Islam for Non-Muslims

• RELIGIOUS FAITHS VS IRRELIGIOUS IDEAS
• 1 The Present State of the World Religions
• 2 Religious System as a Historical Reality
• 3 The Evidences of God across the Universe
• 4 The Absolute Oneness of God
• 5 The Reality of the Afterlife
• 6 The Growth of Irreligious Ideas
• 7 Worshipping Natural Elements
• 8 Worshipping Imaginary Idols
• 9 Worshipping Human Beings
• 10 Inventing Relationship to God
• 11 Inventing the Idea of Reincarnation
• 12 Inventing the Theory of Evolution (Darwinism)
• 13 Inventing ‘Nature’ as the Creator of the Universe
• 14 Importance of Religion in this Secular World
• ISLAM AS A RELIGION
• 15 Addressing the Criticisms of Islam
• 16 Islam as a Magnet for the Non-Muslims
• 17 The Quran as the Original Divine Book
• 18 The Quranic Reality in Archeological Findings
• 19 Muhammad (pbuh) as the Great Prophet
• 20 Islam as the True Religion
• 21 Islam as the Universal Religion
• 22 Islam as the Eternal Religion
• 23 Islam as a Practicable Religion
• 24 Islam as an Enjoyable Religion
• 25 Islam as the Peaceful & Savior Religion
• 26 Islam as the Progressive & Rational Religion
• 27 Islam in Health & Hygiene
• 28 Islam in Promotion of Science
• 29 Muslims in Practices of Science
• 30 Islam & Other Monotheisms: Similarities & Differences
• 31 Islamic Tolerance for Other Religions
• 32 Islamic Rights for Non-Muslim Citizens
• ISLAM AS A WAY OF LIFE
• 33 Islamic System vs. Human Ideologies
• 34 Moral & Social Impacts of Islamic Rituals
• 35 Moral Discipline in Islam
• 36 Sinning of 3 W’s: Women, Wine and Wealth
• 37 Dignity & Equality of Man in Islam
• 38 Human Rights in Islam
• 39 Social Duties in Islam
• 40 Dignity & Rights of Labor in Islam
• 41 Dignity of Women in Islam
• 42 Rights of Women in Islam
• 43 Marriage & Family Life in Islam
• 44 Political Philosophy in Islam
• 45 Economic Principles in Islam
• 46 Islamic Economy vs. Capitalism & Communism
• 47 Patriotism & Internationalism in Islam
• 48 Understanding Controversial Issues in Islam
• 49 Conversion to Islam: Problems & Prospects
• 50 Conclusive Message to the Non-Muslims

18:  THE QURANIC REALITY IN ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS

Introduction: The history of mankind is so ancient that a mortal human being has no way to gain complete and perfect knowledge about it.  By means of human artifacts, fossils or other archeological evidences, you can know some facts of the recent human past.  But a thorough and accurate sense about the remote past lies only with the Ever-living, All-knowing and Creator God.  From such bottomless reservoir of knowledge, He shares with human servants only a tiny fraction by revealing "some of the stories of the Unseen” which “neither you nor your people knew them, before this" (11:49). The reality of the Quranic versions of historical facts gets evident from numerous findings of archeology, the branch of science that developed about two centuries ago for exploring human past mainly through excavations. 

    The Quran abounds with historical examples about how God rewarded the righteous believers while punishing the unbelieving sinners.  Particularly references abound with respect to the latter i.e. punishment of the sinners. Now follow some details.

Achievements of Past Civilizations:  Many ancient generations who were vanished by divine punishments were so well advanced, “powerful” and “better equipped” that were "glitter to the eye" (43:8; 19:74). They mastered skills as great builders. For example, ‘Ad, people from the city of Iram built “tall pillars” (89:7); Thamud people “cut out rocks (homes) in (mountain) valleys” (89:9)  and built “palaces and castles in plains” (7:74); other advanced people built nice “wells” and “high and well-built castles” (22:45). The reality of such revelations is proved by the archeological findings dominant with brick buildings, wells, castles, sculptures, paintings, jewelry, pottery, fancy house wares etc.  Such material prosperity, however, was not any defense for their decline.

Sinful Actions of the Victims:  The above people, with all their wealth and prosperity, were “destroyed” because of their “wrong-doings” of various kinds (10:13). God claims it was not He Who “wronged them but they (themselves) wronged their own souls” (9:70). The obvious reasons for such consequences were particularly the major sins that included “infidelity” (21:6), idolatry, adultery among others. Partnership sins involving worship of (naked) “female idols” (4:117) dominating the archeological discoveries provide reasonable clues about possible links between (i) the causes inherent in sins like idolatry, adultery, nudity, etc. widely prevalent at that time and (ii) their effects in the forms of various divine penalties.  

Methods of Punishments:  Now we turn to the types of punishments that were decided for the above fallen generations.  Since their sins were grave and were barely resisted by any good people of the society, they received severe collective punishments powerful enough to wipe out their entire community.  These included earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, thunderstorm, epidemic, locusts leading to famine etc.  Some of these are mentioned in the Quran as “drowning (by flood)” (29:40), “violent tornado” (54:34), “furious wind” (69:6), “overshadowing gloom” or heavy rain  (26:189), "turning (the cities) upside down (earthquake)" (11:82), "raining down brimstones" (11:82) and "the (mighty) blast (earthquake, tornado or thunderstorm) (29:40) and so on.  Some of these punishments reduced the wrong-doers to the likeness of “rubbish of dead leaves” (23:41), causing them “lay prostrated in their homes before morning” (11:67) “as if they had never lived and flourished there" (11:68).

Timing of Punishments:  The Quran tells of punishments coming to them “from directions they did not perceive” (39:25). For example, earthquakes came “at pre-decided time for their destruction” (18:59), "all on a sudden by night or while they slept for their afternoon rest" (7:4) or “by the morning” (46:25).  The apparent purpose is to catch the people “off-guard” (7:78) so that they cannot take any defensive preparations within their limited capacity.  It is therefore notable that the earthquakes often tend to occur more at late night or early morning hours even though daytime occurrences are not uncommon. This is a fact that may be proved without much difficulty through historical research or maintaining records of future earthquakes by place and time, over a period of time.

Underground Wreckage in and Outside Arabia: The target cities were buried underground by earthquakes turning them "upside down" (9:70) or by volcanic discharges coating them.  They remain underground for years until uncovered by the archaeologists only to prove the reality of the Quranic prophesy.  Mentioned herein are some of the destroyed cities in the Arabian neighborhoods which were already open to public eyes at the time of its revelation.  These were Madyan on the coast of the Red Sea, Hijr on the north of Medina and Sodom on the way to Syria etc.  Some of these cities stood right "on the highway", obvious with ruins of "lofty and well-built castles", "wells lying inactive and neglected" (15:76; 22:45).  The Quran invited people to "travel through the earth" to see such tragic ends of the sinners (6:11).

    While some of the ruined cities were visible at that time, others were hidden beneath the rubbles of destruction, waiting to be exposed by the archeologists.  One relatively recent example was the excavation of the city of ‘Ubar’ in Oman in 1992.  This newfound ruined city was reportedly identified as the city of ‘Iram’ belonging to ‘Ad nation of Prophet Hud (A) subsequent to Noah, as cited in the Quran (89:6/7). They were exceptional in physical strength and building skills but faced total destruction for rejection of God out of arrogance. This news enjoyed a pictorial coverage in the New York Times (Feb. 5th, 1992) among many other publications. Later during the period of Prophet Abraham (A), God destroyed the homosexual population of his nephew Prophet Lut (A) by “turning (the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah) upside down” (11:82) of what is now located in the ultra-saline barren areas of the Dead Sea. His wife, “old woman who stayed behind (in disobedience)” (26:171) also became part of that as she was reduced to a pillar of salt which is now a major tourist destination in Israel.

    Beyond the frontiers of Middle East, there are many more cities that did not get specific citations in the Quran, but were covered by its generic revelations like: "How many generations (towns) have I destroyed!” (19:74). For example, Harappa and Mohenjodaro cities in Pakistan were unearthed in early 20th century and the findings of this Indus Valley Civilization included planned urban areas, plumbing, weight device, seal, statues, pottery etc. Likewise, in 79 A.D, the Pompeii city of Italy was destroyed by volcanic eruptions from Mt. Vesuvius, turning over 2000 people into molten skeletons. Excavations continue as of today, opening widows to their immoral past that included rampant prostitution, gambling and alcoholism among other sins.

Exodus of Moses & Mummification of Pharaoh:  The Quran reveals about God’s rescue plan to liberate Prophet Moses and his people from the brutality of Egyptian legendary king Pharaoh whom many historians identify as Ramses II.  He ordered him to “travel by night (with his Hebrew followers) and strike a dry path for them to cross the (Red) sea, without fear of being overtaken” by Pharaoh (20:77).  After Moses and his people reached to safety “across the sea”, when Pharaoh and his forces “following them in insolence and spite” came to the middle of dry path, then it became a sea again, “covering them up” with water (10:90; 20:78). Being “overwhelmed with the flood”, he declared faith in God of Moses, saying “there is no god except Him” and “I am of those who submit” (10:90). But it was too late, as God commented “Ah now! But a little while ago, you were in rebellion! (10:91). He destined watery grave for him as a punishment for his arrogance which did not stop despite His warning shots through earlier punishments like “shortage of crop and abundance of deaths, locusts, lice, frogs and blood” etc. (7:130/133).  
God purposefully decided to save him in his “body” through mummification so that he “may be a sign to those who come after” him (10:92). Accordingly, He worked miracles by keeping his body amazingly intact despite drowning (as per autopsy of  French surgeon Bucaille). Besides, God also taught the ancient Egyptians the rare skill of making 'mummy' which they applied for preserving his body.  His mummified body preserved to this day is now on public display in the museum of Cairo, as a silent witness to the Quranic truth. The above event is remarkably an illustrative lesson for future generations and the same is also immortalized through various pro-Jewish cultural legacies like celebrations of Passover, Exodus etc. or enacting movies like “The Ten Commandments” etc.

Conclusion:  Examples like the above may be multiplied to prove an equation between the Quranic revelations about the past and our concrete observations of the present.