The Qur’an and Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger

This argument draws a connection between a number of Qur’anic texts and historical testimonies associated with volcanoes, especially what Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger recorded about the catastrophe of Pompeii. It begins from the observation that the Qur’an places Elias and Lot together within a single context in Surah al-Saffat, which is understood here as indicating a special link between the two narratives, one connected to volcanic punishment.

God says in Surah al-Saffat:

“And indeed, Elias was among the messengers, when he said to his people: Will you not fear God? Do you call upon Baal and leave the Best of creators, God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers of old? But they denied him, so they will surely be brought forth, except the sincere servants of God. And We left for him among later generations: Peace be upon Il-Yasin. Thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was one of Our faithful servants. And indeed, Lot was among the messengers, when We saved him and all his family, except an old woman among those who remained behind. Then We destroyed the others. And indeed, you pass by them in the morning, and at night. Will you not then understand?”

From this juxtaposition of Elias and Lot, it is understood that there is a connection between the fate of the two peoples, and that the punishment that befell them may be read as volcanic punishment. From here comes the link between Lot, in the Roman conception, and the figure of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and volcanoes. On this basis, it is also proposed that the word Il in the Qur’an carries the meaning of household or family, and that the phrase Il-Yasin may be understood in this context as a reference to a house or a family, rather than merely a singular name in the conventional reading.

In this interpretation, the location of the people of Lot is also linked to the area northwest of Medina in the Arabian Peninsula, rather than to the location commonly accepted in later geographical readings.

The Qur’an and the Volcano of Pompeii

In this context, the text of Surah Ya-Sin is also invoked, especially the story of the people of the town, in order to understand the scene of punishment as one connected to a city suddenly struck by destruction, with the presence of a man who came from the farthest part of the city calling his people to follow the messengers.

God says:

“And present to them the example of the people of the town, when the messengers came to it. When We sent to them two, but they denied them, so We strengthened them with a third, and they said: Indeed, we are messengers to you. They said: You are nothing but human beings like us, and the Most Merciful has not sent down anything; you are only lying. They said: Our Lord knows that we have indeed been sent to you, and upon us is nothing except clear delivery of the message. They said: Indeed, we regard you as a bad omen. If you do not desist, we will surely stone you, and a painful punishment from us will touch you.”

Then He says:

“And there came from the farthest part of the city a man running. He said: O my people, follow the messengers. Follow those who ask of you no reward, and they are rightly guided. And why should I not worship the One who created me, and to whom you will be returned? Shall I take besides Him other gods? If the Most Merciful intends me harm, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me. Indeed, then I would be in clear error. Indeed, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me. It was said: Enter Paradise. He said: Would that my people knew how my Lord has forgiven me and made me among the honored. And We did not send down upon his people after him any hosts from heaven, nor was it for Us to send them down. It was but one cry, and behold, they were extinguished.”

In this reading, it is suggested that the man who came from the farthest part of the city may be linked to a philosopher or a corresponding historical figure, such as Seneca / Elijah / Elias, and that the city that was struck by destruction may be understood in light of a volcanic catastrophe similar to what occurred at Pompeii. The Qur’anic expression of one cry and the complete extinction that followed opens the way for linking the text with a scene of sudden and widespread destruction.

The Old Testament and the Volcano of Pompeii

A text from the Old Testament, especially from the Book of Isaiah, is also brought into consideration here as a text describing vast cosmic ruin, a fire that consumes the earth, and cities turned into ruins. In this context, the idea is proposed that some of the places attributed in the Old Testament to Sodom and Gomorrah may later have been reused in describing a great volcanic catastrophe of the type represented by Pompeii.

According to this reading, Isaiah 24 contains a description of a land emptied of its inhabitants, its cities ruined, and seized by burning and violent upheaval, until it appears to stagger like a drunkard and collapse beneath the weight of its own guilt. This description is read here not merely as a symbolic scene, but perhaps as preserving the memory of a massive natural catastrophe associated in religious consciousness with the ruin of cities and the punishment of nations.

It is also striking in this context that the text moves from describing general devastation to references to the sea, the islands, and the ends of the earth, then to the shaking of the earth, the trembling of its foundations, and its breaking apart. These are images that this interpretation sees as consistent with scenes of volcanic eruption and destruction swallowing cities all at once.

Conclusion of the Idea

This connection is based on the idea that religious texts here are not read in isolation from natural history and geology, but rather in the light of major events that may have left their mark on religious and symbolic memory. Thus, the joining of Elias and Lot, the evocation of the people of the town in Surah Ya-Sin, and the connection of all this with what Pliny recorded about Pompeii, becomes an attempt at a new reading that sees in some texts of punishment references to volcanoes that destroyed cities and reshaped both religious and historical memory together.