Qur'an Contradiction

Who Adopted Moses: Pharaoh’s Daughter or Pharaoh’s Wife?

According to the Holy Bible, when Pharaoh sought to slay all the Hebrew male babies God saved Moses by having Pharaoh’s daughter adopt the baby as her own child:

"Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews' children.’ Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’" Exodus 2:1-10

"And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son." Acts 7:21

The Quran comes over two thousand years later to contradict the earlier, historical accounts:

And We inspired the mother of Moses, saying: Suckle him and, when thou fearest for him, then cast him into the river and fear not nor grieve. Lo! We shall bring him back unto thee and shall make him (one) of Our messengers. And the family of Pharaoh took him up, that he might become for them an enemy and a sorrow, Lo! Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts were ever sinning. And the wife of Pharaoh said: (He will be) a consolation for me and for thee. Kill him not. Peradventure he may be of use to us, or we may choose him for a son. And they perceived not. S. 28:7-9 Pickthall

The Quran claims that Pharaoh’s wife, not his daughter, adopted Moses! Since the biblical position is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, who better than Moses to know who adopted him?

And since the Hebrew Bible was written much closer to the time this event took place, and since Moses was Israel’s redeemer who is revered by the Israelites, and since they would know their own history better than Muhammad and Muslims, and since the Quran tells believers to consult the Bible and the Jews for the details regarding their sacred history, or to confirm whether the Quran speaks the truth:

And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. S. 10:94

And certainly We gave Musa nine clear signs; so ask the children of Israel. When he came to them, Firon said to him: Most surely I deem you, O Musa, to be a man deprived of reason. S. 17:101 Shakir

And since the Quran also claims that Jesus confirmed the Hebrew Bible which he had in his possession:

He will teach him the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel."; … I confirm previous scripture - the Torah - and I revoke certain prohibitions imposed upon you. I come to you with sufficient proof from your Lord. Therefore, you shall observe GOD, and obey me. S. 3:47, 49 Khalifa

Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous. S. 5:46 Khalifa

And since we know what those Scriptures that Jesus confirmed were, being identical to what have in our possession today, we can therefore conclude that the Quran is in error and the Holy Bible is correct.

Sam Shamoun


Further reading


Contradictions in the Qur'an
Articles by Sam Shamoun
Answering Islam Home Page