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Historical Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions
→Sodom and Gomorrah being located near Mecca and Medina: Added in a small section on the verse about The Romans being defeated in a nearby land and the questions that has raised some academics.
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(Added in a section on historical issues on the Origins of the Quran and the traditional Islamic account which I think best suits this page.) |
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== Regarding the Traditional Historical Account of the Quran's Origins == | == 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]. Some of their issue's with the traditional account, particularly around the area of preaching are mentioned below. | 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 === | === Sodom and Gomorrah being located near Mecca and Medina === | ||
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Then We destroyed the others. | Then We destroyed the others. | ||
<b>And indeed, you pass by them in the morning And at night.</b> | <b>And indeed, you pass by them in the morning And at night.</b> | ||
Then will you not use reason?}}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. | 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>}} | {{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. | 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. | |||
== External Links == | == External Links == | ||