents a distinctly different conception. The Qur'an introduces prophethood as a trans-ethnic, universal phenomenon independent of social-tribal structures, emphasizing pure divine election, spiritual competence, and piety. Within this framework, prophethood is designed not to preserve the identity of a particular people, but to guide all humanity, and the prophet is not a representative of the people before God, but rather God's envoy to humankind. By negating criteria of age, lineage, and ethnicity (through examples such as the prophethood of Jesus in the cradle and John in childhood) and emphasizing piety as the sole criterion of honor, the Qur'an liberates prophethood from any form of identity-based exclusivism. The findings of this research indicate that this fundamental difference is rooted in divergent socio-historical contexts, and that the Qur'an consciously critiques the ethnocentric model of Torahic prophethood and offers a universal and ethics-centered alternative. This comparative study makes a theoretical contribution to the fields of Abrahamic religions studies, the sociology of sacred texts, and understanding the relationship between religion and social structures.
Keywords
Prophethood
Qur'an
Torah
Tribal Eldership
Universal Mission
Patriarchs (אבות)
Comparative Studies
The Holy Qur'an
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