The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible Essay

The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible - Essay Example In spite of the similarity in terms of citing Moses in the two texts, the Qur’an and the Bible have still varied narrations concerning the prophet-messenger’s life and miracles. This paper discusses the differences in picturing out Moses between the Qur’an text and the Bible text. It examines their variations with respect to the prophet’s (1) birth, (2) encountering the burning bush, (3) facing the Pharaoh, (4) dividing the Red Sea, (5) striking the rock, and (6) reaction to Israelite’s idolatry. First, the Qur’an and the Bible have different detailed narratives concerning the birth of Moses. In the Qur’an, for instance, the text informs its readers that it was Allah who instructed the mother of Musa (Islam’s name for Moses) to cast him onto the river water. In the Bible, however, the text suggests that it was the mother of the said prophet who decided to hide Moses for three months since she â€Å"saw him that he was a goodly child† (Ben-Chanan 103). Here, the main difference between the two texts under discussion is the decision-maker who opted on what to do with the prophet-child. It must be remembered that the historical circumstance in which the baby Moses was born was that every Hebrew male child must be put to death by the order of the Egyptian pharaoh himself. Both the Qur’an and the Bible appear to support, although implied, this historical account. In the former (i.e., in Sura), the words of Firon’s wife -- Islam’s Firon is equivalent to Christian’s Pharaoh -- are strongly indicative: â€Å"[D]o not slay him [i.e., Musa]† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 100). And in the latter (i.e., in Exodus), the words of Moses’ mother is clearly suggestive: â€Å"hid him three months† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 101). The term â€Å"hid† implies danger for someone’s life, otherwise, there is no need for hiding that person from the sight of the enemy. Further, the Qur’an and the Bible significantly differ from the account pertaining to the woman who adopted baby Moses. In the Qur’an text, the woman who took Moses as her own child was the wife of Firon. In the Bible, on the other hand, the woman who adopted the prophet-child was the daughter of the Pharaoh. Moreover, the Qur’an narrates Firon’s wife as uttering the line â€Å"do not slay him† while the Bible speaks of the Pharaoh’s daughter saying â€Å"she had compassion on him.† That is to say, the two texts also vary on the impression made by the woman who adopted the prophet-child. Second, the two texts in question have varied narratives concerning Moses’ experienced with the burning bush. In the Qur’an, for example, the text speaks of Musa being with his family at the time when he saw the fire. According to the Bible, however, Moses was alone by himself when he sighted the burning bush (Ben-Chanan 114). Thence, the differe nce between the two texts is the company or solitude that the said prophet was with or without. Also, the Qur’an names the place in which Musa was standing on the sacred ground with the burning bush as Tuva Valley while the Bible names the location as Horeb (Ben-Chanan 114). It appears that the two place-names are far from similar, thus, the two texts vary from their accounts of the terrain wherein the prophet was standing on the holy ground: one is in the valley while the other is on the mountain. Moreover, the Qur’an and the Bible have different stories pertaining to the role of Aaron in Moses’