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Geocentrism and the Quran: Difference between revisions
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Geocentrism is the notion that the Earth is the (immovable) center of our universe, thus all celestial bodies move around it. The ancient Greeks and the Europeans of the middle ages thought that the celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the 5 known planets) all moved in celestial spheres around a spherical Earth. This was the theory of Ptolemy (d. 170 CE), who was followed by [[Islamic_Views_on_the_Shape_of_the_Earth#Greek_and_Indian_astronomical_knowledge|Muslim astronomers from the 8th century CE]], though Islamic texts expressing doubts about his ideas started to appear regularly from the 10th century.<ref>{{citation|last=Hoskin|first=Michael|title=The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-521-57600-0|date=25 April 2021|page=60}}</ref> Aside from notable exceptions such as [[W:Heliocentrism#Aristarchus_of_Samos|Aristarchus of Samos]], heliocentrism was only advocated by occasional figures with small followings and widely rejected before the work of Copernicus. | Geocentrism is the notion that the Earth is the (immovable) center of our universe, thus all celestial bodies move around it. The ancient Greeks and the Europeans of the middle ages thought that the celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the 5 known planets) all moved in celestial spheres around a spherical Earth. This was the theory of Ptolemy (d. 170 CE), who was followed by [[Islamic_Views_on_the_Shape_of_the_Earth#Greek_and_Indian_astronomical_knowledge|Muslim astronomers from the 8th century CE]], though Islamic texts expressing doubts about his ideas started to appear regularly from the 10th century.<ref>{{citation|last=Hoskin|first=Michael|title=The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-521-57600-0|date=25 April 2021|page=60}}</ref> Aside from notable exceptions such as [[W:Heliocentrism#Aristarchus_of_Samos|Aristarchus of Samos]], heliocentrism was only advocated by occasional figures with small followings and widely rejected before the work of Copernicus. | ||
Geocentrism is not to be confused with the idea that the [[ | Geocentrism is not to be confused with the idea that the [[Islamic_Views_on_the_Shape_of_the_Earth|Earth is flat]]. However, while those who believe in geocentrism do not always hold the Earth to be flat, those who hold the Earth to be flat almost invariably believe in geocentrism. | ||
The Qur'an says that both the sun and the moon swim or float in a circituous path, celestial sphere or, more likely, a hemisphere (a 'falak' in the Arabic<ref name="LanesLexiconFalak" />). It seems that Allah brings the sun from the east, it goes high above the Earth, and after sunset it goes to a resting place. All this took place around an Earth that was spread out and had a firmament of seven heavens built without pillars that can be seen above it. | The Qur'an says that both the sun and the moon swim or float in a circituous path, celestial sphere or, more likely, a hemisphere (a 'falak' in the Arabic<ref name="LanesLexiconFalak" />). It seems that Allah brings the sun from the east, it goes high above the Earth, and after sunset it goes to a resting place. All this took place around an Earth that was spread out and had a firmament of seven heavens built without pillars that can be seen above it. | ||