The Islamic Whale: Difference between revisions
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==Al-Kafi (Shia hadith)== | ==Al-Kafi (Shia hadith)== | ||
We can also read about the Islamic whale from the Shia hadiths. This narration explains the connection between the whale and earthquakes: | We can also read about the Islamic whale from the Shia hadiths. This narration explains the connection between the whale and earthquakes: | ||
{{Quote|Al-Kafi, vol. 8, part 6, <ref>Page 45. [https://shiapdfresources.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/alkafi_vol8_part-6.pdf]. Archived at [http://web.archive.org/web/20161227191002/https://shiapdfresources.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/alkafi_vol8_part-6.pdf].</ref>|H 14813 – From him, from Salih, from one of his companions, from Abdul Samad Bin Basheer, who has reported the following: Abu Abdullah (asws) has said that: ‘'''The whale which is carrying the earth''' secretly said to itself that it is carrying the earth by its own strength. So Allah (azwj) the High Sent to it a fish smaller than a palm’s length, and larger than a finger. So it entered in its gills and shocked it. It remained like that for forty days. Then Allah (azwj) Raised it and was Merciful to it, and Took it out. So whenever Allah (azwj) Intends the earth to be in a quake, He (azwj) Sends that (small) fish to that (big) fish. So when it sees it, it becomes restless, so the earth gets engulfed by the earthquake’. }} | {{Quote|Al-Kafi, vol. 8, part 6, <ref>Page 45. [https://shiapdfresources.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/alkafi_vol8_part-6.pdf Kitab al-Kafi]. Archived at [http://web.archive.org/web/20161227191002/https://shiapdfresources.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/alkafi_vol8_part-6.pdf].</ref>|H 14813 – From him, from Salih, from one of his companions, from Abdul Samad Bin Basheer, who has reported the following: Abu Abdullah (asws) has said that: ‘'''The whale which is carrying the earth''' secretly said to itself that it is carrying the earth by its own strength. So Allah (azwj) the High Sent to it a fish smaller than a palm’s length, and larger than a finger. So it entered in its gills and shocked it. It remained like that for forty days. Then Allah (azwj) Raised it and was Merciful to it, and Took it out. So whenever Allah (azwj) Intends the earth to be in a quake, He (azwj) Sends that (small) fish to that (big) fish. So when it sees it, it becomes restless, so the earth gets engulfed by the earthquake’. }} | ||
==Evidence== | ==Evidence== | ||
Revision as of 19:27, 27 December 2016
The Islamic whale (in Arabic الحوت الإسلامية, al-hoot al-islamiyya), is a big whale, that supposedly carries the Earth on it's back. It is also called Nun (نون), which is the name of the Arabic letter ن. The name of the whale is also said to be Liwash or Lutiaya[1]. This article analyzes the sources of this Islamic whale hypothesis.
Nun in the Qur'an
Nun is mentioned in the verse 68:1. The most respected scholars of Islam (Ibn Kathir, At-Tabari..) agree that Nun refers to the whale, which carries the Earth on its back:
Word-by-word translation:
- نٓ - noon - the name of the whale
- وَٱلْقَلَمِ - wal-qalam - by the pen (wa- prefix means "and" or "by")
- وَمَا - wa-ma - and what
- يَسْطُرُونَ - yasturoona - they write
There is not much information in the Qur'an, but as we'll see, it is necessary to understand the existence of the Islamic whale for understanding other verses of the Qur'an (for example, about mountains being like pegs).
There is also a verse, where Jonah is called "man of the Nun", because he was eaten by a whale[2]:
Nun refers to a whale (الحوت, al-hoot), according to Al-Jalalayn. [3].
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
First, we will quote the whole commentary on the verse 68:1 from the English abridged version of the tafsir Ibn Kathir:
There is nothing, because the translators decided not to translate what he wrote about this verse, although in the Arabic original, Ibn Kathir writes a lot about it.
This is the definition of ن (Nun) in the Arabic tafsir:
- نۤ - noon - Nun
- حوت - hoot - whale
- عظيم - 'azeem - big
Nun is a big whale.
Hadith from Ibn Abbas, the turjuman al-Qur'an
The Tafsir Ibn Kathir quotes At-Tabari, who quotes Ibn Abbas, who gave us some details about how the whale was created:
Ibn Abbas (ابن عباس) said: The first thing Allah created (خلق) was the pen (القلم). He ordered it to write. It said: What shall I write? He said: Write the fate (القدر). So it wrote what will happen from that day (اليوم) until the Day of judgement, then he created the Nun (النون, al-noon), then he raised the water and created the heavens with it and laid the earth (الأرض) on (على) the back (ظهر) of the Nun, the Nun moved and so did the earth, so it was fixed down with mountains (بالجبال).
The hadith (narration) by Ibn Abbas (collected by At-Tabari) is considered صحيح (sahih)[6], that means authentic. All Muslims should believe in sahih hadiths. And they should especially believe in hadiths where Ibn Abbas explains Qur'anic verses, because Muhammad made du'a for Ibn Abbas, so that Allah teaches him the interpretation of the Qur'an. Ibn Abbas was also called turjuman ul-Qur'an, because he had deep knowledge about the interpretation (tarjama) of the revelations.
His narration also explains why mountains are described as pegs in the Qur'an. It is because otherwise the earth would move on the back of the whale [7]:
It also explains why Allah's throne is "on water" (because Allah created the heavens out of water):
Tafsir At-Tabari
The most respected sunni tafsir is probably that of At-Tabari. Unfortunately, it was not translated into English yet. Here is just his interpretation of the Nun in the verse 68:1.
هو الحوت الذي عليه الأرَضُون
It is (هو) a whale (الحوت), which (الذي) on it (عليه) the Earths (الأرَضُون).
In Islam there are seven flat Earths, just like there are seven heavens:
They are placed on the whale like pancakes.
ِTafsir Al-Qurtubi
Another very respected tafsir of Al-Qurtubi is of the same opinion. The whale is under the 7th (lowest) Earth:
نۤ> الحوت الذي تحت الأرض السابعة>
<Nun> - the whale (الحوت), which is (الذي) under (تحت) the Earth (الأرض) seventh (السابعة).
Al-Kafi (Shia hadith)
We can also read about the Islamic whale from the Shia hadiths. This narration explains the connection between the whale and earthquakes:
Evidence
There is no scientific evidence suggesting that there is a big whale carrying the Earth on its back. We know today because of overwhelming evidence that that the earth is round, or specifically oblate spheroid (there are no seven flat earths stacked one below the other). We also know that the earth is floating in space and is held in its orbit because of the gravitational force of the sun. There are no gigantic animals holding the earth as the tafsirs and hadith claim.
Conclusion
- Nun definitely means "whale", because Jonah (who was eaten by a whale) was called "man of the Nun".
- The turjuman al-Qur'an Ibn Abbas, along with the most respected Islamic scholars, both sunni and shia, agree that Nun in the verse 68:1 refers to the whale which carries the Earth on its back.
- The Earth is attached to the whale with mountains. So the mountains function as pegs.
- So the Islamic whale also helps to explain the verse 78:7 about mountains being "pegs".
See Also
References
- ↑ Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs: "And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah's saying (Nun): '(Nun) He says: Allah swears by the Nun, which is the whale that carries the earths on its back while in Water, and beneath which is the Bull and under the Bull is the Rock and under the Rock is the Dust and none knows what is under the Dust save Allah. The name of the whale is Liwash, and it is said its name is Lutiaya'; the name of the bull is Bahamut, and some say its name is Talhut or Liyona. The whale is in a sea called 'Adwad, and it is like a small bull in a huge sea. The sea is in a hollowed rock whereby there is 4,000 cracks, and from each crack water springs out to the earth. It is also said that Nun is one of the names of the Lord; it stands for the letter Nun in Allah's name al-Rahman (the Beneficent); and it is also said that a Nun is an inkwell. (By the pen) Allah swore by the pen. This pen is made of light and its height is equal to the distance between Heaven and earth. It is with this pen that the Wise Remembrance, i.e. the Guarded Tablet, was written. It is also said that the pen is one of the angels by whom Allah has sworn, (and that which they write (therewith)) and Allah also swore by what the angels write down of the works of the children of Adam" http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2
- ↑ http://biblehub.com/library/marshall/the_wonder_book_of_bible_stories/the_story_of_jonah_and.htm
- ↑ Al-Jalalayn on 21:87
- ذَا ٱلنُّونِ } صاحب الحوت}
- {Man of the fish} companion of the whale (الحوت, al-hoot)
- ↑ altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1
- ↑ altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1
- ↑ http://hdith.com/?s=%D8%AB%D9%85+%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%82+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86+%D9%81%D9%88%D9%82+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%8C+%D8%AB%D9%85+%D9%83%D8%A8%D8%B3+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%B6+%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87
- ↑ That is also supported by the tafsir Al-Jalalayn on the verse 78:7 "and the mountains pegs? with which the earth is tied down like tents are tied down with pegs the interrogative is meant as an affirmative." http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=78&tAyahNo=7&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2
- ↑ http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=1&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1
- ↑ http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=5&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1
- ↑ Page 45. Kitab al-Kafi. Archived at [1].