The Preservation of Culture

One such verse in the Quran says: “Bring me a scripture revealed before this, or any other remnant of knowledge you may have, if you are telling the truth!” (46:4) In my opinion, what is meant by ‘remnant of knowledge’ is what, in today’s jargon, we would call an archaeological or historical record. Such records serve as vital sources from which to learn about past events, therefore, it becomes essential to preserve them, both from the academic and the Islamic point of view. One significant example of the importance of preserving a cultural or historical record is found in the Quran in relation to Pharaoh, the Egyptian King and Moses’ contemporary, who died by drowning. The Quran makes this statement about him: “This day shall we save you in your body, so that you may be a sign to those who come after you!” (10:92) The body of this Pharaoh was embalmed according to Egyptian custom and entombed in a pyramid. This embalmed body, a part of the Egyptian culture, remained preserved for posterity by the will of God Himself. At the end of the 19th century, the mummy was removed from its tomb and, by applying the modern method of carbon dating, was proved to be the earthly remains of the same Pharaoh who had been drowned during the times of the Prophet Moses. The preserved mummy of this Pharaoh, still in existence in the museum at Cairo, bears witness to the veracity of the above Quranic verse. Despite Pharaoh being an idolatrous king, God willed that his mummified body be preserved. This clearly shows us that not only common things pertaining to cultural history but also the body of an idolatrous