The Islamic Whale: Difference between revisions
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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). | 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). | ||
== | ==Nun in the 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: | First, we will quote the whole commentary on the verse 68:1 from the English abridged version of the tafsir Ibn Kathir: | ||
{{Quote|Ibn Kathir, English abridged version, on the verse 68:1|}} | {{Quote|Ibn Kathir, English abridged version, on the verse 68:1|}} | ||
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'''Nun is a big whale.''' | '''Nun is a big whale.''' | ||
}} | }} | ||
==Ibn Abbas, the turjuman al-Qur'an== | |||
Ibn Abbas gives us some details about how the whale was created: | Ibn Abbas gives us some details about how the whale was created: | ||
{{Quote|Ibn Kathir tafsir on 68:1 <ref>altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1</ref>|ابن عباس قال: أول ما خلق الله القلم قال: اكتب، قال: وماذا أكتب؟ قال: اكتب القدر، فجرى بما يكون من ذلك اليوم إلى قيام الساعة، ثم خلق النون، ورفع بخار الماء، ففتقت منه السماء، وبسطت الأرض على ظهر النون، فاضطرب النون، فمادت الأرض، فأثبتت بالجبال؛ | {{Quote|Ibn Kathir tafsir on 68:1 <ref>altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=68&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1</ref>|ابن عباس قال: أول ما خلق الله القلم قال: اكتب، قال: وماذا أكتب؟ قال: اكتب القدر، فجرى بما يكون من ذلك اليوم إلى قيام الساعة، ثم خلق النون، ورفع بخار الماء، ففتقت منه السماء، وبسطت الأرض على ظهر النون، فاضطرب النون، فمادت الأرض، فأثبتت بالجبال؛ | ||
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{{Quote|{{Quran|11|7}}|And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and '''His Throne had been upon water'''}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|11|7}}|And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and '''His Throne had been upon water'''}} | ||
==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</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</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’. }} | ||
Revision as of 16:22, 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. The whale is called Nun (نون, noon), which is also the name of the Arabic letter ن. This article analyzes the details of this Islamic whale hypothesis.
Nun in the Qur'an
We don't get much detail about the whale from the Qur'an. She is only mentioned in this verse:
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
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).
Nun in the 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 anything he wrote about this verse.
In the Arabic original, Ibn Kathir writes a lot about this verse.
This is the definition of ن:
- نۤ - noon - Nun
- حوت - hoot - whale
- عظيم - 'azeem - big
Nun is a big whale.
Ibn Abbas, the turjuman al-Qur'an
Ibn Abbas gives 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)[2], 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 (pbuh) 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:
It also explains why Allah's throne is "on water" (because Allah created the heavens out of water):
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:
At-Tabari
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Page 45. https://shiapdfresources.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/alkafi_vol8_part-6.pdf