There are several details about Aaron in the Bible which do not concur with the relevant details provided in the Qur’an
Prophet Aaron was Prophet Moses’ brother, minister and partner in prophethood. Therefore, his story is an integral part of Prophet Moses’ story.
Despite the considerable similarity between the story of Aaron and Moses in the Bible and its counterpart in the Qur’an, there are several details in the Bible which do not concur with the details provided in the Qur’an and contradict reason and logic.
Let’s have a look at Prophet Aaron’s character in the Bible and the Qur’an.
Prophet Aaron in Christianity
Though Christianity honors and praises Aaron and Moses in the Bible, there are such details in the Bible which do not concur with those in the Qur’an and cannot be accepted by reason and logic.
Amram’s Marriage with his Aunt
The Bible tells us that Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses, married his aunt and begot them, though this contradicts all divine laws from the times of Prophet Adam to those of Prophet Muhammad.
In the Bible, we read: “And Amram took Jochebed, his father’s sister, for a wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years.” (Exodus 6:20)
Moses’ Divinity
The Bible also tells us that God made Moses a god to Pharaoh and Aaron a prophet for Moses, though this contradicts all divine messages from the times of Prophet Adam to those of Prophet Muhammad.
In the Bible, we read: And the Lord said unto Moses, “See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land….” (Exodus 7:1-2)
Aaron Making the Calf
The Bible says that it is Aaron who made the calf for the children of Israel, though this contradicts the monotheism preached from the times of Prophet Adam to those of Prophet Muhammad. In the Bible, we read:
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, “Arise, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him.” And Aaron said unto them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.” And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them from their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool after he had made it a molten calf; and they said, “These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!” And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” (Exodus 32:1-5)
Aaron Making the People Naked
The Bible states that Aaron made his people naked. In the Bible, we read: And when Moses saw that the people were naked (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me.” (Exodus 32:25-26)
Prophet Aaron in Islam
The Qur’an honors and praises Aaron and Moses as two of the greatest prophets. Also, the Qur’an is devoid of any details doubting Prophet Aaron’s integrity. For example, we read:
Again (of old) We bestowed Our favour on Moses and Aaron, And We delivered them and their people from (their) Great Calamity; And We helped them, so they overcame (their troubles); And We gave them the Book which helps to make things clear; And We guided them to the Straight Way. And We left (this blessing) for them among generations (to come) in later times: “Peace and salutation to Moses and Aaron!” Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For they were two of our believing Servants. (As-Saffat 37:114-121)
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Amram in the Qur’an
The Qur’an does not make any mention of Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses. Unlike the Bible, it does not state that he married his aunt.
Between Moses’ Divinity and Jesus’ Divinity
As for Moses’ divinity and Aaron’s prophethood for Moses, this is not found in the Qur’an. This is such a metaphor which is so commonplace in the Bible.
Just as Jesus is called god in the New Testament, Moses is also called god in the Old Testament. Both are clear-cut metaphors. In the New Testament, we read:
Then said He to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said unto him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:27-29)
The evidence for Jesus’ figurative divinity is giving him descriptions, shared with Aaron and Moses, and contradicting his alleged divinity. For example, Jesus is likened to Aaron in terms of priesthood. In the Bible, we read:
And by reason hereof, he ought, both for the people and also for himself, to make offering for sins. And no man taketh this honor unto himself, except he that is called by God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made a high priest, but He that said unto Him, “Thou art My Son; today have I begotten Thee.” And He saith also in another place, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:3-6)
We also read:
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all His house.” (Hebrews 3:1-2)
Since Jesus was a high priest, he was just a figurative rather than real god or son of god just as Moses was a figurative rather than real god. Otherwise, both of them would have been real gods. But, this contradicts the monotheism to which the Bible, including the Old Testament and the New Testament, call (Deuteronomy 6:4), (Mark 12:29), (Matthew 4:10).
How can Jesus be the high priest of God and be God at the same time?
Jews understand Prophet Moses’ metaphorical divinity, and so they never worshiped him either as God or one person of God.
As for Christians, they, unfortunately, do not understand Jesus’ metaphorical divinity. As a result, they worship Jesus as a god along with God or as one person of God though both Moses and Jesus are referred to as gods in the Bible.
It is curious that the New Testament itself quotes Jesus as explaining the concept of the stated figurative divinity of Moses and himself. He made clear that he and Jesus were called gods for they received the word of God and were sent to the world to do the works of God and that though God was with them, they were not real gods. In the Bible, we read:
The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy and because thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said “Ye are gods”’? If He called them gods unto whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do ye say of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, ‘Thou blasphemest,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. (John 10:33-37)
Calf Making & People Nakedness
As for the calf making and the people nakedness, this could have never been carried out by one of the greatest prophets, like Aaron. The Qur’an tells us that it is the Samiri who did that and this was condemned by Prophet Aaron, who called on his people to disown the calf and worship God alone. In the Qur’an, we read:
They said, “We did not break our promise to you by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we threw them [into the fire], and thus did the Samiri throw.” And he extracted for them [the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound, and they said, “This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot.” Did they not see that it could not return to them any speech and that it did not possess for them any harm or benefit? And Aaron had already told them before [the return of Moses], “O my people, you are only being tested by it, and indeed, your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my order.” They said, “We will never cease being devoted to the calf until Moses returns to us.” [Moses] said, “O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray, from following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?” [Aaron] said, “O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, ‘You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.’” (Taha 20:87-94)
Click here to read Prophet Moses’ story for it is an integral part of Prophet Aaron’s story!
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References:
- The Glorious Qur’an
- The Holy Bible
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