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Historical Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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=== Massive wall of iron === | === Massive wall of iron === | ||
The Qur'an presents a version of the Syrian legend of Alexander the Great as a great king who helps a tribe of people build a massive wall of iron between two mountains. The Quran then states, along with the hadith, that this wall and the tribes it traps will remain in place until the Day of Judgement. | ''See: [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance]]'' | ||
The Qur'an presents a version of the Syrian legend of Alexander the Great as a great king who helps a tribe of people build a massive wall of iron between two mountains. The Quran then states, along with the hadith, that this wall and the tribes it traps will remain in place until the Day of Judgement. Modern satellites and near comprehensive exploration of the Earth's surface, however, have yet to reveal any trace of such massive structure.{{Quote|{{Quran|18|96-101}}|Bring me pieces of iron!’ When he had levelled up between the flanks, he said, ‘Blow!’ When he had turned it into fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten copper to pour over it.’ | |||
}}{{Quote|{{Quran|21| | So they could neither scale it, nor could they make a hole in it. He said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord is fulfilled, He will level it; and my Lord’s promise is true.’ | ||
That day We shall let them surge over one another, the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall gather them all, and on that day We shall bring hell into view visibly for the faithless. | |||
Those whose eyes were blind to My remembrance and who could not hear.}}The trumpet blowing in {{Quran|18|99}} is referred to many other times in the Qur'an as happening on judgement day (see {{Quran|27|87}}, {{Quran|69|13}} and {{Quran|39|68}}). Another passage confirms that this wall was supposedly still intact and that its future opening will be associated with other apocalyptic events.{{Quote|{{Quran|21|95-97}}|But there is a ban on any population which We have destroyed: that they shall not return, | |||
Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every hill. | |||
Then will the true promise draw nigh (of fulfilment): then behold! the eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "Ah! Woe to us! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we truly did wrong!"}} | |||
===David invented coats of mail=== | ===David invented coats of mail=== | ||
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===Supernatural destruction of cities=== | ===Supernatural destruction of cities=== | ||
The Quran state that outside the vicinity of Arabia there existed cities and tribes destroyed by Allah for rejecting his messengers and Islam. In each specific example presented in the Qur'an (the people of ''A'ad'', ''Thamud'', ''Midian'', [[Lut|''Lut'' (Lot)]], and the Pharoah's army), the destruction of the disbelievers is sudden and total. | The Quran state that outside the vicinity of Arabia there existed cities and tribes destroyed by Allah for rejecting his messengers and Islam. In each specific example presented in the Qur'an (the people of ''A'ad'', ''Thamud'', ''Midian'', [[Lut|''Lut'' (Lot)]], and the Pharoah's army), the destruction of the disbelievers is sudden and total. Archaeological research, by contrast, has revealed that historical cities and tribes were only gradually ruined by natural disasters, famine, wars, migration, or neglect, often taking years or decades to unfold. In this respect, the Quran appears to have adopted and adapted contemporary Arabian myths regarding the destruction of neighboring cities, some of which may not have existed. | ||
In the Qur'an, the people of ''Thamud'' are killed instantly by an earthquake {{Quran|7|78}} or thunderous blast {{Quran|11|67}}, {{Quran-range|41|13|17}}, {{Quran|51|44}}, {{Quran|69|5}}. The people of ''A'ad'' are killed by a fierce wind that blew for 7 days {{Quran-range|41|13|16}},{{Quran-range|46|24|35}},{{Quran|51|41}}, {{Quran-range|69|6|7}}. The people of Midian (''Midyan'') are killed overnight by an earthquake {{Quran|7|91}}, {{Quran|29|36}}. The towns of Lot (''Lut'') are destroyed by a storm of stones from the sky {{Quran|54|32}}, {{Quran|29|34}}. The actual locations of these towns or tribes is unknown. Midian in particular was a wide geographical desert region rather than a particular location or city, which makes | In the Qur'an, the people of ''Thamud'' are killed instantly by an earthquake {{Quran|7|78}} or thunderous blast {{Quran|11|67}}, {{Quran-range|41|13|17}}, {{Quran|51|44}}, {{Quran|69|5}}. The people of ''A'ad'' are killed by a fierce wind that blew for 7 days {{Quran-range|41|13|16}},{{Quran-range|46|24|35}},{{Quran|51|41}}, {{Quran-range|69|6|7}}. The people of Midian (''Midyan'') are killed overnight by an earthquake {{Quran|7|91}}, {{Quran|29|36}}. The towns of Lot (''Lut'') are destroyed by a storm of stones from the sky {{Quran|54|32}}, {{Quran|29|34}}. The actual locations of these towns or tribes is unknown. Midian in particular was a wide geographical desert region rather than a particular location or city, which makes archaeological investigation difficult. | ||
Critics have also asked why it is that various other polytheistic cultures worldwide did not encounter similar fates as those outlined in the Quran | Critics have also asked why it is that various other polytheistic cultures worldwide did not encounter similar fates as those outlined in the Quran, especially if there is 'no change in the way of Allah' ({{Quran|33|62}}){{Quote|{{Quran|22|45}}|And how many a township have We destroyed because it had been immersed in evildoing - and now they [all] lie deserted, with their roofs caved in! And how many a well lies abandoned, and how many a castle that [once] stood high!}}The suddenness of Allah's punishment is stressed repeatedly in Surah al-A'raf:{{Quote|{{Quran|7|4}}|How many a township have We destroyed! As a raid by night, or while they slept at noon, Our terror came unto them.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|7|34}}|And every nation hath its term, and when its term cometh, they cannot put it off an hour nor yet advance (it).}}{{Quote|{{Quran-range|7|97|98}}|Are the people of the townships then secure from the coming of Our wrath upon them as a night-raid while they sleep? Or are the people of the townships then secure from the coming of Our wrath upon them in the daytime while they play?}} | ||
===Humans lived for hundreds of years=== | ===Humans lived for hundreds of years=== | ||
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This may have been done for literary/storytelling purposes: | This may have been done for literary/storytelling purposes: | ||
{{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. The Qur'an and its Biblical Subtext (Routledge Studies in the Qur'an) (pp. 212-213). Taylor and Francis.|The pairing of Qorah and Haman, if not in line with the Biblical account, is hardly unreasonable in literary terms. Both acted as the nemesis of God’s servant (Qorah of Moses, Haman of Mordecai). Qorah was extremely wealthy. Haman was extremely powerful. The argument that the is somehow wrong or confused by placing Haman and Qorah in Egypt (or, for that matter, that the Talmud is wrong by placing Jethro, Balaam, and Job there) seems to me essentially irrelevant. The concern is not simply to record Biblical information but to shape that information for its own purposes. The more interesting question is therefore why the connects Haman and Qorah with the story of Pharaoh. The answer, it seems, is that the Pharaoh story is to the a central trope about human conceit and rebelliousness, on the one hand, and divine punishment, on the other. Accordingly the characters of Haman and Qorah, and the legend of the Tower of Babel, find their way into the account of Pharaoh. Thereby the connects this account to its lessons elsewhere on the mastery of God over creation.}} | {{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. The Qur'an and its Biblical Subtext (Routledge Studies in the Qur'an) (pp. 212-213). Taylor and Francis.|The pairing of Qorah and Haman, if not in line with the Biblical account, is hardly unreasonable in literary terms. Both acted as the nemesis of God’s servant (Qorah of Moses, Haman of Mordecai). Qorah was extremely wealthy. Haman was extremely powerful. The argument that the is somehow wrong or confused by placing Haman and Qorah in Egypt (or, for that matter, that the Talmud is wrong by placing Jethro, Balaam, and Job there) seems to me essentially irrelevant. The concern is not simply to record Biblical information but to shape that information for its own purposes. The more interesting question is therefore why the connects Haman and Qorah with the story of Pharaoh. The answer, it seems, is that the Pharaoh story is to the a central trope about human conceit and rebelliousness, on the one hand, and divine punishment, on the other. Accordingly the characters of Haman and Qorah, and the legend of the Tower of Babel, find their way into the account of Pharaoh. Thereby the connects this account to its lessons elsewhere on the mastery of God over creation.}} | ||
=== Mecca as a safe sanctuary === | |||
The Quran references Mecca as a safe haven while swearing an oath. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|95|1-3}}|By the fig and the olive, and Mount Sinai, <b>and by this city (of Makkah), a haven of peace</b>}} | |||
While it may have appeared to have been secured at the time, the city has seen many violent events, such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mecca_(683) 683] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mecca_(692) 692] Sieges of Mecca, when Ibn al-Zubayr rebelled against the Umayyad caliphate rulers. And more recently the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_seizure Grand Mosque Seizure] attack - making this description redundant. | |||
=== Every people had a Muslim warner/prophet === | |||
We are told that every 'umma' أمة (people/nation) was sent a messenger. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|16|36}}|And <b>We certainly sent into every nation a messenger,</b> [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid ṭāghūt. [false objects of worship]." And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|35|24}}|Surely We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and a warner; and <b>there is not a people but a warner has gone among them.</b>}} | |||
The word for people/nation 'umma' (أمة) is generally interchangeable with words town/city ('madeena' مدينة), and village ('qarya' قرية) in the Quran. They generally mean a group of people residing in a particular place, so people/nation is used for that as well rather than as how we might interpret a nation/people in modern times. For example in Q28:23. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|28|23}}|And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people <b>(umma)</b> watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man."}} | |||
Some people sometimes get more than one messenger. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|36|14}}|When We sent to them two but they denied them, so We strengthened them with a third, and they said, "Indeed, we are messengers to you."}} | |||
We see this too with the Jews having many prophets (though many classical commentaries have interpreted the other prophets in the previous verse ({{Quran|36|14}}) as being Jesus's followers, who is also a Jewish prophet),<ref>E.g. View the classical tafsirs on [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/36.14 ''verse 36:14''] on quranx.com</ref> and the Arabs with Abraham coming before Muhammad (Quran 3.96 - 3.97). Some of these messengers are extremely powerful kings such as Suliman, who were are told a kingdom like his will not be given to anyone else ({{Quran|38|35}}), and Dhul Qarnayn ({{Quran|18|84}}), who is given authority over the earth and rides to the rising and setting of the sun. | |||
Despite these prophets supposedly visiting all pre-Islamic people and some ruling mighty empires, there is no trace of their monotheistic mission in any society (the two rulers mentioned only appear in biblical writings<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/question/When-was-the-Bible-written ''When was the Bible written?''] Britannica Entry. www.britannica.com</ref> and separate Christian literature (''see: [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance]]'') written centuries after the events supposedly happened; and are absent from contemporary writings and archaeological evidence). This is extremely odd that the entire administration of the empires (or surrounding one's) had not a left a trace of a monotheistic religion or their message as a warner - which assumingly they would as prophethood became the rulers life's purpose. | |||
In fact, we see the opposite, with pretty much all ancient societies being polytheistic, henotheistic, animistic, manistic (ancestor worship), shamanistic, pantheistic, heliolithic, folk religion or a combination thereof. This includes all major empires from the ancient world such as, but not limited to, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, African, Americas, European, Greek, Nordic, Roman, Chinese, Indian etc. Essentially all ancient cultures were polytheistic, with the idea of monotheism only gradually and slowly appearing as an innovation,<ref>Denova, R. (Emeritus Lecturer in the Early History of Christianity, Department of Religious Studies, University of Pittsburgh) (2019, October 17). [https://www.ancient.eu/article/1454/ ''Monotheism in the Ancient World. Ancient History Encyclopaedia.''] </ref> (rather than appearing and reappearing constantly). | |||
This also begs the question on how societies for most of human history are to be judged if the message seemingly got lost before anyone ever recorded it, if the sole purpose of man (and [[:en:Jinn|jinn]]) is to worship Allah specifically ({{Quran|51|56}}). | |||
Interestingly, all of the stories told in the Quran are of well-known Jewish-Christian prophets (''see: [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature]]'') and three local Arabian prophets Hud, Salih, and Shu'aib. There are none mentioned outside the Near-East of antiquity, and nothing about the entire hunter-gather section of humanity which lasted most of the 300,000 years humans have existed,<ref>''[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/ultrasocial/our-huntergatherer-heritage-and-the-evolution-of-human-nature/F0FAE24179317811BE1420E9BA5A290E Our Hunter-Gatherer Heritage and the Evolution of Human Nature.]'' Part I - The Evolution of Human Ultrasociality. John M. Gowdy. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 October 2021.</ref> with the stories taking place in towns that match contemporary one's to Muhammad's time. Critics argue this missed opportunity to explain the history of the world and what happened elsewhere with the prophets (i.e. the Quran only recalls local tales like a human with knowledge limited to the vicinity would), along with the lack of historical evidence of these other messengers where we would expect it, is damning. | |||
=== Suliman's missing kingdom === | |||
The Quran tells us of a powerful prophet 'Suliman' (Suliman is the Arabised version of king Solomon in the Hebrew bible. He is also the son of David (Dawood) {{Quran|27|16}}), who was granted a kingdom the likes of which would never be seen after. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|38|35}}|He said, 'My Lord, forgive me, and give me a kingdom such as may not befall anyone after me; surely Thou art the All-giver.'}} | |||
He is said to have controlled many jinn who created buildings/structures ({{Quran|34|12-13}}), and had army of birds (and jinn) he could speak to ({{Quran|27|16}}), and travelled to other nearby kingdoms (notably the Queen of Sheba in Yemen) which he could travel in 'the blink of an eye', and get under his control ({{Quran|27|38-40}}). | |||
Despite these claims in the Quran (as well as hadith and commentaries) of an extremely powerful and at least somewhat imperialistic kingdom in the Near-east/Israel/Palestine region built with supernatural abilities, of which we would expect to see an exceptionally large and unique kingdom in the archaeological record, material evidence for Solomon’s reign, as for that of his father, is scant.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solomon ''Solomon Britannica Entry''] Cyrus H. Gordon. Matt Stefon. Michael Cardoza. Solomon | Sources, Meaning, Temple, & Facts | Britannica. </ref> There are also no known writings or stories from surrounding kingdoms in the Near-East and beyond about his reign, of which there were many thriving civilizations across e.g. Egypt, Arabia, Persia and Mesopotamia. | |||
Instead the closest and main source of information about comes from the bible, with primarily in the First Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles,<ref>''[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solomon Solomon Britannica Entry]'' Cyrus H. Gordon. Matt Stefon. Michael Cardoza. Solomon | Sources, Meaning, Temple, & Facts | Britannica.</ref> with the former believed to be written around (c. 550 BC)<ref>''[https://www.britannica.com/topic/books-of-Kings Books of Kings Britannica Entry.]'' Bible. History & Society. Scriptures. Philosophy & Religion. Britannica.com</ref> and the latter around 350–300 BC.<ref>''[https://www.britannica.com/topic/books-of-the-Chronicles Books of the Chronicles Britannica Entry]''. Old Testament. History & Society. Scriptures. Philosophy & Religion. Britannica.com</ref> The other sources are rabbinic commentaries composed many centuries after that (''see: [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature#Jinn help Solomon build temples]]''). | |||
Solomon is supposed to have lived around 1000BC, when there bible which most sources of his life come from,<ref>''[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solomon Solomon Britannica Entry]'' Cyrus H. Gordon. Matt Stefon. Michael Cardoza. Solomon | Sources, Meaning, Temple, & Facts | Britannica.</ref> making these sources extremely late, so that only bible literalists, rather than official academics, hold this kingdom's descriptions to be literally true. For a brief summary of scholars in this area, this Smithsonian magazine article: [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeological-dig-reignites-debate-old-testament-historical-accuracy-180979011/ ''An Archaeological Dig Reignites the Debate Over the Old Testament’s Historical Accuracy''] where it is made clear remains do not match these descriptions, with the lack of structures being found making many doubt the existence of any kingdom at all during this time period, and the previous time period it seems Egyptians ruled over the area in discussion. And despite the promising title of the Smithsonian article, the society in question is suggested to be ''a more complex nomadic one'' in the area likely belonging to the Edomites (put forward by Israeli archaeologist Erez Ben-Yosef at Tel-Aviv University), that may have inspired the biblical stories, rather than one corresponding to the supernaturally build vast Islamic structures and wide reaching monotheistic rule. | |||
As Aren Maeir (Israeli archaeologist and professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University) says assessing his work, "''Because scholars have supposedly not paid enough attention to nomads and have over-emphasized architecture, that doesn’t mean the united kingdom of David and Solomon was a large kingdom—there’s simply no evidence of that on any level, not just the level of architecture.''” | |||
And in ''[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Bible_Unearthed/lu6ywyJr0CMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover The Bible Unearthed]'', a 2001 book by the Israeli archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, of Tel Aviv University, and the American scholar Neil Asher Silberman; Archaeology, the authors wrote, “''has produced a stunning, almost encyclopedic knowledge of the material conditions, languages, societies, and historical developments of the centuries during which the traditions of ancient Israel gradually crystallized''.” Armed with this interpretative power, archaeologists could now scientifically evaluate the truth of biblical stories. ''An organized kingdom such as David’s and Solomon’s would have left significant settlements and buildings—but in Judea at the relevant time, the authors wrote, there were no such buildings at all, or any evidence of writing. In fact, most of the saga contained in the Bible, including stories about the “glorious empire of David and Solomon,” was less a historical chronicle than “a brilliant product of the human imagination.''” | |||
This makes the Quran's claim he had the greatest kingdom not to be bestowed on anyone after him extremely implausible. Especially in light of the much larger empires covering huge portions of the world that came after, such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire British Empire], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_colonial_empire#Second_French_colonial_empire_(post-1830) French Empire], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire Mongol Empire], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire Russian Empire], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty Qing Dynasty], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Empire Spanish Empire], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire Ottoman Empire,] etc. whom we have far more evidence for. | |||
== Regarding the Traditional Historical Account of the Quran's Origins == | |||
Modern Academic Scholarship has questioned the traditional Islamic account (from the sirah (biographies), tafsirs (commentaries) and hadith (sayings/traditions of the prophet), which were recorded far later than the time of revelation) of the Quran's creation to varying degrees. While these are heavily debated in academia, those scholars who propose the largest differences are roughly categorised as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionist_school_of_Islamic_studies Revisionist school of Islamic studies]. While these are not typical historical errors in the sense of the Quran contradicting historical fact, they do undermine the reliability of both Sunni and Shia traditions. Some of their issue's with the traditional account, particularly around the area of preaching are mentioned below. | |||
=== Sodom and Gomorrah being located near Mecca and Medina === | |||
The prophet Lūṭ,/(Biblical 'Lot') is a Jewish prophet also mentioned in the Bible as well as the Qur'an, who warns the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (סְדֹם (''Səḏōm'') and עֲמֹרָה (''<nowiki/>'Ămōrā'')) of imminent destruction if they do not repent their sinful ways, who do not and so are quickly destroyed by God (as well as Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar (Bela) in the Bible, making up the five "cities of the plain"). These are believed to be located in North-West Arabia<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Sodom-and-Gomorrah ''Sodom and Gomorrah.''] Britannica Entry. 2023.</ref> for example, near the "[https://www.lonelyplanet.com/israel/sodom/attractions/lot-s-wife/a/poi-sig/1445578/1332029 Lot's Wife]" pillar of salt, on Mount Sodom, Israel (as in the biblical account his wife is turned into a pillar of salt), and placing Gomorrah located near the southern end of the Dead Sea, south of the peninsula of Al-Lisan.<ref>''[https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/x101699 Gomorrah.]'' The British Museum Entry.</ref> | |||
Traditional Islamic scholars have seemingly agreed with the placement in Northern Arabia too, as Patricia Crone notes in her 2008 article ''[https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mohammed_3866jsp/ What do we actually know about Muhammad?]''<nowiki/>'...''the Qur'an twice describes its opponents as living in the site of a vanished nation, that is to say a town destroyed by God for its sins. There were many such ruined sites in northwest Arabia. The prophet frequently tells his opponents to consider their significance and on one occasion remarks, with reference to the remains of Lot's people, that "you pass by them in the morning and in the evening". This takes us to somewhere in the Dead Sea region. Respect for the traditional account has prevailed to such an extent among modern historians that the first two points have passed unnoticed until quite recently, while the third has been ignored. The exegetes said that the Quraysh passed by Lot's remains on their annual journeys to Syria, but the only way in which one can pass by a place in the morning and the evening is evidently by living somewhere in the vicinity.''<nowiki/>'<ref>[https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mohammed_3866jsp/ What do we actually know about Mohammed?] Patricia Crone. 2008. opendemocracy.net</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|15|74-77}}|and We made its topmost part its nethermost, and rained on them stones of shale. | |||
There are indeed signs in that for the percipient. | |||
<b>This (city) lies on a road that still survives,</b> | |||
and there is indeed a sign in that for the faithful.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|37|133-138}}|And indeed, <b>Lot</b> was among the messengers. | |||
[So mention] when We saved him and his family, all, | |||
Then We destroyed the others. | |||
<b>And indeed, you pass by them in the morning And at night.</b> | |||
Then will you not use reason?}} | |||
==== In relation to other cities ==== | |||
The following verse also mentions the destruction of other towns from previous prophets with Hūd who preached to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BF%C4%80d ʿĀd] and Ṣāliḥ to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamud Thamūd]. ʿĀd and Thamūd are associated with northern and mid- Arabia, but it is only (the ruins of) the people of Lūṭ (Lot), located much further near the Dead Sea, which are stated as being 'not far from you'. A simple reading of this would imply that ʿĀd and Thamūd (and therefore the Arabian peninsula), were further away than the Dead Sea from this verse's initial preaching/audience. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|11|89}}|O my people, do not let your defiance toward me lead you to be visited by the like of what was visited on the people of Noah, or the people of Hūd, or the people of Ṣāliḥ, <b>and the people of Lot are not distant from you.</b>}} | |||
So the claim is that for this to make sense to those being spoken to at the time of revelation, this would place at least part of Muhammad's preaching in that vicinity (as many in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionist_school_of_Islamic_studies Revisionist school of Islamic Studies] do), rather than strictly in Mecca and Medina where orthodox Islamic views found in the biographies and hadith place him. | |||
=== The Romans in a nearby land === | |||
The Quran claims that the Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated in the nearest (part of) the land. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|30|2-3}}|The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome.}} | |||
To be notable enough to have gained a mention in the Quran, this could refer to large scale defeats by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasanian_conquest_of_Jerusalem Persians at Jerusalem in 614 CE] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antioch_(613) Damascus in 613 CE,] and many other battles in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Sasanian_War_of_602%E2%80%93628 Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628], which primarily took place in Northern Arabia/Africa/Mesopotamia. But neither of these locations can be considered to be “nearest” land to Mecca or Medina, which are both hundreds of miles away.<ref>''[https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire Byzantine Empire.]'' Historical empire, Eurasia. Geography & Travel. Britannica Entry ''(this page shows the map of the empire in Northern Arabia, where you can see the lowest border is hundreds of miles from Medina, and even more from Mecca)'' | |||
</ref> Leaving a site much further North the more fitting to this verse. | |||
=== Destroyed towns nearby Mecca === | |||
In addition to Lot above, in a surah said to be revealed in Mecca in the traditional account,<ref>[https://tanzil.net/docs/revelation_ordeR ''Traditional Revelation Order''] (''Taken from [https://playandlearn.org/Articles/HistoryOfQuran.pdf The History of the Quran] by Abu Abd Allah al-Zanjani''). Tanzil Project. (Tanzil is an international Quranic project aimed at providing a highly verified precise Quran text in Unicode.)</ref> a verse brings the attention of the audience to the destruction of the towns and people's around them. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|46|27}}|Certainly We have destroyed the towns that were around you, and We have variously paraphrased the signs so that they may come back.}} | |||
And as Patricia Crone mentioned in her 2008 article [https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mohammed_3866jsp/ ''What do we actually know about Mohammed?''] ''<nowiki/>'There were many such ruined sites in northwest Arabia.','' while they are not known to be around Mecca, though archaeological digs there are currently limited.<ref>Schick, Robert, “[https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-the-quran/archaeology-and-the-quran-EQSIM_00031?lang=fr ''Archaeology and the Qurʾān'']”, in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: Johanna Pink, University of Freiburg. Consulted online on 09 March 2024 <<nowiki>http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-3922_q3_EQSIM_00031</nowiki>></ref> | |||
== External Links == | |||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZhi-e4jPlE&t=660s Part 42: Noah's Flood] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ESfQpmmVig&t=649s Part 13: Christian Teachings in the Quran] ''-'' ''islamwhattheydonttellyou164 - YouTube videos'' | |||
== References == | == References == | ||