Unit 6 · Prophets in the Qur'an

A prophet is a person who brings a message from God. Muslims believe God sent prophets to every people. The Qur’an says that some prophets are named in the book and some are not. It names 25 prophets. Some are called messengers too, because Muslims believe they brought a book or a new law.

Many of the prophets in the Qur’an are people the Bible tells about. The Qur’an gives their names in Arabic. Adam is Adam. Nuh is Noah. Ibrahim is Abraham. Yusuf is Joseph. Musa is Moses. Isa is Jesus. Muslims believe the last prophet was Muhammad.

Muslims believe all the prophets taught one message. The message is that there is one God, and people should worship God and be good. In the Qur’an, God tells the prophets’ stories to Muhammad. The Qur’an says the stories are lessons for people who think (12:111, Surah Yusuf).

Jews read the Hebrew Bible. Christians read the Bible, which has the Old Testament and the New Testament. Muslims read the Qur’an. All three books tell about Adam, Noah, Abraham and Joseph. That is one reason people call Judaism, Christianity and Islam "Abrahamic" faiths.

The books do not tell the stories the same way. The Bible tells a story in order, from start to finish, with many details. The Qur’an usually tells a short part of a story. It often tells the same story in more than one surah. It says what the story teaches.

The Qur’an says that God sent earlier books too. Muslims believe God gave the Torah to Musa (Moses). They believe God gave the Gospel to Isa (Jesus). Muslims call Jews and Christians "People of the Book." In this chapter you will compare the tellings.

The Qur’an says God made Adam, the first person, and made him a khalifa on the earth. That word means someone who takes care of something for someone else. God taught Adam the names of all things. Then God told the angels to bow to Adam. They bowed (2:30–34, Surah Al-Baqarah).

One being did not bow. His name was Iblis. The Qur’an says he was proud. He said he was made of fire and Adam was made of clay. Muslims believe Iblis became Shaytan, the one who whispers to people to do wrong (7:11–18, Surah Al-A’raf).

Adam and his wife lived in a garden. God told them not to eat from one tree. Iblis tricked them, and they ate. They said sorry to God. The Qur’an says God forgave them and sent them to live on the earth (2:35–37; 7:19–25). The Qur’an does not give Adam’s wife a name. Muslim tradition calls her Hawwa (Eve).

The Bible tells about Adam in the book of Genesis, chapters 2 and 3. There, a snake tells Eve to eat from the tree. Eve eats first and then gives some to Adam. God sends them out of the garden. Many Christians read this as the start of sin for all people.

The Qur’an tells the story in a shorter way. It says Shaytan whispered to both of them. It does not say the wife ate first. It says they both did wrong, both said sorry, and God forgave them. Most Muslim readers say each person is responsible for their own deeds, not for Adam’s.

Both books agree on a lot. Both say God made Adam. Both tell about a garden and a tree. Both say the first people did wrong. When you compare two tellings, look for what is the same and what is different. Then ask what each book wants its readers to learn.

The Qur’an tells about Nuh (Noah) in many surahs. One whole surah, Surah 71, is named Nuh. The Qur’an says Nuh told his people to worship one God. He warned them for a very long time. The Qur’an says he stayed among them 950 years (29:14, Surah Al-Ankabut). Most of them laughed at him.

God told Nuh to build an ark, a big boat. The Qur’an says people made fun of him while he built it. Then the flood came. Nuh took pairs of animals and the people who believed with him. The Qur’an says one of Nuh’s sons would not get in. He said he would climb a mountain. The water covered him (11:36–43, Surah Hud).

The Qur’an says the ark came to rest on a mountain called Judi (11:44). The Bible tells about Noah in Genesis, chapters 6 to 9. In the Bible, the ark rests on the mountains of Ararat, and all of Noah’s sons are saved. The Qur’an adds the son who would not believe. It uses the story to teach that each person must choose.

Ibrahim (Abraham) is one of the most important prophets in the Qur’an. His father’s people prayed to idols. Idols are statues that people treat as gods. The Qur’an says Ibrahim asked them why. The idols could not hear, see or help them (21:52–67, Surah Al-Anbiya).

One day, the Qur’an says, Ibrahim broke all the idols but the biggest one. When people asked who did it, he said, "Ask the big one!" They knew the idol could not talk. Ibrahim wanted them to see that the idols had no power. The people got angry and threw him into a fire.

The Qur’an says God told the fire to be cool and safe for Ibrahim, and he was not hurt (21:69). The Bible does not tell this story. But old Jewish stories, called midrash, tell of Abraham breaking idols too. The Qur’an calls Ibrahim a hanif, a person who turned to the one God and away from idols.

The Qur’an tells about a hard test. Ibrahim dreamed that he must give up his son as an offering to God. He told his son about the dream. The son said, "Father, do what you are told. You will find me patient" (37:102, Surah As-Saffat). They both agreed to obey God.

When Ibrahim laid his son down, God called to him. God said he had already done what the dream asked. The Qur’an says God gave a great animal to offer in the son’s place (37:103–107). Muslims believe this shows how much Ibrahim trusted God.

The Qur’an does not say which son it was. Most Muslim scholars say it was Ismail (Ishmael), Ibrahim’s older son. Some early Muslim scholars said it was Ishaq (Isaac). The Bible, in Genesis 22, names the son as Isaac. Jews and Christians read the story with Isaac. Muslims and Jews and Christians all see it as a story about trust in God.

The Kaaba is a square stone building in Mecca. Muslims face it when they pray. The Qur’an says Ibrahim and his son Ismail raised its walls and prayed that God would accept their work (2:127, Surah Al-Baqarah). Muslims believe it is the first house built for worshiping the one God.

Every year, Muslims from around the world go to Mecca for the hajj. It is a special trip. Many things they do there remember Ibrahim’s family. They walk between two hills. Muslim tradition says Ismail’s mother Hajar did that. She was looking for water for her baby.

At the end of the hajj comes Eid al-Adha, "the feast of the offering." Muslims everywhere celebrate it, not just in Mecca. Families who can afford it give an animal. They share the meat and give some to people in need. It remembers the day Ibrahim was ready to give up his son. In Chicago, families gather for morning prayers and visit each other.

Surah 12 is the only surah that tells one story from start to finish. It has 111 ayahs. It begins by calling itself "the best of stories." Then it tells Yusuf’s dream, the one you read at the start of this chapter. His father, Yaqub, warned him not to tell his brothers.

The brothers were jealous. They asked to take Yusuf out to play. Then they put him in a well. They came home crying and said a wolf ate him. They showed their father Yusuf’s shirt with fake blood on it. Yaqub did not believe them. He said, "Patience is beautiful" (12:18).

A caravan stopped at the well for water and found Yusuf. They sold him in Egypt to a rich man. Later the man’s wife tried to make Yusuf do wrong. Yusuf refused. The Qur’an says his shirt was torn from the back, which showed he was running away. Even so, he was put in prison. The Qur’an does not name the man or his wife. The Bible calls the man Potiphar.

In prison, Yusuf met two men who had strange dreams. He told them what their dreams meant, and he told them about the one God. One man was set free, as Yusuf said. But that man forgot Yusuf for years, and Yusuf stayed in prison (12:36–42).

Then the king of Egypt had a dream. He saw seven fat cows eaten by seven thin cows, and seven green ears of grain and seven dry ones. Nobody could explain it. The freed man finally remembered Yusuf. Yusuf said there would be seven good years, then seven years of famine, when little food grows. He told them to store grain (12:43–49).

Yusuf asked that his name be cleared first. The wife who had lied said the truth: Yusuf had done nothing wrong (12:51). The king made Yusuf the one in charge of Egypt’s storehouses. In the Bible, in Genesis 41, Pharaoh has the same dream and Joseph is also put in charge. The Qur’an says "the king"; the Bible says "Pharaoh."

The famine reached Yusuf’s family too. His brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. They did not know the man in charge was Yusuf. He knew them. He told them to bring their youngest brother, Binyamin (Benjamin), next time. When they did, Yusuf found a way to keep Binyamin with him (12:58–79).

At last Yusuf told them who he was. The brothers were afraid. Yusuf said, "There is no blame on you today. May God forgive you" (12:92). He sent his shirt home. When it touched his father’s face, Yaqub, who had cried until he could not see, could see again (12:93–96).

The whole family came to Egypt. The Qur’an says Yusuf’s parents and brothers bowed to him, and Yusuf said his childhood dream had come true (12:100). The Bible, in Genesis 45 to 47, also tells how Joseph forgave his brothers and brought the family to Egypt. Both books make forgiveness the end of the story.

Musa (Moses) is the prophet named most often in the Qur’an. His name appears more than 130 times. His story is told in many surahs. The Qur’an says that Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was cruel to the Children of Israel, the people of Yaqub. He ordered their baby boys killed (28:4, Surah Al-Qasas).

The Qur’an says God told Musa’s mother what to do. When she was afraid, she should put her baby in the river and not worry. God promised to bring him back to her (28:7). She did it. Musa’s sister followed the basket along the shore to see where it went.

Pharaoh’s family found the baby. Pharaoh’s wife said, "Do not kill him. He may be a joy to us" (28:9). The baby would not drink from any nurse. Musa’s sister said she knew a family who could feed him. So Musa’s own mother got to nurse him, just as God had promised (28:12–13). The Bible tells this story in Exodus 2, where Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby.

When Musa was grown, the Qur’an says, he left Egypt and lived in Midian for years. One night, traveling with his family, he saw a fire on a mountain. He went toward it. God spoke to him from the fire in a holy valley called Tuwa (20:9–16, Surah Ta-Ha).

God gave Musa two signs. His staff turned into a snake, and when he put his hand under his arm, it came out shining white. God told him to go to Pharaoh. Musa asked God to send his brother Harun (Aaron) with him, because Harun spoke well (20:17–36).

Musa and Harun went to Pharaoh and told him to let the Children of Israel go. Pharaoh called his magicians. They threw down ropes that looked like snakes. Musa threw down his staff and it swallowed them. The Qur’an says the magicians bowed and believed (20:65–70). Pharaoh would not. The Bible tells this in Exodus 3 to 7.

The Qur’an says Musa led the Children of Israel out of Egypt by night. Pharaoh’s army chased them to the sea. The people were afraid. Musa said God was with him and would show him the way. God told Musa to strike the sea with his staff. It split, and each side stood like a great mountain (26:61–63, Surah Ash-Shu’ara).

The people crossed on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed, and the water came back over them. The Qur’an says Pharaoh cried out that he believed, but it was too late (10:90–92, Surah Yunus). The Bible tells the crossing in Exodus 14. Both books make it the moment the people are saved.

Then Musa went up the mountain to meet God. He was gone forty nights. The Qur’an says God gave him tablets with teachings on them (7:142–145, Surah Al-A’raf). While he was away, the people made a golden calf and worshiped it. Musa came back angry. Muslims believe God gave Musa the Torah. In the Bible, Moses also brings tablets down Mount Sinai.

Maryam (Mary) is the only woman the Qur’an calls by name. Surah 19 is named for her. The Qur’an says her mother promised her baby to God’s service before she was born. When the baby was a girl, the mother named her Maryam and asked God to protect her (3:35–36, Surah Al Imran).

The Qur’an says Maryam grew up in a place of prayer. A prophet named Zakariya took care of her. Whenever he visited, he found food with her. He asked where it came from. She said it came from God (3:37). Seeing this, Zakariya prayed for a child of his own, and God gave him Yahya (John).

The Qur’an says the angels told Maryam that God had chosen her above the women of the worlds (3:42). Muslims honor Maryam very much. Many Muslim girls are named after her. Christians also honor Mary, and she appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the Bible. The Bible does not tell the story of Maryam’s childhood in the temple.

Surah 19 tells that Maryam went away by herself to the east. God sent an angel, who looked like a man. She was afraid. He said he was a messenger from God, sent to give her a pure son. Maryam asked how she could have a son, since no man had touched her. The angel said it was easy for God (19:16–21).

The Qur’an says Maryam went far away, and the pain of birth came to her under a palm tree. She wished she had died. A voice told her not to grieve. God had put a small stream by her, and if she shook the tree, fresh dates would fall (19:22–26).

She carried the baby back to her people. They were shocked. Maryam did not speak; she pointed to the baby. The Qur’an says the baby Isa spoke from the cradle. He said, "I am the servant of God. He has given me the Book and made me a prophet" (19:29–30). The Bible tells of Jesus’s birth in Luke 2, in a stable in Bethlehem, with Joseph beside Mary. The Qur’an does not mention Joseph.

The Qur’an calls Isa the Messiah, a son of Maryam, and a messenger of God. It says God gave him the Gospel. The Qur’an says Isa did wonders by God’s permission. He healed people who were blind and people with skin disease. He made a bird from clay and it came alive. He brought the dead to life (3:49, Surah Al Imran; 5:110, Surah Al-Ma’idah).

Here Muslims and Christians agree on some things and not on others. Both believe Isa was born of Mary without a father. Both believe he healed and taught. Most Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God and part of a Trinity. The Qur’an says God has no son and is only one (4:171; 112:1–4).

The Qur’an also speaks about the cross. It says the people who tried to kill Isa did not kill him, though it seemed so. It says God raised him up (4:157–158, Surah An-Nisa). Most Muslims read this to mean Isa was not crucified. Christians believe Jesus died on a cross and rose again. These are two different beliefs about the same person. In a public school, we learn what each group believes. We do not decide who is right.

The Qur’an calls Jews and Christians the People of the Book. That means people who were given a holy book from God before the Qur’an. The Qur’an says Muslims may eat the food of the People of the Book. It also allows Muslim men to marry their women (5:5, Surah Al-Ma’idah).

The Qur’an says different things in different places. It praises Jews and Christians who believe in God and do good. It says they will have their reward (2:62). It also argues with some Jews and some Christians about their beliefs. It tells Muslims to argue with the People of the Book only in the best way (29:46, Surah Al-Ankabut).

Scholars say many of these verses came from real events in Medina. Muhammad lived there near Jewish tribes, and he met Christians too. Some verses praise. Some warn. Some are about one group at one time. Muslim scholars have long discussed how to read them together. Today many Muslims, Jews and Christians in Chicago meet to study each other’s books.

Muslims believe God sent one message again and again, through many prophets. Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Dawud (David), Isa and Muhammad are all on one line. Muslims believe God gave books to some of them. The Torah went to Musa. The Zabur (Psalms) went to Dawud. The Gospel went to Isa. The Qur’an went to Muhammad.

Jews, Christians and Muslims do not agree on where the line ends. Jews honor Abraham, Moses and David, and do not count Jesus or Muhammad as prophets. Christians honor the Hebrew prophets and believe Jesus is more than a prophet. They do not count Muhammad as a prophet. Muslims count them all, and believe Muhammad was the last.

Even so, a timeline of the three religions has many of the same names on it. When you study a figure like Abraham or Moses, ask three questions. What does the Hebrew Bible say? What does the Christian Bible say? What does the Qur’an say? Then you can compare without saying which is right.

Muslims believe Muhammad was the last prophet. The Qur’an calls him "the seal of the prophets" (33:40, Surah Al-Ahzab). A seal is a stamp that closes a letter. Muslims read this to mean that no prophet comes after him. Muslims say "peace be upon him" after his name.

The Qur’an names Muhammad only four times. It usually speaks to him without his name. It says "O Prophet" or "O Messenger." It calls him a warner and a bringer of good news. It calls him a mercy to all the worlds (21:107). Muslims believe the Qur’an came to him over about 23 years. That was from about 610 to 632.

The Qur’an says Muhammad was a person, not an angel, and that he did not know the future. It says he was sent to confirm the books that came before. So Muslims believe the Qur’an, the Torah and the Gospel are all from God. Jews and Christians do not share this belief about the Qur’an. Each group reads the others’ books in its own way.

Put the prophets in order and you get a timeline that three religions share. Adam and Nuh come first. Then Ibrahim, whom all three call the father of their faith. Then Musa, who Jews say received the Torah. Then Dawud, whose Psalms Jews and Christians sing. Then Isa, whom Christians follow. Then Muhammad, whom Muslims follow.

Each religion stops at a different place. For Jews, the story of God’s prophets is told in the Hebrew Bible. For Christians, it leads to Jesus and the New Testament. For Muslims, it leads to Muhammad and the Qur’an. All three tell many of the same stories about the earlier prophets.

In this unit you read about Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim and Yusuf. You read about Musa, Maryam, Isa and Muhammad. You compared the Qur’an’s telling with the Bible’s. You learned to say "the Qur’an says" and "the Bible says." You learned to say "Muslims believe" and "Christians believe." That is how people study holy books together with respect.