Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Pharaoh preserved - just as Allah promised..another sign! Pt1

The above video is one of many to be found on Youtube which relates the incredible story of one of the most widely believed Qur'anic miracles. Here's the content description attached to the video by the uploader:
"Allah Promises To Preserve The Body Of Pharoh in The Holly Qur'an Over 1400 Years Ago And in 19th Century Scientists/Archaeologists Find His Preserved Body Near The Red Sea, And Todays Scientific Tests Konfirm It Is Pharoh And Died From Drowining. The Biggest Shok Is that It Was not Mummified And And Still To Be Presenrved Is nothing But A Mirrakle. Oh My Dear non-muslim Brothers how Many Of God's signs Will You Deny?"
I think the uploader's description is interesting for two reasons :
 i. the utter certainty that what he has been told about the miracle is true, despite some obvious logical flaws that just a moment's reflection would make plain and
ii. his obvious desire to persuade non-Muslims of the veracity of the "signs".

In case you found the video description a bit difficult to follow, this is a summary of the "miracle".
The relevant verses in the Qur'an are as follows..
We (Allah) rehearse unto thee a portion of the story of Moses and Pharaoh with truth, for the benefit of a people who would believe. 28:4

We sent Moses with Our Signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they unjustly
rejected them. Behold, then, what was the end of those who created
disorder! 7:104

“We brought the Children of Israel across the sea and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he (Pharaoh) said, I believe that there is no god but Him in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am of those who submit to God. What! Now! And indeed you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers. This day shall We save you in your body, that you may be a Sign to those who come after you! But indeed, many among mankind are neglectful of Our Signs." 10:90-93
Thus we see that the Qur'an contans the biblical story of the Exodus of the Jews from Eygypt, of Moses leading them into the Red Sea divided by God, and of the Egyptians being drowned after God lets the waters fall on them. But the Qur'an also tells us something not mentioned in the Bible, that God preserved Pharaoh's body "as a sign to those who come after you". It is this that was pounced upon by Bucaille in his book, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science

This is the prophecy which no other scripture had revealed. Not even the historians of the time had any clue. The mummified bodies of all the Pharaohs lay concealed in the Valley of Kings along the banks of the Nile at this time and even the plunderers of tombs did not know who was buried in them. Their discovery took place in the 19th century.[...] When the Qur'an was transmitted to man by the Prophet, the bodies of all the Pharaohs who are today considered (rightly or wrongly) to have something to do with the Exodus were in their tombs of the Necropolis of Thebes, on the opposite side of the Nile from Luxor. At the time however, absolutely nothing was known of this fact, and it was not until the end of the Nineteenth century that they were discovered there. As the Qur'an states, the body of the Pharaoh of the Exodus was in fact rescued: whichever of the Pharaohs it was, visitors may see him in the Royal Mummies Room of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
What exactly is Bucaille suggesting here? That noone during Mohamamd's time was aware of the process of mummification, and that therefore to predict that the Pharaoh would be preserved was a miracle? This is patent nonsense. Mummies have always been known about. From the moment pharaohs were interred, grave robbers have been finding ways in. Indeed, mediaeval doctors in Alexandria used powdered mummies as a cure-all. Mohammad would therefore have known about the seemingly miraculous preservation of the bodies of pharaohs.
Or is Bucaille perhaps claiming that the miracle resides in the fact that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was preserved and Mohammad couldn't have known that? For this to be believable we would have to accept that:
i. the Exodus of the Jews out of Egypt, as related in the Old Testament and the Qur'an, is an historical fact
ii. that we know which Pharaoh(s) was ruling at the time of the Exodus
iii. that that is the Pharaoh preserved in the Museum in Cairo
iv. that the Pharaoh (whichever one the Muslims choose to believe in) drowned in the Red sea whilst chasing the fleeing Jews.

Let us examine first of all the historical evidence for the Exodus....Right, that was easy. THERE IS NONE.
The archaeological evidence of the largely indigenous origins of Israel is "overwhelming," and leaves "no room for an Exodus from Egypt or a 40-year pilgrimage through the Sinai wilderness."1 For this reason, most archaeologists have abandoned the archaeological investigation of Moses and the Exodus as "a fruitless pursuit."1 A century of research by archaeologists and Egyptologists has found no evidence which can be directly related to the Exodus narrative of an Egyptian captivity and the escape and travels through the wilderness, 2 and it has become increasingly clear that Iron Age Israel - the kingdoms of Judah and Israel - has its origins in Canaan, not Egypt
1Dever, William G. (2002). What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-2126-X. p.99
2.Carol L. Meyers, "Exodus", New Cambridge Bible Commentary series (Cambridge University Press, 2005) p.5

It seems clear that the story of the Exodus is just that, a story, told in the form of history to strengthen the Jews' ties to their God. But let's not allow that to distract us from the remaining points that need examining...Tomorrow we shall look at further evidence suggesting the preposterous nature of this miracle claim that has done so much to convince Muslims and would be Muslims alike of the divine nature od the Qur'an.

1 comment:

  1. Most believers are blind. Just like those people during Jesus time.
    Only a few followers was with him and also did not even protect him.
    Those who are blind and also heart are blacken will never change.

    ReplyDelete