Saturday, 25 April 2020

Thallus: An Analysis


Richard Carrier


[A formal peer reviewed version of the research in this article is now available in volume 8 of the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, under the title "Thallus and the Darkness at Christ's Death" (PDF). The new article updates and supersedes the old.]
This is a preliminary essay, outlining some important facts about Thallus, a pagan chronologer of unknown date who is occasionally mentioned in the works of Christian apologists, modern and ancient, as a 1st century pagan witness to the gospel tradition of a "darkness" at the death of Christ: see Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44; and Matthew 27:51-53, whose account includes an earthquake, split rocks, and zombies; John makes no mention of any such events, nor does Paul or any other New Testament author.
Such a story has obvious mythic overtones and can easily be doubted. That a solar eclipse should mark the death of a king was common lore among Greeks and other Mediterranean peoples (Herodotus 7.37, Plutarch Pelopidas 31.3 and Aemilius Paulus 17.7-11, Dio Cassius 55.29.3, John Lydus De Ostentis 70.a), and that such events corresponded with earthquakes was also a scientific superstition (Aristotle Meteorology 367.b.2, Pliny Natural History 2.195, Virgil Georgics 2.47.478-80). It was also typical to assimilate eclipses to major historic events, even when they did not originally correspond, or to invent eclipses for this purpose (Préaux claims to have counted 200 examples in extant literature; Boeuffle and Newton have also remarked on this tendency). The gospel stories also make a solar eclipse impossible: the crucifixion passover happened during a full moon, and the darkness supposedly lasted three hours (indeed, Julius Africanus claimed it covered the whole world). Such an impossible event would not fail to be recorded in the works of Seneca, Pliny, Josephus or other historians, yet it is not mentioned anywhere else outside of Christian rhetoric, so we can probably dismiss the idea of this being a real event.
Nevertheless, Thallus is cited at least as a witness to the early date of the gospel story of the darkness, if not to the factuality of the darkness itself. But the facts surrounding Thallus are all too often incorrect, or asserted with unjustified boldness, calling for a proper historical treatment of the facts. Being an unfinished work, this essay is brief and does not cite sources in detail--most of the relevant sources are already cited in my translation of two other non-English commentaries on Thallus: for those who can stomach the detailed scholarly text, see Jacoby. A bibliography of all the works I consulted (but not including those mentioned by Jacoby or Müller) is collected at the end of this essay. In the future, a completed version of this essay with full references will be published, but until then anyone desiring to know more about the sources should write to me directly (see my bio for contact information).

Introduction to the Problem

We know next to nothing about Thallus or his works. We don't even know if he wrote only one book or several. The only information we have about him, even his name, comes entirely from Christian apologetic sources beginning in the late 2nd century, and that information is plagued with problems. Scholars since the 18th century have even invented facts about him, and some of these groundless notions--like the idea that he was a Samaritan--are repeated even today. Claims are also made, mainly but not exclusively by modern Christian apologists, which make Thallus into the earliest literary witness to the gospel tradition. There are two commentaries which collect and discuss all remnants and attestations, but they are not available in English, and are outdated (I have translated and commented on these: see Jacoby). A new survey of what we know about Thallus needs to be made available in English, and this essay is the first, brief draft toward that aim.

What Thallus Wrote

On various occasions Thallus' work is referred to as the Histories (HISTORIAI in George Syncellus, and possibly in Eusebius, quoting Julius Africanus; HISTORIA in Theophilus, and in Lactantius quoting Theophilus, and possibly in Eusebius quoting Julius Africanus). This is the only work by Thallus of which we have a title. Attempts to reconstruct a title from an Armenian translation of a Greek chronology composed by Eusebius are not trustworthy, since the text seems only to describe the work, not name it, in a list of authors which sometimes names their works and sometimes merely describes them. But whether a discription or a title, the work described in that text does not appear to be the same work quoted by everyone else. This is because it is described as a "brief compendium" (in three volumes, which is indeed exceedingly brief--equivalent to three chapters in a modern book) covering the years from the fall of Troy (1184 BC) to the 167th Olympiad (109 BC), but Thallus is often cited for events long preceding the Fall of Troy, and on one occasion appears to be cited regarding an event at the death of Christ, which comes long after 109 BC (leading several scholars to amend the text to give a later date). In all cases the nature of the facts being drawn from Thallus further suggests a rather detailed work, and not a "brief compendium." It is most likely that the book referenced by Eusebius is one of at least two works by Thallus, and not the work in which he mentions the darkness associated with the death of Christ (if he mentioned this at all). This is an altogether more likely explanation than the many alternatives that have been suggested (for example, that a later, anonymous author expanded Thallus' work).
As for what Thallus wrote about, we are told by Eusebius, quoting Julius Africanus, that Thallus recorded Syrian history just as Castor did, which is consistent with other remarks by Tertullian placing Thallus among historians of Eastern events, and with several authors who cite Thallus on details of Assyrian history (Theophilus, Lactantius, George Syncellus) and with another who possibly cites him as an expert on Lydian affairs (Malalas). But Thallus is also listed among those who recorded Greek and Roman history, especially the deeds of Saturn in Italy (Tertullian, Lactantius, Minucius Felix). To confuse matters further, the late forger of a work in the name of Justin Martyr claims Thallus among those who mentioned Moses and the antiquity of the Jews in the context of Athenian history! This last can be dismissed, however, since the forged text is almost a word-for-word adulteration of a quote from Julius Africanus, which we have more reliably preserved in the works of Eusebius, which merely lists Thallus, with Castor, as a reliable historian of Syrian affairs and nothing more.

When Thallus Wrote

The Armenian reference places the end of Thallus' "brief compendium" at the 167th Olympiad (which spans 112-109 BC). This would remain uncontested if it were not for a single reference to Thallus regarding an event long after that time: namely, the darkness at the death of Christ. Since this event must have occurred in the 1st century AD, and no doubt sometime between 28 and 38 AD, there are two possibilities: either the Armenian text is referring to a different work, or the date has been corrupted. Virtually every scholar to date has opted for the latter and made efforts to conjecture the original date--the only two plausible (though still unlikely) options are the 207th Olympiad (which spans 49-52 AD) and the 217th Olympiad (which spans 89-92 AD). The latter in fact is the more likely, judging from palaeography. But as I've already noted, it seems far more likely that the Armenian reference is to a different work. It could even be an excerpted epitome of a longer chronology.
This leaves us with no clue as to when Thallus wrote. Since the 1st-century darkness was probably not mentioned in the "brief compendium," there is no reason to suppose that the date of 109 BC is incorrect--there is nothing physically wrong with the text, nor any other reason to suspect an error (although Mosshammer claims otherwise, his reasoning is hard to justify). However, if Thallus did mention the darkness in another work (probably the Histories), he clearly had to have written after 28 AD. Although the guess of 52 AD as the end-date for the compedium is the one most commonly mentioned, if the date is wrong at all then 92 AD is more likely correct. But all these possible dates--109 BC, 52 AD, 92 AD--only give us the "time after which" he had to have written this "brief compendium." These dates do not tell us when he wrote the Histories or whatever work that mentioned the darkness.
It is also supposed that the final date covered by the compendium should be close to the time the compendium was written, but that also does not follow. Eusebius, for instance, wrote a world chronicle that ended some thirty years before he wrote it. Moreover, when an author writes a compendium there is no telling how much history he intends to cover, or how far back he will end it--and a work as short as three books might very well have been so short because it was unfinished. In other words, the "compendium" could have ended in 109 BC even if it was written in 109 AD, and if the compendium's end-date was 52 AD or 92 AD, it could still have been written in 109 AD, or later. So we have to look elsewhere for a "time before which" Thallus wrote. All we have is this: the first time Thallus is ever mentioned is by Theophilus, writing around 180 AD, which leaves us with over a century of grey area: Thallus could have written any time between 28 and 180 AD. And if he did not mention an eclipse occurring in the first century, then he could have written any time between 109 BC and 180 AD, a span of almost three centuries.
This is where proper historical method turns the tables on Christian apologists. The usual argument is that Thallus is the earliest witness to the gospel tradition, proving that the story was circulating, and taken seriously enough by pagans to debunk it, before the 2nd century. But the opposite reasoning applies: since we do not know that Thallus wrote in the 1st century, but know that he could have written in the 2nd, and since no other sources attest to any gospel tradition earlier than the 2nd century, it follows that Thallus most likely wrote in the 2nd century--or at the earliest, the 90's AD, since there is some evidence that Josephus referred to Luke in that decade, although that same evidence just as easily suggests that Luke used Josephus, dating that gospel after 96 AD. Otherwise, since all other sources which mention any gospel tradition appear only in the 2nd century, and Thallus may easily have written in that period, it follows that Thallus most likely wrote in the 2nd century. This conclusion would change if any further data were rescued from the sands of time which made an earlier date more plausible, but odds are, Thallus is not the earliest witness to the gospel tradition. Even at best, there is at present no reason to assume he is.

The Invented Evidence

One of the key pieces of "evidence" used to prove a 1st-century date for Thallus was actually innocently invented in the 18th century. The item in question is a supposed reference in Josephus to a Samaritan freedman of Tiberius, which places a man by the name of Thallus from Samaria, a region in the East (from where a historian of Syrian affairs might come), in a position which would produce historians in later years (Phlegon, a freedman of Hadrian, also wrote a chronicle), in a definite first-century date (Tiberius reigned from 14 AD to 37 AD). Too good to be true? Indeed. First of all, it has long been noticed that Josephus says nothing about this "freedman" composing any literary work, and thus it is already a leap to suppose it would be the same man. Thallus, as it turns out, is a common name, appearing regularly in inscriptions throughout antiquity.
But most importantly, the name does not in fact appear in any extant text of Josephus. The passage in question (Antiquities of the Jews 18.167) does not have the word THALLOS in any extant manuscript or translation, but ALLOS. The addition of the letter theta (TH) was conjectured by a scholar named Hudson in 1720, on the argument that ALLOS didn't make sense, and that Thallus was the attested name of an imperial freedman of Tiberius in inscriptions: in his own words, "I put 'Thallos' in place of 'allos' by conjecture, as he is attested to have been among the freedmen of Tiberius, going by the inscriptions of Gruter" (p. 810, translated from Hudson's Latin). But there is no good basis for this conjecture. First, the Greek actually does make sense without the added letter (it means "another"), and all extant early translations confirm this very reading. Second, an epitome of this passage does not give a name but instead the generic "someone," which suggests that no name was mentioned in the epitomizer's copy.
Finally, the most likely name, if one were needed here at all, would be HALLOS, requiring no added letters (there is no letter for the H-sound in Greek), since an imperial freedman by this name is also known in the time of Tiberius from inscriptions. Thus, Hudson's conjecture is groundless and is to be rejected. Although we still have an inscription recording a man named Thallus as an imperial freedman, this name we know is common, and appears often in inscriptions. And the inscription in question says nothing about the man being a Samaritan, much less an author. Therefore, this attempt to place Thallus in the 1st century fails. It also fails to establish him as a Samaritan, a detail which is still cited as if it were a fact, even by good scholars.

What Thallus Said About Jesus

What exactly is Thallus supposed to have said about Jesus? We don't really know. We can only guess, based on an obscure passage passed down to us second-hand which already shows signs of at least one interpolation. George Syncellus, a 9th-century monk, composed a world chronicle, quoting verbatim from numerous previous chroniclers, one of whom being the 3rd-century Christian chronicler Julius Africanus. In one such case, Africanus is quoted regarding "what followed the savior's passion and life-giving resurrection" as follows:
This event followed each of his deeds, and healings of body and soul, and knowledge of hidden things, and his resurrection from the dead, all sufficiently proven to the disciples before us and to his apostles: after the most dreadful darkness fell over the whole world, the rocks were torn apart by an earthquake and much of Judaea and the rest of the land was torn down. Thallus calls this darkness an eclipse of the sun in the third book of his Histories, without reason it seems to me. For....how are we to believe that an eclipse happened when the moon was diametrically opposite the sun?
This is all we get. It isn't clear what Thallus actually said, or whether he even mentioned Jesus at all. Africanus is merely criticising the possibility that the darkness at the death of Christ was a solar eclipse, and thus a natural rather than a supernatural event--an attack addressed in the Apology of Tertullian, and voiced by the Jews in the Gospel of Nicodemus, which may have been written in the time of Africanus. Although this implies that Thallus mentioned the death of Christ in some way, it does not entail it. For Thallus may have simply recorded an eclipse that occurred around the time that Christ was believed to have died, with Africanus connecting the events on his own. We do not have the context of this quote, and we do not know what else Africanus said about this event or about Thallus. Of course, even if Thallus did mention the death of Jesus, we have already shown that he then probably wrote in the 2nd century, when we know this gospel story was already circulating nearly a century after the event. In such a case, Thallus is not an independent witness to the story, but is merely responding to Christian literature. This makes him of practically no use to apologists.

The Curious Case of Phlegon of Tralles

The story gets more curious, however. For the quoted Africanus passage continues:
In fact, let it be so. Let the idea that this happened seize and carry away the multitude, and let the cosmic prodigy be counted as an eclipse of the sun according to its appearance. Phlegon reports that in the time of Tiberius Caesar, during the full moon, a full eclipse of the sun happened, from the sixth hour until the ninth. Clearly this is our eclipse! What is common about an earthquake, an eclipse, rocks torn apart, a rising of the dead, and such a huge cosmic movement? At the very least, over a long period, no conjunction this great is remembered. But it was a godsent darkness, because the Lord happened to suffer, and the Bible, in Daniel, supports that seventy spans of seven years would come together up to this time.
There is a lot of interesting material here, but I only wish to discuss what relates to Thallus. Most scholars have assumed that Africanus is here quoting Phlegon, too, as a witness to the darkness story--although we know for a fact that Phlegon wrote in the 140's AD, and was fond of fantastic stories, so it would not be surprising to find him borrowing this one from Christian literature. But Martin Routh noticed some telling details: the sentence mentioning Phlegon is grammatically and logically out of place.
In Greek, new sentences are marked by certain special words, usually left untranslated, such as MEN or DE or OUN, etc. The Phlegon sentence is not marked. That is like not leaving a period at the end of the preceding sentence. Also, Africanus has just finished attacking Thallus' idea of a solar eclipse, yet here cites Phlegon favorably, who calls it the same exact thing. Moreover, the flow of thought is broken by this sentence. Africanus has begun a rhetorical argument with the phrase "let it be so," which is otherwise interrupted by interjecting a historical note about Phlegon. Remove that sentence (and the added "Clearly this is our eclipse!") and we have a continuous stream of thought that makes more sense. The Phlegon sentence, for all of these reasons, does not belong here.
In fact, the phrase "Clearly this is our eclipse" (literally "clearly this is it") is a telltale sign of an interlinear note by some other scribe. It appears that some copyist was copying or reading this passage in either Africanus or Syncellus and remembered the Phlegon connection, writing it as a note to the side or in between the lines. A later copyist then mistook this marginal note as text to be re-inserted, since, not having erasers, scribes who forgot a line would add it in the margins or between the lines (if they noticed the error at all). This was very common in the transmission of ancient and medieval books. There was no standard rule for distinguishing between added notes and re-inserted text. Both were marked and written the same way, leading to many marginal notes being read as re-inserted text and many lines of re-inserted text being mistook for marginal notes. Without further data, we might say that Syncellus mistook the marginal note of a previous owner of his copy of Africanus, or made the note himself while a later copier of Syncellus mistook it as text, or that the note and the mistake happened entirely before or after the involvement of Syncellus. But since Syncellus immediately follows the Africanus quote with a passage from Eusebius which quotes Phlegon correctly, it is almost certainly the case that the Phlegon passage here was inserted after Syncellus. This is further supported by the extent of the insertion's inaccuracy, which looks more like something that appears in the work of Agapius in the 10th century, or in Michael the Syrian in the 12th century.
This leads us to the most important reason for supposing this line to be an insertion by someone other than Africanus (or Syncellus): Phlegon almost certainly said no such thing. Eusebius quotes Phlegon verbatim (the only one to do so), and what Phlegon actually said is telling--the text is attested in Syncellus in the original Greek, but also in the Latin of Jerome, the Syrian epitome, and the Armenian:
Jesus Christ..underwent his passion in the 18th year of Tiberius [32 AD]. Also at that time in another Greek compendium we find an event recorded in these words: "the sun was eclipsed, Bithynia was struck by an earthquake, and in the city of Nicaea many buildings fell." All these things happened to occur during the Lord's passion. In fact, Phlegon, too, a distinguished reckoner of Olympiads, wrote more on these events in his 13th book, saying this: "Now, in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad [32 AD], a great eclipse of the sun occurred at the sixth hour [noon] that excelled every other before it, turning the day into such darkness of night that the stars could be seen in heaven, and the earth moved in Bithynia, toppling many buildings in the city of Nicaea."
This quotation shows that Phlegon did not mention Jesus in this context at all (he may still have mentioned him in some other obscure context, if we believe Origen). Rather, Phlegon merely recorded a great earthquake in Bithynia, which is on the coast of the Black Sea, more than 500 miles away from Jerusalem--so there is no way this quake would have been felt near the crucifixion--and a magnificent noontime eclipse, whose location is not clear. If the eclipse was also in Bithynia, as the Phlegon quote implies but does not entail, it also could not have been seen in Jerusalem, any more than partially, since the track of a total eclipse spans only 100 miles and runs from west to east (Jerusalem is due south).
In fact, the only coincidence with the gospel story is the year (although some modern scholars calculate the eclipse in question to have actually occurred in 29 AD) and time: it began at the sixth hour. Prigent suspects this last detail is a corruption by another scribe drawing from the gospel stories, although a noon eclipse is particularly startling and might get special mention (although the total eclipse would only occur at noon in one location--are we to suppose it was in Nicaea?). What is most important, however, is that Phlegon says nothing about the eclipse occuring during a full moon or lasting three hours (both physical impossibilities), yet these details are attributed to him in the lines added to Africanus. Clearly the quote has been altered over time.
Africanus wrote in the early 3rd century. His contemporary, Origen, also cites Phlegon's mention of an earthquake and eclipse but does not repeat the exaggerations. Indeed, he expressly denies one of them in his commentary on Matthew, stating that "Phlegon, who mentioned an eclipse during the reign of Tiberius Ceasar, did not say that it happened during the full moon." This suggests that the exaggerated quote, which would surely have been seized upon as a valuable testimony, did not yet exist, in Africanus or anywhere else. But it appears in Agapius in the 10th century. And by the time of Michael the Syrian, in the 12th century, the Phlegon quote had already gone way over the top, to include the astonishing sentence: "the dead were resurrected, entered Jerusalem and said 'Woe to the Jews!'" Syncellus wrote in the 9th century. So a copier of his work who had also read Agapius probably put two and two together and gullibly added the note, which was eventually pulled into the text as copies continued to be made by other scribes.
This is significant for the Thallus passage because it shows that another chronologer who did not mention Jesus was distorted and later believed to have mentioned him or events surrounding him. The same thing could have happened to Thallus.

Conclusions

Eusebius, in the passage quoted above, cites "another" Greek historian as reporting the eclipse and earthquake in Bithynia in the year of the crucifixion. Was this Thallus? If so, then Thallus did not actually mention Jesus, and Africanus was clearly drawing his own conclusions. Indeed, if Thallus had mentioned Jesus, why wouldn't Eusebius quote so precious a source? Possibly because his Histories were lost, explaining why Eusebius only had a "brief compendium" to work from, which probably did not include this event (although he did have Africanus to consult). But if Eusebius had the right text at hand, another explanation for why he did not use it is that he did use it: the sentence quoted, after all, is exceptionally concise--exactly what we would expect from a "brief compendium."
Although this would entail a corrupted date for the conclusion of that work, this is a tempting theory, especially since there are two other tantalizing details that might support the notion: first, the quoted passage of Africanus identifies the reference as the third book of the histories of Thallus, which, as many scholars have noted, nicely corresponds to the "three books" of the "brief compendium" listed by Eusebius. Second, his name might in fact have been written by Eusebius after all: the Greek now reads EN ALLOIC MEN ELLHNIKOIC UPOMNHMACIN, "in another Greek compendium," and the Latin and other versions say essentially the same thing, so if this was corrupted, the error had to have happened very early--but this is still possible. If so, it could have originally read EN THALLOY MEN ELLHNIKOIC UPOMNHMACIN, "in the Greek compendium of Thallus." The only changes required here are the loss of a single letter (theta), just as Hudson had supposed in the text of Josephus, and the mistaking of IC as Y, which is not impossible.
It seems likely that even if the text as we have it is correct, Eusebius was thinking of Thallus, since he lists him as a source in the introduction which survives in the Armenian translation. If we accept this, then we must conclude that Thallus did not mention Jesus or the gospel tradition at all, since the quote is clearly devoid of any such references. On the other hand, it is also possible that Africanus was thinking of Phlegon, and simply wrote Thallus by mistake, confusing the two chronologers. We know from Eusebius (and from Origen) that Phlegon recorded the Bithynian earthquake and eclipse in the thirteenth book of his own work. This opens the possibility that the nice correspondence of "third book" and "three books" is a red herring, and in fact an error made by Africanus, or a later scribe who was fated to vex us. Thirteen would have been written TRITHI KAI DEKATHI, while three would have been written simply TRITHI. Africanus may have simply confused himself, or a scribe may have skipped over the KAI DEKATHI, as commonly happens: looking away to write and then returning to the text, seeing the second THI and mistaking it for the first before continuing to copy.
Or, if the original text were alphanumeric, thirteen would have been IG' and three would have been G'. A mistake then would be even easier: letters were run together in ancient texts, and it would be easy to see (or think) ENIG'TWN and write ENG'TWN by mistake. If anything like this happened, then Africanus was thinking of the same reference to an eclipse that everyone else thought of--Origen, Philopon, Eusebius, Agapius, Michael, and the anonymous interpolator of Africanus or Syncellus--and, again, drawing his own conclusions about the correspondence with the death of Jesus, a conclusion that was also easily drawn by his contemporary, Origin. In support of this theory is the fact that even though Thallus is well known by Christian apologists, being cited by Eusebius, Theophilus, Lactantius, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Pseudo Justin, and Malalas, no one ever mentions his reference to Jesus or to any events of any kind after 109 BC. This is a very strange state of affairs--certainly such a juicy reference would have been quoted repeatedly and gleefully, not ignored.
This leaves us with four options: Africanus meant Phlegon, not Thallus; or Eusebius quoted Thallus verbatim, revealing that Thallus did not mention Jesus; or Thallus mentioned Jesus, but wrote in the 2nd century, when we know the gospels were already in circulation; or Thallus mentioned Jesus and wrote in the 1st century, and is the earliest witness to the gospel tradition. Although all of these are possible, it is clear that any of the first three are more likely than the last one, since there are several facts which support each of them, but none which support the last one--in other words, it is a "mere" possibility, whereas the others actually have some arguments in their favor.

Bibliography

To this list must be added all additional works cited by Jacoby or Müller.
André le Boeuffle, Le Ciel des Romains (1989)
Richard Carrier, "Cultural History of the Lunar and Solar Eclipse in the Early Roman Empire," Masters Thesis (Columbia University, 1998)
M. Eisler, "Un Nouveau Témoignage Non-Chrétien sur la Tradition Évangelique," Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, vol. 98 (1928)
M. Goguel, The Life of Jesus (1933)
Guignebert, Jesus (1935)
Murray Harris, "References to Jesus in Early Classical Authors," Gospel Perspectives: the Jesus Tradition Outside the Gospels vol. 5 (1985): pp. 343-68
F. Jacoby, Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (1923)
Ida Miévis, "A Propos de la Correction 'Thallos' dans les 'Antiquités Judaïques' de Flavius Josèphe," Revue Belge de Philologie et d'Histoire, vol. 13 (1934): pp. 733-740.
Alden Mosshammer, The Chronicle of Eusebius and Greek Chronographic Tradition (1979)
Carolus Müller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (1840)
Robert Newton, Ancient Astronomical Observations and the Accelerations of the Earth and Moon (1970)
B. G. Niebuhr and W. Dindorf, "Georgius Syncellus et Nicephorus," Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae (1828)
Pauly's Real-Encyclopädie der Classischen Altertumwissenschaft s.v. "Thallos"
Claire Préaux, "La Lune dans la Pensée Grecque," Memoires de L'Académie des Sciences de Belgique. 2. Ser. Classe des Lettres 61.4 (1973)
P. Prigent, "Thallos, Phlégon et le Testimonium Flavianum Témoins de Jésus?" Paganisme, Judaïsme, Christianisme: Influences et Affrontements dans le Monde Antique, ed. Frederick Bruce (1978)
Horace Rigg, "Thallus: The Samaritan?" Harvard Theological Review, vol. 34 (1941): pp. 111-9.
Martin Routh, Reliquiae Sacrae, 2nd ed. (vol. 2, 1846)
W. N. Stearns, Fragments from Graeco-Jewish Writers (1908)

Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Surah 21:105




وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)


We have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that the earth will be inherited by My righteous servants. (Surah 21:105)


Christians claim this verse from the Quran was a direct plagiarism from the bible. Their bold claim of plagiarism is beyond a joke. In Shaa Allah let's make a comparison of the Arabic from the Quran and Arabic Bible to see how close they are in order for it to be classed as plagiarism.



 يَأخُذُ الصّالِحُونَ الأرْضَ المَوعُودَةَ
وَإلَى الأبَدِ يَسكُنُونَها.(Psalm 37:29 ERV-AR)


الصِّدِّيقُونَ يَرِثُونَ خَيْرَاتِ الأَرْضِ وَيَسْكُنُونَ فِيهَا إِلَى الأَبَدِ.(Psalm 37:29 Nav)


The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. (Psalm 37:29)


צַדִּיקִ֥ים יִֽירְשׁוּ־אָ֑רֶץ וְיִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ לָעַ֣ד עָלֶֽיהָ׃

The righteous shall inherit the land, and abide forever in it. (Psalm 37:29 Hebrew Bible)

الصِّدِّيقُونَ يَرِثُونَ الأَرْضَ وَيَسْكُنُونَهَا إِلَى الأَبَدِ.
مزامير (Psalm 37:29 Orthodox Coptic Arabic)

الصديقون يرثون الارض ويسكنونها الى الابد‎.(Psalm 37:29 Biblehub Arabic)

------------

Now that we have a few Arabic text from the bible, let's make a comparison we see for ourselves if the words written in the Quran was allegedly plagiarised from the book of psalm

To be honest without even making a comparison we can easily dismantle their claim.  The verse at hand of the Quran clearly mentions Psalm الزَّبُوۡرِ. How then was the verse plagiarised when the name of the book was mentioned? In order to qualify as plagiarism, one must show that the author made no mention of the source.



1)

وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)

--------------------

الصِّدِّيقُونَ يَرِثُونَ الأَرْضَوَيَسْكُنُونَهَا إِلَى الأَبَدِ. (Psalm 37:29 Van Dye)

Notice from the Arabic bible the only word found in the Quran is Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth with spelling variation. Just one word? Note, earth is a common word which is used in the Quran many times and  the bible.



2)

وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)

-------------------

الصِّدِّيقُونَ يَرِثُونَ خَيْرَاتِ الأَرْضِ وَيَسْكُنُونَ فِيهَا إِلَى الأَبَدِ.(Psalm 37:29 Nav)

Again we read from the Arabic bible the only word found in the Quran is Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth with spelling variation. Just one word? Note, earth is a common word which is used in the Quran many times and  the bible.




3)

وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)

-----------------


الصِّدِّيقُونَ يَرِثُونَ الأَرْضَ وَيَسْكُنُونَهَا إِلَى الأَبَدِ.
مزامير (Psalm 37:29 Orthodox Coptic Arabic)




Once again we read from the Arabic bible the only word found in the Quran is Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth with spelling variation. Just one word? Note, earth is a common word which is used in the Quran many times and  the bible.



4)

وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)

----------------


الصديقون يرثون الارض ويسكنونها الى الابد‎.(Psalm 37:29 Biblehub Arabic)



And again, we read from the Arabic bible the only word found in the Quran is Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth with spelling variation. Just one word? Note, earth is a common word which is used in the Quran many times and the bible.




5)

وَلَـقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ  (Surah 21:105)

----------------

الصَّالِحُونَ يَرِثُونَ الْأَرْضَ، وَيَسْكُنُونَ فِيهَا إِلَى الْأَبَدِ. (Psalm 37:29 Sharif Arabic Bible)


And again, we read from the Arabic bible the only word found in the Quran is Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth with spelling variation. Just one word? Note, earth is a common word which is used in the Quran many times and the bible.

We have made five different Arabic versions in comparison with the words from the Quran and we see only the word Ard (لأَرْضَو) meaning earth. Seriously and they call that plagiarism?


 Even if we compare the English translation, they don’t read the same.


We have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that the earth will be inherited by My righteous servants. (Surah 21:105)

The righteous shall inherit the land, and abide forever in it. (Psalm 37:29 Hebrew Bible)

Notice the difference between the two is stupendous. So, what do we understand from the verse of the Quran? Our scholars have explained it for us clearly. Below is an explanation Ibn Kathir


Al-Anbiya - 21:105

English - Ibn Kathir
The Earth will be inherited by the Righteous

Allah tells us of His decree for His righteous servants who are the blessed in this world and in the Hereafter, those who will inherit the earth in this world and in the Hereafter.

As Allah says:

إِنَّ الَارْضَ للَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَأءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَـقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Verily, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants; and the (blessed) end is for those who have Taqwa. (7:128)

إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الاٌّشْهَـدُ

Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth. (40:51)

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى الاْرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِى ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ

Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion which He has chosen for them. (24:55)

Allah tells us that this is recorded in the Books of Divine Laws and Decrees, and that it will inevitably come to pass.

Allah says:

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ

And indeed We have written in Az-Zabur after Adh-Dhikr,
Al-A`mash said:"I asked Sa`id bin Jubayr about the Ayah:

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ

 (And indeed We have written in Az-Zabur after Adh-Dhikr, He said:
`Az-Zabur means the Tawrah, the Injil and the Qur'an."'

Mujahid said,

"Az-Zabur means the Book."

Ibn Abbas, Ash-Sha`bi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said,

"Az-Zabur is that which was revealed to Dawud, and Adh-Dhikr is the Tawrah."

Mujahid said:

"Az-Zabur means the Books which came after Adh-Dhikr, and Adh-Dhikr is the Mother of the Book (Umm Al-Kitab) which is with Allah."

This was also the view of Zayd bin Aslam:

"It is the First Book."

Ath-Thawri said:

"It is Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz."

أَنَّ الاَْرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ



that My righteous servants shall inherit the land.

Mujahid said, narrating from Ibn Abbas,

"This means, the land of Paradise."

This was also the view of Abu Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Abu Salih, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Ath-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on them).

إِنَّ فِي هَذَا لَبَلَغًا لِّقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ


Further more we read from academic sources the earliest text of the Arabic bible stems from as late as the 10th century.


The earliest fragment of the Old Testament in Arabic is a text of Psalm 77, found in the Umayyad Mosque. Initially it was dated to the end of the 8th century by Bruno Violet (Violet, Bruno (1901). Ein zweisprachiges Psalmfragment aus Damaskus. Orientalistische Literaturzeitung 4.)

the scholar who discovered the fragments in 1901.(Geoffrey W. Bromiley (1 June 1995). The international standard Bible encyclopedia. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 982.)


However recent research has paleographically dated this manuscript to late 9th- and early 10th century due to new discoveries of photographs. (Volandt, Ronny (2015). Arabic Versions of the Pentateuch: A Comparative Study of Jewish, Christian & Muslim Sources. Brill. p. 56. [...] Mavroudi convincingly argued for the ninth- or early tenth-century.)


Conclusion.

It is clear from the Quran the verse Christian are referring to from the book of Psalm was not plagiarised as we demonstrated. The fact the Quran mentions Psalm shows Christians have exposed themselves for using a strawman argument a baseless claim which their own Arabic bible denies. Indeed very embarrassing for Christians.

Monday, 20 April 2020

Reconciling between the verse “We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad shall not forget (it)” and the fact that the Prophet sometimes forgot when praying and otherwise

from IslamQ&A
Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) shall not forget (it),
Except what Allah may will, He knows what is apparent and what is hidden”
[al-A‘la 87:6-7].
Here Allah, may He be exalted, says to His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that He will teach him this Qur’an and cause him to memorise it so that he will not forget anything of it, except what Allah causes to be taken away and abrogated.
Ibn Jaziy (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is addressed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); Allah promised him that He would make him recite the Qur’an so that he would not forget it. This is a miracle that was bestowed upon him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as he was unlettered and could not write, yet despite that he did not forget what Jibreel (peace be upon him) recited to him of the Qur’an. It was also said that the meaning of the verse is similar to the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Move not your tongue concerning (the Qu’ran, O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) to make haste therewith” [al-Qiyaamah 75:16]. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to move his tongue as Jibreel recited it, for fear of forgetting it, so Allah guaranteed to him that he would not forget it. It was also said that the words “so you will not forget it” was a an command not to forget it, for Allah knew that not forgetting is not possible for human beings, and what was meant was a command to him to pay attention to it that he would not forget it – but this is far-fetched.
End quote from at-Tas-heel (p. 2597)
As-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
That is, We will preserve what We have revealed to you of the Book, and We will instil it in your heart, so that you will forget nothing of it.
This was great glad tidings from Allah to His slave and Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that Allah would teach him knowledge that he would not forget, “Except what Allah may will”, of what His wisdom may dictate that He should cause you to forget for a significant reason.
End quote from Tafseer as-Sa‘di (p. 920)
This is the forgetting from which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was protected, which is forgetting what he had been commanded to convey. This is what he would remember and not forget, until the religion was completed and the blessing was perfected.
Secondly:
with regard to the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5038) and Muslim (788) from ‘Aa’ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard a man reciting at night and he said: “May Allah have mercy on him, for he has reminded me of such and such, a verse that I had been caused to forget in soorah such and such”,
This refers to the normal, natural kind of forgetting with which Adam (peace be upon him) and his offspring were created. That happened to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sometimes, and it is not what is referred to in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) shall not forget (it)” [al-A‘la 87:6].
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This indicates that it was possible for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to forget some of that which he had already conveyed to the ummah. End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-Ismaa‘eeli said: With regard to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forgetting some part of the Qur’an, that is of two types:
The first is what he might forget and then quickly remember. This is part of human nature, and is referred to in the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ood about forgetting: “I am only human like you; I forget as you forget.”
The second type is when Allah removed from his heart that which He wanted to abrogate from the Qur’an. This is referred to as the exception in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) shall not forget (it),
Except what Allah may will”
[al-A‘la 87:6-7].
With regard to the first type, it is something temporary and is soon remembered, based on the apparent meaning of the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9].
With regard to the second type, it is included in the words of Allah, may He be exalted (interpretation of the meaning): “Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten” [al-Baqarah 2:106].
End quote.
Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The ummah is agreed that the Messengers were infallible in their conveying of the message, so they did not forget anything of that which Allah revealed to them, except something that was abrogated, and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, guaranteed to His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that He would make him recite it so that he would not forget it, except something that Allah wanted to cause him to forget. He also guaranteed him that He would cause him to memorise the entire Qur’an. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) shall not forget (it),
Except what Allah may will, He knows what is apparent and what is hidden”
[al-A‘la 87:6-7]
“It is for Us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) the ability to recite it (the Quran),
And when We have recited it to you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) through Jibrael (Gabriel)), then follow you its (the Qurans) recital.”
[al-Qiyaamah 75:16-17].
End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (6/371)
The point is that forgetting is of two types: forgetting in the sense of removal, abrogation and loss of the forgotten material altogether, which is what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was protected from, so that he did not forget anything of the Qur’an except what Allah willed that He should cause him to forget, of that which He wanted to remove and abrogate, which is what is referred to in the words(interpretation of the meaning):
“We shall make you to recite (the Qur’an), so you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) shall not forget (it),
Except what Allah may will”
[al-A‘la 87:6-7].
This is what Ahl as-Sunnah are unanimously agreed did not happen to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
The second type is the kind of forgetting that is part of human nature. This did happen to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on occasion, and this is what he referred to when he said: “I am only human like you; I forget as you forget. If I forget, then remind me.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (386) and Muslim (889). And he also said:  “May Allah have mercy on him, for he has reminded me of such and such, a verse that I had been caused to forget in soorah such and such.” There is nothing problematic in this, because it did not affect the obligation to convey the message, so long as the verse or the thing that had been forgotten was preserved, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would remember it soon after that. Hence he  (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) remembered it himself, as we see in the hadith mentioned, that he forgot something whilst he was praying and no one reminded him of it.
Please see also the answer is to questions no. 42216 and 127485
And Allah knows best.


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Praise be to Allaah.

The Prophets are the best of mankind, and the most noble of creation before Allaah. Allaah chose them to convey the call of Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah to mankind, and Allaah has made them the intermediaries between Him and His creation in conveying His Laws. They were commanded to convey the message from Allaah, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“They are those whom We gave the Book, Al‑Hukm (understanding of the religious laws), and Prophethood. But if these disbelieve therein (the Book, Al‑Hukm and Prophethood), then, indeed We have entrusted it to a people (such as the Companions of Prophet Muhammad) who are not disbelievers therein”
[al-An’aam 6:89] 
The Prophets’ task was to convey the message from Allaah even though they were human, hence the issue of infallibility may be examined from two angles: 
1 – Infallibility in conveying the message
2 – Infallibility from human error 
Firstly: With regard to the first issue, the Prophets were infallible in conveying the message from Allaah. They did not conceal anything that Allaah had revealed to them, and they did not add anything from themselves. Allaah said to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning): 
“O Messenger (Muhammad)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allaah will protect you from mankind”
[al-Maa'idah 5:67] 
“And if he (Muhammad) had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allaah),
We surely would have seized him by his right hand (or with power and might),
 And then We certainly would have cut off his life artery (aorta),
And none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him”
[al-Haaqqah 69:44-47]
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And he (Muhammad) withholds not a knowledge of the Unseen”
[al-Takweer 81:24]
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on this verse: He is not stingy with that which Allaah has revealed to him, concealing some of it. Rather he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the most trustworthy of the inhabitants of heaven and the people of earth, the one who conveys the message of his Lord, the faithful conveyor (of the message). He does not withhold any part of it, from rich or poor, from ruler or subject, from male or female, from city-dweller or Bedouin. Hence Allaah sent him to an illiterate and ignorant nation, and he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not die until they had become knowledgeable scholars, steeped in knowledge…
End quote. 
So with regard to conveying the religion of his Lord, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not make any mistakes at all, whether major or minor, rather he was infallible and under the constant protection of Allaah. 
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 6/371: 
All the Muslims are unanimously agreed that the Prophets (peace be upon them) – especially Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – are infallible and protected from error in that which they conveyed from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“By the star when it goes down (or vanishes).
Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred.
Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed.
He has been taught (this Qur’aan) by one mighty in power [Jibreel (Gabriel)]”
[al-Najm 53:1-5]
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is infallible in all that he conveyed from Allaah, in word and deed and in what he approved of. There is no dispute on this point among the scholars.
End quote. 
The ummah is agreed that the Messengers are infallible in their conveying the message. They did not forget anything that Allaah revealed to them, except for things that were abrogated. And Allaah guaranteed His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he would remember it and would not forget it, except for that which Allaah wanted him to forget, and He guaranteed to remember the whole Qur’aan in his heart. Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): 
“We shall make you to recite (the Qur’aan), so you (O Muhammad) shall not forget (it)”
[al-A’la 87:7] 
“It is for Us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad) the ability to recite it (the Qur’aan).
And when We have recited it to you [O Muhammad through Jibreel (Gabriel)], then follow its (the Qur’aan’s) recitation”
[al-Qiyaamah 75:17-18]
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 18/7]: 
The verses which point to the Prophethood of the Prophets indicate that they are infallible with regard to the message that they convey from Allaah, so what they convey from their Lord can only be true. This is the meaning of Prophethood and this implies [?] that Allaah tells [the Prophet] of the unseen and he tells the people of the unseen. So the Messenger is commanded to call people and to convey the message to them.
End quote. 
Secondly: With regard to the Prophets as people, they may make mistakes. This may be discussed as follows: 
1 –They do not commit major sins
With regard to major sins, the Prophets do not commit major sins at all, and they are protected from such major sins both before their missions began or afterwards. 
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 4/319: 
The view that the Prophets are infallible and protected against committing major sins, as opposed to minor sins, is the view of the majority of Muslim scholars and of all groups. It is also the view of the scholars of tafseer and hadeeth and fuqaha’. Indeed, nothing has been narrated from any of the salaf, imams, Sahaabah, Taabi’een and those who followed them except that which is in accordance with this view.
End quote. 
2 – Matters that have nothing to do with conveying the message and the revelation. 
With regard to minor sins, these may be committed by them, or by some of them. Hence the majority of scholars are of the view that they are not infallible when it comes to minor sins. But if they committed such actions they were not left to persist therein, rather Allaah pointed that out to them and they hastened to repent therefrom. 
The evidence that they might commit minor sins and that they were not left to persist therein is the verses in which Allaah says of Adam (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray.
Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance”
[Ta-Ha 20:121-122] 
This indicates that Adam committed sin, but he was not left to persist therein, and he repented to Allaah from that. 
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“He said: ‘This is of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy.’
He said: ‘My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.’ Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft‑Forgiving, the Most Merciful”
[al-Qasas 28:15-16]
So Moosa (peace be upon him) confessed his sin and sought forgiveness from Allaah after he killed the Egyptian, and Allaah forgave him his sin. 
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“and he [Dawood] sought forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allaah) in repentance.
So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise)”
[Saad 38:23-24]
Dawood’s sin was hastening to pass judgement before hearing the case of the second disputant. 
And our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was rebuked by his Lord for several things that are mentioned in the Qur’aan, such as the following (interpretation of the meaning): 
“O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that which Allaah has allowed to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Tahreem 66:1]
This refers to the well-known story with some of his wives. 
Allaah also rebuked His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning the prisoners of war at Badr: 
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (4588) that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: When the prisoners were taken captive, the Messenger of Allaah (S) (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them): “What do you think about these prisoners?” Abu Bakr said: “O Prophet of Allaah, they are our cousins and kinsmen. I think that we should accept a ransom from them which will give us some support against the kuffaar, and perhaps Allaah will guide them to Islam.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “What do you think, O Ibn al-Khattaab?” He said: “I say, no, by Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah. I do not agree with Abu Bakr. I think that you should hand them over to us so that we may strike their necks (execute them). Hand over ‘Aqeel to ‘Ali so that he may strike his neck, and hand over So and so – a relative of ‘Umar – to me, for these are the leaders and veterans of kufr.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked what Abu Bakr said and he did not like what I [‘Umar] said. The next day I came and found the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr weeping. I said: “O Messenger of Allaah, tell me, what has made you and your companion weep? If there is a reason to weep, I will weep with you, and there is no reason, I will pretend to weep in sympathy with you because you are weeping.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I am weeping because I was shown the torture to which they were subjected. It was brought as close to me as this tree” – a tree which was near the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning): 
“It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allaah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Were it not a previous ordainment from Allaah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took.
So enjoy what you have gotten of booty in war, lawful and good”
[al-Anfaal 8:67-69]
So Allaah permitted booty to them. 
From this hadeeth it is clear that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) chose to ransom the prisoners, this was a decision that he made by ijtihaad after consulting his companions, and he had no revelation from Allaah concerning that. 
The words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): 
“(The Prophet) frowned and turned away.
Because there came to him the blind man (i.e. ‘Abdullaah bin Umm Maktoom, who came to the Prophet while he was preaching to one or some of the Quraysh chiefs)”
[‘Abasa 80:1-2]
This is the famous story of the great companion ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Umm Maktoom and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when Allaah rebuked him. 
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 4/320: 
What has been narrated from the majority of scholars is that they (the Prophets) are not infallible with regard to minor sins, but they are not left to persist therein. They do not say that this does not happen under any circumstances. The first group from whom it was narrated that they are infallible in all cases, and who say that the most, are the Raafidis (Shi’ah), who say that they are infallible and protected even against forgetfulness and misunderstanding. 
End quote. 
Some people think this is too much to suggest that Prophets may commit sin, and misinterpret some of the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah which indicate that. Two specious arguments lead them to do that: 
(i) – The fact that Allaah has commanded us to follow the Messengers and take them as our example. The command to follow them is taken as meaning that everything they did is an example for us to follow, and that every action and belief of theirs is an act of worship. If we suggest that that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) committed a sin, there will be a dilemma, because that implies that we are commanded to imitate this sin which was committed by the Prophet because we are commanded to follow his example, but at the same time we should no agree with it or do it, because it is a sin.  
This argument is valid and is appropriate if the sin is hidden and not obvious in such a way that it could be confused with acts of obedience. But Allaah has explained to His Messengers where they went wrong and enabled them to repent without delay. 
(ii) – Sins contradict perfection and are a shortcoming. This is true if they are not accompanied by repentance, for repentance brings forgiveness of sin, and does not contradict perfection or bring blame upon a person. Rather in many cases a person may be better after repenting than he was before he fell into sin. It is well known that no Prophet committed sin but he hastened to repent and seek forgiveness. The Prophets did not persist in sin or delay repentance, for Allaah protected them from that, and after repenting they became more perfect than they were before.   
3 – Unintentional mistakes with regard to some worldly matters
With regard to mistakes in some worldly matters, it is permissible for them to make such mistakes although their reason is sound and their insight is strong. This happened to several of the Prophets including our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This happened with regard to various spheres of life such as medicine, agriculture, etc. 
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (6127) that Raafi’ ibn Khadeej said: The Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah and found them pollinating the palm trees. He said: “What are you doing?” They said: “We always do this.” He said: “Perhaps if you do not do it, that will be better.” So they did not do it, and the harvest failed. They told him about that and he said: “I am only human. If I tell you to do something with regard to your religion, then do it, but if I tell you to do something based on my own opinion, then I am only human.” Hence it is known that the Prophets are infallible and protected from error with regard to the Revelation, so we should beware of those who cast aspersions upon the Messenger’s conveying of the Message and his laws, and say that it is his own personal opinion. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could never do such a thing. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed”
[al-Najm 53:3-4]
The Standing Committee was asked: Do the Prophets and Messengers make mistakes? 
They replied: 
Yes, they make mistakes but Allaah does not let them persist in their mistakes, rather he points out their mistakes to them as a mercy to them and their nations, and He forgives them for their mistakes, and accepts their repentance by His Grace and Mercy, for Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, as will be clear to anyone who studies the verses of the Qur’aan which speak of that. 
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/194 
For more information see question no. 7208 
And Allaah knows best.

List of etiquettes, virtues, and moral conduct taught or exemplified by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, with Qur’an and/or hadith references. Qur’anic teachings and Prophetic teachings.

  List of etiquettes, virtues, and moral conduct taught or exemplified by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ , with Qur’an and/or hadith references. Qur’ani...