Last month, it was reported that the Saudi Arabian Heritage Commission had documented 1,774 archaeological finds in the province of Al-Mahd, including inscriptions bearing the name of ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, rock art, caravan routes, wells and other early Islamic remains. Numerous analyses have discussed these discoveries, particularly the inscriptions and their significance. However, little has been said about what this tells us regarding the history of early Arabic script, or how we, as Muslims, should interpret such archaeological findings.
Firstly, we can see that the journey of Arabic script did not begin in palaces or councils, but on the rocks and caravan routes of the Hijaz (Makkah, Madinah, Taif, Al-Ula, Khaybar). Within an archaeological framework, Arabic script, beginning with the hieroglyphic pen of Prophet Idris, passing through the stages of Canaanite, Aramaic, Nabataean and Musnad scripts, reached its Qur'anic perfection by the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam), at which point the script was purified of pagan symbols and began to bear the reflections of Tawhid.
So, when such remains come to light, what epistemological approach should we, as Muslims, adopt to interpret them? The scholar-archaeologist Abdulkarim Abu Shannab, in his work Ilmu'l-Asar Bayna'l-Qur'an wa't-Tafsir al-Ideologi li't-Tarih (Archaeology Between the Qur'an and the Ideological Interpretation of History), demonstrates that the historical journey of Arabic script, from symbol to sacred letter, is contrary to the Orientalist schools’ claim, not a purely material process. According to Abu Shannab, writing should be liberated from being a mere exercise in language and transformed into a living document of civilisation. That is, archaeological discoveries should be seen as an archive of the birth of the ummah, carrying the simple cries of faith, prayers, and testimonies of the first Muslims into the present day.
Classical Orientalist studies have portrayed the Arabs as passive recipients by attributing every distinctive element of Arab civilisation (script, religion, architecture) to an external influence. The late Abu Shannab's critical archaeological methodology rejects this dry, materialistic interpretation. Archaeological remains should be examined not to produce alternative, secular, artificial identities for the ummah, but to interpret the Sunnatullah in history and the relationship between human faith and civilisation, without severing the stone from its context of revelation, identity and civilisation.
The meticulous analyses of field experts such as al-Maghzawi serve as vital bridges that bring this methodology to life, interpreting even the finest wear and tear on the inscriptions.
Four Exemplary Inscriptions
For example, by examining the four epigraphic examples that have survived to the present day, we can develop a multi-dimensional perspective on the socio-cultural, political and aesthetic structure of early Islamic society.
- The Inscription of ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (24 AH / 644–645 CE): Discovered in the province of Al-Mahd, this rare artefact is notable not only for bearing the name of ʿUmar but also for the theological style it embodies. By attributing sovereignty directly and exclusively to Allah, this text demonstrates that the early Muslims acted not out of a sense of political or worldly grandeur, but with an awareness of absolute helplessness and the oneness of God. Dating from the early years of the Rashidun Caliphate, this document also serves as evidence of how firmly established the Hijri calendar was early on.
- The Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan Dam Inscription (58 AH / 678 CE): Discovered near the Saysad Dam in Taif, this monumental inscription highlights the state's institutional power in the fields of public works, engineering and water management. The official dating of civil architectural works during the first century of Islam is the most tangible indication of the administrative maturity of the state apparatus.
- The Inscription of Sa'id b. Abdurrahman b. Hassan (2nd century AH): This three-verse poetic text, found in the Al-Bayda region, demonstrates that the literary circles of Madinah and the language of poetry were so vibrant that they found their way onto stone. An analysis of this inscription provides unique palaeographic data for tracing the aesthetic development of early Arabic script and the social dissemination of literature beyond the royal court.
- The Inscription on the Love for Ali b. Abī Ṭālib: Found in the eastern desert region of Madinah, this dotless Kūfī inscription, whose author remains unknown, documents the early Muslim community's love for the Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt. However, as a matter of methodological caution, it is a requirement of scholarly integrity to attribute this inscription not directly to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), but to "the love felt for him."
An Epigraphic Response to Historical Revisionism
One of the most vital functions of Hijaz inscriptions in today's world is the palaeographic blow they deal to contemporary Orientalist revisionism, which attempts to deny the historical person of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) and the chronology of Islam's early period. These authenticated documents carved directly into rock during the first century of Islam by the Companions, the Tabi'un and their descendants, and containing the phrase "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" (Muhammadun Rasulullah) as well as formulas of tawhid and salawat, are, contrary to what is claimed, the petrified witnesses to the fact that revelation was experienced first-hand on the soil of the Hijaz.
Early Arabic Islamic inscriptions discovered in the Hijaz region reveal a direct and objective historical layer that transcends the boundaries of classical historiography and chains of transmission. Without competing with the absolute authority of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, these inscriptions add material evidence to the annals of history.
*The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of İdrakpost.
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