54 r Bat-Sheva Garsiel
religion (34:28) and is not dependent on the People of Israel and the Land
of Israel.
It is noteworthy that the motif of the resurrection of the dead that be-
came a central motif in the Quran’s story of the covenant is not entirely
foreign to Jewish sources—it is found in the Midrash Hagadol^42 citing a
sage named Abba Hanan.^43 However, the description of the resurrection
of the dead in the Quran adds the motif of joining the pieces. According
to Geiger, the joining of the pieces is a motif foreign to Judaism.^44 But in
my opinion, the motif is found in the vision of the dry bones in the book
of Ezekiel. There it says: “I prophesied as I had been commanded...
and the bones came together bone to matching bone; the breath entered
them, and they came to life.”^45 Apparently Muhammad was influenced by
elements of the Covenant between the Pieces found in Genesis and the
midrash, as well as by elements that appear in the Vision of the Dry Bones
in Ezekiel, and integrated them into its description of the covenant.
The Angels’ Visit to Abraham and the Destruction of Sodom
Another event in the life of Abraham that the Quran deals with is the
angels’ visit to Abraham on their way to overturning Sodom. The event is
described in two suras (11:72–78; 51:24–30).^46 Table 4.1 presents the varia-
tions in the story between the Jewish sources and the Quran.
The story of the angels’ visit in the Quran is similar to the biblical nar-
rative, with some midrashic additions. According to the midrash, Abra-
ham saw three angels, invited them to join him, and served them food,
but they only seemed to eat and drink.^47 In the Quran, on the other hand,
the messengers of God came to Abraham, who served them food, but they
did not touch the food. The Quran apparently integrated into its story the
Midrashic motif of the angels only appearing to eat and drink, adding
some descriptive details. In the Midrash, the description is based on the
view that the angels are not flesh and blood and therefore do not eat. This
motif was absorbed in the Quran, but an additional element was added:
the messengers did not touch the food. The Quran’s story introduces an-
other alteration: According to the midrash, the angels feared Abraham;
however, in the Quran, Abraham feared the angels. These changes may
have stemmed from the desire to add tension and drama to the story. One
should bear in mind that Muhammad would preach to his audience, and