This panel features papers on the Qur'an and the Bible in the context of Late Antiquity.
The “mutual cursing” (mubāhala) episode in Āl ‘Imrān (3:59-64) has provided Muslim commentators a topos for probing the early Muslim community’s relation to Near Eastern Christians, as well as for understanding the Sunnī–Shī‘ī split. The language of “curse” and “witness” that pervades sūra 3 recalls formulae used in Deuteronomy 28 and Joshua 24 to renew the Mosaic covenant. In this essay, I argue that the biblical renewal ritual, which involves placing a collective curse on covenant breakers, forms the biblical subtext of the mubāhala. By reading sūra 3 against Deuteronomy and Joshua, we see how the Qur’ān as a text (oral and written) takes on the role of the Torah in the renewal ritual: a witness to the constitution of the Islamic covenant community that, unlike the a prophet or a cultic site, is both portable and duplicable.
This paper draws a comparison between the treatment of the figure of the Jew in the Pauline Epistles and the Qur’an, with the goal of illuminating the necessarily polemical nature of historical, revealed monotheism. It begins by providing some background as to why such a juxtaposition has been only seldom attempted, explains how the author came to see these two texts as related, and briefly suggests how the parallels might have come about. It then develops a more detailed comparison and contrast, laying the groundwork for a conclusion that draws out some implications for our understanding of monotheism, in critical dialogue with Jan Assmann.
Through an exploration of the word mustaqarr (a place of settling) and associated terms, I will argue in this paper that the Qur’anic concept of “home” refers to a state of being settled on the land, in one’s self, and with God. The search for home thus ties together three journeys: the physical search for one’s homeland (especially after exile), the inward search for peace within one’s heart, and the spiritual search for God. These journeys are intertwined through the idea of mustaqarr, which, the Quran suggests, can only be found at the place where all three searches find their conclusion. Thus, so long as any of those journeys remains incomplete, then you are not at home: you are in a temporary resting-place (mustawda), and the journey must continue.
The passage from Q 37 As-Saffat in the Qur’an, verses 75-148, is a significant text that presents the stories of prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses and Aaron, Elijah, Lot, and Jonah. It is particularly noted for its detailed account of Jonah and the unique narrative of Abraham’s binding of his son, which has sparked debates on the son’s identity. The text’s structure, which has been remained obscure in the scholarship, revolves around two themes: the deliverance of prophets and their kin, and the fate of their communities, contrasting Allah’s chosen messengers with their deviant followers. This structure is not chronological but thematic, separating the prophets’ salvation from their people’s outcomes. The analysis aims to clarify the literary structure, showing how the dual theme informs each prophet’s story and addresses narrative complexities within these verses and how this new reading would contribute to our understanding of the Qur'anic reception of the Bible.
Sūrat Āl ʿImrān (Q 3) derives its name from the mention of the descendants of ʿImrān in verse 33. Although the ḥadīth sources remain largely silent regarding their identity, the exegetes of the Qurʾān commonly identified them as Moses and Aaron and occasionally interpreted them as Mary and Jesus within the Christian context. Conversely, certain modern scholars of the New Testament and early Christianity have emphasized the religious significance of Jesus’ brothers and the existence of their descendants, known as the desposyni (Greek: kins to the lord), whose lineage can be found by the third century CE. In this paper, through a critical re-reading of verses 33–36, and the analysis of their intertextuality with early Christian sources, I propose that the progeny of ʿImrān, beyond Mary and Jesus, may also encompass Jesus’ half-siblings and their progeny through Mary’s marriage with Joseph.