Home > Torah - Genesis Stories in the Quran
In Genesis 1, God is referred to as Elohim (the Transcendent Creator). But in Genesis 2:4, the text shifts to Yahweh Elohim (the Covenantal Presence) which is used to show a Relational Being.
The name of God is a main topic in the Bible. He is known predominantly by the name Yahweh, which is a scholarly attempt to restore the ancient, original pronunciation of God's name.
Genesis 2:4 - These are births of the heavens and of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God’s making earth and heavens.
While Genesis 2:4-7 portrays Yahweh as a "hands-on" Potter who breathes life directly into man, the Quranic verses emphasize a Deity who creates by decree and remains ontologically separate from His creation.
Surah 36:82: "His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, 'Be,' and it is."
Surah 2:117: "Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is."
In the Quran, the word for God in Arabic is “Allah” and in the Hadith, he has 99 names.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7392 Book 97, Hadith 21 - “Allah's Messenger said, "Allah has ninety-nine Names, one-hundred less one; and he who memorised them all by heart will enter Paradise." To count something means to know it by heart.”
The relationship with Allah is one of master-slave. Allah is completely transcendent and remote from creation. If God has 99 names but none of them is "Father," and none of them allow Him to walk in a garden with man, then the 99 Names serve as a barrier, not a bridge. The 100th name that would bridge the gap: Immanuel (God with us) is missing!
Yahweh in Genesis 2:4 is the name of a God who prepares Himself for a relationship. Allah in the Quranic verses is the name of a God who prepares creation for His recognition. One is a God of Covenantal Love who stoops to the dirt; the other is a God of Absolute Power who remains on the Throne.
The relationship with Yahweh is often described as a covenant or a father-child relationship. Yahweh loves His creation so much that He became incarnate as a man, Jesus Christ, to save humanity from sin. Immanuel (God with us) prophesised in Isaiah 7:14 has come to bridge the gap as Matthew tells us in Matthew 1:22-23.