The 10 Commandments in the Bible are probably the most famous list of rules in human history, yet most people only know them by reputation rather than by reading them closely. They appear in Exodus 20:1-17, given to Prophet Musa (Moses), peace be upon him, on Mount Sinai after the exodus from Egypt, and repeated again in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Different Christian traditions number them slightly differently: some combine the first two into one and split the final commandment on coveting into two, while Jewish tradition treats God’s self-introduction as the first “word” on its own. The content, though, stays the same across every tradition.
What surprises many readers, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is how closely the Quran upholds the very same instructions: worship of the One God, honouring parents, the sanctity of life, and honesty in speech and dealing, revealed to a different Prophet, in a different language, centuries later. We will go through the Ten Commandments in order, and place beside each one the Quran verse that commands the same thing, so you can see the overlap for yourself rather than take anyone’s word for it.
Where the Ten Commandments Come From
Exodus opens the list with God identifying Himself before a single command is given:
“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:1-2, KJV)
That opening matters. Before telling Musa’s people what to do, God tells them who is speaking and what He has already done for them, delivering them from slavery in Egypt. The commandments that follow are framed as a response to that relationship, not a set of arbitrary rules imposed on strangers.
The Quran confirms that Musa received a full written revelation at this same encounter with God:
“And We wrote for him on the tablets [something] of all things – instruction and explanation for all things, [saying], ‘Take them with determination and order your people to take the best of it.'” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:145)
Both scriptures agree on the setting: a Prophet, a mountain, and tablets written by God’s own command. The content that follows, in both books, is described as instruction, not suggestion.
Commandments 1 to 3: One God, No Idols, His Name Not in Vain
The first three commandments all protect one single idea: God alone deserves worship, obedience and reverence.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them… Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.” (Exodus 20:3-7, KJV, abridged)
This is the same starting point as the Quran’s central declaration, recited by Muslims worldwide multiple times a day in prayer:
“Say, ‘He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.'” (Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)
And directly, in a verse many scholars treat as the opening of a whole list of moral commands in the Quran that closely mirrors Exodus 20:
“Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.” (Surah An-Nisa 4:36)
Neither scripture treats this as one instruction among ten equal options. In both books, everything else, family, honesty, property, character, is built on this single foundation. Get this one wrong, and the rest has nothing to stand on.
Commandments 4 and 5: A Day Set Apart, and Honouring Parents
The fourth commandment sets apart a day for rest and worship:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.” (Exodus 20:8-10, KJV, abridged)
The fifth turns from God’s right to a human one:
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12, KJV)
The Quran places honouring parents directly after Tawhid too, immediately after the command to worship God alone, and spells out in practical terms what that honour looks like once parents grow old and dependent:
“And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff,’ and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:23)
Notice the specificity: not just “be kind,” but do not even sigh at them, do not raise your voice, choose a noble word instead. Both scriptures place the same two loyalties, God first and parents immediately after, in that exact order, which is worth pausing on.
Commandments 6 to 9: Life, Marriage, Property and Truth
The next four commandments protect the basics of a safe community: life, marriage, property and truth.
“Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:13-16, KJV)
The Quran protects human life in language that has become well known even outside Islam, precisely because of how absolute it is:
“Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:32)
On adultery, the Quran does not only forbid the act itself but the path that leads toward it, a slightly different emphasis worth noticing:
“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:32)
On property, the Quran’s instruction is direct:
“And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:188, abridged)
And on truthful testimony, a command that recurs through the Quran in different forms:
“So avoid the abomination of idols and avoid false statement.” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:30)
Different wording, different historical setting, the same four protections.
Commandment 10: Do Not Covet
The final commandment turns inward, from actions to the desire that produces them:
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:17, KJV)
This is, in some ways, the hardest commandment to keep, because it cannot be policed from the outside. No one else can see what you covet.
The Quran addresses that same inward struggle directly, and roots it in trust that God has distributed provision wisely:
“And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others.” (Surah An-Nisa 4:32, abridged)
Both scriptures end the list in the same place: not with an outward act to avoid, but with the state of the heart that quietly produces every other sin on the list if left unchecked.
A Quick Side-by-Side Summary
Laid out together, the pattern is hard to miss: worship God alone, avoid idols, honour His name, keep a day for Him, honour your parents, protect life, protect marriage, protect property, protect truth, and guard your own heart from envy. Two scriptures, two Prophets, two languages, and ten shared instructions, in almost the same order.
For reflection
- If the first commandment in both the Bible and the Quran is worship of the One God alone, why do so many modern religious debates start anywhere else?
- The Bible and the Quran both place honouring parents immediately after worshipping God. What does that order suggest about how seriously each scripture treats family?
- Nine of the Ten Commandments concern how we treat other people, not rituals. What does that tell you about what a “moral life” is meant to look like in scripture?
- The tenth commandment targets a feeling, not an action. Why would God command something no human court could ever enforce?
- If two scriptures given centuries apart, in different languages, to different Prophets, agree this closely on right and wrong, what does that agreement point to?
Where to take this further
These are not the only places the Bible and the Quran meet on shared ground.
- See how honouring one parent in particular is treated in Bible Verses About Mothers: What the Bible and Quran Teach About Honouring Mothers.
- Go deeper on the underlying question of God’s oneness in Difference Between Allah and God: What’s the Real Answer?
- Read the wider comparison in What Jesus Taught vs What Christians Practice Today.
- Start with the basics on our What is Islam? page.
- Come and visit a mosque, with no commitment and no pressure, or book a free guided tour in English, French or Spanish.
- Send this exact question to us directly through Ask About Islam.
- Muslims who want to learn how to discuss questions like this one respectfully can start with our Getting Started guide.
Ten commands, given on a mountain to one Prophet, repeated in different words through another Prophet centuries later. That kind of agreement across two scriptures, two languages and two very different historical moments is not something to rush past. It is worth sitting with honestly, and asking what it means that the answer, in both books, comes out the same.