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Shooting Stars in the Quran: Difference between revisions
→Ancient beliefs around stars and meteors pre-Islam: Have added another Quran verse that traditional accounts have written exegesis (in the form of the book of circumstances of revelation) confusing the piercing/illuminating star with a meteor - and linked/cited the sources.
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(→The Hadith: Added another relevant hadith to this page) |
(→Ancient beliefs around stars and meteors pre-Islam: Have added another Quran verse that traditional accounts have written exegesis (in the form of the book of circumstances of revelation) confusing the piercing/illuminating star with a meteor - and linked/cited the sources.) |
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And [https://quran.com/21?startingVerse=32 Quran 21:32], which many classical commentators have associated with protection against devils: | And [https://quran.com/21?startingVerse=32 Quran 21:32], which many classical commentators have associated with protection against devils: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|21|32}}|And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|21|32}}|And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.}}Also separately to stars and flames being used as a protection, we see in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-Tariq Surah At Tariq]: (known as 'the morning star' or 'the nightcomer' - الطارق), in verse 3, using the term (najm/نجم), which means star,<ref>[https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000282.pdf نجم ''(najm) pp 3028''] - Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary.</ref> for piercing star. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|86|1-4}}|By the sky and the night comer - And what can make you know what is the night comer? <b>It is the piercing star (najm)</b> - There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.}} | |||
In al-Wahidi's (d. 468AD / 1075CE) famous ''Asbab Al-Nuzul'' (''circumstances of revelation'' - a book/exegesis covering the context each Quranic verse was revealed in), which is the earliest surviving book dealing solely with this subject matter,<ref>''Asbāb al-Nuzūl'' ''By: Alī ibn Ahmad al-Wāhidī'' Translated By: Mokrane Guezzou Edited and with a brief Introduction by Yousef Meri. [https://www.altafsir.com/Books/Asbab%20Al-Nuzul%20by%20Al-Wahidi.pdf ''Introduction: pp iv.''] | |||
''They also note here that some scholars such as Andrew Rippin doubt the existence of earlier 'circumstances of revelation' works mentioned which do not survive - though the translators disagree this is sufficient evidence to reject their existence.''</ref> though takes from many earlier Islamic sources. The circumstances of these few verses are recorded as when Abu Talib (the prophets uncle) saw a shooting star/meteor, with Muhammad/God seemingly confusing the two in this story. | |||
{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Wahidi/86.1 Wahidi - Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi on verse 86:1-3]|(By the heaven and the Morning Star; ah, what will tell thee what the Morning Star is! The piercing Star!) [86:1-3]. This was revealed about Abu Talib. He once went to visit the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and the latter offered him bread and milk. As Abu Talib was sitting and eating, a meteor fell, filling everything with fire. Abu Talib was scared. He asked: “What on earth can this be?” The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “This is a meteor that was thrown and it is one of the signs of Allah”. Abu Talib was amazed, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed these verses.}} | |||
Though other exegesis admittedly have assign this specific verse (Q86:3) different meanings, such as Ibn Kathir listing two opinions; with Qatadah and 'others' saying it's an illuminating star that only appears during the night (hence is called Tariq in verse Q86:1&2 - named after a visitor unexpectedly turning up at night), and Ibn Abbas (the prophets cousin) saying 'It is illuminating and it burns the Shaytan', perhaps still a confusion of the two phenomena.<ref>''[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/86.1 Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Verse 86:1].'' Ibn Kathir d 1373</ref> Other name it as the constellation Pleiades<ref>''[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/86.3 Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on Verse 86.3]''. Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli (d. 864 ah / 1459 ce) and his pupil Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 ah / 1505 ce).</ref>, and others Saturn.<ref>''[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Abbas/86.3 Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on verse 86.3.]'' | |||
''The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanwir_al-Miqbas tafsir is attributed to the prophets cousin Ibn Abbas] - however at least a large part of it (if not all) is considered to be a forgery by an unknown medieval scholar.'' </ref> | |||
=== The Hadith === | === The Hadith === | ||
A hadith collected in Sahih Muslim and Sunan al Tirmidhi confirms that the 'pursuant flames / missiles' in the two verses refer to visible meteors which they saw shooting across the sky. | A hadith collected in Sahih Muslim and Sunan al Tirmidhi confirms that the 'pursuant flames / missiles' in the two verses refer to visible meteors which they saw shooting across the sky. | ||