Scientific Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions

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{{Quote|{{Quran|10|92}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|10|92}}|
This day shall We save thee in the body, that thou mayest be a sign to those who come after thee! but verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!" }}
This day shall We save thee in the body, that thou mayest be a sign to those who come after thee! but verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!" }}
===Nabatean rock monuments at the time of Pharaoh===
The Qur'an frequently lists destroyed peoples of the past, particularly the peoples of Noah, Lot, Pharaoh's army, Midian, Aad and its successor, Thamud. The destruction of Thamud is mentioned many times, either by an earthquake {{Quran|7|78}} or a thunderous blast (for example {{Quran|54|31}}).
Its destruction is also alluded to by a believer from the family of Pharaoh:
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|40|28|37}}|And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who concealed his faith said [...] And he who believed said, "O my people, indeed I fear for you [a fate] like the day of the companies - Like the custom of the people of Noah and of 'Aad and Thamud and those after them. And Allah wants no injustice for [His] servants.}}
The companies / factions (l-aḥzābu) is a term used collectively for the list of destroyed cities also in {{Quran-range|38|12|14}}.
The problem is that while [[w:Thamud|Thamud]] is a term used for a people or peoples of a particular region over a number of centuries (8th century BCE to the 4th century CE), the Qur'an speaks only of a particular destruction of Thamud after the warnings of their prophet Salih went unheeded. It describes them as the builders of well known palaces and homes, skillfully carved from rock and identified in hadiths as a place in Arabia known as al Hijr (the rocky tract), or Mada'in Salih today. Al-Hijr is also mentioned once by name in {{Quran-range|15|80|83}} ("the companions of al-Hijr") and its destruction matches the description for Thamud. These were actually elaborately carved tombs (not homes or palaces), now known to have been built by the Nabateans from the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century AD, long after the time of the Pharaohs<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1293 Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr / Madā ͐ in Ṣāliḥ) - unesco.org]</ref>. Petra in Jordan was their more famous city before al Hijr.
Al-Hijr is widely accepted as Thamud of the Qur'an. It says Thamud carved palaces from its plains, and homes from its mountains.
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|7|73|74}}|And to the Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allah 's land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful punishment. And remember when He made you successors after the 'Aad and settled you in the land, [and] you take for yourselves palaces from its plains and carve from the mountains, homes. Then remember the favors of Allah and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|26|149}}|And you carve out of the mountains, homes, with skill.}}
These ruins were well known to Muhammad's listeners:
{{Quote|{{Quran|29|38}}|And [We destroyed] 'Aad and Thamud, and it has become clear to you from their [ruined] dwellings. And Satan had made pleasing to them their deeds and averted them from the path, and they were endowed with perception.}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|89|9}}|And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley?}}
Al-Hijr is also identified in hadiths as the "al Hijr land of Thamud" (al hijr ardi Thamudi الْحِجْرِ أَرْضِ ثَمُودَ):
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|55|562}}|Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar:
The people landed at the land of Thamud called Al-Hijr along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and they took water from its well for drinking and kneading the dough with it as well. (When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) heard about it) he ordered them to pour out the water they had taken from its wells and feed the camels with the dough, and ordered them to take water from the well whence the she-camel (of Prophet Salih) used to drink.}}


===Samaritans in ancient Egypt===
===Samaritans in ancient Egypt===
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