Tidings of the unseen
تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَآ إِلَيْكَ ۖ مَا كُنتَ تَعْلَمُهَآ أَنتَ وَلَا قَوْمُكَ مِن قَبْلِ هَٰذَا ۖ فَٱصْبِرْ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْعَٰقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ٤٩
This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou thyself knewest it not, nor did thy folk (know it) before this. Then have patience. Lo! the sequel is for those who ward off (evil).
ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ أَجْمَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ ١٠٢
This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou wast not present with them when they fixed their plan and they were scheming.
The Quran's stories are not retellings of earlier scripture. They often add details, leave others out, and, in Muslim understanding, correct elements of other traditions. Several examples are discussed below. In each case we separate what the verse says from how it has been interpreted.
Pharaoh's body preserved as a sign
۞ وَجَٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ بَغْيًۭا وَعَدْوًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدْرَكَهُ ٱلْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتْ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓا۟ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ ٩٠ ءَآلْـَٰٔنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ ٩١ فَٱلْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ ءَايَةًۭ ۚ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا لَغَٰفِلُونَ ٩٢
90And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh with his hosts pursued them in rebellion and transgression, till, when the (fate of) drowning overtook him, he exclaimed: I believe that there is no Allah save Him in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of those who surrender (unto Him). 91What! Now! When hitherto thou hast rebelled and been of the wrong-doers? 92But this day We save thee in thy body that thou mayst be a portent for those after thee. Lo! most of mankind are heedless of Our portents.
The Biblical account of the Exodus tells of the drowning of Pharaoh's army (Exodus 14:28) but says nothing about his body. The Quran adds that his body would be saved “that thou mayst be a portent for those after thee.”
Classical reading
Early commentators, as reported by Ibn Kathir and others, explain that the body was cast ashore so that the Children of Israel, some of whom doubted that so mighty a ruler could die, would see it and know he had perished.
Modern reflection
Ancient Egyptian royal mummies were rediscovered in the 19th century, notably in the Deir el-Bahari cache (1881) and the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35, 1898). Many are now displayed in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. Some writers have suggested that the Pharaoh of the Exodus may be among them.
A note of caution
Historians have not established which Pharaoh opposed Moses. Ramesses II and his son Merneptah are often proposed, but there is no consensus. The Quranic sign does not depend on identifying a particular mummy: his body was kept as a lesson, whatever became of it later.
“King” in Joseph's time, “Pharaoh” in Moses's
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَٰتٍۢ سِمَانٍۢ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌۭ وَسَبْعَ سُنۢبُلَٰتٍ خُضْرٍۢ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَٰتٍۢ ۖ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِى فِى رُءْيَٰىَ إِن كُنتُمْ لِلرُّءْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ ٤٣
And the king said: Lo! I saw in a dream seven fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry. O notables! Expound for me my vision, if ye can interpret dreams.
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مُّوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ فَظَلَمُوا۟ بِهَا ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ ١٠٣
Then, after them, We sent Moses with our tokens unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they repelled them. Now, see the nature of the consequence for the corrupters!
The Quran consistently calls Egypt's ruler in the story of Joseph al-malik, “the king”. In the story of Moses he is always Fir'awn, “Pharaoh”. The Bible uses “Pharaoh” in both stories (e.g. Genesis 41).
The Egyptian evidence
The Egyptian term pr-ꜥꜣ (“great house”), from which “pharaoh” comes, first referred to the royal palace. Egyptologists generally date its use as a way of referring to the king himself to the New Kingdom, from around the mid-18th Dynasty (c. 15th century BCE).
A note of caution
The dates of Joseph and Moses are not fixed by external evidence, so this point is an argument from consistency rather than proof. Still, the Quran's distinction fits Egyptian usage, and an author simply copying earlier traditions would not have been expected to make it.
'Ad, Iram and Thamud
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ٦ إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ ٧ ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ ٨ وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ ٩
6Dost thou not consider how thy Lord dealt with (the tribe of) A'ad, 7With many-columned Iram, 8The like of which was not created in the lands; 9And with (the tribe of) Thamud, who clove the rocks in the valley;
The Quran often mentions the destroyed peoples of 'Ad (with their city or tribe Iram) and Thamud, Arabian nations to whom the prophets Hud and Salih were sent.
External attestation
Thamud is one of the few Arabian peoples named outside Arabian tradition: an inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II (715 BCE) lists the Tamudi among the peoples he defeated. Classical authors such as Pliny and Ptolemy also mention them. Thousands of “Thamudic” inscriptions in north-western Arabia testify to the region's ancient literate peoples.
A note of caution
The monumental rock-cut tombs visible today at al-Hijr (Hegra, Mada'in Salih) are Nabataean, from about the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. Muslim tradition links the area with Thamud, but these particular facades are later than Thamud. Claims that the lost city of Iram has been found (for example at Shisr in Oman in the 1990s) remain unproven.
The honour of Mary
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصْطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ٤٢
And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation.
وَٱذْكُرْ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ ٱنتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًۭا شَرْقِيًّۭا ١٦
And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,
Mary (Maryam), the mother of Jesus, is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran, and a whole surah (Surah 19) bears her name. A scripture revealed in 7th-century Arabia to a Prophet who was not Christian declares her chosen and purified above the women of creation.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Quran say about Pharaoh's body?
Quran 10:92 says: “But this day We save thee in thy body that thou mayst be a portent for those after thee.” Classical commentators explain that his body was cast ashore as proof of his death. Which Pharaoh opposed Moses is not historically established.
Why does the Quran call the ruler of Egypt “king” in the story of Joseph?
The Quran uses al-malik (the king) for Joseph's era (12:43) and Fir'awn (Pharaoh) for Moses's era (7:103). Egyptologists generally date the use of “pharaoh” (pr-ꜥꜣ, “great house”) as a way of referring to the king himself to the New Kingdom, so the Quran's usage fits the Egyptian evidence.
Is there historical evidence for Thamud?
Yes. An inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II (715 BCE) names the Tamudi, and classical writers such as Pliny and Ptolemy mention them. The rock-cut tombs at Hegra (Mada'in Salih) are Nabataean and later than Thamud.
Sources & further reading
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, on 10:90–92. Link
- Exodus 14:28; Genesis 41 (any standard Bible translation).
- Alan Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar, 3rd ed. (Griffith Institute, 1957), on pr-ꜥꜣ.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr / Madâin Sâlih)”. Link
All Quran verses: Tanzil Uthmani text, Pickthall translation, cross-checked with Quran.com. See methodology.