Day: 1 April 2020

DID ISLAM SPREAD BY THE SWORD?
Posted on 23 September, 2012 by Firas
It’s a common accusation made against Muslims and Islam in general: “The only reason Islam is a world religion is because it spread by the sword.” It’s a favorite remark of Islamophobes who parade as analysts and historians fear-mongering about the threat Islam supposedly poses to the Western World. With it being such a hot topic that causes so much debate, it is appropriate to analyze and study this topic to better understand whether it is valid or not.

Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Persia – The First Conquests
After the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Islamic expansion truly began in the early 630s, AD. Campaigns against the Byzantine and Sassanid (Persian) Empires were initiated which pitted this new religion of Islam, with its desert Arabian warriors against the established and ancient empires centered in Constantinople and Ctesiphon.

Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam, gave these armies rules which would seem very constricting by today’s standards of warfare:
“Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy’s flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.”¹
These rules were very unique and innovative for the time. Just before this Muslim expansion, the Persians and Byzantines had fought a decades-long war that left lands from Syria to Iraq in ruins. Abu Bakr made it clear that Muslim armies do not operate by the same principles and restrict their fights to the armies and governments of the enemy, not the general populace. Islamic Shari’ah law, based on the example of Abu Bakr, clearly forbids the use of force against anyone except in legitimate cases of war against a clearly defined enemy.*

The purpose of this article is not to delve into the tactics and individual battles of this conquest of Egypt, Syria and Iraq. It is enough for our purposes here to state that Syria was under Muslim control by 638, Egypt by 642, and Iraq/Persia by 644. The Byzantine Empire, having lost its religious base in Syria, as well as its commercial base in Egypt was greatly weakened. The Sassanid Empire, on the other hand, completely ceased to exist after the Muslim conquest. Politically, it was a disaster for these two giant empires. But, going back to the main idea of this article, how did Islam as a religion spread in the conquered areas?

Unequivocally, the general populace was not forced or induced to convert to Islam. If anything, they were encouraged to continue living their lives as they had for centuries before. In the example of the conquest of Jerusalem, the caliph at the time, Umar ibn al-Khattab, wrote in the surrender treaty with the patriarchs of city:
He [Umar] has given them an assurance of safety for themselves, for their property, their churches, their crosses, the sick and healthy of the city…Their churches will not be inhabited by Muslims and will not be destroyed…They will not be forcibly converted.²

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which Umar promised to protect when the city came under Muslim control
No other empire or state at the time had such ideas about religious tolerance. Umar, being a companion of the Prophet, sets a precedent in this treaty about the treatment of conquered peoples in Islamic law. The rest of the conquered lands, in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Persia had similar treaties. Whether the citizens of the conquered lands were Christian, Jew, Sabians, or Zoroastrians, they were allowed to keep their religious traditions. There exists not one example of forced conversion in these early conquests.

Proof of the lack of forced conversion in these areas is the remaining Christian communities in these countries. For the first few centuries after the Muslim conquest, the majority of the population of these areas remained Christian. Slowly, they began to take on Islam as their religion and Arabic as their language. Today, large percentages of Christians remain in Egypt (9%), Syria (10%), Lebanon (39%), and Iraq (3%). If those early Muslim conquests (or even later Muslim rulers) forced conversion on anyone, there would be no Christian communities in those countries. Their existence is proof of Islam not spreading by the sword in these areas.

North Africa and Spain
The soldiers and leaders of these early conquests in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Persia were from the first generation of Muslims. Many of them were even companions of the Prophet. What would happen as Muslim expansion continued in later generations, as Muslim armies fought the Byzantines further West, in North Africa and later, in Spain?

The majority of the population of the North African coast in the 600s were Berbers. While the Byzantine Empire controlled most of the coast from Egypt to Algeria, the people of those areas were generally not loyal to the Byzantines who had great trouble trying to subdue the region. Political and social upheaval in the century before Islam led to a devastated region, which was probably just a shell of its former glory as a Roman province.
The first Umayyad caliph, Muawiya, appointed a general, Uqba bin Nafi, to conquer the North African coast from the Byzantines in the 660s. Again, without getting into the details of the tactics and battles, within the course of a few decades,

Muslim control over North Africa was solidified.
The same pattern we saw in Southwest Asia continued in North Africa. Conversions were not forced on any of the local populations. No accounts, by either Muslim or non-Muslim sources, mention forced conversion of the Berbers. Indeed, many Berbers did convert to Islam quite quickly. That strengthened the Muslim armies, as huge numbers of newly-converted Berbers would join the armies sweeping across the continent. Had these Berbers been forced to convert, they certainly would not have had the zeal and enthusiasm for Islam that would cause them to join the armies and spread Islamic political control even further against the Byzantines.

After the Muslim conquest of North Africa, came a proposal that would prove to change world history forever. In the early 700s, the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal) was under the control of the Visigothic King Roderic. A nobleman from Iberia sent to the Muslim governor of North Africa, complaining about the oppressive and tyranical rule of Roderic. The nobleman promised to support a Muslim invasion against Roderic with his own troops if they intervened.

The Rock of Gibraltar, where Tariq ibn Ziyad’s army landed in their pursuit of Roderic, with a modern mosque in the foreground
After a few preliminary raids to gauge the local populations’ support for such an intervention, the Muslim general Tariq ibn Ziyad (who may possibly have been Berber himself), ferried an army across from Morocco to Iberia in 711. Within months, Tariq’s army had defeated King Roderic and opened up the country to Muslim control. Within 3 years, the entire Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim control. Many cities, hearing of the justice of Muslim rule, voluntarily opened their doors and welcomed Muslim armies, who ended what they saw as the oppressive rule of the Visigoths.

More documentary evidence survives from this conquest proving that the conquest did not mean forced conversion. In April 713, a Muslim governor in the region negotiated a treaty with a Visigothic noble, which included the provision that the local people “will not be killed or taken prisoner. Nor will they be separated from their women and children. They will not be coerced in matters of religion, their churches will not be burned.”³

We see again in the example of Muslim Spain (which would later be called al-Andalus) that the locals (mostly Christians, although a sizable Jewish population also existed) were not forced to convert to Islam. In fact, in later centuries, an almost utopian society of religious tolerance existed in al-Andalus, in which Muslims, Jews, and Christians all experienced a golden age of knowledge, culture, and philosophy. This enlightened land of religious tolerance would end centuries later with the Christian Reconquista which effectively ethnically cleansed Muslims and Jews from the entire peninsula.

The Indian Subcontinent
Today, two of the most populous Muslim countries in the world, Pakistan (2rd most Muslims), and India (3rd most Muslims), occupy the Indian subcontinent. Islam has had an incredible and lasting impact on the region in all aspects of life. However, even through centuries of Muslim rule by different empires and dynasties, Hinduism and other religions remain as important aspects of the subcontinent.
The reasons for Muslim invasion into the subcontinent were justified by the time period’s rules of warfare. A ship filled with daughters of Muslim traders who were trading in Sri Lanka was attacked by pirates from Sindh (what is now Pakistan) who captured and enslaved the women. Seeking to liberate the women and punish the pirates, an expedition was sent out in 710, led by Muhammad bin Qasim, an Arab from the city of Ta’if.
Bin Qasim’s military expedition into this distant and remote land was made successful by very important social issues in India. The caste system, which originated from Hindu belief, divided society up into very strictly controlled social classes. Those on top led wealthy, comfortable lives, while those on the bottom (particularly untouchables) were seen as the scourge of society. Added to this were the Buddhists, who were generally oppressed by the Hindu princes throughout the country. With the entrance of Muslim armies, which carried with them the promise of an equal society, many Buddhists and lower castes welcomed the Muslim armies. In fact, the first Muslims of Indian origin were probably from the lower castes, as Islam offered them an escape from the oppressive social system they were accustomed to.

With the conquest of Sindh, Muhammad bin Qasim showed that Islamic law’s protection of religious minorities was not just for Christians and Jews. Buddhists and Hindus in the subcontinent were given religious freedom and were not forced to convert. In one case, a Buddhist community complained to bin Qasim of their fear that the Muslim armies would force Islam upon them and they would have to leave the practices of their ancestors. Bin Qasim held a meeting with the Buddhist and Hindu leaders of the town, and promised them religious freedom and asked them to continue leading their lives as they had previously.

Conclusions
We now come back to the question posed at the beginning of the article: did Islam spread by the sword? While numerous people with political and religious agendas make their case otherwise, it is seen as a clear and indisputable fact that the religion of Islam was not spread through violence, coercion, fear, or bloodshed. There exist no accounts of people being forced to convert to Islam under any circumstances. While the political and military control of Muslim leaders did in fact spread through defensive warfare, Muslim leaders and generals in fact went out of their way to protect the rights of other religious groups. The warfare was always carried out only against the governments and armies that the Muslims were at war with. The local citizens were left alone. Although this article only gives specific examples of a few regions, this trend continued throughout Islamic history, following the precedent of the early Muslims.
It is important to note that these are some of the first examples in history of religious tolerance. While religious tolerance and freedom are first seen in “Western” civilization in the Enlightenment of the 1600s and 1700s, Muslims have practiced religious freedom since the 600s AD. The arguments made by some political and historical “pundits” about Islamic belief spreading violently and through warfare clearly have no historical basis. In fact, Muslim religious toleration has influenced the historical tradition of such ideas in lands as diverse as Europe, the Americans and India.

Citations:
* By extension, modern day terrorism clearly goes against Islamic law.
1- Aboul-Enein, H. Yousuf and Zuhur, Sherifa, Islamic Rulings on Warfare, p. 22, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, Diane Publishing Co., Darby PA
2- Kennedy, H. (2007). The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press. pg.91
3- Kennedy, H. (2007). The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press. pg.315
Sources:
Aboul-Enein, H. Yousuf and Zuhur, Sherifa, Islamic Rulings on Warfare, p. 22, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, Diane Publishing Co., Darby PA
CIA World Factbook
Kennedy, H. (2007). The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press.
Ochsenwald, W., & Fisher, S. (2003). The Middle East: A History. (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Mukjizat Al-Quran Yang Membezakan Zaman Nabi Yusuf as dan Nabi Musa as

Al-Quran mukjizat terbesar

Tidak seorang Rasul pun yang diutus oleh Allah Taala melainkan mereka akan pasti diperkuatkan dengan mukjizat-mukjizat. Selain ia adalah alamat kenabian dan kemulian khusus kepada seseorang Rasul, ia juga adalah daya penarik kepada golongan kafir supaya yakin dengan seruan tauhid.

Setiap Nabi dan Rasul diberikan mukjizat, akan tetapi semua mukjizat tersebut telah hilang seiring dengan kewafatan para nabi dan rasul. Hanya satu saja mukjizat yang masih wujud yang dapat kita lihat, sentuh, baca dan dengar. Itulah mukjizat nabi kita, junjungan besar Nabi Muhammad saw iaitu kitab Al-Quran Al-Karim.

Allah swt telah janjikan untuk memelihara dan melindunginya sehingga hari Kiamat kelak. Ini dijamin oleh Allah swt di dalam firman Allah s.w.t di dalam surah Al-Hijir, ayat 9:
“Sesungguhnya telah Kami turunkan peringatan ini (Al-Qur’an) dan sesungguhnya Kami lah penjaga baginya.”
Tuduhan para orientalis barat yang mengatakan Nabi Muhammad saw tidak mempunyai mukjizat besar sepertimana Nabi Musa as dan Nabi Isa as adalah tuduhan karut yang semata-mata berniat untuk menfitnah Islam dan Rasulullah saw.

Kisah Nabi Musa dan Nabi Yusuf as
Umum mengetahui bahawa Nabi Musa as sinonim dengan Mesir. Di dalam al-Quran banyak kisah baginda diceritakan Allah swt semasa kehidupan baginda di Mesir. Allah swt menceritakan kepada kita perit-getir baginda berdakwah, berjuang menentang golongan toghut dan menerima syariat daripada Allah swt di sana.
Sebelum kenabian Nabi Musa as di Mesir, Allah swt telah mengutuskan Nabi Yusuf as di bumi bertuah ini beratus-ratus tahun sebelum itu. Para cendikiawan Islam bersependapat bahawa Nabi Yusuf as menjadi perintis kepada penempatan besar-besaran Bani Israil di bumi Mesir. Manakala Nabi Musa as pula menjadi perintis kepada penghijrahan besar-besaran Bani Israil.

Semasa zaman Nabi Yusuf as, bani Israil muncul sebagai bangsa elit yang mentadbir hal ehwal negara Mesir. Ini diperkuatkan dengan riwayat yang menyatakan Nabi Yusuf as berkhidmat sebagai seorang menteri di Mesir. Ini jelas dalam firman Allah swt dalam surah Yusuf ayat 56,
Dan demikianlah Kami memberi kedudukan kepada Yusuf di negeri Mesir; (dia berkuasa penuh) pergi menuju kemana saja ia kehendaki di bumi Mesir itu. Kami melimpahkan rahmat Kami kepada siapa yang Kami kehendaki dan Kami tidak menyia-nyiakan pahala orang-orang yang berbuat baik.

Sebaliknya di zaman Nabi Musa as, bani Israil mengalami penindasan yang sangat teruk. Mereka dipaksa bekerja sebagai buruh paksa dan tidak sedikit yang menjadi hamba-abdi. Nabi Musa as yang dibangkitkan oleh Allah swt di Mesir menjadi pendokong utama kepada bangsa Israil. Kisah Bani Israil ditindas diceritakan Allah swt di dalam Al-Quran, surah Al-A’raaf ayat 129,
Kaum Musa berkata: “Kami telah ditindas (oleh Fir’aun) sebelum kamu datang kepada kami dan sesudah kamu datang. Musa menjawab: “Mudah-mudahan Allah membinasakan musuhmu dan menjadikan kamu khalifah di bumi(Nya), maka Allah akan melihat bagaimana perbuatanmu
Samaada Nabi Musa dan Nabi Yusuf, kedua-dua Rasul ini diceritakan secara panjang lebar oleh Allah swt di dalam Al-Quran. Al-Quran sebagai mukjizat terbesar meletakkan sempadan yang besar bagi membezakan zaman Nabi Musa as dan zaman Nabi Yusuf as. Menariknya, Al-Quran meletakkan sempadan zaman Nabi Musa as dan Nabi Yusuf as hanya dengan satu perkataan dan ia hanya dibuktikan pada zaman moden kini. Allahuakbar!

Makam Nabi Yusuf as
Perbezaan gelaran
Dalam penceritaan ini, satu perkara yang dapat kita perhatikan dengan jelas adalah bagaimana Allah swt membezakan gelaran pemimpin yang ketika itu menguasai bumi Mesir. Di dalam kisah Nabi Yusuf as, Allah swt menggunakan gelaran Malik yang membawa maksud raja kepada pemimpin Mesir di zaman baginda. Manakala di dalam kisah Nabi Musa as, Allah swt menggunakan gelaran Firaun sebagai gelaran khusus kepada pemimpin Mesir era tersebut.

Dan raja berkata: “Bawalah Yusuf kepadaku, agar aku memilih dia sebagai orang yang rapat kepadaku.” Maka tatkala raja telah bercakap-cakap dengan dia, dia berkata: “Sesungguhnya kamu (mulai) hari ini menjadi seorang yang berkedudukan tinggi lagi dipercayai pada sisi kami.”(Surah Yusuf ayat 54)
Kemudian Kami utus Musa sesudah rasul-rasul itu dengan membawa ayat-ayat Kami kepada Firaun dan pemuka-pemuka kaumnya, lalu mereka mengingkari ayat-ayat itu. Maka perhatikanlah bagaimana akibat orang-orang yang membuat kerosakan.(Surah Al-A’raaf ayat 103)
Mungkin bagi sesetengah individu menganggap perkara ini adalah perkara remeh. Namun, ia adalah satu keajaiban yang sangat luar biasa. Satu perkataan yang dianggap remeh sebenarnya adalah salah satu keajaiban Al-Quran yang akhirnya dibuktikan dengan penemuan-penemuan moden. Ini adalah salah-satu tanda keajaiban al-Quran yang diturunkan Allah swt kepada Nabi Muhammad saw.

Dinasti-dinasti Tamadun Mesir
1,400 tahun yang lampau ketikamana Al-Quran diturunkan kepada Nabi Muhammad saw, tiada siapa yang mengetahui bahawa tamadun Mesir terbahagi kepada beberapa dinasti dalam era yang berbeza-beza. Bahasa purba Mesir purba dan tulisan Higroglif telah lama pupus. Oleh yang demikian, sejarah lampau tamadun Mesir purba turut sama pupus. Menginjak pada zaman Rasulullah saw, pengetahuan tersebut tidak pernah diketahui tambahan pula tanah Arab mengalami zaman kemerosotan budaya dan ilmu pengetahuan.

Penemuan batu Rosetta
Pada tahun 1799, seorang tentera Perancis, Pierre-Francois Bouchard secara tidak sengaja menemui sebuah batu bersurat yang kemudiannya dikenali Batu Bersurat Rosetta. Batu Bersurat Rosetta adalah inskripsi tiga jenis bahasa yang ditulis serentak pada zaman King Ptolemy V(sekitar 196SM). Pierre-Francois Bouchard menemuinya di Bandar Rashid di Delta Sungai Nil. Pada awalnya batu bersurat tersebut digunakan untuk membina Fort Julien di Delta Sungai Nil.
Sekitar abad ke-19, seorang warga Perancis yang bernama Jean-François Champollion berjaya memahami bahasa Mesir purba. Daripada detik tersebut, semakin banyak tulisan-tulisan higroglif yang selama ini tidak difahami akhirnya berjaya ditafsirkan. Budaya dan sejarah tamadun Mesir purba difahami dengan sedalam-dalamnya. Nama-nama Firaun, isteri, anak-anak serta menteri-menteri berjaya diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Greek dan bahasa moden. Kajian dan penyelidikan yang berlaku dengan rancak akhirnya melahirkan sebuah disiplin kajian khusus yang dikenali Egyptology.

Batu Rosetta
Egyptologist
Kajian yang berterusan akhirnya berjaya merungkai sejarah awal Tamadun Mesir Purba. Kajian demi kajian akhirnya membuat para cendikiawan berpendapat bahawa Mesir terdiri daripada puluhan Dinasti yang mana ia terbahagi pula kepada beberapa Kerajaan. Secara ringkasnya, tamadun Mesir purba terbahagi kepada beberapa zaman iaitu:
Predynastic; muncul 4500SM sehingga berakhir pada 3150SM
Thinite Period; muncul 3150SM sehingga berakhir pada 2700SM
Old Kingdom; muncul 2700SM sehingga berakhir pada 2200SM
First Intermediate; muncul 2200SM sehingga berakhir pada 2040SM
Middle Kingdom; muncul 2040SM sehingga berakhir pada 1674SM
Second Intermediate; muncul 1674SM sehingga berakhir pada 1553SM
New Kingdom; muncul 1553SM sehingga berakhir pada 1069SM
Third Intermediate; muncul 1069SM sehingga berakhir pada 747SM
Late Period; muncul 747SM sehingga berakhir pada 525SM
First Persian Period; muncul 525SM sehingga berakhir pada 404SM
Dynasties 28-30; muncul 404SM sehingga berakhir pada 343SM
Second Persian Period; muncul 343SM sehingga berakhir pada 332SM
Greco-Roman; muncul 332SM sehingga berakhir pada 395SM
Kajian daripada Barat ini selari dengan apa yang telah termaktub di dalam Al-Quran.

Taurat 100% menggunakan gelaran ‘Firaun’ dalam kisah Nabi Ibrahim, Yusuf serta Musa as.
Pada 1,400 tahun yang lampau, satu-satunya sumber yang paling ‘dekat’ dengan Rasulullah saw adalah kitab Taurat milik bangsa Yahudi. Walaubagaimanapun, kitab Taurat yang menceritakan kisah Yusuf dan Musa dengan menggunakan gelaran Firaun kepada pemimpin Mesir. Begitu juga dengan kisah Nabi Ibrahim as yang berhadapan dengan pemimpin Mesir. Pemimpin Mesir tersebut turut sama digelar Firaun.

Firaun zaman Ibrahim as
So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?” [12:18]
Firaun zaman Yusuf as
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.” [41:25]
Firaun zaman Musa as
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” [7:1]
Ia nyata berbeza dengan apa yang terkandung di dalam Al-Quran. Allah swt menggambarkan pemimpin zalim yang menentang seruan Nabi Musa as digelar Firaun manakala pemimpin yang mengangkat Nabi Yusuf as digelar Raja.
Di sini kita sebagai umat Islam, kita boleh menyedari bahawa Al-Quran bukanlah kitab yang diciplak daripada Kitab Taurat mahupun Injil sepertimana yang dituduh oleh para orientalis Barat. Ternyata, tuduhan jahat para orientalis Barat tersebut adalah tidak berasas.

Era Nabi Yusuf as
Seperti yang diberitahu sebelum ini, tamadun Mesir purba terbahagi kepada puluhan dinasti dengan Kerajaan yang berbeza-beza. Pakar arkeologi Barat dan Islam bersependapat bahawa Nabi Yusuf as diutuskan oleh Allah swt di bumi Mesir semasa Dinasti 11 dan 12 semasa era Middle Kingdom pada 1800 SM.
Beberapa bukti menunjukkan bahawa ia adalah bertepatan dengan apa yang diberitakan oleh Allah swt dalam Al-Quran.
Semasa Era Middle Kingdom, bangsa Hyksos berjaya menawan Mesir dan menjadi pemerintah utama di Delta Sungai Nil. Bangsa Hyksos adalah bangsa Asia-Semitik yang berasal daripada benua Asia. Semasa era tersebut, ramai bangsa luar Mesir berbondong-bondong datang ke Mesir dan bangsa Hyksos mempelawa serta tidak pula menentangnya.
Ini diperakui oleh dalam Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary bahawa Nabi Yusuf as berjaya mendapat tempat istimewa di istana.
… Kestabilan Mesir merudum dan kemerosotan era Second Intermediete Period (1750-1570 B.C.) baru bermula.
Semasa era kemerosotan, banyak bangsa bukan Mesir masuk ke sini(Mesir). Bangsa pemerintah yang dikenali Hyksos mentadbir wilayah-wilayah jajahan Mesir. Joseph bangkit dengan posisi penting di Rumah Potiphar(Genesis 39) dan tugasnya untuk mengumpul hasil tuaian semasa Years of Plenty(Genesis 41) adalah bertepatan(dengan sejarah Mesir Purba). Ini kerana lain-lain bangsa asing turut sama mempunyai posisi penting dalam kerajaan Hyksos.
Turut sama menyokong teori ini adalah The Lion Handbook To The Bible,
The pharaohs of… Joseph’s time probably belonged to the 13th/15th dynasties… (Middle Kingdom and after), when many foreigners found employment in Egypt at various levels, from slaves to high stewards (like Joseph under Potiphar, Genesis 39:1-4)

Gelaran Firaun atau Raja
Menurut penyelidikan linguistik, perkataan Firaun berasal daripada perkataan Mesir purba, per-aa yang membawa maksud ‘Istana Besar’. Pada awalnya, ia merujuk kepada istana raja berbanding dengan gelaran khusus kepada pemerintah. Bangsa Mesir purba tidak memanggil raja mereka dengan gelaran Firaun sehingga muncul Dinasti ke-18(1552-1295SM) di era New Kingdom.

Pemerintah Mesir pertama yang menggunakan gelaran Firaun sebagai gelaran khusus kepada pemerintah adalah Amenhophis V(memerintah daripada tahun 1352 sehingga 1338SM). Gelaran Firaun ini kemudiannya menjadi ikutan sehingga kerajaan Mesir tumbang kepada bangsa Persia dan Yunani.
Ini diperakui sendiri oleh pengkajian secara terperinci para penyelidik Barat. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary menulis sebagaimana berikut,
The title of the kings of Egypt until 323BC. In the Egyptian language the word Pharaoh means “great house.” This word was originally used to describe the palace of the king. Around 1500 BC this term was applied to the king.
Barat memang licik. Ketikamana Ptolemy I Soter berkuasa sekitar 305SM, Ptolemy I Soter tidak digelar Firaun tetapi digelar dengan gelaran Raja. Ini terkandung di dalam Batu Bersurat Rosetta yang mana ia menggelarkan dirinya sendiri dengan gelaran Raja dan bukannya Firaun.
Akan tetapi apabila Dinasti Hyksos berkuasa, pemimpin daripada dinasti tersebut digelar dengan gelaran Firaun sedangkan Firaun sebenar-benarnya adalah gelaran yang digunapakai oleh bangsa tempatan Mesir dan bukannya bangsa Hyksos yang berdarah Asia-Semitik.

Ptolemy I Soter adalah pemerintah Mesir yang menyemai budaya Hellenistik Barat di Mesir
Penutup
Sememangnya Al-Quran adalah mukjizat paling besar Rasulullah saw. Banyak ilmu-ilmu yang sulit untuk difahami pada zaman kenabian Rasulullah saw akhirnya dapat difahami dengan mendalam pada zaman kini. Allah swt tidak menurunkan Al-Quran semata-mata untuk memberi peringatan kepada manusia tetapi juga menurunkan ilmu-ilmu yang bukan sedikit jumlahnya.
Allah Taala berfirman : “Andai kata Al-Quran datangnya bukan dari sisi Allah pasti mereka akan mendapatkan pertentangan yang banyak sekali dalam isinya.” (Q.S. An-Nisa:82)
Sebenarnya tidak pernah ada sebuah kitab pun yang dapat menandingi kitab suci Alquran, baik mengenai ketinggian isinya, kejelasan keterangannya dan amat dalam mengesan di dalam jiwa.
“Dan andaikata semua pohon yang ada di bumi ini dijadikan pena dan lautan dijadikan tinta dan ditambah lagi dengan tujuh lautan sesudah itu, maka tidak akan habis kalimat Tuhan (yang hendak dituliskan itu).” (Q.S. Luqman:27)

ANCIENT EGYPT AND THE PHARAOH’S BODY

Moses said: “O Pharaoh (Firawun)!
I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds”
(7- Al A’raf, 104)
72- They said: “We lost the cup of the king (malik) …”
(12- Yusuf, 72)

Studies conducted on data acquired about Pharaoh thanks to the deciphered hieroglyph script and Egyptological explorations corroborate that what is said about the parables of Moses, and the accounts related to Egypt and the Pharaoh in the Quran, are exact when compared with tangible historical data.

The Quran referred to the Egyptian ruler at the time of Joseph as “malik” (ruler, king) but for the ruler coeval with Moses the Quran uses the word “Firawun” (Pharaoh). Pharaoh was the Hebrew form of the Egyptian “Per-ao” (the great house) signifying the royal palace, an epithet applied in the new kingdom and after as a title of respect, to the king himself. Never before had it been used in this sense.

To quote the Encyclopedia Britannica: Pharaoh was referred to in narrative as “his majesty” or “the good god” or “the sovereign” as a circumlocution of respect. In accordance with the concept of divine kingship, his person was sacrosanct and his insignia -diadem, crowns, scepters, stateshad magic properties. Fire gushed from the mouth of the serpent on his crown to exterminate his enemies; in the battlefield his power was such that he could wipe out his enemies regardless of their multitude. He was said to be omnipotent and omniscient, the one who had the overall control in his hands and was the cause of prosperity. The main source of information is the information that the deciphering of the hieroglyphs made available.

However, one should keep in mind that this script had been sunk in oblivion since the 3rd century B.C., to be revived long after. The hieroglyph script that had been forgotten about 1000 years prior to the descent of the Quran was discovered and deciphered after more than a millennium.
The Quran relates the events that happened between the Pharaoh and Moses, giving details additional to those found in the Old Testament. What is said about serpents and the prevalence of magic at the time, and Pharaoh’s statement of his divine attribute, corresponds to the information about the Pharaoh revealed from the deciphered hieroglyph tablets.

IPUWER PAPYRUS

10: 3-6 Lower Egypt is devastated. The court came to a standstill. Whatever was stored, wheat, rye, geese and fish, perished.
10: 6-3 Crops wasted everywhere
2: 5-6 Disasters and blood everywhere
2:10 Blood flows in rivers
3: 2 Gold and lapis lazuli, silver and malachite, carnelian and bronze decorate the necks of slaves
Ipuwer Papyrus-Leidon 344

130- We punished the people of Pharaoh with drought,
and shortage of crops, that they might take heed.
(7- Al A’raf, 130)
133- So We sent on them; the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs
and the blood. How many different signs! But they still remained
arrogant, for they were a people full of sin.
(7-Al A’raf, 133)
57- So We expelled them from gardens, springs.
(26- Ash-Shua’ra, 57)
58- Treasures and every kind of honorable position.(26- The Poets, 58)
59- Thus it was made the children of Israel inheritors of such things.
(26- Ash-Shua’ra , 59)

The accounts given by the Quran about the punishment inflicted upon the Pharaoh and his followers, like drought and other disasters, and the accounts of the Ipuwer Papyrus are perfectly in tune with each other. As an evidence of the offense committed by the dynasty of the Pharaoh in its denial of Moses’ prophethood, the Quran says that blood was foreseen (the same thing holds true for the proliferation of the locusts, the lice, etc.). In the Ipuwer Papyrus it is said that blood ran in riverbeds, everywhere was smeared with blood. (Studies conducted to this day seem to explain the red coloration of rivers by the existence of protozoa, zooplanktons, sea and fresh water planktons or dinoflagellates. All these organisms would deplete the oxygen in water, giving rise to rapid growth of toxic substances, killing the living organisms and rendering the stream water undrinkable).

Researchers have devised a course of events that might have taken place in relation to the disasters described in the Quran. According to this fictive account, “The fish in the Nile perished as a consequence of the intoxication of the river, leaving the Egyptians deprived of sustenance. Frogs, whose eggs multiplied in the meantime, invaded the surroundings before they themselves succumbed to poisoning. Decomposition of fish and frogs coupled with the poisonous water of the Nile polluted the fertile land around. Annihilation of the frogs caused the pests like locusts and grain moths to proliferate:” All these are but the product of imagination, surely. We do not know exactly how things happened since we have no available data in hand to make valid deductions. Yet, this account may give us an idea of them.
The Ipuwer Papyrus records the curse of blood, drought and disasters to which the Pharaoh’s dynasty fell victim, and the situation of the slaves, who later were to inherit the former’s possessions almost literally as described in the Quran.
PHARAOH’S BODY SIGN UNKNOWN BY MAJORITY

90- We took the children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his army followed them aggressively and sinfully. When drowning became a reality for him, he said, “I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the children of Israel believe. I am of those who submit.”
(10- Jonah, 90)
91- “Ah now! For you have rebelled in the past, and you did mischief.”
(10- Jonah, 91)
92- “Today, We will save your body, so that you may become a sign to those who come after you. But verily, many people are heedless of Our signs.”
(10- Jonah, 92)

When he understood he was going to die, the Pharaoh converted. This so-called conversion is not accepted by God, who says that his body shall be saved as a sign for the coming generations. At the time of the Prophet, and for quite some time afterward, people could not have guessed that a science called museology would be developed to harbor objects of historical value, amongst others mummified bodies of the Pharaohs. The Quran’s reference to this and to the people heedless of God’s signs are points deserving attention. The signs of God are many and the majority of people are unaware of this.

At the time of the revelation of the Quran, mummified bodies of all the Pharaohs lay concealed in the Valley of Kings along the banks of the Nile. Their discovery took place in the 19th century. The Pharaoh mentioned in the Quran may have been any of them, it happens to be among those preserved in the Cairo Museum, open to public visitation. To the period in which Moses is believed to belong, Rameses II and his son Merneptah correspond. Merneptah’s body bears the traces of fatal blows. It is reported that these marks may have been caused during his drowning or after the recovery of his body, that had washed ashore; the Egyptians mummified him like all the other Pharaohs. The evidence available does not permit us to derive a convincing conclusion about the details of his death. However, no conflicting relationship could be established between the death of this Pharaoh and the account given in the Quran.

The discovery of the Pharaoh’s body took place after an interval of 3000 years (1881-1898). Considering that the Quran had predicted that Pharaoh’s body would constitute a sign, one supposes that it will be discovered one day. Indeed it was found. When and how? Well, after a time gap of 3000 years. What happened though was as the Quran predicted. “…But verily, many people are heedless of Our signs.”

VICTORIOUS ROMANS AND THE CONQUEST OF MECCA

The Romans have been defeated.
(30- Ar Rum, 2)
3- In the lowest part of the earth.
But after defeat they
will soon be victorious.
(30- Ar Rum, 3)
4- Between three or nine years.
God’s is the imperative first and last.
On that day the believers will rejoice.
(30- Ar Rum, 4)

At the time of the descent of the Quran, the Romans were practicing Christianity while the Persians were Zoroastrians. The Muslim population was grieved to hear that it was the Persians who had won the war against the Romans since Christians were monotheists. The victory of the Zoroastrians against the believers baffled the Muslims. The Quran predicted that the Romans (Byzantium) would soon become victorious and that the believers would rejoice. The expression “beda seneen” in verse 4 refers to the numbers ranging from three to nine.

The number of followers of Muhammad continued to increase. Had this statement of the Quran proved to be wrong, the confidence of the followers in Muhammad would have been shaken and the number of apostates would have grown. For a person not firmly convinced that the Quran was the revelation of God, such a prediction would be fatal for the system. If such a prediction were to prove false, it would have lost more of its authority than it would have gained had it turned out to be true. But it was God who revealed the Quran. So there was no risk. Thus the confidence of the followers increased even more.

SUCH DARING

Yes, self-confidence, daring and categorical prediction! This is either a proof of wisdom or the foolhardiness of the ignorant. The result indicates which was which. Those who doubt that this was not a revelation from God may conclude that it was guesswork, without considering the consequences that would put everything in danger. Something difficult was being heralded. A nation that had lost its cause was promised a triumph in a subsequent conflict.

Had this prediction turned out to be false, the believers might have lost faith and given trump cards to the hands of the opponents of the faithful. It is in fact the truth that eventhough unbelievers accused Muhammad of being insane, a sorcerer or a self-seeker, no one has ever accused him as being a “liar!” The unbelievers were badly in need of such accusations. It was certainly more difficult to attack the Prophet and his followers with daggers drawn. If the people who attributed partners to God were able to come forth with such evidence, they would prefer to use it rather than wage wars. So all the predictions of the Quran came true and no objections could ever be raised by the unbelievers.
Nevertheless, there have always been and will be people who turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the revelations of the Quran. This did not prevent the Quran from eventually becoming the sovereign power of the region under the domination of the Prophet during his lifetime.

YOU WILL CONQUER MECCA

27- Truly God fulfilled His messenger’s vision. You will enter the Restricted Mosque in security, if God wills. You will cut your hair or shorten it, you will not have any fear. Since He knew what you did not know, He has preceded this with an immediate victory.
(48- Al Fath, 27)

Another prophecy similar to the victory of the Romans was the realization of the premonitory dream of Muhammad in which he saw himself entering the Restricted Mosque (the mosque which surrounded the Kaaba of Mecca, the place of pilgrimage). Just to remind you, the Prophet and his followers had been expelled from Mecca and the Meccans were superior both in military power and equipment.
Many prophets died before they could establish sovereignty in the land in which they spread their religion. Had there been no such tidings, Muhammad could not possibly have foreseen that the day would come when he would be in a position to conquer Mecca.

All Quranic verses reflect poise, confidence and self-reliance. There is nothing in them to suggest the ambivalence, vacillation and equivocation that one can encounter in a man-written book.
89- …We have sent down to you a Book explaining all things, a guide,
a mercy and glad tidings for those who submit.
(16- An Nahl, 89)

NEW MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

8- And the horses, the mules and the donkeys for you to ride and for splendor. Additionally, He creates what you do not know.
(16- An Nahl, 8 )

While enumerating the means of transportation of the past, God predicts that man will use other means in the future. We, who know how comfortable it is to travel by airplanes, trains, cars, etc., can easily understand the reason for the drawing of our attention to means of transportation unknown at the time.

KEMENANGAN BYZANTIN

Sepotong ayat menarik yang terdapat di dalam Al-Qur’an mengenai masa hadapan dapat dilihat dalam ayat pertama surah Rom, yang merujuk kepada empayar Byzantin, bahagian timur kerajaan Roman yang ada dahulu. Dalam ayat ini, ianya dinyatakan bahawa empayar Byzantin menemui kekalahan yang besar tetapi kemudianya ia mendapat kemenangan.

“Alif, Lam, Mim. Telah dikalahkan bangsa Rom. Di tanah yang paling rendah di permukaan bumi, dan mereka sesudah dikalahkan itu akan menang dalam berapa tahun. Bagi Allah lah urusan sebelum dan sesudah”. Surah Ar-Rum: 1-4.

Ayat ini diturunkan lebih kurang tahun 620 sebelum masihi, hampir 7 tahun selepas kekalahan teruk kerajaan kristian Byzantin di tangan kerajaan penyembah berhala Persia. Tetapi ia didedahkan di dalam ayat tersebut bahawa kerajaan Byzantin akan mendapat kemenangan kembali dalam masa yang singkat. Sebenarnya, Byzantin telah awal lebih sengsara menanggung kerugian yang besar yang kelihatan seolah-olah amat mustahil baginya, bahkan untuk kekal bertahan, untuk menang kembali. Bukan sahaja Persia, tetapi Avar, Slav, dan Vonhard juga memberikan ancaman yang besar kepada empayar Byzantin. Kerajaan Avar telah pun menjangkau dinding kota Konstantipol. Maharaja Byzantin Heraklius telah memerintahkan supaya meleburkan emas dan perak di gereja-gereja untuk mendapatkan wang bagi menampung perbelanjaan ketenteraan, apabila semua ini masih tidak mencukupi bahkan patung-patung gangsa juga dileburkan untuk tujuan yang sama. Banyak gabenor-gabenor memberontak menentang Heraklius. Dan empayar ketika itu berada dalam kedudukan hampir roboh. Mesopotamia, Alicik, Syria, Palestin, Mesir dan Armenia yang pada asalnya berada di bawah jajahan Byzantin, telah pun diceroboh oleh Persia.

Ringkasnya, semua yang ada ketika itu menjangkakan empayar Byzantin akan musnah. Tetapi pada ketika itu, ayat pertama surah Rum diturunkan memaklumkan kemenangan Byzantin dalam beberapa tahun. Kemenangan ini dilihat amat mustahil sehinggakan kaum Arab jahiliyyah mempersendakan ayat ini, mereka beranggapan bahawa kemenangan yang dinyatakan di dalam Al-Qur’an itu tidak akan menjadi kenyataan.

Lebih kurang 7 tahun selepas ayat pertama surah Rom diwahyukan pada Disember 627 selepas masihi, peperangan sengit di antara Byzantin dan empayar Persia berlaku di Ninaveh, dan kali ini, askar Byzantin tidak disangka-sangka berjaya menewaskan tentera Persia. Beberapa bulan kemudian, kerajaan Persia telah membuat perjanjian degan Byzantin, yang mewajibkan mereka menyerahkan kembali kawasan yang mereka rampas.

Di akhirnya, kemenangan kerajaan Rom yang dinyatakan oleh Maha Suci di dalam Al-Qur’an, menjadi kenyataan

Satu lagi keajaiban yang dinyatakan di dalam ayat ini ialah perkhabaran mengenai fakta dari sudut geografi yang tidak diketahui oleh sesiapa pun ketika itu. Dalam ayat ke 3 surah Rom, kita dimaklumkan bahwa kerajaan Rom telah ditumpaskan di bahagian paling rendah di permukaan bumi. Frasa ‘Adna ard’ dalam bahasa arab diertikan sebagai ‘kawasan yang berhampiran’ dalam kebanyakan penafsiran. Tetapi ini bukanlah pengertian literal dari kenyatan yang asal, tetapi lebih berbentuk pentafsiran secara kiasan (metaforik). Perkataan ‘adna’ dalam bahasa arab berasal dari perkataan’ daniy’ yang bermaksud ‘rendah’ dan ‘ard’ bermaksud bumi.

Dengan itu kenyatan’adna al-ard’ memberi erti kawasan yang paling rendah di muka bumi.

Apa yang menarik, saat penting peperangan yang terjadi di antara empayar Byzantin dan Persia ketika Byzantin di tewaskan dan kehilangan wilayah Jerusalem, benar-benar terjadi di titik paling rendah di muka bumi. Kawasan ini dikenali sebagai Teluk Laut Mati yang terletak di titik persilangan antara tanah Syria, Palestin dan Jordan. Laut mati yang terletak 395 meter di bawah paras laut, sebenarnya adalah kawasan paling rendah di muka bumi.

Ini bermaksud bahawa kerajaan Byzantin telah ditewaskan di kawasan paling rendah di muka bumi seperti yang dinyatakan dalam ayat tersebut.

Seperkara yang penting di sini ialah fakta bahawa altitud Laut Mati hanya dapat diukur dengan teknik pengukuran moden. Sebelum itu, adalah amat mustahil bagi sesiapun untuk mengetahui bahawa ianya adalah kawasan yang paling rendah di muka bumi. Tetapi hal ini telah disebut di dalam Al-Qur’an, oleh yang demikian bukti ini sekaligus membuktikan bahawa Al-Qur’an adalah wahyu dari Maha Suci Tuhan.