Revelation Behind the Veil: An Intertextual Analysis
Authors : Merve Kurt Palanci
Pages : 1-13
Doi:10.54122/umde.1685849
View : 113 | Download : 102
Publication Date : 2025-07-31
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :This article delineates Mosaic revelation in the Qur’ān with special focus on the prepositional phrase min warā’i ḥijābin in al-Shūrā 42/51 through an intertextual analysis method with the biblical material in Exodus 34:33-35. The analysis is primarily based on the theophanic passages in the biblical tradition which are subsequently juxtaposed with the aforementioned Qur’ānic phrase. In the exegetical tradition, the verse in question is a featured excerpt for classifying the types of revelation, a classification also traceable in classical methodological works. Amongst the other Qur’ānic verses refuting theophany, is the verse under discussion deemed a testimonial against visio Dei potential of non-celestial prophets before the Divine. When classical exegetical works revisited panoramically, however, there appears a discernable tendency to corelate vocable ḥijāb, the veil, in the verse metaphorically with the burning bush on Sinai narrative and bestowal of the first ten commandments. Conversely, in the mainstream Judaism, the outline of Mosaic narrative in Exodus 34:33-35 is deemed as a clear manifestation of revelatory theophany, setting a מַסְוֶה masveh (veil) pattern that is believed to be on Moses’ face after he left the Tabernacle. Accordingly, whenever Moses enters the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle, he removes the veil off until he comes out to inform his folk about divine commandments –after which he covers his radiant face again with the same veil. He is believed to have seen Yahweh by naked eye. Hence, in biblical tradition, the Mosaic veil comes to the fore as Moses’ authority during the grant of second ten commandments, not the first one. The veil pattern is, par excellence, a matter of theophanic course. The main arguments of the paper are twofold. Firstly, I argue that Qur’ān’s references to Mosaic revelation are not limited to Sinaitic fire narrative and the bestowal of the first Covenant. Instead, it seems to deconstruct both the visio Dei credo and role of Mosaic veil in the Tabernacle, as described in Exodus 34:33-35, through an indirect reference to Mosaic veil in al-Shūrā 42/51. I argue that the historical context of the verse, inter alia the concurrent passages in Exodus 34:33-35, rarifies to designate a metaphorical connotation for the vocable veil and Sinaitic burning bush. Rather, it seems eligible for getting comprehended literally as a Qur’ānic deconstruction of veil’s role in the Tabernacle in due course of the second ten commandments grant, namely covenant renewal. I also enounce that, in order to appreciate the phenomena of intertextuality between the former and latter in full, para-scriptural material is of great importance as it sheds light on Qur’ān’s indirect references and deconstruction of biblical themes. While the Qur’ān occasionally applies to a dogmatic re-articulation to its preceding scriptural tradition through lingua franca of the epoch it deployed, it is not always the case for each theological verbum it embodies. Instead, Qur’ān seems to deconstruct biblical themes which were familiar to Judeo-Christian community of its time, who used to speak Arabic in everyday encounters. The semantic irrelevancy of מַסְוֶה masveh and ḥijāb are ensampled in this regard. To this end, subsequent to a critical analysis of the salient literature on the intertextuality between the Qur’ān and the Bible regarding Moses as introductory remarks, the paper revisits revelatory theophany in the Hebrew Bible and elucidates the role of Mosaic veil in due course of visio Dei in Exod. 34:33-35. It then briefly peruses Mosaic revelation through the lenses of the Qur’ān and the Muslim exegetical tradition, as well as extra- Qur’ānic material. Consequentially, it seems safe to argue that Qur’ān deconstructs the veil pattern of Judaic tradition as it existed in the sectarian milieu.Keywords : Tefsir, Musa, İkinci On Emir, Sina, Çıkış 34, Musa’nın Peçesi, Ru’yetullah
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