Explaining the Purposiveness of the Stories of the Divine Prophets in the Qur'an and the Old Testament(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
منبع:
Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Qur'an and the Bible, Vol. ۲, No. ۱, Spring and Summer ۲۰۲۵
92 - 131
حوزههای تخصصی:
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.