Islam: In Light Of History Dr. Rafat Amari A Religion Research Institute Publication 1 Copyright by Religion Research Institute. P.O. Box 7505, Prospect Heights, IL 60070, USA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law. ISBN 0-9765024-0-2 Printed in the United States of America. First Edition, November 2004 This book can be purchased directly through www. religionresearchinstitute .org , or by contacting RRI through e-mailing to:
[email protected] 2 Contents Preface …………………………………………….. ……………… 7 Introduction…………………………………….. ………….... 10 Maps …………………………………………….. …………….... 18 PART I- The Unreliability of the Qur’an and the Writers of the Islamic Tradition Regarding History ..…….……….. …….22 1 - An Analysis of the Qur’an in the Light ofDocumented History ……………………………….. …………..…………………23 2 - Those Who Rewrote History for Muslims…….…… 62 PART II - True History of Mecca …….…………. ……………….95 1 - Did Hagar Flee to Mecca ?. ……………………………….. 97 2 - Studies by Classical Writers Show That Mecca Could not Have Been Built Before the 4th Century A.D.…. 104 3 - The History and Archaeology of Arabia Show that Mecca did not Exist Before the Advent of 3 Christianity……………………………………………… ………….148 4 - Absence of Mecca in Archaeological Records Found in the Other Ancient Cities and Kingdoms of Arabia.... 168 5 - The Absence of Mecca Through Studying the Records of the Nations who Occupied the Region…..173 6 - The Study of the Assyrian Inscriptions Also Excludes an Ancient Mecca. ………………………. …………………… 185 7 - Chaldean Records Also Exclude any Record of Mecca During the 7th and 6th Centuries B.C.