Quranic Perception
of History
The Quran contains symbolic events about the past and predictions about the future covering the entire history of mankind until the Day of Judgement.
A part of a long tradition about the Quran is: “The Quran is the book of God, containing the news of those before you and the news of those after you” (Tirmidhi, Hadith 2906). Abdullah ibn Masud, a senior companion of the Prophet of Islam, has explained this tradition to mean that the Quran contains the knowledge of earlier people as well as the knowledge of the people who will come later in the future. (Al Baihaqi, Shub al Iman, Hadith 1808)
This does not mean that the Quran contains a detailed history of the human race. It simply means that the Quran presents events representing human history. That is to say, we find in the Quran such historical references by perusing which one can arrive at a complete picture of the entire human history.
Historians define history as a study of past events or a chronological account of past events. However, the Quranic concept of history is different from this. From this point of view historical events should be presented in such a way as may describe the creation plan of the creator. According to the former concept, history is a record of all the events of the past. Whereas the latter concept of history describes only the selective and representative components of history.
This latter method is in conformity with the Quranic concept of history. However, we should remember that the representative events of history are not presented in traditional historical style, but these are mentioned in the Quran only as brief references to important events. The reader is expected to do the detailing of the brief allusions to different events described in the Quran by collecting the necessary historical elements that exist outside of the Quran. This will add to his understanding of those verses.
We find one such example in the case of Adam. His descendants settled in Mesopotamia. They followed the teachings of Prophet Adam. But later when perversion set in among them, God sent to them Prophet Noah after about five thousand years in order to guide them to the right path. He invited people to the worship of one God alone, but very few accepted his message. The majority refused to believe in him. In the end, the whole community, barring a few reformed individuals, was destroyed in a terrible flood. God saved the believers in the Ark. The Quran has this to say about the ark, “We saved him and those who were with him in the Ark and made the event a sign for mankind.” (29:15)
Chapter 54 of the Quran reads, “We (God) have left this as a sign.” (54:15)
The story of Prophet Noah relates to an entire era of history spanning about a thousand years after Prophet Adam. Noah’s Ark represents this era. As we learn from the Quran, the Ark has been saved by God to serve as a lesson. At the time of the revelation of the Quran in the seventh century AD, no one had any knowledge about this Ark. In recent times, global warming caused a mass melting of frozen ice in the mountains. Subsequently, an aerial survey revealed that the boat was buried under a thick layer of ice on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.
Similarly, Noah’s Ark was briefly mentioned in the Quran, but in the light of latest information, now it has become possible to compile this part of human history in detail. Thus, we can arrive at a deeper historical understanding of the Quran.
Another historical reference of this nature in the Quran relates to Prophet Moses. About 3000 years ago, Pharoah, a contemporary of Moses, drowned in the Red Sea. At the time of drowning God said, “We shall save your body this day, so that you may serve as a sign for those who come after you.” (10:92)
This incident of Pharoah also represents an entire era of history. However, in the 7th century AD, at the time of the revelation of the Quran, no one knew whether or not the Pharoah’s body was preserved. In the late 19th century, some European orientalists discovered that the body of Pharoah was safe and preserved in the pyramid of Egypt. The body has now been moved from the pyramid to a museum in Cairo. (For the details refer to the book The Bible, the Quran and Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille.)
We find references to such symbolic events in the Quran that can be compiled from beginning to end by adding more information from known history. The Quran contains symbolic events about the past and predictions about the future covering the entire history of mankind until the Day of Judgement. In the light of these brief historical references, we can create a complete picture of human history with the help of available information which will be in accord with the Quranic concept of human history.
Historians have varied perceptions about history, such as compiling history in terms of a dynasty or in terms of the rise and fall of nations and civilizations etc. But the divine concept of history, being different, can be understood by a study of the Quran.
According to the divine concept of history, God created man, gave him the opportunity to increase his number through reproduction and inhabit different parts of the planet earth. He granted man absolute freedom as well as the opportunity to use it in the right or wrong way; to reform the earth or to cause mischief on it; to follow the ways of justice or injustice; he even enjoys the freedom to obey or disobey God. This state of total freedom, as per the divine dispensation, will continue till the Day of Judgement.
God wants this whole historical process to select righteous people. These are the people who make proper use of their freedom in spite of going through all the turmoil in their lives. They make the best use of their mental powers to seek guidance from the Prophet, discover God’s greatness and lead their lives in accordance with the will of God. Under His special arrangement, God has been selecting such righteous people throughout human history.
Throughout the entire historical process, right from Prophet Adam to the Day of Judgement, God has never removed human freedom. He has been managing human freedom in such a way that righteous individuals may continue to be born in every age.
Historians view history as a whole, but the right way, according to the divine concept, is to look at history in terms of the individuals. Historians form their judgement about history in terms of the groups of human beings, whereas the right method, according to the divine concept, is to form their judgement in terms of the individuals.
