With Regards to Narratives of Ancient Battles
Contemporary history witnessed grand military campaigns and epic battles, especially those that engulfed most of the world in their raging flames in what is called, ‘The First and Second World Wars.’ During the twentieth century, tens of millions of soldiers fought extended battles in vicious wars that lasted for years and led to tens of millions of casualties and horrifying destruction of life and property. For instance, WWI witnessed colossal battles that raged in Europe and elsewhere and caused the death of millions of soldiers and civilians and led to terrible destruction. WWII witnessed major military campaigns such as the invasion of Russia by millions of German soldiers, the Russian invasion of Germany towards the end of the war, the invasion of Europe by hundreds of thousands of allied troops transported by thousands of ships and landing boats, the gradual invasion of China [which started in 1931] and Southeast Asia by Japanese imperial armies, the naval war in the Pacific, and so forth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battles_by_casualties
Civilian deaths in WWI and WWII are counted in the tens of millions. After WWII, there were extremely bloody conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam wars. Here is a list of the twentieth century’s largest war deaths among soldiers followed by civilian deaths:
Military Deaths (partial):
- Leningrad, World War II: 850,000
- Stalingrad, World War II: 770,000
- Moscow, World War II: 719,000
- 1st Smolensk, World War II: 535,000
- Somme, World War I: 306,000
- Verdun, World War I: 305,000
- Rzhev-Vyazma, World War II: 272,000
- North Caucasus, World War II: 262,000
- Berlin, World War II: 250,000
- Battle of France, World War II: 185,000
- Lower Dnieper, World War II: 173,000
- Donbass-Rostov, World War II: 157,000
- Okinawa, World War II: 148,000
- Normandy, World War II: 132,000
- Gallipoli, World War I: 130,000
- Budapest, World War II: 130,000
- Lemberg, World War I: 125,000
- Battle of the Frontiers, World War I: 115,000
- Chernikov-Poltava, World War II: 103,000
- Manchuria, World War II: 92,000
Civilian Deaths (Partial):
- Auschwitz, Poland (German death camp: 1942-45): 1,200,000
- Treblinka, Poland (German death camp: 1942-43): 800,000
- Leningrad, USSR (urban siege: 1941-44): 641,000
- Belzec, Poland (German death camp: 1942-43): 600,000
- Kolyma, USSR (Soviet Gulag: 1930-50s): 500,000
- Majdanek, Poland (German death camp: 1942-43): 360,000
- Chelmno, Poland (German death camp: 1941-43): 320,000
- Nanjing, China (massacre of civilians and POWs by Japanese: 1937-38): 260,000
- Sobibor, Poland (German death camp: 1942-43): 250,000
- Bykivnia, near Kiev, USSR (Stalinist burial site, 1930s): 200,000
- Kuropaty, near Minsk, USSR (Stalinist massacre site: 1938-39): 150,000
- Stalingrad, USSR (urban battle: 1942-43): 140,000 civilians
- Berlin, Germany (urban battle: 1945): 100,000
- Manila, Philippines (massacre of civilians by Japanese: 1944-45): 100,000
- Hiroshima, Japan (nuclear strike by US: 6 Aug. 1945): 92,000
- Tokyo, Japan (air raid by US: 9 March 1945): 84,000
- Jasenovac, Yugoslavia (Croatian concentration camp: 1941-45): 78,000
- Stutthof, Danzig (German concentration camp: 1939-45): 60,000
- Nagasaki, Japan (nuclear strike by US: 9 Aug. 1945): 45,000
- Hamburg, Germany (air raid by UK: 28-29 July 1943): 42,000
“The, ‘Holocaust,’ where 6 million Jews have reportedly died, was committed by the Western Christian nations of Germany, Romania, Italy, etc., with cooperation and collaboration –or at least silence- of the Vatican, as they admitted –and apologized for. Often, Muslims and others discount this number for Jewish casualties –6,000,000, as compared to 5,999,999, for instance- saying that this number is fabricated and cannot be substantiated. However, let the number stand at six million, or close to six million, to provide testimony to the bloody legacy of European Christians and their violent history. Yes, the Jews use the memory of the Holocaust to play on the West’s sympathy so they continue supporting the Zionists in their illegal and violent occupation of Palestine. However, Muslims and other nations should demand that Christian Europe pay for its crimes against the Jews by giving the Jews a part of every European country that exterminated or helped exterminate Jews or did not intervene when this crime was being committed. The sad reality is that the West paid for its crimes by ‘granting’ the Jews Palestine, which neither they nor the Jews ever owned. The Jews are now inventing a Holocaust of their own against Palestinian Muslims and Christians. They once again misused the hospitality offered them by Arabs, who tolerated their presence in Palestine during the early part of the last century, at a time when the Jews were being slaughtered in twentieth-century Europe.” (Jalal Abualrub. Holy Wars; Crusades; Jihad, Pg., 249-50,2nd footnote)
Modern Era Conflicts
Modern-era conflicts lasted for years and witnessed revolutionary advances in strategic planning that allowed standing armies consisting of millions of soldiers to conduct complex, sustained, mechanized warfare using artillery, tanks, fighter airplanes, and other sophisticated weapon systems transported by air, sea, and land on ships, trains, armored vehicles, and carrier airplanes, all of which designed to transport large numbers of troops, weaponry, and equipment to far parts of the earth and to provide troops and machines with reinforcement, munitions, spare parts, medical support, fuel, food, water, intelligence, communication systems, and so forth. Modern warfare has become a sophisticated science greatly enhanced by the advent of technology and mechanization, thus, allowing modern-day nations to mobilize and maintain large armies that portray the power and prestige of big nations wherever there are material interests to secure and protect, as they so often claim.
Population of a Nation in Relation to the Size of its Armed Forces
Maintaining a large military force usually requires a large population, as the following lists indicate.
Country Army Population
China 1,700,000 1,300,000,000
India 1,200,000 1,200,000,000
N. Korea 900,000 23,000,000
S. Korea 560,000 50,000,000
Pakistan 520,000 155,000,000
USA 475,000 320,000,000
Prewar Iraq 360,000 27,000,000
Myanmar 325,000 43,000,000
Russia 320,000 144,000,000
Iran 320,000 70,000,000
There are rare exceptions, though, such as Israel, which posts armed forces consisting of more than 600,000 soldiers –including reservists- out of a total Jewish population of 6,600,000.
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It should be noted, however, that Israel would never have achieved this without the fanatical military, economic, and material support the West has extended to this small, illegitimate country, to ensure the superiority of Israeli armed forces above the armed forces of all Arab countries combined.
Epic Battles
Not until the advent of modern technology, strategic planning, and means of electronic communication and mass transportation were nations able to raise and maintain large standing armies with which to conduct total warfare. As examples, we listed here some of the biggest twentieth-century battles –the biggest battles ever waged in the history of humankind- and the largest armies in the world in relation to the population of their respective countries.
Earlier armed conflicts, especially those that occurred in ancient times, pale in comparison to modern armed conflicts as the following examples clearly demonstrate.
- The 1870-1 war between Prussia and France was fought by a total standing army of more than a half a million soldiers on each side to the conflict, out of a total population of 32 million and 38 million, respectively, suffering total losses of 100,000 and 140,000, respectively. This war may be considered somewhat modern, especially in relation to the wars that occurred before.
- The American civil war (1861-5) was fought by
a total Union servicemen of 2,213,363 anda total Confederate servicemen of 1,050,000, causing nearly 620,000 military deaths; the total US population in 1860 was 31,000,000. - Napoleon was able to mobilize a half a million soldiers for his invasion of Russia in 1812. It was among the largest armies Europe has ever seen until then. Both sides suffered a total of 108,000 casualties in the battle at Borodino Field, alone. France was defeated in this war mainly because of depleted supplies, the bitter Russian winter, and vicious Russian resistance.
- The 1260 CE battle of Ain Jalut witnessed the first decisive defeat of the Mongols by the hand of Muslim Mamlukes (Al-Mamaleek), led by their courageous leader, Saif Ad-Deen Qutuz. This battle engaged around twenty thousand soldiers on each side.
- In 636 AD, and faced by the imminent threat of losing its precious Syrian and Egyptian provinces, the tyrannical Christian Byzantine Empire, the superpower of the world during that time, raised an army of 40,000 that faced off with 20,000 Muslim soldiers led by Khalid Ibn Al-Walid. Khalid, who had earlier defeated the Persian Empire, the other superpower of the world, decisively defeated the Byzantine army in the Battle of Yarmuk, one of the greatest battles of all time. Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and his soldiers, Prophet Muhammad’s Companions, rightfully earned the
honor of defeating both the Persian and the Byzantine Empires at the same time. - In 630 AD, Prophet Muhammad, peace
be on him, received news that the Byzantines were gathering great armies to attack the Islamic State. The Prophet of Islam led the biggest army Arabia has ever seen until then, more than 10,000 strong, and marched with them toward Tabuk. When the Prophet, peace be on him, arrived at Tabuk, the Byzantine army did not show up for battle. - At the height of its world power, the Roman Empire may have had a standing army of about 200,000 soldiers.
- The 627 CE battle of Nineveh between the mighty armies of the Byzantine and Persian Empires may have engaged a total of 100,000 soldiers.
- In 218 BC, Hannibal invaded most of southern Europe and almost destroyed the Roman Empire relying on an army of 50,000 soldiers. Around 80,000 Roman legionaries in addition to 6,000
cavalry fought Hannibal’s forces at Cannae in 216 BC, and reportedly, that was the largest army Rome has ever fielded [until then]. - In 334 BC, Alexander, the so-called ‘great,’ led a large military force of 40,000-65,000 soldiers toward Asia Minor. The Persians, a superpower at the time, may have been able to raise an army of 100,000 soldiers to defend their country against Alexander’s invading troops.
- Even though Herodotus claimed that Xerxes’ Persian army numbered 1.7 million upon its invasion of Greece in 480 BC, historians estimate the total number of both the combatants and non-combatants in the Persian army at 220,000 soldiers, 20,000 men guarding the lines of communication; and 40,000 men serving on 1200 ships. During that era, Persia was a superpower.
- In 1285 BC, in the major battle of Kadesh (Qhadish), Ramesses II was able to raise a huge army of around 20,000 combatants –excluding the chariot force- that fought the Hittites whose forces were recorded by Ramesses as counting 37,000 infantrymen and 3,500 chariots –most with three-man crews. This was said to have mustered the Hittites’ largest show of military power of their empire.
Population of Ancient Nations
In ancient times, Egypt was the most populous, prosperous state in the Middle East due to the tremendous bounties granted them through the River Nile. At the beginning of the Pharaonic period, the population of Egypt is estimated at one million, which increased to five
Epic Battles of Current Times as Compared to Ancient Times
The numbers
History’s Greatest Battles
The biggest battles humankind has ever seen, conducted by the largest armies ever, are not listed among the examples given here. Yes, modern-era warfare involved millions of soldiers and thousands of fighter aircraft, ships, artillery pieces, and battle tanks. However, modern advances in communication, transportation, intelligence gathering, industry, science, and technology made all this possible.
All this should be forgotten, so as to contemplate history’s biggest battles that occurred in ancient times when man used feet, horses, oxen, donkeys, and camels for transportation, when populations were scarce, sustained economic activity virtually non-existent in many areas of the world, shipbuilding unable to produce large numbers of –otherwise wind propelled- ships, when even modest size armed contingents easily overwhelmed local food and water supplies.
Thousands of years before the advent of fighter airplanes, nuclear submarines, battleships, tanks, transporter ships and airplanes, aircraft carriers, satellites, phones and cellphones, faxes, radio and television, super computers and electronic media, there was a nation greater than all, a nation of mighty warriors able to mobilize millions of soldiers who fought against millions of opponents and killed millions of them. It is the very nation that humankind was –allegedly- created to serve and be subservient to,“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”(Genesis12:3).
The Mother of All Superpowers
Muslims believe in all of the miracles which Allah has honored His Messengers and Prophets with, whether Allah mentioned these miracles in the Quran or in His Prophet’s Sunnah, or kept their news in the knowledge of the Unseen He Alone has.
Miracles are of two types; a type that humankind cannot witness, such as the Quranic account of these miracles, {And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify Our Praises along with Dâwûd (David, blessings be on him). And it was We Who were the doer (of all these things). … And to Sulaimân (Solomon, blessings be on him)(We subjected) the wind strongly raging, running by his command towards the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are the All‑Knower. And of the Shayâtîn (devils from the jinn) were some who dived for him, and did other work besides that; and it was We Who guarded them}; {And Sulaimân (Solomon) inherited (the knowledge of) Dâwûd (David). He said: “O, Humankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and on us have been bestowed all things. This, verily, is an evident grace (from Allâh).”} (21:79-82, and, 27:16, respectively)
Humankind, or at least the believers among them, can only affirm this type of miracle which is a matter of the Unseen, as a part of their belief in the truth of the prophets. Other miracles were witnessed by humankind.
If a prophet performs a miracle that humankind can witness, there will be a record of it at least by the generation that witnessed it, such as these accounts, {They said [to Mûsâ (Moses, blessings be on him)]: “Whatever Ayât (miracles, proofs) you may bring to us, to work therewith your sorcery on us, we shall never believe in you.” So We sent on them: the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood (as a succession of) manifest signs, yet they remained arrogant, and they were of those people who were Mujrimûn (criminals, polytheists, sinners). And when the punishment fell on them, they said: “O Mûsâ (Moses)! Invoke your Lord for us because of His Promise to you. If you remove the punishment from us, we indeed shall believe in you, and we shall let the Children of Israel go with you.” But when We removed the punishment from them to a fixed term, which they had to reach, behold! They broke their word! So, We took retribution from them. We drowned them in the sea, because they belied Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, revelations) and were heedless about them.} (7:132-6) In contrast, the miracles that will soon be mentioned are not among the two types of miracle as explained here. They, indeed, are of a different type, narrated in a book of unknown origin that was written by dozens of unknown authors, a book that should be titled…
“The Bible,” by Authors Anonymous
The Bible mentions the following stories as historical facts, but can the Bible be trusted with narratives of ancient battles?
World’s Greatest Battle Or, World’s Greatest Exaggerations?
The Children of Israel of ancient times must have been history’s greatest superpower. At a time when the entire population of biblical Israel couldn’t have possibly been greater than the population of Israel in 2018, the Israelites were able to raise huge armies, consisting of millions of soldiers in addition to countless camels, oxen, horses, sheep, chickens, and water containers they took along with them. Apparently, this has continued for centuries, so we are told.
Why the Bible Cannot Be Trusted
Here are clear
1- “So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel. Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.” (Numbers 1:45-6).
Total: 603,550 Israeli soldiers.
2- “Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew the sword.” (Judges 8:10).
Total: 120,000 dead soldiers.
3- “And the spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.” (1 Samuel 11:6-8).
Total: 330,000 Israeli soldiers.
4- “And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.” (1Samuel 15:4).
Total: 210,000 Israeli soldiers.
5- “And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king (King David): and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.” (2 Samuel 24:9).
Total: 1,300,000 Israeli soldiers.
However, in another report in 1 Chronicles 21:5, Joab gave another, conflicting total for the mighty Israeli army: “And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew the sword.”
Total: 1,570,000 Israeli soldiers.
6- “And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.” (1 Kings 12:21).”
Total: 180,000 Judah and Benjamin soldiers
7- “And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.” (1 Kings 20:29).
Total one-day Syrian deaths: 100,000 footmen.
8- “And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD. With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.”(2 Chronicles 12:1-3).
Total Egyptian horsemen: 60,000.
Total soldiers from Egypt and other nations: countless.
9- “So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves… And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour. And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah … So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.” (2 Chronicles 14:1-13).
Total Israeli army: 580,000 soldiers.
Ethiopian army: 1,000,000 soldiers; all perished.
10- “And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store. And he had much business in the cities of Judah: and the men of war, mighty men of valour, were in Jerusalem. And these are the numbers of them according to the house of their fathers: Of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand. And next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand. And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour. And of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand. And next him was Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for the war.”(2 Chronicles 17:12-8).
.Total: 1,160,000 Israeli soldiers.
11- “Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.”(2 Chronicles 25:5).
Total: 300,000 Israeli soldiers.
12- “The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.” (2 Chronicles 26:12-3).
Total: around 310,100 Israeli soldiers.
13- “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father… Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.” (2 Chronicles 28:1-8).
Total one-day Jewish deaths: 120,000 soldiers. Total captives: 200,000 women, sons and daughters by the hands of ‘their brethren.’
Huge Armies, Mighty Men of Valor
The ancient nation of Israel must have been the greatest of all nations. Not only were they able to raise armies that numbered in millions, but also the Israeli men were supermen capable of performing these incredible heroics.
1- “These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.” (2 Samuel 23:8).
Adino the Eznite: Killed 800 with one strike of his spear
2- “And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them.”(2 Samuel 23:18).
Abishai: Killed 300 with one strike of his spear.
3- “And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.”(1 Chronicles 11:11)
Jashobeam: Killed 300 with one strike of his spear
The Population of Israel in Ancient Times
Where is the Original Manuscript?Exodus 12:37 states that, “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.”
No doubt, the numbers contained in the Old testament counting the Children of Israel, especially the combatants, are gross exaggeration, unless one believes that around 3,000,000 Israelites –let alone the multitudes that went out with them- left Egypt with Prophet Moses, i.e., probably larger than the entire population of Egypt during that era, including the Hebrews. In addition, if the Children of Israel had six hundred thousand soldiers, why did they not overwhelm Egypt, overthrow the Pharaoh, and rule in his stead, unless, of course, the Bible-Thumpers may claim that the Pharaoh had 6,000,000 soldiers and therefore, the Israelites could not defeat him?
In ancient times, and this is still true in the current era, Israel was tiny in both land and population counting no more than 250,000 during the 14th century BC. It is simply not possible that they had 600,000 men at the time of the Exodus. To justify, or to rectify, the clear exaggerations in the number of Israelites as reported in the Old Testament, bible scholars either affirm the numbers without any convincing evidence, or dispute the numbers relying on archeological findings and –sometimes- common sense. They also blame this on the error of scribes. Whether the numbers the Old Testament reports are erroneous, and there is no doubt that they are, or are a misquotation, mistranslation, misunderstanding, then this is further proof that the Bible is not ‘The Literal Word of God,’ but, ‘The Altered Word of God.’
Where is the Original Manuscript?
The futility of defending these and other biblical absurdities comes from the utter inability of the People of the Scriptures to produce the original manuscripts of the books contained the Bible in the original language they were written in. Even if Jews and Christians ever gain access to the original manuscripts, then remains the daunting task of affirming the trustworthiness of the authors and their good relation with God –or lack of it: there are no chains of narration leading to or from the original authors and no reliable statements from any prophet that praise these people as being trustworthy and authorized by the Creator to write these books. They only rely on guesswork, conjecture, doubts, suspicion, and stubborn rejection of the Quran, which came to guide humankind to all truths.
The Bible: The Literal Word of God, or, The Altered Word of God?
If the Bible were inspired by God, as we are told, then how did this error occur and who is responsible for it, God or man? Hopefully, no Christian or Jew would argue that biblical reports counting outrageous numbers for Israeli soldiers in ancient times are true. Also, it is hoped that they will not reinterpret the texts to rectify the errors, since they have no access whatsoever to the original manuscripts of the numerous books contained in the Bible.
Then again, many among the People of the Scripture rewrote their holy books to their liking and changed them repeatedly and so often that they would reinterpret the Bible anew to reflect modern standards and do away with famous absurdities.
The outrageous biblical numbers narrated here go far beyond the absurd. They are the writings of men who were captives in Babylon. Whoever wrote these false reports and then claimed they came from God wrote them under duress and great emotional distress at a time of suffering horrendous oppression and persecution by the tyrants of their time. However, this is never an excuse to invent lies and attribute them to the Creator. What is more bizarre is the fact that so many generations among Jews and Christians not only did not question these outrageous narratives, but also believed in them even though the true identity of those who wrote them is as much a mystery as trinity itself. Currently, the fanatical flock that is called, Evangelicals, wholeheartedly defend these and similar biblical absurdities insisting that the Bible is the ‘Literal Word of God’ and that it is free from error. They invent more absurd reasons to justify these errors.
CONCLUSION:
The Children of Israel had a strong state that enjoyed the bounties Allah granted them when they believed in Allah, the Exalted, and obeyed their Messengers, peace be on all of them. When they started disobeying Allah and adopted the polytheistic traditions of the nations that were controlled by them or existed around them, they fell to hard times and suffered greatly by the hands of their enemies.
Then came Nebuchadnezzar, and the seventy-year captivity in Babylon started (Jeremiah 29:10-4). However, even the number of years in captivity as the Bible reports it is hotly debated since it contradicts facts of history. The tyrant had every copy of the Torah burned. Under captivity, the Children of Israel rewrote the Old Testament with their own hands and claimed it came from Allah. Defeated, humiliated, and enslaved, they exaggerated in the way they described their past. Defeated, humiliated, and enslaved, they attributed all types of shortcomings to Allah, the Exalted. Defeated, humiliated, and enslaved, they attributed all types of sin to their prophets, peace be on them. This was the mental and emotional condition of those who rewrote the Old Testament. As for the generations that came after and inherited this incredible legacy of exaggerations and lies, they truly need to contemplate with care the shortcomings of the Two Testaments, the numerous contradictions, the complete inability to have full or even any access to the original biblical manuscripts in the original language they were written in, the confusion as to who wrote most of the books contained in the Bible, and many more legitimate questions. This reminder is for every Jew and Christian to sincerely ponder about.
Jalal Abualrub (www.islamlife.com)
November 2, 2015