Ten Commandments in Islam vs Christianity: Are They in the Quran?

The Ten Commandments (Decalogue) are the foundation of Judeo-Christian ethics, given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Many people assume these commandments are exclusive to the Bible. However, the Quran contains strikingly similar moral commandments — some virtually identical in wording. This article compares each of the Ten Commandments with their Quranic parallels, revealing a shared moral heritage between the three Abrahamic faiths.

The Bible: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). The Quran: "And do not invoke besides Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him" (Quran 28:88). Both scriptures begin with the absolute insistence on monotheism. The Quran echoes this commandment throughout: "Say, He is Allah, the One" (Quran 112:1). Islam considers shirk (associating partners with God) as the only unforgivable sin: "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills" (Quran 4:48). The parallel is exact — both faiths place monotheism as the first and greatest commandment.

The Bible: "You shall not make for yourself a carved image" (Exodus 20:4). The Quran: "And [recall] when Abraham said to his father Azar, Do you take idols as deities? Indeed, I see you and your people in clear error" (Quran 6:74). The Quran condemns idol worship extensively: "Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah are servants like you" (Quran 7:194). Abraham's destruction of idols (Quran 21:57-58) is the Quranic dramatization of this commandment. Islam takes this further than most Christian traditions — while Catholic and Orthodox churches use icons and statues in worship (distinguishing veneration from worship), Islam prohibits any physical representation of the divine.

The Bible: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The Quran: "And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers" (Quran 10:106). The Quran also commands: "And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good" (Quran 2:224). Islam emphasizes the sanctity of Allah's names — the 99 Names of Allah (Asma ul-Husna) are treated with utmost reverence. Swearing false oaths by God's name is condemned in both traditions.

The Bible: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). The Quran references the Sabbath as a commandment for Jews: "And [recall] when We made the Sabbath for those who differed about it" (Quran 16:124). However, Islam does not observe the Sabbath — Friday (Jumu'ah) is the day of congregational prayer, but it is not a day of rest: "O you who have believed, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, proceed to the remembrance of Allah" (Quran 62:9). This is a key difference: the Sabbath commandment is acknowledged in the Quran as given to Jews, but Muslims are not bound by it. Christianity similarly shifted from Saturday to Sunday worship.

The Bible: "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). The Quran: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment" (Quran 17:23), "And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right" (Quran 17:33), "And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way" (Quran 17:32). The parallels are remarkable — the Quranic versions are nearly identical in meaning. Islam places honoring parents immediately after worshipping God, reflecting the same hierarchy as the Ten Commandments.

The Bible: "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15), "You shall not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:16), "You shall not covet" (Exodus 20:17). The Quran: "And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly" (Quran 2:188), "And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it — his heart is indeed sinful" (Quran 2:283), "And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others" (Quran 4:32). The prohibition against coveting in the Quran is expressed as not envying what God has given others — a spiritual reframing of the same moral principle. Both traditions condemn theft, perjury, and envy as serious sins.

Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment and answered: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). The Quran's first commandment is identical in spirit: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him" (Quran 17:23). The Islamic declaration of faith (Shahada) — "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger" — is the verbal expression of this greatest commandment. Both traditions agree: love/devotion to God is the foundation of all morality.

The Ten Commandments find striking parallels in the Quran — 9 out of 10 are directly echoed in Islamic scripture. The only exception is the Sabbath, which Islam acknowledges as a Jewish commandment but does not observe. This shared moral foundation reveals that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism share far more than they differ on basic ethics. Use DebateReveal to ask any question about the commandments from the perspective of your own scripture.