Stories of the Prophets

The concept of translation encompasses a broad spectrum, including various forms of textual adaptation and adjustment that occur across languages and cultures. Within this spectrum, adaptation and imitation are also considered as part of the translation family. This study, conducted using a comparative, descriptive-analytical method, seeks to explore the issue of adapting a contemporary religious drama from Qur’anic narratives, employing Gérard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality. It examines the structural and thematic aspects of the hypertext in question—the television series Sahebdelan ( The Spiritualists ), directed by Mohammad Hossein Latifi (2006)—and its relation to its hypotext, the narratives of the Qur’an. The aim is to determine the extent and manner of the Qur’an’s influence on the adapted hypertext and to analyze the types of transformations that have occurred. The findings reveal that, based on Genette’s categorization of transtextual relationships, this form of translation from hypotext to hypertext constitutes a recreation of parts of the lives of certain prophets in the Qur’an in the format of a television drama. This recreation—shaped by filmmaking motives, media constraints, target audience, and the purpose of the series—has involved substantial changes to narrative elements such as characters, events, time and space of narration, and intertextual connections. These transformations have enabled the transmission of Qur’anic themes and messages in a contemporary and accessible language for today’s viewers. The impact of Qur’anic narratives in shaping the content and themes of this dramatic work has been significant, making it a prominent example of religious adaptation.

The stories of the Prophets ( Qaṣaṣ al-Anbīyāʼ ) in the Qur'an and the Old Testament (OT), while seemingly narrating shared figures, reflect two distinct conceptual frameworks at the level of structure, function, and message. This article employs a comparative approach to examine the fundamental differences between these two texts in narrating the Prophets' stories. It demonstrates that the Qur'an presents these narratives as a tool for individual spiritual development, social reform, and the realization of Divine Laws (Sunan Ilahi) in history. In contrast, these stories in the OT are predominantly ethnocentric, historical, and confined to the fate of the Israelites. In the Qur'an, the Prophets are universal models for combating oppression, inviting to Monotheism, and establishing a Monotheistic Nation; whereas in the OT, they often function as tribal leaders or local advisors. These differences have profound implications in the educational, theological, and civilizational spheres, such that the Qur'anic stories have served as a civilizational and epistemic pillar of the Islamic world, shaping the Ummah system and its universal values. Conversely, the OT's perspective on these stories largely serves to establish ethnic and territorial identity. The present article uses a descriptive-analytical method, analyzing the content of the Holy Qur'an and the Old Testament, to investigate this distinction and its functions across social, historical, and doctrinal dimensions. In the Qur’an, prophets are introduced as universal exemplars—leaders in the struggle against injustice, advocates of monotheism, and architects of a unified, God-conscious community. In the Hebrew Bible, however, prophets typically function as tribal leaders or local moral reformers. These divergent portrayals carry far-reaching implications in theological, educational, and civilizational domains. Qur’anic prophetic narratives, as a foundational epistemic and civilizational component of Islamic thought, have played a pivotal role in shaping the vision of a global ummah and its ethical values. In contrast, the Hebrew Bible’s rendering of prophetic stories serves predominantly to affirm national and territorial identity. This article employs a descriptive-analytical method, using content analysis of the Qur’an and the Hebrew Bible, to investigate this structural and functional divergence and its ramifications in the social, historical, and doctrinal dimensions.