
"HAMAN" AND ANCIENT EGYPT MONUMENTS

The name "Haman" was not known until the
decoding of Egyptian hieroglyphics in the 19th century.
When the hieroglyphics were decoded, it was understood that
Haman was a close helper of the Pharaoh and was "the
head of the stone quarries." (Above are shown ancient
Egyptian construction workers). The most important point
here is that Haman is mentioned in the Qur'an as the person
who directed construction work under the command of the
Pharaoh. This means that information that could not have
been known by anybody else at that time was given in the
Qur'an, a point most worthy of note.
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The Qur'an relates the life of the Prophet Musa (as) with great
clarity. As it tells of the conflict with the Pharaoh and his dealings
with the Children of Israel, the Qur'an reveals a wealth of information
about ancient Egypt. The significance of many of these historical
points have only recently come to the attention of the learned people
of the world. If one considers these points with reason, it quickly
becomes clear that the Qur'an, and the fountain of information contained
within it, has been revealed by the All-Wise Allah for it correlates
directly with all major scientific, historic and archaeological
finds in recent times.
One such example of this wisdom can be found in the Qur'anic references
to Haman: a character whose name is mentioned in the Qur'an, along
with the Pharaoh. He is mentioned in six different places in the
Qur'an, in which it informs us that he was one of Pharaoh's closest
allies.
Surprisingly, the name "Haman" is never mentioned in those sections
of the Torah pertaining to the life of the Prophet Musa (as). However,
the mention of Haman can be found in the last chapters of the Old
Testament as the helper of a Babylonian king who inflicted many
cruelties on the Israelites approximately 1,100 years after the
Prophet Musa (as).The Qur'an, far more in tune with recent archaeological
discoveries, does indeed contain the word "Haman" in reference to
the life of the Prophet Musa (as).
The criticisms thrown at the book of Islam by some non-Muslims
have disappeared by the wayside as an Egyptian hieroglyphic script
had been deciphered, approximately 200 years ago, and the name "Haman"
discovered in the ancient scripts. Until the 18th century,
the writings and inscriptions of ancient Egypt could not be understood.
The language of ancient Egypt was made up of symbols rather than
words: hieroglyphics. These pictures, which tell stories and keep
records of important events in the same way that modern words do,
was usually engraved on rock or stone and many examples survived
through the ages. With the spread of Christianity and other cultural
influences in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Egypt forsook its ancient
beliefs along with the hieroglyphic writing which was synonymous
with that now defunct belief system. The last known example of the
use of hieroglyphic writing was an inscription dated 394. The language
of pictures and symbols was forgotten, leaving nobody who could
read and understand it. Naturally, this made historical and archaeological
study virtually impossible. This situation remained-until just over
two centuries ago.
In 1799, much to the delight of historians and other learned people,
the mystery of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics was solved by the
discovery of a tablet called the "Rosetta Stone." This amazing find
dated back to 196 B.C. The importance of this inscription was that
it was written in three different forms of writing: hieroglyphics,
demotic (a simplified form of ancient Egyptian hieratic writing)
and Greek. With the help of the Greek script, the ancient Egyptian
writings were decoded. The translation of the inscription was completed
by a Frenchman named Jean-Fran�oise Champollion. Hence, a forgotten
language and the events related in it were brought to light. In
this way, a great deal of knowledge about the civilization, religion
and social life of ancient Egypt became available to mankind and
this opened the way to greater knowledge about this important era
in human history.
Through the decoding of hieroglyph, an important
piece of knowledge was revealed: The name "Haman" was indeed mentioned
in Egyptian inscriptions. This name was referred to in a monument
in the Hof Museum in Vienna. This same inscription also indicated
the close relationship between Haman and the Pharaoh.200
In the dictionary of People in the New Kingdom,
that was prepared based on the entire collection of inscriptions,
Haman is said to be "the head of stone quarry workers."201
The result revealed a very important truth: Unlike the false assertion
of the opponents of the Qur'an, Haman was a person who lived in
Egypt at the time of the Prophet Musa (as). He had been close to
the Pharaoh and had been involved in construction work, just as
imparted in the Qur'an.
Pharaoh said, "Council, I do not know of any
other god for you apart from Me. Haman, kindle a fire for me over
the clay and build me a lofty tower so that perhaps I may be able
to climb up to Musa's god! I consider him a blatant liar." (Qur'an,
28:38)
The verse in the Qur'an describing the event where the Pharaoh
asked Haman to build a tower is in perfect agreement with this archaeological
finding. Through this brilliant discovery, the irrational claims
of the opponents of the Qur'an were demonstrated to be false and
intellectually worthless.
In a miraculous way, the Qur'an conveys to us historical information
that could not have been possessed or understood at the time of
the Prophet (saas). Hieroglyphics could not be deciphered until
the late 1700s so the information could not have been ascertained
from Egyptian sources. When the name "Haman" was discovered in the
ancient scripts, it was further proof of the infallibility of Allah's
Word.

200. Walter Wreszinski, Aegyptische
Inschriften aus dem K.K. Hof Museum in Wien (Egyptian Inscriptions
from the K.K. Hof Museum in Vienna) (Leipzig: J C Hinrichs’sche
Buchhandlung: 1906).
201. Hermann Ranke, Die Ägyptischen Personennamen, Verzeichnis
der Namen (The Egyptian Family Names, Listing of the Names), Verlag
Von J J Augustin in Glückstadt, Band I,1935, Band II, 1952.
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