“Dirham” in the time of Joseph?

“Dirham” in the time of Joseph?

12:20 And they sold him for a very low price, a few dirhams (darahima), and they were, about him, of those keen to give up.

(During the pre-Islamic era two weights, dinar and dirham, were used to weigh gold and silver respectively. These names were also used for gold and silver coins)(So, if coins did not exist in the time of Joseph, but it was bullion (aka gold or silver in the form of bars, measured by weight), it agrees with the Qur’an, because dirham was bullion as well, regardless of the currency with the same name, which came later. According to the article “Dirham” in wikipedia, “the dirham was a unit of weight used across North Africa, the Middle East, and Persia”. Bullions had standardized weights, likewise, dirhams had a specific weight, this enabled them to be counted, so this justifies the word “few” in Verse 12:20)(In regard to why bullion is called “dirham”, instead of “Shekels”(which was used at the time of Joseph, according to the Bible), is because by using “dirham”, you are saying “weight/pieces of silver” in Arabic, which has the same meaning than “Shekels” (weight). The Qur’an is in Arabic language (12:2), that’s the language of the Prophet’s people (Arabs). Verse 14:4 says, “We did not sent any Messenger except in the language of his people”. There is a word similar to “shekel” in Arabic, meaning “weight, burden, etc.”, but it is never used in this context)(The Bible mentions the number of twenty, while “twenty” is not said in the Qur’an, but “few”, which can denote that it is intended not to mention “Shekels”, but to mention an equivalent word in the language of the Arabs. And the use of the word “dirham” represents “weight/pieces of silver” in general, regardless of the currency with the same name (which came later), but some people translate it as “few silver coins”, nevertheless, the root of “darahima” (dirhams) is “Dal-Ra-ha-Miim” and it means “drachma; a weight; money, cash”, so it also means “weight”, and there is no error in the Qur’an)(According to Jeffery “the ultimate origin of the word dirham is from the Greek drakhmé” which “was a weight and finally a coin”. So, this also confirms that the word dirham refers to weight, due to its origin)(Allah knows best)

18:19 And similarly, We raised them that they might question among them. Said a speaker among them, "How long have you remained?" They said, "We have remained a day or a part of a day." They said, "Your Lord knows best how long you have remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours (biwariqikum) to the city, and let him see which food is purest, and let him bring to you provision from it, and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware about you."

(This Verse confirms the distinction between weight/piece and “money/coin”. The word for money/coins is “wariqi” in the Qur’an (18:19), because its root is “Waw-Ra-Qaf”, and it means “to put forth leaves; waraqa – leaf; sheet of paper, thin metal plate, leaf of sheet metal, etc”, so it suggests “coins”. According to the article “Seven Sleepers” in wikipedia, the story in Verse 18:19 refers to the time of Emperor Decius. There are silver coins with Decius’s face in them. So, the word “silver coin” used in Verse 18:19 is also correct)(In other words, if Verse 12:20 was to imply “coins”, it would have used the root “Waw-Ra-Qaf”, which is a coin, according to its root. On the other hand, “dirham” is a weight, according to its root. So, whether people use the same word (dirham) as if it were a coin or not - it is irrelevant, because what matters is the root of a word. So, the Qur’an is correct)(Allah knows best)

12:2 Indeed, We have sent it down as a Qur’an in Arabic so that you may understand.

16:103 And We certainly know that they say, "It is only a human being who teaches him." (The) tongue of the one they refer to is foreign while this is in a clear Arabic language.

14:4 And We did not sent any Messenger except in the language of his people so that he might make clear for them. Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

7:57 And He is the One Who sends the winds (as) glad tidings before His Mercy, until, when they have carried heavy (thiqalan) clouds, We drive them to a dead land then We send down water therein then We bring forth from it all (kinds) of fruits. Thus We will bring forth the dead so that you may take heed.

(The Arabic triliteral root “Tha-Qaf-Lam” (heavy, weighty, weight, burden, etc.), is also the root for the Hebrew word “sheqel”, and occurs 28 times in the Qur’an, and is not used in the context of trading in any Verse, so it confirms that the purpose of the revelation is to say an equivalent word, used in the language of the Prophet’s people (Arabs)(14:4))(Allah knows best)

(Other sources: the article “a brief history of money in Islam and estimating the value of Dirham and Dinar” in “researchgate(dot)net”; the article “dirham” in “islamic-awareness(dot)org”; the article “Greek drachma” in wikipedia)(Allah knows best)

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (5) (History)

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/response-to-jay-smith-can-god-have-son.html

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (0) (Index)

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/04/is-quran-scientifically-correct-2.html

See also: Root Dictionary of the Holy Qur’an (Index)

http://qdvbp.blogspot.com/2018/10/index-root-dictionary-of-holy-quran.html