A Sacrifice that Never Took Place: A Rehearsal of Khatibi’s Punctual Reading of Abraham´s Sacrifice in Qur’an 37 and Genesis 22

The depiction of the Abraham-Ibrāhīm figure in the Quran is unquestionably distinct from that in Genesis. This pertains to the myriad depictions of both figures, as well as the inquiry into their resemblances and disparities, within the traditions of the three Abrahamic religions. Both the Bible and the Qur’an describe Abraham as the father of many nations.1 Abdelkébir Khatibi (d. 2009) believed that the Qur’an has brought about significant changes to the biblical Abrahamic figure. This paper aims to analyse Khatibi’s critical and punctual reading of Abraham’s sacrifice narrative in Qur’an 37 and Genesis 22, as presented in the chapter titled “Complexe d’Œdipe ou complexe d’Abraham” (The Oedipus complex or the Abraham complex) in his French political/polemical pamphlet Vomito blanco: le sionisme et la conscience malheureuse (1974).2 The present study posits that Khatibi’s decision to present his reading of the Abrahamic question in the form of a minor pamphlet represents a significant effort in contemporary Arab-Islamic scholarship to subject canonical texts to the framework of double critique, namely, decolonization and deconstruction. This argument draws on a diverse range of sources, including but not limited to philosophy, psychoanalysis, political theology, political sociology, and literary criticism.