SAAD ALSHAREEF :
You are assuming that the absence of direct archaeological evidence means the event did not happen, but if you apply that standard consistently, it would undermine a large portion of the history you already accept. Figures like Socrates and Homer, and events like Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps, do not have definitive archaeological proof, yet they are taught as historical facts. So using absence of evidence as evidence of absence is a clear methodological error.
Then you base your argument on the assumption that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Ramesses II, which is not a settled fact among scholars, but a debated hypothesis. Building a definitive conclusion on an uncertain foundation is logically weak. As for the mummy, science cannot determine the exact cause of death with certainty after thousands of years, especially with mummification, so at best you have uncertainty, not proof that he did not drown.
Your claim that the Bible does not say Pharaoh drowned is also selective. Passages like Psalms suggest Pharaoh was cast into the sea, so even within your own texts the issue is not as clear-cut as you present it.
Now to your main argument, the so-called “Islamic dilemma.” You assume only two options: either the previous scriptures are completely true or completely corrupted. This is a false dichotomy. Islam does not claim either of these extremes; it states that there is truth in them alongside alteration. Your entire argument collapses because it is built on this incorrect assumption.
Regarding the verse “ask those who read the scripture before you,” it is not an instruction to take their books as a final authority. It is a rhetorical challenge, pointing out that even they have remnants of the same narratives. This does not mean their entire scripture is preserved or authoritative.
Finally, differences between the Qur’an and earlier texts do not automatically mean error. From the Islamic perspective, they represent correction. If the Qur’an matched them completely, you would say it copied them, and if it differs, you call it a contradiction. That is a double standard.
2026-05-02 23:27:54