ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 showed how Musl im exegetes confl ated Abraham's sanctuaries at Beersheba and Mecca, drawing upon existing Biblical and rabbinic tradit ions, to highlight a distinction between Moses and the Prophet Muhammad. The presence of the character Dhu al-Qarnayn in these accounts suggests further associations with Moses in the exegesis ofQ 18:60-82 and 28:21-28. By comparing the linkage of Abraham and Mecca to that of Moses and Zion, the exegetes impugn Jewish claims to the privileged status of Jerusalem and the Israelites.
