The birth and the burning bush
Partial overlapBiblical text
Êxodo 2:1-10
1And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
4And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.
7Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.
9And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
Qur'an
Ta-Ha 20:9-40
وَهَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ
9Hath there come unto thee the story of Moses
إِذْ رَءَا نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ ٱمْكُثُوٓا۟ إِنِّىٓ ءَانَسْتُ نَارًا لَّعَلِّىٓ ءَاتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ هُدًى
10When he saw a fire and said unto his folk: Lo! Wait! I see a fire afar off. Peradventure I may bring you a brand therefrom or may find guidance at the fire
فَلَمَّآ أَتَىٰهَا نُودِىَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ
11And when he reached it, he was called by name: O Moses
إِنِّىٓ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكَ فَٱخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى
12Lo! I, even I, am thy Lord, So take off thy shoes, for lo! thou art in the holy valley of Tuwa
وَأَنَا ٱخْتَرْتُكَ فَٱسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰٓ
13And I have chosen thee, so hearken unto that which is inspired
إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ
14Lo! I, even I, am Allah, There is no Allah save Me. So serve Me and establish worship for My remembrance
إِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا لِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ
15Lo! the Hour is surely coming. But I will to keep it hidden, that every soul may be rewarded for that which it striveth (to achieve)
فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكَ عَنْهَا مَن لَّا يُؤْمِنُ بِهَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ فَتَرْدَىٰ
16Therefor, let not him turn thee aside from (the thought of) it who believeth not therein but followeth his own desire, lest thou perish
وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
17And what is that in thy right hand, O Moses
قَالَ هِىَ عَصَاىَ أَتَوَكَّؤُا۟ عَلَيْهَا وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَىٰ غَنَمِى وَلِىَ فِيهَا مَـَٔارِبُ أُخْرَىٰ
18He said: This is my staff whereon I lean, and wherewith I bear down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses
قَالَ أَلْقِهَا يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
19He said: Cast it down, O Moses
فَأَلْقَىٰهَا فَإِذَا هِىَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَىٰ
20So he cast it down, and lo! it was a serpent, gliding
قَالَ خُذْهَا وَلَا تَخَفْ ۖ سَنُعِيدُهَا سِيرَتَهَا ٱلْأُولَىٰ
21He said: Grasp it and fear not. We shall return it to its former state
وَٱضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَآءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوٓءٍ ءَايَةً أُخْرَىٰ
22And thrust thy hand within thine armpit, it will come forth white without hurt. (That will be) another token
لِنُرِيَكَ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا ٱلْكُبْرَى
23That We may show thee (some) of Our greater portents
ٱذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُۥ طَغَىٰ
24Go thou unto Pharaoh! Lo! he hath transgressed (the bounds)
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى
25(Moses) said: My Lord! relieve my mind
وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى
26And ease my task for me
وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِى
27And loose a knot from my tongue
يَفْقَهُوا۟ قَوْلِى
28That they may understand my saying
وَٱجْعَل لِّى وَزِيرًا مِّنْ أَهْلِى
29Appoint for me a henchman from my folk
هَـٰرُونَ أَخِى
30Aaron, my brother
ٱشْدُدْ بِهِۦٓ أَزْرِى
31Confirm my strength with him
وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِىٓ أَمْرِى
32And let him share my task
كَىْ نُسَبِّحَكَ كَثِيرًا
33That we may glorify Thee much
وَنَذْكُرَكَ كَثِيرًا
34And much remember Thee
إِنَّكَ كُنتَ بِنَا بَصِيرًا
35Lo! Thou art ever Seeing us
قَالَ قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
36He said: Thou art granted thy request, O Moses
وَلَقَدْ مَنَنَّا عَلَيْكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَىٰٓ
37And indeed, another time, already We have shown thee favour
إِذْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ
38When we inspired in thy mother that which is inspired
أَنِ ٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱلتَّابُوتِ فَٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ فَلْيُلْقِهِ ٱلْيَمُّ بِٱلسَّاحِلِ يَأْخُذْهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّى وَعَدُوٌّ لَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّى وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِىٓ
39Saying: Throw him into the ark, and throw it into the river, then the river shall throw it on to the bank, and there an enemy to Me and an enemy to him shall take him. And I endued thee with love from Me that thou mightest be trained according to My will
إِذْ تَمْشِىٓ أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن يَكْفُلُهُۥ ۖ فَرَجَعْنَـٰكَ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ كَىْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ ۚ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا فَنَجَّيْنَـٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّـٰكَ فُتُونًا ۚ فَلَبِثْتَ سِنِينَ فِىٓ أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَىٰ قَدَرٍ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
40When thy sister went and said: Shall I show you one who will nurse him? and we restored thee to thy mother that her eyes might be refreshed and might not sorrow. And thou didst kill a man and We delivered thee from great distress, and tried thee with a heavy trial. And thou didst tarry years among the folk of Midian. Then camest thou (hither) by (My) providence, O Moses
In common
Both texts tell nearly the same scene: Moses's/Mūsā's mother is instructed, by God or by direct inspiration, to place the baby in a basket and entrust him to the river, afraid he'll be killed. The sister follows at a distance, and the child ends up back in his own mother's care. Later, by a mountain, God speaks to him through a burning bush and reveals his mission.
Differences
The differences here are mostly of emphasis and detail, not substance. The Qur'an condenses decades of Moses's life (the birth, the bush, the request for Aaron's help) into a more compact, theologically-oriented account, focused on the prophetic mission rather than chronology. The biblical Exodus spends much more narrative detail on the political context, Pharaoh, the enslavement of the Hebrews, before arriving at the burning bush.
Biblical text: Exodus 2 and 3, Jewish-Christian tradition.
Qur'an: Surah 20 (Ta-Ha); the same story is also told in more detail in Surah 28 (Al-Qasas).