An anachronism is a term used to describe something out of place in terms of time or chronology. It refers to an object, a person, a phrase, a technology, or any other element that doesn’t fit the time period in which it is found. An example of an anachronism would be stating that George Washington used an iPhone. This is because George Washington lived hundreds of years before the creation of the iPhone.
One of the arguments opponents make about the Quran is that it contains anachronisms. Below are the common examples that are brought up, as well as refutations to these claims.
Dirham
The history of Joseph in Sura 12 of the Quran states that the caravan that took Joseph sold him for a few dirhams.
12:20 They sold him for a cheap price— a few Dirhams—for they did not have any need for him.
The argument is that during the life of Joseph, coins didn’t exist and instead, people used bullion valued by weight. So does this conflict with using the term Dirhams as used in the Quran?
For background, the word “dirhams” ( دَرَٰهِمَ) in Arabic is derived from the Greek word “drachma” (δραχμή), which was an ancient Greek currency and weight unit. The drachma was widely used in the Greek-speaking world and its vast colonies. When the Greek and Persian empires expanded into regions that are now part of the modern Middle East, the term was adopted into Middle Persian as “drahm.” It was from this Middle Persian form that the word was then borrowed into Arabic as “dirham” ( درهم). The Arabs adopted the term dirham both as a weight unit as well as for silver coins. Therefore, it would be a disingenuous reading to try to limit the text to limit the term to only mean coins.
Below are several Classical Arabic dictionaries showing that Dirham is used for both weight and coins.
Also, if we look at the word “ bakhsin” ( بَخْسٍ), which is translated in the above verse as paltry or cheap, we see the root of this word is used in another verse in the context of cheating people when trading by withholding the physical weight of what is due.
7:85 To Midyan we sent their brother Shu’aib. He said, “O my people, worship GOD; you have no other god beside Him. Proof has come to you from your Lord. You shall give full weight and full measure when you trade. Do not cheat the people out of their rights. Do not corrupt the earth after it has been set straight. This is better for you, if you are believers.
Opponents argue that chain mail did not exist during David’s time and that the first people to invent chain mail were the Celts. Except this is not correct. To date, historians do not know the exact origins of chain mail. For example, according to Wikipedia:
The earliest examples of surviving mail were found in the Carpathian Basin at a burial in Horný Jatov, Slovakia dated in the 3rd century BC, and in a chieftain’s burial located in Ciumești, Romania. Its invention is commonly credited to the Celts, but there are examples of Etruscan pattern mail dating from at least the 4th century BC. Mail may have been inspired by the much earlier scale armour. Mail spread to North Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, Tibet, South East Asia, and Japan.
Herodotus wrote that the ancient Persians wore scale armour, but mail is also distinctly mentioned in the Avesta, the ancient holy scripture of the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism that was founded by the prophet Zoroaster in the 5th century BC.
Additionally, we see that scale armour began in the Middle East, and the earliest representation is found in the tomb of Kenamon, who lived in Egypt during the reign of Amenhotep II (1436–1411 BCE). Since David lived in c. 1000 BCE, it would not be an anachronism to state that he made such armor according to the Quran.
The word “ sābighātin” ( سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ) means a full coat of mail, which can be either rings or plates that are joined together. And the word “ l-sardi” ( ٱلسَّرْدِ) just means that they are linked together. So, the text does not indicate that the armor was chains or scales, but only that it was perfectly balanced.
Interestingly, between chain mail and scale armor, scale armor typically requires more precision in balance. Here’s a comparison of the two to illustrate why:
Chain Mail:
Chain mail consists of interlinked metal rings forming a flexible mesh.
Its flexibility allows it to drape over the body much like fabric, conforming to the wearer’s movements. This property reduces the need for precise balance or fitting as the mail can easily adjust to different body shapes and sizes.
While the weight distribution in chain mail is a consideration (especially in heavier variants), its inherent flexibility generally ensures a relatively even distribution of weight across the covered areas.
Scale Armor:
Scale armor is made of small, overlapping plates (scales) attached to a backing material like cloth or leather.
Each scale must be correctly positioned and aligned to ensure effective coverage and flexibility. The arrangement of scales is crucial to maintain the armor’s effectiveness without impeding the wearer’s mobility.
The precision in the placement and attachment of the scales is vital for both protection and balance. Incorrectly aligned or imbalanced scales can create vulnerabilities and hinder movement.
Additionally, scale armor can be more rigid compared to chain mail, requiring more careful fitting to the wearer’s body to ensure proper balance and weight distribution.
In summary, while both chain mail and scale armor have their own complexities in terms of construction and fitting, scale armor generally demands greater precision in balance due to its structure and the need for exact placement and alignment of the scales. Chain mail’s more flexible and forgiving nature makes it less demanding in terms of balance and precision in fitting.
Crucifixion
In the history of Joseph in Sura 12, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two of his prison mates and informed one of them that he was going to be crucified.
12:41 “O my prison mates, one of you will be the wine butler for his lord, while the other will be crucified — the birds will eat from his head. This settles the matter about which you have inquired.”
Some argue that the oldest history of the use of crucifixion was conducted by the Persians. The Historian Herodotus states that:
Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, was put to death in 522 BCE by the Persians, and his dead body was then crucified. [60]
Herodotus, in his Histories, ix.120–122, also describes the execution of a Persian general at the hands of Athenians circa 479 BCE:
“They nailed him to a plank and hung him up … this Artayctes who suffered death by crucifixion.” [50] The Commentary on Herodotus by How and Wells remarks: “They crucified him with hands and feet stretched out and nailed to cross-pieces; cf. vii.33. This barbarity, unusual on the part of Greeks, may be explained by the enormity of the outrage or by Athenian deference to local feeling.” [51]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion
Today, people typically associate crucifixion, where the individual has their hands and feet stretched out and nailed to a cross, except historically, crucifixion was not limited to this form.
The Greek and Latin words corresponding to “crucifixion” applied to many different forms of painful execution, including being impaled on a stake, or affixed to a tree, upright pole (a crux simplex), or to a combination of an upright (in Latin, stipes) and a crossbeam (in Latin, patibulum). Seneca the Younger wrote: “I see crosses there, not just of one kind but made in many different ways: some have their victims with head down to the ground; some impale their private parts; others stretch out their arms on the gibbet”. [61]
In Classical Arabic, the term “ s’lab” ( صْلَبُ) is used for both crucifixion and impalement. This is because Classical Arabic doesn’t distinguish between these two forms. So when Joseph states that his prison mate will be crucified, this does not mean that he will be nailed to a cross, but very well that he will be impaled. This is because, according to Classical Arabic, it is the same word.
Further proof of this is when Pharoah threatened to crucify the magicians, he stated that he would first cut off their hands and feet on alternate sides, showing that his crucifixion was not in the standard form as understood today with their hands and feet stretched out, but as a form of impalement.
20:71 He said, “Did you believe in him without my permission? He must be your chief; the one who taught you magic. I will surely sever your hands and feet on alternate sides. I will crucify you on the palm trunks. You will find out which of us can inflict the worst retribution, and who outlasts whom.”
The Quran exonerates the lie propagated in the Bible that Aaron created the golden calf for the Children of Israel to worship when Moses was gone.
32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Exodus 32
The Quran demonstrates that it was the Samarian who committed such a horrendous act and not one of God’s righteous prophets.
20:83 [God said,] “Why did you rush away from your people, O Moses?”
20:84 He said, “They are close behind me. I have rushed to You my Lord, that You may be pleased.”
20:85 He said, “We have put your people to the test after you left, but the Samarian ( ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ) misled them.”
20:86 Moses returned to his people, angry and disappointed, saying, “O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise? Could you not wait? Did you want to incur wrath from your Lord? Is this why you broke your agreement with me?”
20:87 They said, “We did not break our agreement with you on purpose. But we were loaded down with jewelry, and decided to throw our loads in. This is what the Samarian ( ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ) suggested.”
20:88 He produced for them a sculpted calf, complete with a calf’s sound. They said, “This is your god, and the god of Moses.” Thus, he forgot.
20:89 Could they not see that it neither responded to them, nor possessed any power to harm them, or benefit them?
20:90 And Aaron had told them, “O my people, this is a test for you. Your only Lord is the Most Gracious, so follow me, and obey my commands.”
20:91 They said, “We will continue to worship it, until Moses comes back.”
20:92 said, “O Aaron, what is it that prevented you, when you saw them go astray,
20:93 “from following my orders? Have you rebelled against me?”
20:94 He said, “O son of my mother, do not pull me by my beard and my head. I was afraid that you might say, ‘You have divided the Children of Israel, and disobeyed my orders.’”
20:95 He said, “What is the matter with you, O Samarian ( يَـٰسَـٰمِرِىُّ)?”
20:96 He said, “I saw what they could not see. I grabbed a fistful (of dust) from the place where the messenger stood, and used it (to mix into the golden calf). This is what my mind inspired me to do.”
20:97 He said, “Then go, and, throughout your life, do not even come close. You have an appointed time (for your final judgment) that you can never evade. Look at your god that you used to worship; we will burn it and throw it into the sea, to stay down there forever.”
The argument posed regarding these passages is that the “Samaritans,” emerged as a distinct community with their specific religious practices dating to several centuries after the time of Moses. During the time of Moses, which is traditionally placed in the second millennium BCE, the term “Samaritans” would not have been relevant or applicable.
An article by Islamic Awareness shows that according to Samaritan sources, this group traces its origins to direct descent from the Ten Tribes of Israel.
The Encyclopaedia Judaica (under “Samaritans”) summarizes both past and the present views on the Samaritans’ origins. It says:
Until the middle of the 20th Century it was customary to believe that the Samaritans originated from a mixture of the people living in Samaria and other peoples at the time of the conquest of Samaria by Assyria (722/1 B.C.E.). The Biblical account in II Kings 17 had long been the decisive source for the formulation of historical accounts of Samaritan origins. Reconsideration of this passage, however, has led to more attention being paid to the Chronicles of the Samaritans themselves. With the publication of Chronicle II ( Sefer ha-Yamim), the fullest Samaritan version of their own history became available: the chronicles, and a variety of non-Samaritan materials.
According to the former, the Samaritans are the direct descendants of the Joseph tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, and until the 17th century C.E. they possessed a high priesthood descending directly from Aaron through Eleazar and Phinehas. They claim to have continuously occupied their ancient territory in central Palestine and to have been at peace with other Israelite tribes until the time when Eli disrupted the Northern cult by moving from Shechem to Shiloh and attracting some northern Israelites to his new cult there. For the Samaritans, this was the ‘schism’ par excellence. [42]
Furthermore, even to this day the Samaritans still claim descent from the tribe of Joseph:
The laymen also possess their traditional claims. They are all of the tribe of Joseph, except those of the tribe of Benjamin, but this traditional branch of people, which, the Chronicles assert, was established at Gaza in earlier days, seems to have disappeared. There exists an aristocratic feeling amongst the different families in this petty community, and some are very proud over their pedigree and the great men it had produced. [43]
In the Quran, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is described in 19:28 as ( يَاأُخْتَ هَارُونَ), which can be interpreted in one of two ways: either as “O sister of Aaron” or as “O descendant of Aaron.”
19:27 She came to her family, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have committed something that is totally unexpected.
In the Arabic of the Quran, the terms father, mother, brother, sister can be used for both someone’s immediate family member or ancestral family member. The most notable example of this is with the term “the Children of Israel” used towards people who are descendants of Israel (Jacob).
2:83 We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: “You shall not worship except GOD. You shall honor your parents and regard the relatives, the orphans, and the poor. You shall treat the people amicably. You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat).” But you turned away, except a few of you, and you became averse.
Additionally, we also see similar language used for the believers towards Abraham whose son Ishmael was the descendent of the Arab people.
22:78 You shall strive for the cause of GOD as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion— the religion of your father Abraham. He is the one who named you “Submitters” originally. Thus, the messenger shall serve as a witness among you, and you shall serve as witnesses among the people. Therefore, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and hold fast to GOD; He is your Lord, the best Lord and the best Supporter.
Also, the use of Adam as the father of the humans.
7:27 O children of Adam, do not let the devil dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their bodies. He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them. We appoint the devils as companions of those who do not believe.
Another example can be found in 46:21 about ‘Ād, the community that Hud was sent to. While ‘Ād is the name of the community, the origins of this name come from the legendary king Ad, who ruled over a region whose capital was “Wūbar.” From this person, you have the name of the tribe. So the term ( أَخَا عَادٍ), which can be translated as either the “brother of ‘Ād” or the “descendent of ‘Ād.” Obviously, this expression does not mean that Hud was the immediate brother of ‘Ād but the descendant of ‘Ād.
46:21 Recall that the brother of ‘Ãd warned his people at the dunes—numerous warnings were also delivered before him and after him: “You shall not worship except GOD. I fear for you the retribution of a great day.”
In addition, we see that the expression ( أُخْتَهَا), which could be translated as “its sister,” is used about an “ancestral group” in 7:38.
7:38 He will say, “Enter with the previous communities of jinns and humans into Hell.” Every time a group enters, they will curse their ancestral group. Once they are all in it, the latest one will say of the previous one, “Our Lord, these are the ones who misled us. Give them double the retribution of Hell.” He will say, “Each receives double, but you do not know.”
The understanding that 19:27 is about Mary, the mother of Jesus, being the descendant of Aaron also corresponds with the fact that Mary is never indicated to live in the same period or location as Aaron and Moses. Their histories are separate in the Quran, so this verse only informs us that Mary was the descendant of Aaron and not that Mary was Aaron’s sister. But what proof do we have that Mary was a descendant of Aaron?
From the Bible and the Quran, we can determine that Mary was part of the priest class as she was offered to God to be brought up under the guardianship of Zachariah.
3:36 When she gave birth to her, she said, “My Lord, I have given birth to a girl”—GOD was fully aware of what she bore—”The male is not the same as the female. I have named her Mary and I invoke Your protection for her and her descendants from the rejected devil.”
3:37 Her Lord accepted her a gracious acceptance, and brought her up a gracious upbringing, under the guardianship of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah entered her sanctuary he found provisions with her. He would ask, “Mary, where did you get this from?” She would say, “It is from GOD. GOD provides for whomever He chooses, without limits.”
The priest class in Jewish History were the descendants of Levi, and Exodus 28 indicates that Aaron’s lineage would continue this role. Additionally, the Gospel of Luke records that Zachariah and Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary and, therefore their son John the Baptist, were all descendants of Aaron. From this, it could imply that Mary could also be a descendant of Aaron.
As the Quran confirms and supersede the Bible, we now know that Mary was a descendant of Aaron.
The Gospel of Jesus: Guidance and Light
5:46 Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous.
5:47 The people of the Gospel shall rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations therein. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations are the wicked.
5:48 Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations, and do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny—all of you—then He will inform you of everything you had disputed.