Historical Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions

The Quran contains a surah relating to Allah destroying an army via birds throwing stones of baked clay at them. This account is allegedly based on the pre-Islamic Yemeni/Hymarite Christian King Abraha attempting to invade Mecca with an army of elephants for the purpose of destroying the House of Allah (The Holy Ka'bah), to bring pilgrims to his own church in the capital Sanaa. But their plan backfired when Allah destroyed the army with a flock of birds and baked clay, thus their plans were foiled.

Found in Chapter 3 of: Fisher, Greg. Arabs and Empires before Islam (p. 151-152). OUP Oxford. Read on internet archive for free [https://archive.org/details/arabs-and-empires-before-islam-by-fisher-greg/page/151/mode/1up here].</ref> however states it is plausible that an elephant attacked Mecca citing elephants with mahouts (riders) inscriptions in the Najrān region.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/37672841/_%E1%B8%A4imyar_Aks%C5%ABm_and_Arabia_Deserta_in_Late_Antiquity_The_Epigraphic_Evidence_dans_Arabs_and_Empires_before_Islam_edited_by_Greg_Fisher_Oxford_University_Press_2015_pp_127_171_chapter_3_ H˙imyar, Aksūm, and Arabia Deserta in Late Antiquity. The Epigraphic Evidence.] Christian Julien Robin.  

There are also practical and logistical issues with the account, which sees it difficult to accommodate an elephants(s) in the hot desert environment of South and Central Arabia. Elephants require significant amounts of food and water 149-169 kg (330-375 lbs) of vegetation daily.<ref>[https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/diet/ All About Elephants.] Diet & Eating Habits. Seaworld.org</ref> In fact typically sixteen to eighteen hours, or nearly 80% of an elephant’s day is spent feeding.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Elephants consume grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots.<ref>Ibid.</ref> 68.4 to 98.8 litres (18 to 26 gallons) of water daily, potentially up to 152 litres (40 gallons).<ref>Ibid.</ref> Elephants have extremely weak feet unsuited for desert terrain.<ref>[https://www.elephant.se/elephant_foot_and_nail_problems.php ''Elephant feet and nail problems.''] Elephant Encyclopedia - information and database - established 1995. Absolut elephant. elephant.se.</ref> They also unlike most hairless mammals have no natural defense against the sun, so must regularly bathe themselves in mud to avoid sunburn.<ref>[https://tsavotrust.org/five-interesting-facts-about-an-elephants-skin/ Five interesting facts about an elephant’s skin.] Tsavo Trust

Therefore critics argue it is most likely an exaggeration by Arab poets<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an: Text and Commentary, Volume 1: Early Meccan Suras: Poetic Prophecy (pp. 61). 2022. Yale University Press.

''...According to some reports it was interrupted by the outbreak of an epidemic before the campaign reached Mecca, an event that was interpreted early on in the sense of a miraculous salvation of Mecca, as reflected already in the pre-Islamic poets...''</ref> and storytellers as word of a far-off battles spread, then turned into salvation history by Muhammad as a reason to follow his message (i.e. Allah saved their town), and fear him, to convince them to heed his warnings.  

And finally, there is no archaeological evidence for the dead soldiers in bits of baked clay as found in the Qur'an. Critics argue that this, along with the contemporary records showing a different story of a similar attack in the region, the severe lack of evidence for elephant(s) including no mentions from contemporary historians or inscriptions, no recording of the Meccan invasion, the muddling of the dates, along with practical problems, makes the whole account unreliable.