The Qur'an Relates to the Children of Israel: A New Reading of Gog, Dhul-Qarnayn, the Elephant, and Abu Lahab, (Paperback)

<p><b>The Qur'an declares: "Indeed, this Qur'an relates to the Children of Israel most of that over which they disagree" (27:76).</b></p><p>This verse serves as the key to this groundbreaking study. The author examines four Qur'anic stories-Gog and Magog, Dhul-Qarnayn, the People of the Elephant, and Abu Lahab-through the lens of ancient Jewish and Christian sources, including the Tanakh, the Talmud, Midrashim, the writings of Josephus, and Roman historians like Tacitus and Suetonius.</p><p>What emerges is a series of provocative theses: </p><ul><li><p><b>Gog and Magog</b> are the peoples described in Ezekiel's prophecies, descending from Japheth and dwelling in the far north.</p></li><li><p><b>Dhul-Qarnayn</b> is Alexander Jannaeus, the Hasmonean king whose coins bore the Cornucopia-the "two horns"-and whose conflict with the Pharisees centered on Sabbath observance.</p></li><li><p><b>The People of the Elephant</b> are the army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, whose siege of Jerusalem ended with the angel of the Lord striking down 185,000 soldiers.</p></li><li><p><b>Abu Lahab</b> is the Roman Emperor Titus, the burner of the Second Temple, and his wife "the carrier of firewood" is Berenice, the Jewish queen after whom he named his mightiest siege engine, Nikon.</p></li></ul><p>Drawing on original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Syriac texts alongside the Qur'anic Arabic, this study opens new horizons for understanding the rich intertextual relationship between the Qur'an and the biblical traditions that preceded it.</p>

• The Qur'an Relates to the Children of Israel: A New Reading of Gog, Dhul-Qarnayn, the Elephant, and Abu Lahab, (Paperback)
• Author: Independently Published
• ISBN: 9798254013174
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-03-28
• Page Count: 136