The Greatest Prophets between Christianity and Islam: 10-Prophet Joseph

Prophet Joseph was one of a few prophets whose stories are related in detail by the Bible and the Qur’an

Prophet Joseph was the son of Prophet Jacob, the grandson of Prophet Isaac, and the descendant of Prophet Abraham – peace be upon all of them! He was a prophet from the children of Israel. Prophet Joseph was one of a few prophets whose stories are related in detail by the sacred texts of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, and the Qur’an with a good deal of concurrence on the main milestones.

Prophet Joseph in Christianity

In the Old Testament, the Bible narrates Prophet Joseph’s story in detail. Such a story occupies several chapters from the introductory Book of Genesis. It lies in about 20 chapters from Chapter 30 to Chapter 50, which is the last of the chapters of the Book of Genesis.

Prophet Joseph’s story begins from (Genesis 30:24): She named him Joseph and said, “May the Lord add another son to me…”

It ends towards the end of Genesis 50, specifically (Genesis 50:26): Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

Prophet Joseph in Islam

In the Qur’an, a whole chapter deals with Prophet Joseph’s story in detail. That is why it is named after him “Chapter of Joseph” (Surat Yusuf). Most of its verses present the story of Prophet Joseph. The other verses involve either an introduction or a conclusion for this story.

Comments

It is not strange that we find some prophet stories in the Bible and the Qur’an relatively identical given the identity of the source of both. It would have been rather strange to find them totally dissimilar.

Also, it is not curious to have more details about those stories in one scripture than the other. It is observable that the Bible often gives further details more than the Qur’an.

No wonder, the Qur’anic rhythm is more concise for the facilitation of recitation and memorization. On the other hand, the Bible does not take brevity into consideration. It gives such minor details which a reader may not need for the purposes of either worship or information.

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