Types of Stories in the Qur'an:
a) The Qur'an relates the stories of previous prophets and messengers. Allah mentions stories of the miracles with which these prophets were sent, their da'wah to their people, the resistance of their opponents, the stages of da'wah and its evolution, the reward of the believers, and the fate of the disbelievers. These includes the accounts of Prophets
Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), 'Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
b) The Qur'an contains stories about what happened to previous nations, and some pious individuals who were not prophets such as Jallut (Goliath), Talut, Dwellers of the Cave, Dhul Qarnayn, Maryam (Mary),
Aasiya (Pharaoh's wife), and the people who were burnt in the pit (as-habul ukhdud).
c) Stories related to incidents which took place in the life of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam like his Night Journey to Jerusalem (al-Isra') and Ascension to the heavens (al-Mi'raj), the migration to Madinah, the Battles of Badr, Uhud, Hunayn, and others.

Goals of the Qur'anic Stories:
1) Giving exhortation and warning by providing examples and lessons: Allah has narrated in the Noble Qur'an the stories of the past nations and the severe punishments that were sent upon them, and their excruciating doom. Also, how they were destroyed, and what their recompense was for belying their prophets because of their arrogance and resistance to the Truth. This is followed by reminders of the Power of Allah to uproot the lying transgressors. These stories in the Qur'an became lessons for those who came after them. In another verse, Allah says: "These are some of the news of the (population of) towns which We relate unto you (O Muhammad); of them, some are standing, and some have already been reaped. We wronged them not but they wronged themselves. So their gods, other than Allah, whom they invoked, profited them naught when there came the Command of your Lord, nor did they add ought to their lot but destruction. Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the population of towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His
punishment is painful and severe," (Hud, 11:100-102).
2) Explaining that the mission of all the prophets was one: All of them called their people towards the Tawheed of Allah, asking them to single Him out in all their acts of worship without associating any partners with Him. There are numerous examples of this in the Qur'an like surahs Al-Anbiya', Maryam, and Al-A'raf. He says: "Before your time We never
sent any Messenger without having revealed to him that none has the right to the worshipped but I, so worship Me (alone)," (Al-Anbiya', 21:25). "And to the people of 'Ad, We sent their brother Hud. He said: 'O my people, worship Allah Alone, you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, fear Him?'" (Al-A'raf, 7:65).
3) Consoling the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, and strengthening his heart to perform da'wah: Allah gave him patience over the harm that was inflicted upon him from his people. Allah clarifies that He gives victory to His Messengers and protects them from His punishment. Along with this, the Qur'an makes the believers firm and strengthens them by giving them assurance that Allah will make them victorious, no matter what. "And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad) of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart
hereby. And in this, (chapter of the Qur'an) has come to you the truth, as well as an admonition and a reminder for the believers," (Hud, 11:20). Allah also says: "Therefore, be patient (O Muhammad) as did the Messengers endowed with firmness of heart, bore themselves with patience. And be in no haste about them (the disbelievers)," (Al-Ahqaf, 46:35).
4) Showing the truthfulness of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam in his da'wah and that he is a prophet who receives revelation from Allah. Allah points towards this fact after ending the story by cautioning that all this information that he receives could not possibly have been obtained from elsewhere as he did not visit the Jewish rabbis or Christian monks to learn the accounts of previous nations and their prophets from the Torah and the Gospels: "This account of something which was beyond the reach of your perception We now reveal unto you: for you were not with them when they drew lots as to which of them should be Mary's guardian, and you were not with them when they contended about it with one another," (Al-i-'Imran, 3:114). Another verse says: "This account of something that was beyond the reach of your perception We now reveal unto you, (O Prophet): for you were not with Joseph's brothers when they arranged their plan together, and also, while they were plotting," (Yusuf, 12:102).
5) The Prophet's arguing with the People of the Book with clear proofs and guidance which they had kept hidden and his challenging them with what was in their books before they were distorted and changed. Allah says: "All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say (O
Muhammad). "Bring here the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful," (Al-i-'Imran), 3:93).

Manner in Which the Stories are Presented in the Qur'an:
The Qur'anic manner of presenting stories is a very special one:

1) Repetition:
The surah repeats a single account several times, like that of Musa (Moses) and Fir'awn (Pharaoh); Nuh (Noah); and Adam's creation. This is done to connect and reconcile the subject with the details. This might also be to bring out the miraculous nature of the Qur'an and its eloquence. Knowledge of Arabic is required to fully appreciate this aspect of the Qur'an. All the stories come in a setting which differs from one place to another, according to the demands of the situation. This repetition has several important wisdoms:
a) To explain the importance and significance of the subject which the story deals with in order to firmly settle their lessons in the souls, e.g. the account of Moses and Pharaoh revolves around the clash between truth and falsehood, light and darkness, the allies of the most Merciful and the allies of the Devil.
b) To bring out and establish the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, as well as its peak of eloquence by bringing forth the same meaning in different ways and styles, such that the repetition does not seem repetitious! It requires a sound grasp of the Arabic language to fully understand this point. Consequently, all translations fail to convey the miraculous nature and the eloquence of the Qur'an.
c) The stories are narrated for a specific purpose. Some relevant details are mentioned at one place while some others are added or subtracted at other places. An example of this can be seen in the stories of the prophets in surah Hud which are repeated again in surah Al-Qamar, but with a new and different style and manner such that the reader might think that the stories and the events were not known to him before!

2) Summarising the Relevant Events of the Story to Achieve Its Aim:
One finds that the Qur'an neither presents the stories as narrative history nor brings the chronological orders of events because it is far from the objective the Qur'an is trying to achieve. An example of this is the story of the Dwellers of the Cave (As-habul Kahf) which the Qur'an narrates to us in surah Al-Kahf. It is about a group of young men whom Allah guided to faith and who escaped from their enemies because they might have forced them to revert to disbelief. The Qur'an does not mention their names, how many they were, or what was their nation or tribe.

3) The Qur'an Puts Forth the True Story as It Occurred:
The stories in the Qur'an are not based upon imagination, rather they are the actual state of affairs in which the people lived. It is a revelation from the All-Knowledgeable, the All-Wise. Allah does not mention something unless it occurred exactly as He states it in the Qur'an. The stories in the Qur'an are drawn from actual historical events and put in an eloquent, beautiful style with the most appropriate choice of Arabic words.

4) Insertion ofAdvice anWarnings in the Stories of the Qur'an:
It is an apparent fact that the Qur'an does not amalgamate all the subjects, rather it calls for reflection. It inserts lessons from which to take heed and this is the object of the whole discussion. This is done in order to fill the hearts with the fear of Allah and to have His consciousness when one reads the Qur'an and contemplates about it. "Pharaoh said: 'Who then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?'Moses said: 'Our Lord is He who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided
it aright.'(Pharaoh said): 'What about the generations of old?'(Moses) said: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a Record. My Lord is neither unaware nor he forgets! Who has made earth for you like a bed (spreadout); and has opened roads for you therein; and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various
kinds of vegetation. Eat and pasture your cattle; Truly, in this are proofs and signs for men of understanding. Thereof (of earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again," (Ta-Ha, 20:49-54).
There is a transition from the story of Moses and Pharaoh to the reminder of the greatness of Allah and the manifestations of His being the only deity and proofs of His existence. Furthermore, the pronoun changes from addressing Moses and Pharaoh to a general one to all of humanity.