No Man is an Island.. with that in mind, it is a well known fact that when a person reads(with understanding of course!) the Quran, they will have some preconceive idea about what the book its all about, where it originate, to whom it is sent to, what language it is written in and a rough idea when it is written.
However, looking for the provenance of the Quran without any preconception is a different ball-game. If one approaches the Quran without any preconception based on subsequent traditions that follows, one might find that it contains very few clues to help anchor the provenance of the revelation with accuracy.
The reason, in my opinion is that, the Quran is not revealed as a history book. However it is a book, without a doubt, guidance for the God-fearing (2:2), a healing for what in the heart(10:57), and a reminder where humans will be asked upon(by God in the hereafter)(43:44).
The fact that the revelation is in Arabic suggest that they originated somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. We also have reference to camels(7:40), Bedouin(9:90), sand dunes(46:21), desert storms, date-palms(16:67), as well as deities worshiped by the pagan Arabs(53:19-20), seems to bear this out.
A handful of places such as Yatrib(33:13), Becca(3:96), Mecca (48:24),Sacret Valley of Thuwa(79:16) ‘Arafat(2:198), Badr (3:123), Hunain(9:25) and Al-Hijr(15:80) are mentioned by name, without the indication of the precise location. One might add al-Madinah(9:101,9:12, etc) and Umm al-Qura(6:92, 42:7) which means ‘the City ‘ and ‘the Mother of Towns’ respectively. This gives and impression that the name of places is already known by the audience of the Quran.
There two reference to ‘the Kabah’ (5:95 and 5:97) which is also called the Sacred House (5:2, 5:97) and also Ancient House (22:29,22:33). It seems to be identical with ‘the house’ build by Abraham which is in the vicinity of ‘Safa and Marwah’(2:125-128, 2:158). This ‘house’ is definitely near to ‘the inviolable place of worship’(Masjidil Haram), however it is not clear whether the ‘house’ is inside ‘the inviolable place of worship’( 5:2,22:25-26). The idea that ‘the inviolable place of worship’ is in a different but near location to the ‘house’ is that ‘the inviolable place of worship’ is off-limits to the idolaters(9:28) but the audience for the Hajj rites are humankind(22:27) and these rites involves circle around(tawaf) the ‘Ancient House’(22:29) and also it is an obligation for the humans(not only believers) to perform Hajj at the ‘House’(3:97).
The Quran also try to relate stories of some communities in the past as a lesson for the people of intelligence(12:111). Some communities are mentioned more than others. The most often communities are people of Noah, Aad(Hood’s people), Thamud(Saleh’s people), people of Abraham, people of Lot, people of Median(Shu’ayb’s people) and also People of Moses(listed in 22:42-44), and yes they sound familiar for Bible readers as they are Biblical.
Names of people who are alive at the time of revelation are even rarer than names of people from the earlier period. The Quraysh – who are bidden to worship the Lord of the house (106:1-3) is mentioned once. So to Abu Lahab (111:1) about whom we can deduce very little apart from his wealth, his marriage status and being destined to hell fire. Zayd(33:37), who was apparently the adopted son of the messenger who received the revelations.
It is reasonable inference that the messenger was non other than Muhammad. Curiously, however this name occur only four times (3:144, 33:40,47:2,48:29) and it is never used when the word messenger is addressed. There is a good deal of information about the messenger and the opposition that he met, but none of it is very specific. We may glean that he was an orphan (93:6), who had originally been poor (93:8), that he began to receive revelations relatively late in life (10:16), was expelled from his own town(47:13), emigrated and married several women (33:50) but remained without male heir (33:40)
It is an interesting find when search within the Quran on the location of the messenger. The location of the messenger from the Quran ties closely with the stories of Abraham and Lot and the location of the House. Abraham was first to shown the location of the House (22:26). The first House that is build is on a blessed land which is also called Becca(3:96). Abraham and Ishmael was the one who raised up the foundation of the House(2:127), and the House is identified as the location for Hajj(2:158). Abraham left part of his progeny at an uncultivated valley near the sacred House(14:37)
It is known that Lot lives at the same time as Abraham, he believes in what Abraham brought, and emigrate to his Lord, the Noble, the Wise(29:26). Lot was identified as one of Abraham’s progeny (6:83-86), although it is known by Christians and Jewish(and Islamic tradition too!) believes that Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Lot’s settles around a community that turns wicked(29:28-30). Then few messengers(angels) are sent to Lot to warn him but his wife on a catastrophe that will the next morning and he will need to travel away by night(11:81) . Hence when morning comes, Lot’s people are destroyed, the town was turned upside down and was rained with stones of baked clay(15:71-74). Lot’s town location is described to be near upon a road which is still exist (15:75) and the town was left partially standing as a sign(29:35, 51:37).
The messenger seems to walk through the Lot’s town ruins day and night(37:133-138). The only way to pass by the ruins of a people during the day and the night is if you were living in the very same place or extremely nearby. This evidence confirms that the messenger and his companions, during the revelation of the verses, were indeed located at the ancient town of Lot.
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