Similar Passages from the Quran and the Torah

Everything Is Written in a Book

Torah:

My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. (Psalms, 139:16)

Quran: You do not engage in any matter or recite any of the Qur'an or do any action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it. Not even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on earth or in heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is not in a Clear Book. (Surah Yunus, 61)

God Is Always with Believers

Torah:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua, 1:9)

Quran:

He said, "Have no fear. I will be with you, All-Hearing and All-Seeing." (Surah Ta Ha, 46)

Even if the Faithful Are Few in Numbers, They Will Still Emerge Victorious

Torah:

Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. (2 Chronicles, 16:8)

Quran:

... How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater one by Allah's permission! Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Baqara, 249)

A Thousand Years Is Like One Day in the Sight of God

Torah:

For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. (Psalms, 90:4)

Quran:

A day with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count. (Surat al-Hajj, 47)

Sinners Can Be Known from Their Faces

Torah:

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. (Isaiah, 3:9)

Quran:

The evildoers will be recognised by their mark and seized by their forelocks and their feet. (Surat ar-Rahman, 41)

Human Beings Are Tested

Torah:

"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah, 17:10)

Quran:

Every self will taste death. We test you with both good and evil as a trial. And you will be returned to Us. (Surat al-Anbiya', 35)

Unbelievers' Mockery of the Messengers

Torah:

But they mocked God's messengers, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets... (2 Chronicles, 36:16)

Quran:

We sent Messengers before you among the disparate groups of previous peoples. No Messenger came to them without their mocking him. (Surat Al-Hijr,10-11)

God Is Close to Believers and Answers Prayers

Torah:

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him... (Psalms, 145:18-20)

Quran:

If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided. (Surat al- Baqara, 186)

People's True Duty Is to Serve God

Torah:

... Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes, 12:13)

Quran:

I only created jinn and man to worship Me. (Surat Adh-Dhariyat, 56)

The Hardening of Hearts

Torah:

They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier Prophets. Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah, 7:12)

Quran:

Then your hearts became hardened after that, so they were like rocks or even harder still. There are some rocks from which rivers gush out, and others which split open and water pours out, and others which crash down from fear of Allah. Allah is not unaware of what you do. (Surat al-Baqara, 74)

Believers Think Deeply About God's Creation

Torah:

I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. (Psalms, 77:12)

Quran:

Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the Creation of the heavens and the earth: 'Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. (Surah Al Imran, 191)

How Unbelievers Killed Prophets

Torah:

... "But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your law behind their backs. They killed Your Prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to You... (Nehemiah, 9:26)

Quran:

... They brought down anger from Allah upon themselves. That was because they rejected Allah's Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so. That was because they rebelled and went beyond the limits. (Surat al- Baqara, 61)

Nobody Can Alter God's Laws

Torah:

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. (Ecclesiastes, 3:14)

Quran:

The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. No one can change His Words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (Surat al- An'am,115 )

Worldly Riches Are of No Avail in the Hereafter

Torah:

Neither on the day of the Lord's wrath. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them... He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth. (Zephaniah, 1:18)

Quran:

As for those who disbelieve, their wealth and children will not help them against Allah in any way. They are fuel for the Fire. (Surah Al-Imran, 10)

How the Number of God's Blessings Cannot Be Counted

Torah:

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. (Psalms, 40:5)

Quran: If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat An-Nahl, 18)

God Elevates or Lowers Whomsoever He Chooses

Torah:

But it is God Who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. (Psalms, 75:7)

Quran:

Do you not see those who claim to be purified? No, Allah purifies whoever He wills. They will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck. (Surat an-Nisa', 49)

Torah:

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts... [T]he foundations of the earth are the Lord's. (1 Samuel, 2:7-8)

Quran:

Say, "O Allah! Master of the Kingdom! You give sovereignty to whoever You will You take sovereignty from whoever You will. You exalt whoever You will You abase whoever You will. All good is in Your hands. You have power over all things." (Surah Al 'Imran, 26)

People Are Punished for Their Own Evil Deeds

Torah:

What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved... (Ezra, 9:13)

Quran:

Any disaster that strikes you is through what your own hands have earned and He (Allah) pardons much. (Surat ash-Shura, 30)

How the Morally Corrupt Communicate by Means of Ignorant Facial Expressions

Torah:

A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart—he always stirs up dissension. (Proverbs, 6:12)

Quran:

Woe to every faultfinding backbiter. (Surat al Humaza, 1)

Unbelievers' Eyes and Ears Are Insensitive

Torah:

He said, "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'" (Isaiah, 6:9)

The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. (Ezekiel, 12:1-2)

Quran:

We created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts they do not understand with. They have eyes they do not see with. They have ears they do not hear with. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat al-A'raf, 179)

Torah:

"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." (Isaiah, 42:18, 20)

Quran:

Can you make the dead hear or guide the blind and those who are patently misguided? (Surat az-Zukhruf, 40)

Believers' Responding to Evil with Good

Torah:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs, 25:21-22)

Quran:

A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else,he will be like a bosom friend. (Surah Fussilat, 34)

It Is God Who Bestows Sustenance

Torah:

The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You... satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Psalms, 145:15-16)

Quran:

There is no creature on the earth which is not dependent upon Allah for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies. They are all in a Clear Book. (Surah Hud, 6)

Those Who Do Good and Evil Will Be Recompensed

Torah:

Tell the righteous it will be well with them, they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. (Isaiah, 3:10-11)

Quran:

Those who do good will have the best and more! Neither dust nor debasement will darken their faces. They are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. But as for those who have earned bad actions–a bad action will be repaid with one the like of it. Debasement will darken them. They will have no one to protect them from Allah. It is as if their faces were covered by dark patches of the night. Those are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surah Yunus, 26-27)

Nothing Can Be Hidden from God

Torah:

He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Daniel, 2:22)

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes, 12:14)

You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from You. (Psalms, 69:5)

Quran:

Everything in the heavens and everything on the earth and everything in between them and everything under the ground belongs to Him. Though you speak out loud, He knows your secrets and what is even more concealed. (Surah Ta Ha, 6-7)

Our Lord! You know what we keep hidden and what we divulge. Nothing is hidden from Allah either on the earth or in heaven. (Surah Ibrahim, 38)

Whether you keep your words secret or say them out loud He knows what the heart contains. (Surat al-Mulk, 13)

Nobody Can Assume Responsibility for Another's Sins

Torah:

... The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. (Ezekiel, 18:20)

Quran:

Whoever is guided is only guided to his own good. Whoever is misguided is only misguided to his detriment. No burden-bearer can bear another's burden. We never punish until We have sent a Messenger. (Surat al-Isra', 15)

If the Guilty Were Punished at Once, There Would Be Nobody Left on Earth

Torah:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord... If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? (Psalms, 130:1-3)

Quran:

If Allah were to punish people for their wrong actions, not a single creature would be left upon the earth, but He defers them till a predetermined time. When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward. (Surat an-Nahl, 61)

An Example of Those Who Do not Put Their Trust in God

Torah:

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider's web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold. (Job, 8:13)

Quran:

The metaphor of those who take protectors besides Allah is that of a spider which builds itself a house; but no house is flimsier than a spider's house, if they only knew. (Surat al-'Ankabut, 41)

The Oneness of God

Torah:

So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. (1 Kings, 8:60)

Quran:

Your God is One God. There is no deity but Him, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. (Surat Al-Baqara, 163)

God Being the Generous and Loving

Torah:

... The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God... maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus, 34:6-7)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious... abounding in love. (Psalms, 103:3-8)

Quran:

Ask your Lord for forgiveness and then repent to Him. My Lord is Most Merciful, Most Loving.' (Surah Hud, 90)

He is the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving. (Surat al-Buruj, 14)

God Leads Those on His Path to Success

Torah:

And observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in His ways, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements... so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go. (1 Kings 2:3)

Quran:

As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger and those who believe: it is the party of Allah who are victorious! (Surat al-Maida, 56)

God Is the Creator of the Earth and the Heavens and All Between

Torah:

The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them... (Psalms, 146:6-7)

Quran:

Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and everything between them in six days and then established Himself firmly upon the Throne. You have no protector or intercessor apart from Him. So will you not pay heed? (Surat as-Sajda, 4)

Believers' Placing Their Hopes in God

Torah:

Let your hope be in the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalms, 27:14)

No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame... Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. (Psalms, 25:3-5)

Quran:

Say: 'My servants, you who have transgressed against yourselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah.' (Surat az-Zumar, 53)

What of him who spends the night hours in prayer, prostrating and standing up, mindful of the Hereafter, hoping for the mercy of his Lord? Say: 'Are they the same – those who know and those who do not know?' It is only people of intelligence who pay heed. (Surat az-Zumar, 9)

He is the Creator of Ears and Eyes

Torah:

Ears that hear and eyes that see—the Lord has made them both. (Proverbs, 20:12)

Quran:

It is He Who has created hearing, sight and hearts for you. What little thanks you show! (Surat Al-Muminun, 78)

Everything Being Simultaneously Under God's Command

Torah:

For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. (Psalms, 33:9)

Quran:

The Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surat al-Baqara, 117)

It is God Who Leads to Salvation

Torah:

Acknowledge In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs, 3:6)

Quran:

The way should lead to Allah, but there are those who deviate from it. If He had wished He could have guided every one of you. (Surat An-Nahl, 9)

God is He in Whom Shelter Is Sought

Torah:

He said: "The Lord is my strength, my fortress and my deliverer."... He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. (2 Samuel, 22:2, 31)

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. (Nahum, 1:7)

Quran:

Recite what has been revealed to you of your Lord's Book. No one can change His words. You will never find any safe haven apart from Him. (Surat al-Kahf, 27)

Say: 'No one can protect me from Allah and I will never find any refuge apart from Him. (Surat al-Jinn, 22)

How the Earth Will Be Flattened on the Judgment Day

Torah:

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed... For... the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah, 40:4-5)

Quran:

On the Day We make the mountains move and you see the earth laid bare and We gather them together, not leaving out a single one of them. (Surat al-Kahf, 47)

It is God Who Bestows Life and Kills

Torah:

See now that I Myself am He! There is no god besides Me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal... (Deuteronomy, 32:39)

The Lord kills and makes alive. (1 Samuel, 2:6)

Quran:

It is He Who gives life and causes to die and His is the alternation of the night and day. So will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-Muminun, 80)

That it is He Who brings about both death and life. (Surat An-Najm, 44)

How God Gives All Living Things to Man as a Blessing

Torah:

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." (Genesis, 1:29)

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (Genesis, 9:3)

Quran:

And He created livestock. There is warmth for you in them, and various uses and some you eat. (Surat an-Nahl, 5)

And also the things of varying colours He has created for you in the earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. It is He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh flesh from it... (Surat an-Nahl, 13-14)

God Raises, Lowers and Bestows Goods on Whom He Pleases

Torah:

But it is God Who judges: He brings one down, He exalts another. (Psalms, 75:7)

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts... For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's... (1 Samuel, 2:7-8)

Quran:

Say, 'O Allah! Master of the Kingdom! You give sovereignty to whoever You will You take sovereignty from whoever You will. You exalt whoever You will You abase whoever You will. All good is in Your hands. You have power over all things. (Surah Al 'Imran, 26)

Do you not see those who claim to be purified? No, Allah purifies whoever He wills. They will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck. (Surat an-Nisa', 49)

Believers' Fearing None Other Than God

Torah:

Be strong and take heart, and have no fear of them: for it is the Lord your God Who is going with you; He will not take away His help from you. (Deuteronomy, 31:6)

It is the Lord Who goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy, 31:8)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. (2 Chronicles, 32:7)

Quran:

They said, 'Our Lord, we are afraid that he might persecute us or overstep the bounds.' He said, 'Have no fear. I will be with you, All-Hearing and All-Seeing. (Surah Ta Ha, 45-46)

The angels descend on those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and then go straight: 'Do not fear and do not grieve but rejoice in the Garden you have been promised. (Surah Fussilat, 30)

How God Shapes Man

Torah:

... O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Creator, Who made you and formed you? (Deuteronomy, 32:6)

Quran:

When I have formed him and breathed My spirit into him, fall down in prostration in front of him!' (Surat Al-Hijr, 29)

Quran:

It is He Who forms you in the womb however He wills. There is no deity but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surah Al 'Imran, 6)

The Order in the Heavens

Torah:

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He Who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

Quran:

He Who created the seven heavens in layers.You will not find any flaw in the Creation of the All-Merciful. Look again – do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Surat al-Mulk, 3-4)