House of Moses: Qurʾānic Discourse on the Medinan Jewish Tribes

The Qurʾān engages in dialogue and debate with the adherents of diverse religions of late antiquity. In particular, Sūrah al-Baqarah (Q 2), with its overarching polemical tone toward the Medinan Jews, notably references Moses’ priestly descendants in Verse 248, raising questions about its use of lineal rhetoric. In this paper, I argue that the qurʾānic discourse rhetorizes Moses’ descendants (āl mūsā), who were marginalized in Jewish sources, by mentioning them along with Aaron’s descendants (āl hārūn) to challenge the exclusive religious authority of the Jewish tribes of Banū Naḍīr and Banū Qurayẓah, who claimed Aaronite priestly descent. By analyzing the qurʾānic allusions to biblical and rabbinic portrayals of Moses’ descendants, this study demonstrates how the qurʾānic rhetoric may have functioned to undermine the exclusive socio-religious authority of the Medinan Jewish tribes. Finally, I contextualize these premises within the Qurʾān’s broader positive discourse on the families and descendants of prophets.