LARGEST ANCIENT UNDERGROUND CITY!

 This underground city was big enough to accommodate 20,000 people.

In ancient times, the people believed in creating some sort of protection for themselves fearing misfortune, this is the reason why underground houses were built with such fanaticism during the period. Several million years ago, volcanic eruptions disgorged layer after layer of ash which caused tuff to build up, over a course of time this tuff became a carvable, soft, yet stable rock. Derinkuyu is one of 200 subterranean cities that were carved into volcanic rock and is still largely unexplored but is the deepest city discovered in Cappadocia. It is a town and district of Nevsehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Like most of the discoveries, Derinkuyu was accidentally found when a Turkish man knocked down a wall in his basement in 1963 and came across an 18-story underground city stretching up to 250 feet - 76 meters.

 

Well, only 8 of the floors were accessible, researchers found bedrooms, kitchens, food storage rooms commonly known as pantries, freshwater, bathrooms, weapon storage areas, oil and wine presses, chapels, schools, tombs, stables, staircases, passageways leading to different underground cities and more than 50 ventilation shafts along with smaller air ducts to distribute air throughout the city. Geo scanning revealed this accommodation is the size of about 65 football pitches and have estimated the site to be nearly five million square feet - 460,000 square meters and contains corridors up to 371 feet long. The ruins were dated back to 5000 years. 

What could possibly be the reason for constructing such a well thought "underground" city? Over three millennia ago the Hittites were believed to live in the area, who ruled the Turkish Peninsula from about the 17th to 13th centuries B.C.E. The artefacts retrieved pointed to Hittite cultural elements hence, indicated the presence of them in the caves. This suggests the ancient people could have been taking refuge from invading Thracians. However, a different theory says it could have been the Phrigyans and not the Hittites seeking protection. They are generally considered to have created the first caves and they lived until the 6th-century B.C.E. The large underground complex is dated back to some time between the 10th and 7th-century B.C.E. The region was taken over by Cyrus the Great which could have to lead them to hideaway.

Who knows, the modern-day builders could get hit up with inspiration and we would be known as the people below?

HOW YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF & OTHERS DURING THE PANDEMIC.

 This post is a little off course my usual writing topic but, it is relevant. We are all well aware of the conditions of our society for the past 2 months, maybe not for other countries but at least it is the case for India. The number of positive Covid-19 cases has tremendously increased. 

An organization named Swecha had taken the initiative to start a helpline for everyone in need and to get the care they deserve. 

Now, you might want to know about Swecha. Swecha is a learning centre that offers MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for free software and free science. It aims to provide knowledge related to tools, technologies, concepts related to Engineering, and free software.

Let's move on to the initiative taken by Swecha. The Forum's of peoples health was the first people's helpline that had started at the time of Covid-19 first wave and served more than 40000 calls. Its initial motive was to cater to the needs of patients (they stated) who couldn't access the resources and consult hospitals because of the immediate lockdown. Now during the second wave, they have added the locations of Covid testing centres, vaccination centres, a directory of all the resources, and useful information. They also stated their "Ultimate dream" is to ensure that everyone is safe and healthy, get medical assistance when in need and know true medical facts instead of fake rumours spread around.

Click here to be redirected to the website.

Here is how the website looks like.

I was introduced to them through my college, the Forum's of peoples health started a hackathon in which individuals and organizations volunteer to find resources and helpful leads. These leads will be verified by another set of volunteers and then uploaded to the website for public use. The resources show the availability of Plasma donors and banks, Oxygen cylinders, Remdesivir drug, blood donors, and also hospital beds.

This hackathon is a way to add more information into a commonplace, putting all the resources in a commonplace will give more visibility and will be easier to reach out to maximum people. If you wish, you could also contribute to society in such difficult times through the Forum of peoples health. Information and directions are given on the website.

THE 5000 YEAR OLD MURDER!

 On 19 September 1991, a human body was found by a German tourist named Helmet Simon in a mummified and solid-state on the Similaun glacier in the Tirolean Otztal alps, on the Italian-Australian border. He is said to have been murdered in 3300 B.C.

The body found was of a man named Otzi also known as the Iceman. He is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, his body and belongings are displayed in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. By certain estimates, at the time of this death Otzi's height was 160 centimeters (5ft 3in), his weight was 50 kilograms (110lb) and he was about 45 years of age. Shortly after his death, the body was covered with ice which resulted in partial deterioration. When his body was found it weighed 13.750 kilograms.

Over the years many theories have come forward regarding Otzi's death. A new analysis states that Otzi lost his life to the weather conditions, but this does not explain the fact that he had an arrow in his shoulder. Other than the stone arrowhead remains in his left shoulder, he also had a series of head injuries and internal bleeding. Secondly, a theory revealed a deep wound on Otzi's right hand, speculating that he may have fled from his attacker and later bled to death. Another damaged bone was discovered on his right wrist which supported this theory.

Another controversial theory is that the Iceman could have been a victim of ritual murder or human sacrifice. He was found in a place where lots of sacrifices were previously made and the murder taking place in such a spot is incredibly coincidental. His belongings were thoroughly identified and studied on which further supported this far-fetched theory.

As Otzi's belongings were practically dug through, another theory states his own people might have been involved in his murder. Since Otzi was supposedly from the Southern Alps, the arrowhead found in his body had a specific 'tanged' shape, that is only found in the Southern Alps. Arrows used in the Northern Alps tend to have a relatively flat base. This confirms the guilty party lived South of the Alps and was probably one of Otzi's own people.

THE BURIED CITY.

 The buried city, Pompeii, is located in what is now the Campania of Italy, South East of Naples. It was at the South Eastern base of Mount Vesuvius, a major stratovolcano. Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times, its most famous eruption took place in 79 A.D leaving the inhabitants and the city of Pompeii non-existent for years. The people of Pompeii were frozen and buried in their final act under a thick carpet of volcanic ash. Vesuvius is also named "the mount of warning", an extremely active volcano, Vesuvius although in a dormant phase at present is particular for its unusual style of activity. 

 In the late Summer or Autumn of 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius spit out a deadly cloud of superheated Tephra(material produced by a volcanic eruption) and gases to a height of 33km, ejecting molten rock and hot ash at 1.5 million tons per second at 300 degrees Celcius for almost 2 days and nights.  The hot pumice, ash, and debris quickly hardened around the peoples' bodies, like mold, preserving their final act. 

                                      

The world did not know the existence of this city until 1748, during which a palace was being made for King Charles III. In the course of the excavation, his builders found strange objects such as bones and utensils which were signs that a city could be situated underneath. The 18th-century archaeologists found the city and claimed that during the eruption, the population was entombed by the volcanic ash and pumice, due to this the site is a well-preserved snapshot of life in a Roman city. When the archaeologists started excavating the site they found empty spaces and they filled them in with plaster which actually made them see the features of the ancient Pompeiians. A family eating their meal were petrified at the moment, a mother playing with her child was fossilized. The general expressions of the faces were of bewilderment. 

                                      

The seismic activity was so common in the area, citizens paid little attention when several quakes shook the Earth beneath Herculaneum and Pompeii. People were unprepared for the explosion that took place shortly after minor shakes. But, the cause of the horrifying deaths of the people of  Pompeii is not as simple as its stated.

The people of Pompeii were off in the wrong direction, so far off that it was beyond repair, neither religiously nor humanly. The historical records show that the city was exactly a center of dissipation and perversity. Archaeologists that first excavated this city in the victorian times were shocked by the open irrationality of the people. A secret museum was formed to house some of the artifacts found.

1400 years ago it was stated in the Qu'ran that Allah(SWT) can freeze disbelievers motionless in hell: 

Qu'ran - 36:67 

And if We had so intended, We would have defaced them in their places. Then they would have power neither to move forward nor go back.

Lava and hot ash from the volcano are the same things portrayed in hell in accordance to the Qu'ran. The interesting aspect of the event is that nobody escaped despite the terrible violence of the eruption of Vesuvius. It is almost like they did not even notice the catastrophe, as if they were charmed.

This aspect of the event shows that the disappearance of Pompeii was similar to the destructive events mentioned in the Qu'ran, because the Qu'ran particularly points to "sudden annihilation" while relating to these events. For example, "the inhabitants of the city" described in Surah Yasin died all at once in a single moment.

Qu'ran - 36:29

"(Their torment) was no more than a single mighty blast, and behold! They were extinguished (dead like charred coal)."

In the 31st verse of Surah Al-Qamar, again the "instantaneous annihilation" is emphasized when the destruction of thamud is recounted:

Qu'ran - 54:31

"Verily, We sent upon them a terrible roar. So, they became like a thatchher's trampled stubble."

AURANGZEB'S JUSTICE.

WHO WAS AURANGZEB?

Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir, popularly known as Aurangzeb, was the sixth Mughal Emperor, who ruled over almost the entire subcontinent of India for a period of 49 years. He was considered the last effective ruler of the Mughal Empire before British colonialism.

WHAT OPINIONS DO PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT HIM?

According to many, he destroyed India politically, socially, and culturally. Aurangzeb's list of alleged crimes is long and grave. He was charged with fighting protracted, pointless wars in central and southern India. He is envisioned as a cruel despot who brutally murdered enemies.

Whereas, in the Pakistani narrative, Aurangzeb is presented as a hero who fought and expanded the frontiers of the Islamic Empire. He is depicted as a pious Muslim who reintroduced Islamic laws by banning music. 

WHAT KIND OF JUSTICE DID AURANGZEB DO?

During the reign of Aurangzeb, in the village of Banaras lived a Pandith with his daughter, Shakuntala. One day a Muslim Commander spotted Shakuntala and loved her beauty due to which he demanded the Pandith to get his daughter dressed and sent to his palace in seven days. Upon this, the Pandith was very confused but couldn't refuse the commander. He later told his daughter about the incident, after giving it a thought Shakuntala asked her father to request the commander for a month to organize some money for the arrangements required. The commander agreed but asked the girl to be sent after a month without fail. Shakuntala wore a Muslim man's attire and left for Delhi, she arrived on Friday, and usually on Fridays people would write down their problems on a paper and hand it over to Aurangzeb as he left the mosque after prayers. Aurangzeb would take the notes and after a couple of days announce the judgment.

Shakuntala did the same while disguising herself as a man, but when taking the note from her Aurangzeb put a cloth around his hand, and on being questioned Aurangzeb replied saying that it is haram(forbidden) to touch other women in Islam and that he knew she was actually a woman. Shakuntala stayed with Aurangzeb for a few days and explained her worries, in return he asked her to go back as she had to be at the Muslim commanders' palace on time. After reaching home Shakuntala was disheartened but had a spark of hope that Aurangzeb would definitely help her.

The day finally arrived and as Shakuntala made her way through the crowd, the commander was throwing out money to beggars to celebrate his happiness during which a beggar who had his identity covered asked the commander to hand the money over into his hand, after doing so the man revealed his identity which left the commander astonished and it was non-other than Aurangzeb. He stated that the commander trying to use the daughter of a Pandith would bring disgrace upon the Muslims and so Aurangzeb ordered the commander's hands and legs to be tied to four elephants and make all of them go in different directions and tear the commander apart.

Aurangzeb later offered salaah(prayers) near the Pandits house and thanked Allah(SWT) for choosing him to save a non-Muslim girl. He then asked Shakuntala to get him a glass of water, after drinking, he said that from the day he learned of her problem he promised himself that until he would get her justice he wouldn't drink water. After he left for Delhi, the Pandit and other villagers decided to build a mosque on the spot where Aurangzeb offered Salaah, the justice Aurangzeb had done was written on a golden plate and to this day is present in the mosque. This is Aurangzeb's justice! 

THE SPLITTING OF THE MOON!

The hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder (apart). If they see a sign, they turn away and say: "This is continuous magic." And they have cried lies and closely followed their prejudices, and every matter will be settled. [Al Qamar 54 : 1-3]

This Quranic verse refers to the cosmic event that happened in the lifetime of the Prophet(PBUH). Five years before the immigration of The Prophet(PBUH) from Mecca to Madina, a group of people from the tribe of Quraysh came challenging him saying: "Oh Muhammad if you really are the Prophet and the Messenger bring to us a miracle to prove this fact."  So he asked them what he could do to prove to them. The group of people, to make it complicated asked him to split the moon. The messenger of Allah(PBUH) called upon the Almighty to help him achieve victory in this hardship and prove to the tribe of Quraysh and others that he is the Prophet. On the command of Allah(SWT), he signed towards the moon with his finger, and the moon separated into two, standing far from each other for some time then clung back together.

Seeing this the Pagans started exclaiming that The Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) had practiced witchcraft upon them, on this, some wise men suggested that magic would only affect the attendees and not on everybody in general. So, they decided to wait for the travelers to return from their journeys on the borders of Mecca to confirm if they had noticed anything extraordinary happening to the moon. Nevertheless, the travelers confirmed that on one night they had seen the moon split into two for a while and then reattach. Upon this statement, several people believed the news and the rest remained Pagans.

In the coming years, more people came into view proving they had witnessed the splitting of the moon and one of them was Cheraman Perumal Rama Varma Kulashekhara, the Indian King. He saw the miracle while he was relaxing on the rooftop of his palace in Kodungallur, Kerala on a moon lit night. The King had come to know about Islam through Arab merchants and become more curious to know about the Prophet(PBUH) and his religion after the moon-splitting miracle. Luckily a group of Arabs came to Kodungallur at that time to get permission from the King to visit Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Speaking to them he decided to meet Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and he later on converted to Islam, performed Hajj and endorsed a new name, Thajuddin.

Five monks living in Canterbury, England also testified having witnessed an unusual phenomenon in the sky. The monks reported an impact in which "the upper horn [of the moon] split into two" and a 

"flaming torch sprang up, spewing out, over a considerable distance, fire, hot coals and sparks. The moon throbbed like a wounded snake, subsequently it resumed to its proper state."

Baba Ratan of Bhatinda, Punjab also witnessed this exceptional occurence. It is said he visited Makkah twice and on both occasions met the Prophet(PBUH). Baba Ratan accepted Islam and then returned to India, where he lived to an astonishing age of seven hundred years.

Raja Bhoj, the King of Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India was the second Indian to accept Islam. When he saw from his palace that the moon split into two he raised an alarm, he feared the world was coming to an end. He asked his Pundits about this incident, they studied the Sanskrit Holy books of India, the Vedas, and Puranas, and told the King that Muhammad of the deserts of Arabia, who was the greatest messenger of God to come on this Earth. Raja Bhoj came to know that he appeared in Makkah, so he and his minister went to Makkah in Arabia, offered gifts to the Holy Prophet(PBUH), accepted Islam and named Abdullah. 

PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S LETTER TO HERACLIUS!

Who was Heraclius?

Heraclius was a military and political leader who ruled over the Byzantine Empire or the Eastern Roman Empire from 610 to 641 who reorganized and strengthened the imperial administration and the imperial armies but who, nevertheless, lost Syria, Egypt, Palestine, and Byzantine Mesopotamia to the Arab.

How did Heraclius receive the letter?

At a certain time in the messenger ship of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Madinah, he wrote letters to various rulers and dignitaries around the world. Heraclius was the Roman emperor and one of these letters reached him.

When he received the letter he called for his translator and gathered together some of the Arabs who were there at the time and one of them happened to be Abu Sufyan. 

Abu Sufyan was a cousin of the Prophet. He was the leader of Makkah and Pagans at the time, he was in Jerusalem when Heraclius received this letter.

How did Heraclius investigate this letter was from the Prophet?

Heraclius first asked the gathering, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Then Abu Sufyan replied saying that he is the nearest relative to him. On the command of Heraclius, Abu Sufyan was brought close to him and asked his companions to stand right behind him. Heraclius asked his translator to tell Abu Sufyan's companions that he wanted to put forward a couple of questions for Abu Sufyan regarding that man and if he lied they should contradict him.

Abu Sufyan said, "By Allah, had I not been afraid that my companions were going to label me a liar... I would have not spoken the truth about the Prophet."  

The first question Heraclius asked was, "What family status has he amongst you?" 

Abu Sufyan replied, "He belongs to a noble family amongst us."

Heraclius: Has anyone else amongst you ever claimed the same before him?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Was any amongst his ancestors a king?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Do the nobles or the poor follow him?

Abu Sufyan: It is the poor who follow him.

Heraclius: Are his followers increasing or decreasing?

Abu Sufyan: They are increasing.

Heraclius: Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterward?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Does he break his truce?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Have you ever had a war with him?

Abu Sufyan: Yes.

Heraclius: What was the outcome of the battles?

Abu Sufyan: Well, sometimes we were victorious and sometimes he was victorious.

Heraclius: What does he order you to do?

Abu Sufyan: He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with him, and to renounce all that our ancestors said. He orders us to pray, speak the truth, to be chaste, and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.

Heraclius then asked his translator to convey the following...

"I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact, all the Prophets come from noble families amongst their respective people. I questioned you whether anybody else among you claimed such a thing and your reply was in the negative if the answer was in the affirmative I would have suspected this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether any of his ancestors was a king and you said no. If you had said yes, I would have thought that this man was trying to take back his kingdom using the mantle of Prophethood. Then I asked you if he was ever accused of telling lies before this, before his claim to Prophethood and you said no and then I wondered how can a person who never lies to people, lie about Allah? And then I asked you whether the rich people or the poor people follow him and you said the poor people follow him and so it is with all the prophets they have always been followed by poor people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing, you said they were increasing and that is the way of true faith until it is complete in all respects, I further asked you if there was anybody after embracing his religion became displeased and discarded his religion and you said no, in fact, this is the sign of true faith, when its delight enters the heart and mixes with them completely. Next, I asked you whether he had ever betrayed, you said no and so the prophets never betray, I asked you what he ordered you to do and you told me he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything else along with him and forbade you from worshipping idols and told you to pray and speak the truth. If what you said is true he will soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it from the scriptures that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from Arabia and if I could reach him then I would definitely go to meet him and if I was with him I would wash his feet.

What did the letter say?

               

Heraclius asked for the letter of the Prophet, which was delivered by Dihya to the governor of  Busra, and then it was forwarded to Heraclius to read and this is what the letter said...

In the name of Allah, the beneficent and the most merciful... From Muhammad, the slave of God and his messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantines. Peace be upon him who follows the right path furthermore, invite you to Islam and if you become a Muslim you will be safe and Allah will double your rewards and if you reject this invitation, you will be committing a sin by misguiding your peasants, oh! people of the scripture come to a common between you and us that we worship none but Allah. Then if they turn away say: bear witness that we are Muslims this is, of course, the translation of a verse of the Qur'an. 

When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the royal court.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TOMBS AND THE STRANGE THINGS FOUND INSIDE THEM.

• Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a collection of mummified cats that are thought to be 4000 years old. Cats had a special significance in Egyptian culture, they believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. The Egyptian word for cats is Mau.                                                                                                                                                    

                                   

• Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the Pharaoh-est of them all? Some ancient Egyptians put makeup kits in their tombs; used by both men and women, rich and poor. The most famous cosmetic was the eyeliner which was a popular fashion at the time. The ancient Egyptians regarded beauty as a sign of holiness.

• In 1922 Tutankhamun's tomb was opened, also known as King Tut for short. It was the first tomb to be found almost intact, it contained 5398 artifacts including 2 thrones, 6 chariots, a solid gold burial mask, a makeup bag, a wig, a perfume box, and a coffin holding his mummy. King Tut must have been pretty hungry for a dead guy too, there were also 100 baskets filled with barley, figs, grapes, melons, and more tasty treats. He also loved a glass of wine, as evidenced by the many jars of it in his tomb. There was a rumor that when the tomb was opened it released an ancient curse. 

• Think King Tut was extravagant? Well, Pharaoh Khufu was buried with a boat. When his grave was uncovered near the Great Pyramid at Giza, archaeologists uncovered more than 1200 pieces of a giant boat nearby. Today, they have reassembled the pieces into a 144 feet long ship, which is now on display in Egypt. 

• We have all played the game of monopoly that felt like it lasted a lifetime... Well, in ancient Egypt they liked to play board games in the afterlife too. Many uncovered tombs showed how those who recently passed were stocked up with board games. One really popular game was called Senet, translated to "passing". 

• To live on in their afterlife, the deceased had to have their body parts buried with them, but their organs were removed during mummification, so priests stuck four organs,(liver, stomach, lungs, and intestines) in jars like these...

       There was no jar for the heart; the Egyptians believed it to be the seat of the soul, so it was left inside the body. Each organ was placed in a special jar with a top representing an animal or human head.

1) Imsety had a human head that protected the liver.

2) Qebehsenuf had the head of a Falcon that guarded the intestines.

3) Hapy had a Baboon head that secured the lungs.

4) Duamatef had the head of a Jackal and safeguarded the stomach.

• Every good Pharaoh needed servants in the afterlife, but instead of burying a real-life servant in the tomb with them, they would bury small model figurines called Ushabti. It was thought that Ushabti would come alive to serve their kings in the afterlife.

PROOFS THAT THE QUR'AN IS THE WORD OF GOD(ALLAH)

THE REMARKABLE STRUCTURE OF THE QUR'AN

  The arrangement of the Qur'an is one of the many reasons why Muslims believe that it could only have come from God. In fact, modern research has discovered an astonishing structure in the Qur'an known as ring composition. 

To demonstrate this the second chapter of the Qur'an Al-Baqarah(the cow) has been analyzed. This chapter consists of a total of 286 verses, the entire chapter can be divided into 9 groups based on the theme. The first group of verses talks about faith and unbelief, this mirrors the theme of the last group of verses. The second group covers God's creation and knowledge this again mirrors the theme of the second last group of verses. The third group discusses the law given to the Israelites which mirrors the giving of the law to the Muslims in the seventh group. 

The fourth group relates to the test of Abraham and mirrors to the tests of Muslims in the sixth group. The middle group, the fifth group is the central theme of the entire chapter, the change in direction of the Muslim prayer.

Qur'an: "We have made you (believers) middle nation, so that you may bear witness (to the truth) before others... we only made the direction the one you used to face in order to distinguish those who follow the messenger from those who turn on their heels... " [2:143]

This turning point was the change in direction of the daily prayers from Jerusalem to Mecca which represented a big test for the believers. We find the mention of this an important turning point in exactly the middle of the chapter, the 143rd verse. Moreover, this verse even contains the word middle,

Qur'an: "We have made you (believers) a middle nation" [2:143]

Together these groups form a giant ring composition, as you can see below the ring composition is structured as sort of a circle, with the central meaning placed at the center(group 5).  

You can think of it in terms of a mirror, so ring composition is equivalent to putting a mirror in the middle, what is mentioned in the first half would be reflected in the second half.

After examining these nine groups it is found that they each contain sub-ring compositions, so what we have is rings within rings. For example, in group eight, there is another ring composition with the central meaning placed at the center. Things can still be taken further, this sub-ring contains another ring within itself which is the 255th verse known as 'Ayat ul-Kursi', the verse of the throne. This can also be divided into 9 themes with the opposite verses reflecting one another and the middle verse which could be another illusion to the mirroring of ring composition. 

Now, we can see that this chapter of the Qur'an is marvelously designed to be precisely and tightly arranged according to the principles of ring composition. This precision in the arrangement is, in fact, astonishing when we consider the timing of the revelation of these verses. 

Comparing the Qur'an to other books is like comparing night and day. Most people would assume that the Qur'an is arranged chronologically, starting with the first revealed verse and ending with the final revealed verse. This is the order in which books are typically written, in a logical sequence starting at the beginning then the middle, and finally the end. But the way the Qur'an was composed is unlike any other book.

Al Baqarah, the chapter of the Qur'an that we have covered was not revealed starting with verse 1 followed by verse 2 then 3, and so on... rather its verses were revealed out of sequence over a span of many years and interspaced with the revelation of verses from other chapters. The Qur'an's unusual manner of revelation makes implementing link composition much more difficult than conventional books. 

Conventional books follow an editorial process by undergoing multiple stages of editing which allows the author to gradually refine the text over time. However, the Qur'an did not undergo an editorial process, the Prophet(PBUH) would place the verses in their positions as soon as they were revealed to him. With each new verse, he would not go off and review what had previously been revealed to see where he can position them in order to maintain a ring structure rather a spontaneous revelation was immediately followed by the placement of the verse in its fixed position. When we look at the history of the Qur'an"s compilation, there is not a single instance of a verse being moved around in order to make it fit in the ring composition.

Achieving ring composition in conventional books is rather easy as the author has complete control over the content allowing them to plan the structure ahead of time. As we have already seen the Qur'an, its content was circumstantial as they were tied to events that were out of the control of the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH), and therefore he could not plan a structure ahead of time. 

The Qur'an was first revealed out of oral recitation, not in written format. With written books, you can easily plan a structure because you can quickly and conveniently refer back to what you have written previously but with the recited text like the Qur'an the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) would rely on his memory in order to recall what was previously revealed, a much greater challenge.

Against all odds, we find that the structure of the Qur'an contains a remarkably sophisticated structure.

Qur'an: "Your companion is neither astray nor being misled not does he say (anything) of (his own) desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him. He was taught by one mighty in power." [53:2-5]

The Qur'an was sent down in such a manner that no entity could alter or modify the verses.

"We have sent down the Qur'an ourself, and we ourself will guard it" Qur'an: [15:9].

Allah blessed his final revelation the Qur'an, with something that was not bestowed on any of the prior scriptures. He promised to protect and preserve it from any corruption, unlike other scriptures the primary means of preserving the Qur'an has and always will be through memorization.

Qur'an: "And we have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance. So is there any who will remember?" [15:9]

Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) was tasked by Allah with memorizing, transmitting and explaining the verses of the Qur'an to the Muslims, as they were revealed to him. The Muslims who had learned the Qur'an directly from the Prophet(PBUH) passed on what they had memorized to neighbouring tribes and nations.

       

This legacy of mass memorization has continued throughout history, this oral tradition spanning nearly 1400 years has seen the Qur'an being passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken chain, going all the way back to Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) himself.

It is estimated millions of Muslims worldwide of various cultures, tribes, and ages have memorized the entire Qur'an from cover to cover in its original Arabic form.

The conclusion is that the Qur'an memorized today is the same as it was taught 1400 years ago. The rules and regulations of each individual letter are also safeguarded, this ensures that Muslims not only recite the same content as the Prophet(PBUH) but also in the same style. This recitation style is known as Tajweed. Today, we can find Muslims of different cultures and nationalities who are able to recite the Qur'an as they themselves are Arabs living in the time of Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) is proof of the effectiveness of this science preserving the oral integrity of the text.       

ANCIENT ARTIFACTS

                             

1) THE LONDON HAMMER - a tool older than history 

                                       

                            

In June 1936 (or 1934 according to other sources) Max Hahn and his wife Emma were on a walk along the course of the Red Creek near the town of London when they noticed a rock with wood projecting from its core. They decided to take the irregularity home and later cracked it open with a hammer and chisel. What they found within seemed to be an archaic hammer of some sort. They decided to turn in the entity to a group of archaeologists, who checked it and revealed the rock encasing the hammer was dated to the Ordovician - more than 400 million years ago. According to initial measurements, the hammer itself turned out to be more than 500 million years old. Apparently,  it is so old that a section of the handle is transforming into coal.

What was it used for?

The metal head is approximately 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and has a diameter of 1 in (25mm), leading some to suggest that this hammer was not used for large objects but rather for fine work and soft metals. The metal of the hammerhead has been confirmed to consist of 96.6% Iron, 2.6% Chlorine, 0.74% Sulphur. The hammerhead has not rusted since its discovery in the 1930s.

2) THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM - an ancient Greek computer

 

                             

The Antikythera mechanism has been labeled the first mechanical computer, which was found in a shipwreck off a Greek island of Antikythera, buried under 45 meters of water.

 It consists of a box with dials on the outside and a very complex assembly of gear wheels mounted within. It is as complex as an 18-century top-notch clock. The level of sophistication employed by the device has forced scientists to change their perceptions of ancient Greek engineering. Nothing similar to this construction exists or has been mentioned anywhere in the writings from the period of its creation. 

This sort of complexity and workmanship did not appear in Europe until the development of mechanical astronomical clocks in the fourteenth century... so how did the ancient greeks manage to build such a complicated device with basically no technology available? It has not been figured out - yet. 

What was it used for?

The Antikythera mechanism was the world's first analogical computer, used by ancient greeks to catalog the movement and positions of the sun, moon, planets, predict lunar and solar eclipses, and even signal the next Olympics. This astronomical calculator could also divide, multiply, add, and subtract.

3) THE SAQQARA BIRD - an Egyptian plane

           

                              

    

The Saqqara bird was discovered during the 1898 excavation of the Pa-di-Imen tomb in Saqqara, Egypt. It is a bird-shaped artifact (as you may have noticed) carved out from the wood of a Sycamore tree. It weighs just under 40 grams and a wingspan of more than 7 inches, it goes back to 200 BC - 2200 years ago. The Egyptians were well aware of the principles of aviation but it is not certain what this artifact translated to. The Saqqara Bird is just one of the tiny parts of the many theories concerning the possibilities of lost ancient technology.

What was it used for? 

The purpose of this artifact is not quite certain as many archaeologists and parapsychologists could not conclude if this was one of the first models of an aircraft or just a simple little wooden bird toy of an Egyptian child or something in between?