Bani Israel (The Israelites) as a Pre-Adam Human Race

Author: Mohammad Hasan Algarhy
Type: Original scholarly hypothesis
Status: Hypothesis supported by textual and linguistic evidence
Date: 2025

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1️⃣ Core Statement of the Hypothesis

In some Qur’anic contexts, the term Bani Israel does not refer to the descendants of Ya‘qub (Jacob) as in mainstream interpretation, but rather to a distinct human race predating Adam, referenced in the Qur’an as among those who corrupted and shed blood on Earth before Adam’s creation. This race, along with other pre-Adam human groups, survived until the time of Nuh (Noah) and was ultimately rendered extinct by the flood, leaving only the progeny of Adam.

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2️⃣ Primary Qur’anic Evidence

A. Multiple Origins – Maryam 58

• Lists prophets from:

  1. Dhurrīyat Ādam (Descendants of Adam)

  2. Mimman ḥamalnā ma‘a Nūḥ (Those carried with Noah)

  3. Dhurrīyat Ibrāhīm (Descendants of Ibrahim)

  4. Dhurrīyat Isrā’īl (Descendants of Israel)

• Observation: “Israel” is listed as a separate genealogical origin, not merged under Ibrahim, implying an independent ancestral line.

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B. Survival until Noah – Al-Isrā’ 2-3

• “Dhurrīyat man ḥamalnā ma‘a Nūḥ”

• Implies multiple human lineages aboard the Ark, not solely Adam’s descendants.

• Supports the idea that pre-Adam races (including Bani Israel) were contemporaneous with Adam’s line until the Flood.

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C. Extinction – As-Sāffāt 77

• “Wa-ja‘alnā dhurriyyatahu hum al-bāqīn”

• Refers to Noah: Only his progeny remained after the flood, indicating complete extinction of all other human lineages, including Bani Israel as a pre-Adam race.

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D. Pre-Creation Bloodshed – Al-Baqarah 30

• Angels’ reference to beings who “corrupt and shed blood” before Adam’s creation matches the hypothesis of advanced pre-Adam human races.

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E. Legislative Link – Al-Mā’idah 32

• The law “written for Bani Israel” after the story of Adam’s sons can be read as a historical reference to legislation originally given to a much earlier Bani Israel race, later applied to Adam’s line.

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3️⃣ Linguistic & Contextual Support

• No explicit Qur’anic verse equates “Israel” with Ya‘qub. This link is entirely from post-Qur’anic exegesis influenced by Biblical tradition.

• The Qur’an’s recurrent separation of “Bani Israel” and “Dhurrīyat Ibrahim” supports the interpretation that Israel is not a sub-branch of Ibrahim’s descendants.

• Historical practice of re-using ancient ethnonyms for later groups (preserving “heritage names” for political or cultural purposes).

• The Qur’an does not use the word "Bano" or "Bani" except with "Bani Adam" and "Bani Israel", indicating that they are two distinct human races. 

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4️⃣ Historical Logic

• Ancient human populations often transmitted names and identities across unrelated groups for prestige.

• A later post-Flood community (Moses’s people) adopting the name “Bani Israel” could be to invoke the heritage or symbolic weight of the extinct pre-Adam race.

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5️⃣ Distinction Between Hypothesis & Mainstream View

• Mainstream: Israel = Ya‘qub, Bani Israel = his descendants.

• Hypothesis: Bani Israel = pre-Adam race, extinct post-Flood; name reused for later group in Moses’s era.

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6️⃣ Scholarly Framing for Preservation

• This is presented as a hypothesis, not absolute doctrine.

• Supported by direct Qur’anic text analysis and historical-linguistic reasoning.

• Encourages comparative study with anthropology, human evolution, and Semitic philology.

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7️⃣ Reference Tag

This hypothesis was first proposed by Mohammad Hasan Algarhy (2025) as part of his independent Qur’anic and historical research.