How were Pharaoh and his army drowned?
How was Pharaoh’s body preserved for thousands of years down to the present day?
Where were the corrupt people of Lot destroyed and how?
What was the hidden truth in the tablets of Ebla?
The answers to these and many other questions are one by one emerging as the result of present-day archaeological excavations.
Historical sources and archaeological findings continue to reveal the accuracy of the descriptions given in the Qur’an.
One of the most distinct miracles of the Quran is the accuracy of information in the verses that reveal historical events. Contemporary archaeological findings and historical sources confirm the events as revealed in the verses of the Quran.
Reports regarding civilizations and historical figures appear in many verses of the Qur’an.
The verses provide detailed information as to where these peoples lived, their reactions to the messengers sent to them and the way that those who rejected these messengers were destroyed.
Thanks to contemporary archival research and archaeological discoveries, just about all these events described in the Qur’an have become “visible” and “knowable.”
In this film, we will examine some of the results of modern archaeological investigations and historical sources that will highlight and provide evidence for the emergence of the truth as revealed by the verses of the Quran.
At the same time, we will witness the manifestation of Almighty Allah’s promise in the Qur’an.
Say: ‘Praise be to Allah. He will show you His Signs and you will recognise them… ’
(Surat an-Naml, 93)
THE PROPHET WHOSE NAME APPEARS ON THE EBLA TABLETS WRITTEN 1500 YEARS BEFORE THE TORAH
In 1975, a most significant archaeological discovery with respect to the history of religions, was made.
The Ebla Tablets… These have been the subject of considerable research and debate ever since they were first discovered.
They contained the names of three prophets who appear in the divine scriptures;
The Prophet Abraham (Ab-ra-mu), the Prophet David (Da-u-dum) and the Prophet Ishmael (Ish-ma-il)
Furthermore, these tablets are dated from around 2500 BC.
In other words, they are 1500 years older than the Torah.
This information was highly significant.
Because it was the first time that these names had been encountered in such ancient historical documents.
The appearance of the names of the prophets on the Ebla Tablets once again demonstrates the truth of the divine scriptures containing their names and written thousands of years after these tablets.
The History of Religions That Lay Buried Beneath the Ground
The Kingdom of Ebla consisted of part of south-eastern Turkey and part of Mesopotamia and extended as far as south of Damascus, in Syria.
The kingdom attained the highest cultural and economic levels, but eventually, like many other civilisations, disappeared from the face of the earth.
Once the capital of the Kingdom of Ebla, one low hill, has been of the greatest interest to archaeologists and has been shedding light on a very ancient civilisation ever since 1975.
The discovery of the Kingdom of Ebla in 1975 was regarded as one of the greatest and most important discoveries of classical archaeology. The importance of this discovery was highlighted when a library consisting of 20,000 tablets and fragments written in cuneiform were found.
The palace library was full to the brim with these cuneiform tablets. When the palace burned down, the cuneiform tablets survived undamaged amid the ashes.
This archive was four times greater in size than the total of all the other cuneiform texts archaeologists had ever discovered.
When the language in the tablets was deciphered by an Italian, Giovanni Pettitano, who is an expert in ancient writing at Rome University, their importance became even more apparent.
It was realised from the records that the Kingdom of Ebla was a major commercial and cultural centre of its day.
The people of Ebla possessed a civilisation that established archives, constructed libraries and kept documentary records of commercial treaties.
They even established their own language, Eblite.
The discovery of the Kingdom of Ebla and its magnificent archive was not just an archaeological success.
It was also highly significant in terms of the history of religions, because the tablets contained the names of Mikhail, one of the angles whose names appear in the Holy Qur’an, and of the prophets mentioned within the divine scriptures of the three revealed faiths.
Historians also analysed the Ebla tablets from the religious perspective.
The discovery regarding the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his lineage became the subject of important research in terms of the history of religion.
In addition, other subjects and the names of other places appeared alongside the names of these holy individuals on the tablets.
The writings contained the names of Sinai, Gaza, and Jerusalem, none of which were far from Ebla.
It became evident that the Eblites had commercial and cultural relations with those places.
Another important detail discovered in the tablets was the names of Sodom and Gomorrah, home to the people of Lot.
In addition to these names, the of the city of Irem, also the subject of verses of the Qur’an, was found written in the tablets.
The most noteworthy thing about these names is that apart from the books in which the prophets communicated their message, they had never before been encountered in any other historical document.
These tablets were significant in that they showed documentary evidence that the reports and true preachings regarding the true faith had also reached these regions.
An article in Reader’s Digest magazine said that there was a change in the Eblite religion during the reign of King Ebrum.
It was recorded that people at that time used the finest titles in recalling the names of Almighty Allah in order to exalt His Almighty name.
The archaeological discoveries that were made showed the existence of belief in one Allah (monotheism) throughout the course of history by various civilizations.
The Ebla tablets also speak of a single Creator of the earth, the stars, the Moon, the Sun and the heavens.
The people of Ebla believed that Creation began out of nothing.
One reference to Creation from nothing in the Ebla tablets reads:
“God of the earth and sky; You created, there was no daylight; You created…” (Ebla Archives, 259)
These historical records once again show that the idea of the “evolution of religions” put forward in the 19th century and fiercely espoused by materialists and atheists is a deception.
In his book, the well-known investigative writer Josh McDowell described how the Ebla tablets demonstrated this fact:
The Ebla Tablets destroy the critical belief in the evolution of monotheism from supposed earlier polytheism and henotheism. This evolution of religion hypothesis has been popular from the time of Charles Darwin and Julius Wellhausen. Now monotheism is known to be earlier. (Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. 52)
The tablets and the history of Ebla that came to light some 4500 years after their time point to one very important fact.
Almighty Allah sent envoys to Ebla, as to all other societies.
All societies that maintained civilisations throughout the course of history were made aware of the absolute existence and oneness of Allah, that He possesses infinite power and might, and of the existence of the Hereafter, and of what our Lord desired from them.
Almighty Allah also makes this clear in the Qur’an:
We sent a messenger among every people saying: ‘Worship Allah and keep clear of all false deities.’ Among them were some whom Allah guided but others received the misguidance they deserved. Travel about the earth and see the final fate of the unbelievers. (Surat an-Nahl, 36)
ARE THE PAGES GIVEN TO THE PROPHET ABRAHAM (PBUH) HIDDEN ON MOUNT NIMROD?
Historical and archaeological discoveries show that the Middle East was a “pagan region” in the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
The pagan societies of the time worshipped either the idols they made with their own hands, or else celestial bodies such as the Sun and Moon.
Allah chose the blessed Abraham (pbuh) and honoured him with the task of serving as prophet to such a community.
As a devout servant, he represented Allah’s true faith and proper moral values in the midst of these fanatical, aggressive and cruel pagans.
Our Lord reveals in the Qur’an that He gave the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) “texts.”
…the Hereafter is better and longer lasting. This is certainly in the earlier texts, the texts of Abraham and Moses. (Surat al-A’la, 7-19)
It is clear from these verses that “texts” were sent down to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) before the revelation of the Torah to the Prophet Moses (pbuh).
These texts contained the true faith based on the Prophet Abraham’s (pbuh) submission to Allah.
Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says the following on the subject:
“I asked him, ‘O, Prophet of Allah, has anything been sent down to you from the pages of the Prophet Abraham and the Prophet Moses?’ and he replied: ‘O, Abu Zerr! (Yes, he said that verses of that kind had come down, and read :) ‘It is certain that anyone who has kept himself clean and recalled the names of our Lord and performed the prayers has attained what he hoped for. Maybe you regard the life of this world as superior. Yet the Hereafter will be more auspicious and longer lasting. There is no doubt that these things were in the earlier pages, in the pages of Abraham and Moses’.” (The Six Books, Prof. Ibrahim Canan, A’la Suresi [Surat al-A‘la], 860)
The Prophet Abraham’s (pbuh) Advice to the Cruel Ruler Nimrod
The Qur’an tells us of a despotic ruler the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) encountered as he preached belief in Allah.
This denier is known as “Nimrod” in historical records.
Nimrod was a cruel and oppressive ruler.
A discussion took place between the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and the cruel despot, revealed to have been “Nimrod.”
That dialogue is revealed in the Qur’an:
What about the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord, on the basis that Allah had given him sovereignty? Abraham said, ‘My Lord is He Who gives life and causes to die.’ He said, ‘I too give life and cause to die.’… (Surat al-Baqara, 258)
As this verse tells us, this individual, who had grown proud because of his goods, property and power entered into a debate with the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and made the hugely irrational claim that he, too, possessed the ability to create. (Allah is beyond that)
With grand ignorance this individual, who boasted of his wealth, ignorantly ascribed divine status to himself and denied Allah.
Because of his pride he was unwilling to see the might and power of Allah everywhere in the universe. (Allah is beyond that)
The Prophet Abraham’s (pbuh) reply to this person, who was proud in the face of Allah, was, as a blessing from Allah, exceedingly wise and clever:
… “Allah makes the sun come from the East. Make it come from the West.” And the one who was an unbeliever was dumbfounded. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. (Surat al-Baqara, 258)
The prophets who preached the existence and oneness of Allah have always, as in this case and as a blessing from Allah, employed wise and rational words.
The sincere belief in Allah made their preaching effective, and thus they invalidated the corrupt perspectives of the deniers.
The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was a True Muslim
Throughout the course of history some people have argued about what religion the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was a member of.
The Jews regard him as a prophet of all the Jews and maintain that they are following in the footsteps of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
Christians also regard the blessed Abraham (pbuh) as a Jewish prophet, but depart from the Jews in claiming that he was a follower of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) who would come after him.
The fact is, however, that Allah reveals in the Qur’an that those who argue about which faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his descendants belonged to, possess no information on the subject whatsoever.
It is the Qur’an that gives us the most accurate information about the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), because the Qur’an is the only divine text that has not been corrupted.
The absolute truth regarding the faith of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) is set out as follows in the Qur’an:
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. But a man of pure natural belief – a Muslim. He was not one of the polytheists. (Surah Al‘Imran, 67)
The texts sent down to him also state that the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was a member of the true faith.
The originals of these texts are believed to lie within the 2500-year-old remains on Mount Nimrod, in the region of Adiyaman in South-East Turkey.
Because that is the region in which the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was born.
And he preached the true faith to the pagan people in that area.
And his struggle against the leader of that people, Nimrod, also took place in that region.
It is believed that those remains that have not yet been unearthed contain the tomb of Nimrod, relief carvings, treasure and much information describing that time.
Also, it is highly likely that the documents regarding criminal matters pertaining to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), by the rulers of that time, are there as well.
However, because they are difficult to reach and because of various other dangers, these protected areas have not yet been unearthed.
It may well be that a future investigation using advanced technology will uncover these highly important historical documents.
Mount Nimrod and the Secret of the Tomb
According to historical sources, the Mount Nimrod temple was constructed some 3000 years after the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
The area is today regarded by many international organisations, including UNESCO, as one of the world’s most important cultural treasure houses.
Several archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site since it was first unearthed in the 19th century, and Turkish and foreign archaeologists have investigated the features of the temple.
During the building of the structures on Mount Nimrod, only part of which have so far been uncovered, the peak of the mountain was carved away using a human labour force.
Stone blocks weighing 6 tons were carried to the top of the mountain from several kilometres away.
There is one important point on which all the archaeologists working on Mount Nimrod agree upon.
There is a second section carved out inside the mountain itself.
This is thought to be the tomb chamber.
Numerous tunnels have been dug to find these chambers, from Roman times right up to the present day.
But none of these efforts have proved successful.
According to one theory, a tunnel that starts with a few steps and then gradually descends down inside the mountain leads to the tomb chamber.
Since it has remained hidden so long scientists think that this section is extremely important and that it contains highly significant documents.
In the light of this, it is essential that the archaeological excavations being carried out in the area continue, because the discoveries to be made can be expected to reveal very important information concerning the history of religions.
THE SUFFERINGS VISITED UPON PHARAOH AND HIS COURT ARE DESCRIBED IN HISTORICAL SOURCES
Papyruses and writings in the language of Ancient Egypt could not be read until the 18th century.
The Ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs, and their language survived down the ages.
But in the 2nd and 3rd centuries ADwith the spread and cultural impact of Christianity, the use of hieroglyphics declined and shortly after came to a complete end.
The language was forgotten, and nobody remained who could read and understand the texts written in them.
Until some 200 years ago…
The Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were deciphered with the discovery in 1799 of a carved document dating back to 196 BC and known as the Rosetta Stone.
The forgotten language and the history described, could now be understood.
Thanks to this discovery a great deal concerning Ancient Egyptian civilisation, religion, and social life could now be understood.
This research into Ancient Egypt, the details about Pharaoh and the deciphered hieroglyphs would all be historical evidence of the details and truth revealed about Egypt and Pharaoh in the Qur’an.
In the early 19th century a papyrus dating back to the late time of the Middle Kingdom was discovered.
The papyrus was taken to the Leiden Museum in Holland and translated by Alan Henderson Gardiner in 1909.
The results were of the greatest importance.
The papyrus had been written by an Egyptian called Ipuwer, and from the descriptions contained within the papyrus it was realised that he had personally witnessed the plagues visited on the country.
Great changes took place in Egypt: famine, drought, the abandonment of the country by the Israelites, who were employed as slave labour at the time, and death from one end of the country to the other.
Each of these were described in the papyrus.
And here another very important fact emerged.
The historical information in the papyrus regarding the disasters that struck the people of Egypt was in complete agreement with the reports given in the Qur’an.
Allah inflicted a series of disasters on Pharaoh, who continued in his denial, and his people.
In particular, a period of terrible drought had begun in Egypt.
Water was of the greatest importance to Egypt.
And drought threatened their lives.
The drought led to a series of shortages and scarcity among all forms of agricultural produce.
This is described as follows in the Qur’an:
We seized Pharaoh’s people with years of drought and scarcity of fruits so that hopefully they would pay heed. (Surat al-A’raf, 130)
And this is how the Ipuwer papyrus described this disaster reported in the Qur’an, in the words of one who had witnessed it with his own eyes:
Thus everything I saw yesterday has been destroyed. All the land is stark naked, as if it had been harvested… (Admonitions of Ipuwer 5: 12)
Cities have collapsed. Upper Egypt is dry. (Admonitions of Ipuwer 2:11)
Indeed, the harvest has been destroyed everywhere… (Admonitions of Ipuwer 6:3)
Our water! Our happiness! What are we to do? Everything is ruined. (Admonitions of Ipuwer 3:10-13)
The Egyptian agriculture system depended on the River Nile, meaning that under normal circumstances, any change had little impact on them.
If it did not rain, the River Nile still brought in plenty of water during the hot season from central Africa.
However as a result of Pharaoh’s pride and his court’s pride in the face of Allah and his refusal to recognise Allah’s prophet, a drought on an unseen scale was inflicted upon them.
The shortages went on for years.
Due to their lack of intelligence devoid of any rational reasoning, Pharaoh and his court ascribed this misfortune to the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the Israelites. The Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the believers are beyond this.
It was because of their superstitious beliefs and the faith of their ancestors that they fell into this corruption and error.
For that reason, they were condemned to undergo terrible sufferings.
But this was not all that befell them.
Allah inflicted a whole series of catastrophes on them.
Floods, locusts, weevils, lice, frogs, and blood. These are all described in the Qur’an:
So We sent down on them floods, locusts, lice, frogs and blood, signs, clear and distinct, but they proved arrogant and were an evildoing people. (Surat al-A’raf, 133)
These disasters are also clearly described in one section of the Ipuwer papyruses:
Disasters overtook the whole land. There was blood everywhere. (Admonitions of Ipuwer 2: 5-6)
The river turned into blood. (Admonitions of Ipuwer 2: 10)
Settlements were demolished in a minute. (Admonitions of Ipuwer 7: 4)
Despite all the chaos and noise, the land... There was no leaving the palace for nine days and nobody could see that individual’s face… Cities were demolished by powerful currents… Upper Egypt was devastated…There was blood everywhere…Contagious diseases appeared in the land… Today, nobody can go north to Byblos. What are we to do about our mummies?… Gold is running out… (Admonitions of Ipuwer)
People became fearful of water. There were still thirsty even after drinking water. (Admonitions of Ipuwer)
Yet despite all this suffering, Pharaoh and his people persisted in their denial.
The Prophet Moses (pbuh) continued warning the people for a long time, calling them to the path of Allah.
He worked many miracles for them as evidence of his prophethood.
Almighty Allah inflicted many sufferings on the people of Pharaoh in the hope they might return to the true path, but they refused to abandon their superstitious faith and return to Allah, our Creator.
Faced by this stubborn denial, the Prophet Moses (pbuh) prayed to our Lord to punish this unbelieving people:
Moses said, ‘Our Lord, You have given Pharaoh and his ruling circle finery and wealth in this life, Our Lord, so that they may be misguided from Your Way. Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment.’ He said, ‘Your request is answered, so go straight and do not follow the way of those who have no knowledge.’ (Surah Yunus, 88-89)
And Allah heeded the Prophet Moses’ (pbuh) prayer and inflicted a severe punishment on Pharaoh and his court who refused to turn to the true path despite all the warnings given them.
…And We utterly destroyed what Pharaoh and his people made and the buildings they constructed. (Surat al-Ar’af, 137)
This is how the Ipuwer papyruses refer to these events:
Lower Egypt has been devastated… The whole palace is deserted. Everything we had; wheat and barley, geese and fish… (Admonitions of Ipuwer, 10: 3-6)
The descriptions in the Ipuwer papyrus once again confirm the truth of the verses revealing the suffering inflicted on Pharaoh and his court.
This papyrus, the contents of which only came to light in the 20th century, is exceedingly important evidence that once again shows how the Qur’an is truly the word of our Lord.
THE SECRET OF THE PROPHET MOSES’ (PBUH) CROSSING OF THE RED SEA
So We revealed to Moses, ‘Strike the sea with your staff.’ And it split in two, each part like a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued Moses and all those who were with him. Then We drowned the rest. There is certainly a sign in that yet most of them didn’t believe. Truly your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (Surat ash-Shuara, 63-68)
The miracle that the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the People of Israel experienced as they crossed the Red Sea has been the subject of considerable research.
Throughout the course of history people have wondered about the path taken by the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and his followers after their departure from Egypt and where and how they crossed the Red Sea, and a great number of studies have been conducted on the subject.
This has led to the dividing of the Red Sea being scientifically explained in our own day and age.
In addition to the route taken after their departure from Egypt, the place where Pharaoh and the Prophet Moses (pbuh) finally confronted one another has also been identified. Allah knows the truth of this, of course.
The region identified where the Prophet Moses (pbuh) crossed the Red Sea was one surrounded by mountains.
As one verse informs us, the only place to go was towards the Red Sea that lay in front of them. And behind them were Pharaoh and his army.
As revealed in the Qur’an, Allah commanded the Prophet Moses (pbuh) to use his staff.
The Prophet Moses (pbuh) obeyed, as a result of which the sea divided into two in such a way as to permit the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the Israelites with him to cross over to the opposite shore.
However, when Pharaoh and his army tried to follow them the sea closed over their heads, and they were all drowned.
Scientists setting out on the basis of these facts carried out considerable research and investigation, and eventually reached astonishing conclusions about the dividing of the Red Sea.
Two Russian mathematicians, the oceanologist Naum Volzinger and Alexei Androsov, provided mathematical proof of the possibility of the Prophet Moses’ (pbuh) dividing of the Red Sea.
This provoked a huge response among scientific and religious circles.
It became the subject of a large number of studies in the written and visual media.
The results of 6 months of research were completely compatible with the event described in the Qur’an.
According to the statements issued by the scientists in question in the bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at that time there was a huge rock bed lying just below the surface of the Red Sea.
What the researchers investigated was the wind speed that would be required in order for the rock bed to be exposed above the surface; and how long it could remain dry; and when waters might have closed over it again.
The scientists in question worked to determine the strength of storms and winds needed to expose this rock bed.
The results they obtained showed that a wind speed approaching 30 metres a second would be sufficient. This would result in the waters becoming a great deal shallower. And that would mean the rock bed being exposed. The rock bed thus rose above the level of the water as the sea retracted.
The researchers then concluded that the Israelites, who numbered around 600,000 could then have crossed the 7 kilometres to the other side in some 4 hours.
Half an hour after the arrival of the Israelites on the opposite shore, the waters again closed over the rock bed and drowned the Egyptians who were following them.
It must not be forgotten that there is always a possibility of this natural phenomenon occurring.
At Allah’s choosing a new miracle in which all the conditions regarding the speed, location and time of the wind are met can take place.
However, the truly amazing aspect of this is the timing of the event.
In other words, at just the right time Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the Israelites needed the assistance.
The way the waters retreated just at the moment when the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the believers with him needed to cross over to the opposite shore and then closed over Pharaoh and his army as they followed behind them are some of the finest examples of our Lord’s compassion and support for believers.
They are also obvious miracle of Allah.
BEING ABLE TO SEE THE EVIDENT SIGNS
Throughout the course of history our Almighty Lord has sent envoys to show people the true path, some of whom are referred to in Holy Scriptures from His Own Presence.
In these texts, Allah reveals events and reports about various communities and peoples of the past, intended as advice and deterrents.
The information contained within the divine scriptures that appeared nowhere else when these holy scriptures were revealed are corroborated by historical documents that have only been brought to light using modern technology in recent archaeological discoveries and research.
The documents and findings once again confirm the truth of the information contained in the Qur’an and earlier divine scriptures, and allow us to conclude that the holy texts were all sent down from the very presence of our Lord.
All the information we have been looking at throughout this film shows us one self-evident truth:
The Qur’an is such a scripture that there is no doubt.
The unearthing of these historical documents and scientific evidence regarding the truth of these reports, reveal another miraculous aspect of the Holy Quran.
These proofs corroborate the testimony of the Qur’an. These proofs are important and will greatly excite believers and increase their faith and enthusiasm.
In the Qur’an our Almighty Lord has promised that He will show people such proofs both in their own natures and in the outside world:
We will show them Our Signs on the horizon and within themselves until it is clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not enough for your Lord that He is a witness of everything? (Surat al-Fussilat, 53)
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