Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One: Difference between revisions

The meaning of verses 18:86 and 18:90 in the Qur’an is a matter of considerable controversy. These verses occur within the [[Dhul-Qarnayn|Dhu’l Qarnayn]] episode in [[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Kahf (The Cave)|Surah al-Kahf]], or “The Cave”, verses 18:83-101. This passage says that Allah empowered a person called Dhu’l Qarnayn, “Possessor of the two horns”, and gave him means or ways to all things. It says he used these to go on three journeys to unusual places where people live, and finishes with him making a prophecy about the end-times. Verses 86 and 90 are so controversial due to Muslim sensitivity to claims that they have Allah saying that the sun sets and rises in physical locations, and in particular that the sun sets in a muddy spring.  

While many people have written about these verses to promote various interpretations, we have found that there are many new, important arguments, and much more evidence that can be used to shed light on this matter. This is particularly true concerning 18:90, which is relatively neglected in such writings.

We have done our best to present the strongest case for each of the many different interpretations of the controversial phrases, even giving new arguments that support them, before critically examining them and reaching conclusions.

{{Quote|[[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Kahf (The Cave)#18:83|Qur'an 18:83-101]]|83. They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain. Say, “I will rehearse to you something of his story.”<BR>84. Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends.<BR>85. One (such) way he followed,<BR>86. '''Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: “O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.”'''<BR>87. He said: “Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before).<BR>88. “But whoever believes, and works righteousness,- he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as We order it by our Command.”<BR>89. Then followed he (another) way,<BR>90. '''Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.'''<BR>91. (He left them) as they were: We completely understood what was before him.<BR>92. Then followed he (another) way,<BR>93. Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word.<BR>94. They said: “O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?<BR>95. He said: “(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than tribute): Help me therefore with strength (and labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them:<BR>96. “Bring me blocks of iron.” At length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain-sides, He said, “Blow (with your bellows)” Then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: “Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead.”<BR>97. Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.<BR>98. He said: “This is a mercy from my Lord: But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it into dust; and the promise of my Lord is true.”<BR>99. On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another: the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.<BR>100. And We shall present Hell that day for Unbelievers to see, all spread out,-<BR>101. (Unbelievers) whose eyes had been under a veil from remembrance of Me, and who had been unable even to hear.}}

First we will examine each of these interpretations in context to identify the true meaning of those words. Then in Part 2 we will look at what these two verses say happened when Dhu’l Qarnayn arrived and at broader questions concerning how this passage of the Qur’an was meant to be understood.

The ''fatha'', or “-a” suffix is added to maghrib and matliAA in 18:86 and 18:90 for the accusative grammatical case to indicate that they are the objects of the verb balagha, "he reached" (there is also a different interpretation that these are not the things reached, which we will examine in section 5). The definite article, “al” as in al maghrib, is missing but implied in these verses. That’s because in the genitive construction called ''’idāfa'' (indicating possession, as in the X of Y), the definite article is implied for the first word when it is used for the genitive word, which in this case is a'''l'''shshamsi, meaning “of the sun”.<ref>Mohtanick Jamil - [http://www.learnarabiconline.com/arabic-phrases.shtml Arabic Phrases] - LearnArabicOnline</ref>

First we shall present the case that maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi in 18:86 and matliAAa alshshamsi in 18:90 could be referring to the west and east such that Dhu’l Qarnayn reached the westernmost and easternmost parts of his travels in the direction of sunset and sunrise, but not literal setting and rising places of the sun.

Now we shall see that there are at least 4 serious problems with the claim that maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi in 18:86 means the west and matliAAa a'''l'''shshamsi in 18:90 means the east.

Lane’s Lexicon of classical Arabic, long regarded as authoritative and drawing on many classical Arabic dictionaries and sources, says that al maghrib can signify the west, and also the time of sunset, but originally signified the place (or point) of sunset, which it says is the meaning when a'''l'''shshamsi is added.<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf Volume 6/ 25] - StudyQuran.org</ref> Indeed, this is what these words are used to mean elsewhere outside the Qur'an where it clearly means a place where the sun is physically located, as we shall see in section 6.2. As we shall also see in section 6.5, such was a common belief at that time in that region where we find other versions of the same story.

It gets even worse when we look at 18:90. Al matliAA means “the rising place” or “the rising time” (of the sun) and is the first word in the phrase matliAAa alshshamsi in 18:90. MatliAA, with or without a'''l'''shshams, is not used to mean east anywhere else in the Qur’an, nor anywhere in the hadith.<ref name="hadith"></ref> The verb talaAAa (“it rises”), from which it is derived, is not used in this connection either.

If verse 18:90 was about the east, then al mashriq or al sharq would likely have been used, as is always the case elsewhere when the Qur’an mentions the east. Outside 18:86, every verse in the Qur’an that uses maghrib to mean west also uses mashriq to mean east. For aesthetic reasons, we would then also probably replace tatluAAu with tashruqu in 18:90 (both mean “it rising” and are forms of the verbs from which matliAA and mashriq are derived, respectively).  

Furthermore, Lane’s Lexicon does not give the slightest indication that matliAA, with or without a'''l'''shshamsi,<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000155.pdf Volume 5/ 155] - StudyQuran.org</ref> nor related words like talaAAa<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000152.pdf Volume 5/ 152] - StudyQuran.org</ref><ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000153.pdf Volume 5/ 153] - StudyQuran.org</ref><ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000154.pdf Volume 5/ 154] - StudyQuran.org</ref> can be used in an idiom meaning the east. The Lexicon is freely available online and links to cited pages are in the References below.  

{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|91}}|…The belief is that of the Yemenites, the sagacity is that of the Yemenites, the tranquillity is among the owners of goats and sheep, and pride and conceitedness is among the uncivil owners of the camels, the people of the tents in the direction of sunrise.<ref>For the Arabic, see: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=musl&rcd=92&bab=176&stype=hads&hadid=183 Hadith #70]</ref>}}

{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|92}}|The belief is that of the Yemenites, the sagacity is that of the Yemenites and the summit of unbelief is towards the East.<ref>For the Arabic, see: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=musl&rcd=92&bab=176&stype=hads&hadid=184 Hadith #71]</ref>}}

Finally, we turn to the commentators of the Qur’an. There were certainly classical commentators who claimed that the verses just mean that Dhu’l Qarnayn reached the west and east. However, as pointed out by S. Shamoun and J. Katz at Answering Islam,<ref name="Answering Islam">Sam Shamoun & Jochen Katz - [http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/sun_set.html Islam and the Setting of the Sun: Examining the traditional Muslim View of the Sun’s Orbit] - Answering Islam</ref> when we look at their reasoning, it is based not on narrated traditions or linguistic or contextual analysis, but rather on their knowledge that the obvious interpretation describes something that is impossible. We can look at the reasoning (which is highlighted in bold) of the commentators, who are frequently cited on this topic to deny the obvious interpretation and support the west / east idiom interpretation:

It can be viewed free online at [http://books.google.com/books?id=4nmjGztzfZwC&pg=PA50 http://books.google.com/books?id=4nmjGztzfZwC&pg=PA50]

We shall also see when we look at the 3^rd interpretation that contemporary Muslim and non-Muslim sources demonstrate that in the early Islamic era before the translation and study of Indian and Greek astronomy under the Abbasid Caliphate, there was a widespread popular belief in the region that the world is flat and that the sun had literal rising and setting places. So, the above commentators were forced by their beliefs to say what they said since they knew certain things about the world, even though their interpretations cannot be correct (this will become even more apparent in part II when we examine the wajada phrases). These are attempts to make the verses fit scientific knowledge acquired later, not evidence that the verses have those intended meanings or were originally understood in that way.

We should briefly discuss the passage relating to Dhu’l Qarnayn in [[Sirat Rasul Allah]] (''Life of the Messenger of God'') by Ibn Ishaq (died mid 8^th century CE and was the first biographer of Muhammad), which survives in a copied and edited version by Ibn Hisham (died 833 CE). It describes the story of Dhu’l Qarnayn in a passage about the occasion Sura al kahf was revealed. We are told that Muhammad’s enemies challenged him to tell them about “the mighty traveler who reached the confines of both East and West. ” literally, “the easts of the Earth and the wests of it”<ref>For an English translation read: Guillaume, A., The Life of Muhammad, p. 137 & p.139 London: Oxford University Press, 1955</ref> (…mashariqa alardi wamagharibaha…).<ref> For the Arabic, see s302: [http://sirah.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=204&TOCID=242&BookID=160&PID=331 here]</ref>

{{Quote||Roads were stretched out before him until he traversed the whole earth, east and west. He was given power over every land he trod on until he reached [the end of the east and the west, to] the farthest confines of creation.<ref>Guillaume op. cit. p.139. For the Arabic, see s307: [http://sirah.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=204&TOCID=242&BookID=160&PID=337 here]</ref>}}

Incidentally, at the beginning of the same work in a section about pre-Islamic traditions<ref>Guillaume op. cit. p.12</ref>, Ibn Ishaq quotes some lines of verse by a Yemeni king called Tubba’ who says that Dhu’l Qarnayn witnessed the sun setting in its resting place into a muddy pool. See section 6.5.1 below for a quote by al-Tabari of these same lines.

Given all of the problems detailed above (especially that a'''l'''shshamsi is never used when the meaning is merely east or west, that matliAA is never used in a phrase that means the east and the problem of what wajadaha refers to in the next phrases), it is clear that the west/east idiom interpretation of 18:86 and 18:90 cannot be correct.

{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|56|665}}|…bayna salati alAAasri ila maghribi a'''l'''shshamsi…<ref>For the Arabic, see #3272: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=2078&BookID=24&PID=3283 here]</ref><BR><BR>…between the ‘Asr prayer and sunset…}}

The other version of this hadith is {{Bukhari|6|61|539}}.<ref>For the Arabic, see #4754: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=bukh&rcd=7423&bab=7477&stype=hads&hadid=7479 here]</ref>

{{Quote|{{Muslim|41|7028}}|…hatta maghribi a'''l'''shshamsi…<ref>For the Arabic, see #5213: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=musl&rcd=6587&bab=6719&stype=hads&hadid=6720 here]</ref><BR><BR>…at the time of sunset…}}

 

There is nowhere in the Qur’an where matliAAa alshshamsi is used to mean the time of sunrise. It is not used with this meaning in the hadith.<ref name="hadith"></ref> There are many other weaknesses with this interpretation. We shall look at those that apply to it in general and then those specific to Dr Naik’s and Osama Abdallah’s interpretations.

Notice that in the above examples that hatta, “until”, is used without itha, “when”, and without balagha, “he/it reached”. There is no need for itha or balagha in verses 18:86 or 18:90 either if they mean that Dhu’l Qarnayn followed a way until the time of sunset/sunrise.

The next problem is that verses 18:86 and 18:90 seem to be explaining the reason why Dhu’l Qarnayn followed the ways mentioned in the previous verses. It could be argued that the purpose of each journey was to find a people, but the beginnings of each verse seem to suggest that the intention related to the sun and that this unexpectedly resulted in the discovery of some people. He would be traveling distances in order to reach the times of sunset and sunrise, which seems rather pointless. Similar points are made by P. Newton<ref name="P. Newton">P. Newton - [http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Newton/spring.html The Qur'an: Is It A Miracle?/ Zul-Qarnain and the Sun] - Answering Islam</ref> and Cornelius<ref>Cornelius - [http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/cornelius/sun_in_muddy_pool.html The Sun in the Muddy Pool and the Prophethood of Muhammad] - Answering Islam</ref> at [[Answering Islam]].

{{Quote|[[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Kahf (The Cave)#18:92|Qur'an 18:92-93]]|Thumma atbaAAa sababa'''n''' hatta itha balagha…<BR><BR>Then followed he (another) way, until when he reached…}}

In the Qur’an, there are three verses that mention the times when the sun rises and sets (and three more that just mention the time of sunrise – we shall look at those in a moment). The verbs gharaba, used in 18:86 in the form “taghrubu”, “it set”, and talaAAa, used in 18:90 in the form “tatluAAu”, “it rise” are used for this purpose in those three verses (in a noun form of the verbs in the latter two cases) along with a time adverb, “when”, or “before”.

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|18|17}}|Watara a'''l'''shshamsa itha talaAAat … waitha gharabat…<BR><BR>And you (might) have seen the sun when it rose … and when it set …}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|50|39}}|…wasabbih bihamdi rabbika qabla tulooAAi a'''l'''shshamsi waqabla alghuroob'''i'''<BR><BR>…and celebrate the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|20|130}}|…wasabbih bihamdi rabbika qabla tulooAAi a'''l'''shshamsi waqabla ghuroobiha…<BR><BR>…and celebrate (constantly) the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun, and before its setting;…}}

{{Quote|{{Muslim|4|1805}}|…hatta taghruba a'''l'''shshamsu … hatta tatluAAa a'''l'''shshamsu.<BR><BR>…till the sun sets … till the sun rises.<ref>For the Arabic, see #827: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=333&BookID=25&PID=1440 here]</ref>}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|15|73}}|aakhathathumu a'''l'''ssayhatu mushriqeen'''a'''<BR><BR>But the (mighty) Blast overtook them before morning [Pickthall and some others have “at sunrise” instead of “before morning”]}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|26|60}}|FaatbaAAoohum mushriqeen'''a'''<BR><BR>So they pursued them at sunrise.}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|38|18}}|…bi'''a'''lAAashiyyi wa'''a'''lishraq'''i'''<BR><BR>…at eventide and at break of day [Pickthall and some others have “sunrise” instead of “break of day”]}}

The setting time of the sun is a point that the sun (or time of day at a particular location) can appear to reach on the daily cycle at that location. Dhu’l Qarnayn, who is doing the reaching in 18:86 and 18:90, does not have a personal attribute that can be described in those terms. Balagha is not used in the Qur’an to describe the time that a person is experiencing in terms of the time when an external event occurs rather than a personal milestone. Perhaps the sun can be said to “balagha” its setting time (or to be precise, “balaghat” – this interpretation is examined further below), but it would be very strange to say that Dhu’l Qarnayn did so.

We can also look at two other types of example that someone might attempt to use (although we have not seen them used by anyone) to support the time interpretation.

There are some other verses (2:231-232; 2:234-235; 6:128; 7:135; 40:67; 65:2) where balagha is used to refer, in the word-for-word translation, to widows reaching “their term” (ajalahuna), “a prescribed term its end” (alkitabu ajalahu), we (i.e. evil doers) reaching “our term which you appointed for us” (ajalana allathee ajjalta lana), the people of Pharaoh reaching “a term” (ajalin), or the listener addressed by the Qur’an reaching “a term specified” (ajalan musamman). In these verses, ajala means a term or period of duration.<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000062.pdf Volume1/ 00000062] - StudyQuran.org</ref>

{{Quote|[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000287.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 1/ 62]|The reaching, attaining, arriving at, or coming to, the utmost point of that to which, or towards which, one tends or repairs or betakes himself, to which one directs his course, or which one seeks, pursues, endeavors to reach, desires, intends, or purposes; whether it be a place, or a time, or any affair or state or event that is meditated or intended or determined or appointed: and sometimes, the being at the point thereof: so says Abu-l-Kásim in the Mufradát.}}

So far as we have seen, supporters of the time interpretation cannot point to a classical commentator who took this interpretation for 18:86 or 18:90. We are asked to believe that nobody understood for centuries that these phrases, against strong evidence to the contrary, just meant that Dhu’l Qarnayn traveled until the times of sunset and sunrise or to unstated places at those times. It should come as no surprise by now that of the most popular Muslim translators of the Qur’an into English (A.Y. Ali, M. al-Hilali and M. Khan, M. Ali, M.H. Shakir, M. Asad, M. Pickthall and many others), none of them use the time interpretation.<ref name="IslamAwakened">[http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/ Master Ayat (Verse) Index] - IslamAwakened</ref> At most they use the non-committal phrase, “he reached the setting of the sun”.

{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|294}}|…tatluAAa a'''l'''shshamsu min maghribiha…<ref>For the Arabic, see #157: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=81&BookID=25&PID=297 here]</ref><BR><BR>…the sun rises from the place of its setting…}}

{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|296}}|…tulooAAu a'''l'''shshamsi min maghribiha…<ref>For the Arabic, see #158: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=81&BookID=25&PID=298 here]</ref><BR><BR>…the rising of the sun [from] its place of setting.}}

{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|297}}|…Do you know where the sun goes? […] Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out from its rising place […] Rise up and emerge out from the place of your setting, and it will rise from the place of its setting…<ref>For the Arabic, see #159: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=81&BookID=25&PID=299 here]</ref>}}

There is some inconsistency about the way the English translators of Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari translate maghribiha in other versions of the same hadith. See the footnotes for a discussion of this.<ref>It should be noted that while A. Siddiqui translates maghribiha in Sahih Muslim as “the place of its setting”, M. Khan translates maghribiha as “the west” in exactly the same Arabic phrases for the versions in Sahih Bukhari of the above quoted hadith. MatliAAiha does not appear in Sahih Bukhari so Khan did not have to translate that word. However, when M. Khan (this time with M. al-Hilali) later translated the Qur’an, maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi in 18:86 and matliAAa a'''l'''shshamsi in 18:90 are translated as “the setting place of the sun” and “the rising place of the sun”.<BR><BR>A. Siddiqui, whose translation of Sahih Muslim is used in the main text, also translates maghribiha as “the west” in the exact same Arabic phrases about the sun at the end of the world for seven other hadith in Sahih Muslim. These do not mention the rising place. He could not attempt to translate this as “the west” in the above quoted hadith because of the “your setting place” phrase and references nearby to the rising place using matliAAa, which as we saw earlier, never means east. The motivation for translating maghribiha as the west in the other hadith is probably to make it fit with Qur’an 2:258:<BR><BR>…‘But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the east: Do thou then cause him to rise from the west.’…<BR><BR>…fainna Allaha yatee bi'''al'''shshamsi mina almashriqi fati biha mina almaghribi… - Qur’an 2:258<BR><BR>Here, almaghribi does not have the -ha suffix, so indeed it can just mean the west. The -i suffix is there because a noun following a preposition (mina means “from”) takes the genitive case.<BR><BR>There is another obvious motivation for translating maghribiha as “the west” rather than “its setting place”. This way the phrase can be interpreted as a figure of speech (with a literal meaning that the Earth’s rotation will reverse), thus saving those important hadith (except when they clearly say “your setting place”) from conflict with scientific knowledge unknown to Muhammad. We saw how some commentators (and some translators) reinterpreted verse 18:86 for the same reason.<BR><BR>These are the four hadith where Khan translates maghribiha (“its setting place”) as “the west”. It is clear from the use of the 3rd person (and in other versions, 2nd person) possessive endings that a more specific translation, “its setting place” would have been justified.<BR><BR>{{Bukhari|4|54|421}} For the Arabic, see #2959: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=bukh&rcd=5006&bab=5019&stype=hads&hadid=5020 here], {{Bukhari|6|60|159}} For the Arabic, see #4271: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=bukh&rcd=6432&bab=6722&stype=hads&hadid=6723 here], {{Bukhari|6|60|160}} For the Arabic, see #4272: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=bukh&rcd=6432&bab=6722&stype=hads&hadid=6724 here], {{Bukhari|9|93|520}} For the Arabic, see #6996: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=bukh&rcd=10939&bab=11007&stype=hads&hadid=11014 here]</ref>

{{Quote||…qala bilalun ana fastaqbala matliAAa a'''l'''shshamsi…<ref>For the Arabic, see #624: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=358&BookID=27&PID=620 here]</ref><BR><BR>…Bilal said, “I will”. So he faced the rising-place of the sun…”<ref>Our translation since none is available online. This is also how fastaqbala (derived from qabala) is translated in hadith such as {{Muslim|7|2803}} (“facing qibla”, “fastaqbala alqiblata”). For the Arabic, see #2129: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=musl&rcd=2620&bab=2765&stype=hads&hadid=2766 here]</ref>}}

It describes how Bilal volunteered to stay up to make sure the dawn prayer was not missed. He faced the rising place of the sun, but it only awakened them when it hit their ears and is similar to {{Muslim|4|1448}}.<ref>For the Arabic, see #1089: [http://www.ekabakti.com/hadith.php?hds=musl&rcd=1113&bab=1459&stype=hads&hadid=1460 here]</ref>

Another example is found in a hadith in ''Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal'', which says that faith in Allah alone, then [[Terrorism|jihad]], then [[Hajj|hajj]] are as preferable to other work as the distance between the rising place of the sun to the setting place of it (“kama bayna matlaAAi a'''l'''shshamsi ila maghribiha”).<ref>For the Arabic, see #18531 [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=767&BookID=30&PID=18241 here]</ref>

{{Quote|[[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Kahf (The Cave)#18:60|Qur'an 18:60-61]]|…la abrahu hatta ablugha majmaAAa albahrayni […] Falamma balagha majmaAAa baynihima…<BR><BR>…I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas […] But when they reached the Junction…}}

{{Quote|[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000009.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume4/ 9]|A thing (S, M, Msb, K) of any kind (S, Msb, K) by means of which one attains, reaches or gains access to another thing}}

We now look at explicit statements in the hadith about the sun (regardless of whether or not these hadith authentically reflect Muhammad utterances, they do at least show some of the contemporary beliefs of the early Muslims, which help us judge the likelihood that Muhammad could have believed and intended a literal interpretation of 18:86 and 18:90). Afterwards we shall look at some early commentaries, pre-Islamic poetry and a highly significant contemporary legend.

 

{{Quote||Abu Dharr said: I was sitting behind the Apostle of Allah who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked: Do you know where this sets? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He said: It sets in a spring of warm water.<ref>Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira’at [Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur’an], Chapter 1498, p. 1120 in Prof. Ahmad Hasan (trans.), Sunan Abu Dawud – English Translation With Explanatory Notes, Volume III. Chapters 1338-1890, XXV, hadith 3991, Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1984 quoted in [http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/mhmd_on_sunset.html Muhammad and the Sun’s Setting Place] - Sam Shamoun, Answering Islam</ref> [The references section includes a link to the Arabic<ref>For the Arabic, see #4002 [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=1520&BookID=28&PID=3490 here] and for the Arabic, English, and grading by al-Albani, see [http://sunnah.com/abudawud/32/34 here]</ref>]}}

He also gives another version of the hadith in Musnad Ahmad (this time the spring is muddy rather than warm - the Arabic words sound similar and the same variant readings exist for Qur’an verse 18:86). The same hadith is also recorded by al-Zamakhshari (1075-1143 CE) in his commentary on the Qur’an, al-Kashshaf.<ref>For a translation see Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf 3rd Edition, Volume 2, p. 743, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1987 quoted in (trans.) [http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/science11.htm Science in the Quran/ Chapter 11: The Sun & Moon and Their Orbits] - Sam Shamoun, Answering Islam (''The phrase translated “spring of slimy water” is actually, “hot spring” in the Arabic. For the Arabic, click [http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=2&tSoraNo=18&tAyahNo=86&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1 here]'')</ref> Even if one doubts that this is an authentic report about Muhammad, it is certainly further evidence that early Muslims understood 18:86 to mean a literal setting place. The possibility that Muhammad ever claimed a different interpretation thus further diminishes.

As S. Shamoun and J. Katz point out,<ref name="Answering Islam"></ref> Al-Tabari (839-923 CE) gives a lengthy hadith in the first volume of his History of the Prophets and Kings, which claims that Ibn ’Abbas gave an account of what Muhammad said about the sun and moon and the setting and rising places. We have also read a library copy of Franz Rozenthal’s translation of this hadith, which they quote. Whether or not Muhammad said the things attributed to him here (or said anything similar), this hadith certainly demonstrates a belief in literal rising and setting places among the early Muslims.

In volume 5 of the same work, al-Tabari quotes some lines of verse by a Yemeni king, Tubba’:  

====Tafsir (Commentaries)====

{{Quote||The meaning of the Almighty’s saying, ‘Until he reached the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,’ is as follows:<BR><BR>When the Almighty says, ‘Until he reached,’ He is addressing Zul-Qarnain. Concerning the verse, ‘the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,’ the people differed on how to pronounce that verse. Some of the people of Madina and Basra read it as ‘Hami’a spring,’ meaning that the sun sets in a spring that contains mud. While a group of the people of Medina and the majority of the people of Kufa read it as, ‘Hamiya spring’ meaning that the sun sets in a spring of warm water. The people of commentary have differed on the meaning of this depending on the way they read the verse.<ref name="Answering Islam"></ref><ref name="Al-Tabari">For the Arabic with vocalization marks (select the sura 18 and ayat 86): [http://quran.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=221&BookID=13&Page=1 here]</ref>}}

The end of the 3^rd and 2^nd from last sentences literally say, “In other words: it sets in a spring of muddy water” and, “That is to say that it sets in a spring of hot water”. Notice he omits wajada (“he found”) in these sentences. We can clearly see from al-Tabari’s commentary that it was understood by early Muslim communities that 18:86 meant that the sun actually sets in a spring. We can also imply from this that they understood the verse to say that Dhu’l Qarnayn reached the place where the sun sets.

Al-Tabari continues the same passage giving reports concerning the different interpretations of hamiatin. He even gives some claimed to be from Ibn ‘Abbas such as:

{{Quote||I heard Sa’id bin Jubair say Ibn ‘Abbas had read it as “in a spring hamiatin”. He says, “the sun sets in black mud”. And others said “instead it disappears in a hot spring”.<ref>For the Arabic with vocalization marks (select the sura 18 and ayat 86): [http://quran.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=221&BookID=13&Page=1 here], comment 17563</ref>}}

The middle phrase is word for word, “And he says mud black, it sets in it, the sun”). It is also interesting that to this day, nobody knows which Arabic word was used to describe the spring (muddy or hot) in the original Arabic Qu’ran, and translators take different choices.

Shamoun quotes from Al-Baydawi’s commentary on the Qur’an, ''The Secrets of Revelation and The Secrets of Interpretation'' (Asrar ut-tanzil wa Asrar ut-ta’wil; 13^th century CE), which has the following concerning 18:86 (although in the previous sentence Al-Baydawi gives his own view that perhaps Dhu’l Qarnayn went to the ocean coast and only saw it like the sun set in a spring):

{{Quote||It was said that Ibn ‘Abbas found Mu’awiya reading it (as) hot. He told him, ‘It is muddy.’ Mu’awiya sent to Ka’b al-Ahbar and asked him, ‘Where does the sun set?’ He said in water and mud and there were some people. So he agreed with the statement of Ibn al-‘Abbas.}}

Their translation of the last two sentences is a loose summary of the rest of the commentary on 18:86. The first sentence is literally: “How do you find the sun setting?” He said, “In water and clay. Likewise we find in the Torah.”<ref>Al-Baydawi, Asrar ut-tanzil wa Asrar ut-ta’wil, p. 399 Beirut: Dar Al Jil, 1911 quoted in (trans.) [http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/science11.htm Science in the Quran/ Chapter 11: The Sun & Moon and Their Orbits] - Sam Shamoun, Answering Islam (''for the Arabic, click [http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=6&tSoraNo=18&tAyahNo=86&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1 here]'')</ref>

Shamoun also quotes the same work of al-Baydawi in which he gives this among various interpretations for 36:38:

''Tanwir al-Miqbas Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas'' by unknown author(s) and unknown date has for 18:86:

For 18:90 ''Tafsir al-Jalalayn'' by al-Mahalli and completed by Siyuti in 1505 CE has:

{{Quote||until, when he reached the rising of the sun, the place where it rises, he found it rising on a folk, namely, Negroes (zanj), for whom We had not provided against it, that is, [against] the sun, any [form of] cover, in the way of clothing or roofing, as their land could not support any structures; they had underground tunnels into which they would disappear at the rising of the sun and out of which they would emerge when it was at its highest point [in the sky].<ref>[http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=18&tAyahNo=86&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2 Sura 18 Verse 86] - Tafsir al-Jalalayn</ref>}}

Note that this only makes sense if the sun being at its highest point means it has literally moved further away from the people.

Newton quotes similar reports from other commentaries on 18:90.<ref name="P. Newton"></ref> These commentators or the reports that they quote understand these verses to mean literal setting and rising places. It is clear from the hadith contained in hadith collections and commentaries that there was interest in what happens to the sun when it is beyond view, so if Muhammad had given another interpretation there would surely be hadith to indicate as such, yet there is none.

It has been known since 1890 thanks to Theodore Nöldeke that there is a very close similarity between the account in the Qur’an of [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance|Dhu’l Qarnayn and the Alexander Legend]]. This was written in Syriac, probably around 630 CE, but incorporates older traditions such as that of the iron gate built by Alexander dating to at least the time of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the 1^st century CE<ref>Van Bladel 2007b op. cit. p.181 (See Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book VII, Chapter VII, Verse 4)</ref> and journeys to the rising and setting place of the sun from the Epic of Gilgamesh.<ref>See Epic of Gilgamesh, [http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab9.htm Tablet IX] and [http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab1.htm Tablet I] (Van Bladel 2007b op. cit. p.176 & p.197, note 6)</ref>

It is part of a larger collection of legends about Alexander the Great known as the Alexander Romance. The Alexander Legend begins with Alexander expressing his desire to explore the ends of the Earth. It then has Alexander saying that God has given him horns on his head and he asks for power over other kingdoms. After collecting seven thousand iron and brass workers from Egypt, he goes to the fetid sea at the end of the Earth. He makes some evildoers go to the shore of the fetid sea, and they die. He and his men go to the window of heaven into which the sun sets between the fetid sea and a bright sea (although it does not say that the sun actually sets into this sea). The place where the sun rises is over the sea and the people who live there must flee from it and hide in the sea. The story then describes how Alexander<ref>Alexander, ''not the sun, as was incorrectly translated'' by A. W. Budge according to Van Bladel (Van Bladel 2007b op. cit. p. 198, note 12)</ref> prostrates before God and travels through the heavens at night to the place where the sun rises. He then visits some mountains and the sources of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Next it has Alexander coming to some people who tell him about the Huns within the Northern mountains (Gog, Magog and other kings are listed). He offers to build an iron and brass gate to close up the breach between the mountains, does so and prophesises that God will destroy the gate at the end of the world and the Huns will go forth through it. Next there is a battle with the Persians and their allies after they were told of his gate. It then ends with Alexander worshiping in Jerusalem and his death in Alexandria.<ref>A. W. Budge (trans.), “A Christian Legend Concerning Alexander” in ''The History Of Alexander The Great Being The Syriac Version Of The Pseudo-Callisthenes'', pp. 144-158, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1889 (''[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Budge/alexander.htm translation quoted in full]'')</ref>

It is often denied by modern Muslims that Dhu’l Qarnayn is meant to be Alexander because we now know that he was not a monotheist. However, it is clear from the Alexander Legend and other sources that he was widely believed in Muhammad’s time and region to have been pious and to have worshiped the God of Abraham, so the Qur’an tells his mythical legend.

Whatever the historical relationship between these texts<ref>Van Bladel’s thesis is that the Syriac Alexander Legend is the source for the Qur’anic account, rather than the other way around (which is indeed highly unlikely due to strongly evidenced dating of the former to 629-630 CE), or them having a common source. However, we wonder if he dismisses a common source too easily. The key point of his argument appears on page 189-190:<BR><BR>"''If Alexander’s prophecy was composed just for this purpose at this time [i.e. as propaganda for the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius – the prophecy in the Alexander Legend evidently serves this purpose], then the correspondence between the Syriac and the Arabic, which contains the same prophecy reworded, cannot be due to an earlier, shared source. Put differently, the only way to posit a common source is to assume that everything held in common between the Qur’anic account and the Syraic Alexander Legend could have been written for and would have made sense in an earlier context.''"<BR><BR>However, it seems Dhu’l Qarnayn’s prophecy in the Qur’an would have been meaningful before Heraclius and before Muhammad. As we saw, the story of Alexander’s gate enclosing Gog and Magog goes back at least as far as Josephus (or, at least enclosing the Scythians, who Josephus says are what the Greeks call the people of Magog in Antiquities of the Jews 1:6:1). We also know that the Christians believed that Gog and Magog would wage war across the world in the end times (see Revelation 20:7-10). Thus the simple, Qur’anic version of the prophecy about Gog and Magog would have made sense in a pre-Islamic Christian story about Alexander without needing a contempory invasion to motivate it ex eventu. Very significantly, it appears again briefly in 21:96 in a way that makes clear it has not been fulfilled yet. Van Bladel believes that the omission of the Alexander Legend’s pro Roman element in the Qur’anic account reflects some attitude of Muhammad’s community (p.196). Instead that element and others could just be adaptations to the common source to turn it into an ex eventu prophecy for the specific purposes behind the Alexander Legend. A common source also better explains the fact that in the Qur’anic version, “…not a single Syriac word is found, but rather there are true Arabic equivalents of Syriac words…” (Van Bladel 2007b, op. cit. p.194). This seems surprising if the Qur’anic account is directly related to the Syriac version, but not if there is a common source in Arabic or a 3rd language.</ref> and whether or not Dhu’l Qarnayn is meant to be Alexander the Great, it is clear from the legend that the setting and rising places interpretation of 18:86 and 18:90 was entirely compatible with contemporary beliefs in the region. Indeed, verse 18:83 tells us that what follows was supposed to relate to an already known story (“They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnain”).

====Pre-Islamic and contemporary poets====

Stories influenced by the Alexander legends appear in Arabic poetry shortly before and during the time of Muhammad. As Richard Stoneman says, “the poet Imru’ l-Qays (Diwan 158) referred to a Yemeni hero who undertook a similar campaign against Gog and Magog. … In addition, the pre-Islamic poet al-’Asha and the contemporary of Muhammad Hassan ibn Thabit both composed verses referring to the conquest of Gog and Magog and the furthest east by Dhu ’l-Qarnayn.”<ref>Stoneman, R., “Alexander the Great in the Arabic Tradition”, In [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=P1S1_ogqoqkC&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false The Ancient Novel and Beyond], Eds. S. Panayotakis et al., pp. 7-8, Boston, USA: Brill Academic Publishers 2003</ref>

Those lines by Imru’ l-Qays (died c. 540 CE) clearly mention the literal rising of the sun:

The lines composed by Hāssan b. Thābit, a poet who for a time was employed by Muhammad himself, appropriate elements of the Alexander Legend to a king in the line of Himyar (called Tubba‘ by the Muslims):

As we can see, a literal setting in a spring is mentioned (in the Arabic those lines are literally, “he followed the sun nearby its sunset to observe it in its spring while lowly”).<ref>The Arabic text which Nicholson translates is from: Von Kremer, Alfred, [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TsAoAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Altarabische Gedichte uber die Volkssage von Jemen, als Textbelege zur Abhandlung] “Ueber die sudarabische Sage.”, pp.15-16, VIII, lines 6-11, 1867</ref> See also the poem at the end of section 6.5.1 above for another example. We only have these poems from Islamic sources, so it is possible that they were composed or edited after Muhammad’s death. Even if that is so, they still demonstrate how the story was understood in the early Islamic era.  

Before getting into specific arguments that people have raised against the ism makan interpretation, we will briefly address a subtly different way of interpreting the phrases maghriba alshshamsi and matliAAa a'''l'''shshamsi, which might occur to some people.

The root word from which maghrib is derived is gharaba, meaning “to set” in the context of the sun. This word also means “to go away” such that something can no longer be seen.<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000024.pdf Volume 6/ 24] - StudyQuran.org</ref> Thus one might argue that maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi is the area of land on the horizon, from Dhu’l Qarnayn’s perspective, behind which the sun disappears at sunset. On the other hand, matliAA is derived from talaAAa, meaning “to rise”<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000152.pdf Volume 5/ 152] - StudyQuran.org</ref> in the context of the sun. Could matliAAa a'''l'''shshamsi be the place on the horizon that the sun rises from behind?

It would be too lengthy to discuss here the controversy over whether or not the Qur’an says or implies that the [[Flat Earth and the Quran|Earth is flat / egg-shaped / some other shape]], that it is stationary or rotates on its axis and that it supports a [[Geocentrism and the Quran|geocentric or heliocentric solar system]]. However, we shall look at a phrase that occurs in the Qur’an twice and is of direct relevance here. It may at first seem to suggest that 18:86 and 18:90 cannot mean literal setting and rising places of the sun.

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|21|33}}|It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.}}

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|36|40}}|It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).}}

{{Quote||(They all float, each in an orbit.) means, night and day, the sun and the moon, all of them are floating, i.e., revolving, in their orbits in the heaven. This was the view of Ibn ‘Abbas, `Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and `Ata’ Al-Khurasani. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others among the Salaf said, “In an orbit like the arc of a spinning wheel.”<ref name="Tafsir Ibn Kathir">[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1487 Among the Signs of the Might and Power of Allah are the Night and Day, and the Sun and Moon] - Tafsir Ibn Kathir</ref>}}

He comments on verse 31:29:

{{Quote||(It goes and prostrates beneath the Throne, then it seeks permission from its Lord, and soon it will be said: “Go back from whence you came.”) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn ’Abbas said, “The sun is like flowing water, running in its course in the sky during the day. When it sets, it travels in its course beneath the earth until it rises in the east.” He said, “The same is true in the case of the moon.” Its chain of narration is Sahih.<ref>[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1784 The Might and Power of Allah Allah tells us that He] - Tafsir Ibn Kathir</ref>}}

However, we saw above in the hadith given by al-Tabari that belief in the sun circling the sky above a flat Earth and setting and rising in springs was believed to be compatible with the “falakin” phrase in the Qur’an:

{{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000227.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 6/ 227]|The place of the revolving of the stars; (O, K, TA;) [the celestial sphere: but generally imagined by the Arabs to be a material concave hemisphere; so that it may be termed the vault of heaven; or the firmament:]}}

We must also look at another argument from Mahir Karaosmanovic.<ref>Mahir Karaosmanovic - [http://www.answering-christianity.com/mahir/scientific_errors_rebuttal.htm Rebuttal to Answering-Islams: "Scientific Errors of the Qur’an"] - Answering Christianity</ref> He quotes the following hadith in Tasfir Ibn Kathir when it comments on verse 36:38 to claim that the verse conflicts with a daily setting and rising event.

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|14|33}}|And He hath made subject to you the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses; and the night and the day hath he (also) made subject to you.}}

The Earth's tilt causes the apparent places of the sun's setting and rising to shift back and forth along the horizon during the course of a year. A flat Earth believer might imagine there were many places where the sun sets and rises, or places that move (see above for the set of springs or places the commentators mention), but 18:86 and 18:90 only refer to one of each. Al magharib and al mashariq in 37:5, 55:17 and 70:40 are usually translated as the easts and wests (or in 55:17, the two easts and the two wests). As noted earlier however, other translations have here the points of sunrise and sunset or explanatory notes to that effect. The commentators say that these verses are referring to the points from which the sun rises and sets from the Summer to Winter solstices.  See for example Tafsir Ibn Kathir,<ref>[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1521&Itemid=111 Allah is the Lord of the Two Easts and the Two Wests] - Tafsir Ibn Kathir</ref> Tafsir al-Jalalayn,<ref>[http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=55&tAyahNo=17&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2 Sura 55 Verse 17] - Tafsir al-Jalalayn</ref> Tafsir al-Tabari,<ref>[http://Quran.al-islam.com/Tafseer/DispTafsser.asp?nType=1&bm=&nSeg=0&l=arb&nSora=55&nAya=17&taf=TABARY&tashkeel=1 Sora 55 Aya 17] - Tafsir al-Tabari</ref> and Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas.<ref>[http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=37&tAyahNo=5&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2 Sura 37 Verse 5] - Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs</ref> It could mean points on the horizon (from a flat earth perspective) or actual setting and rising places (though they are not mutually exclusive).

Perhaps Muhammad imagined there were many springs in the sky-ocean like al-Tabari’s hadith (in one early narration of the legend, Alexander sees the sun set in one of 360 immense, black, boiling springs like those in Tabari’s hadith <ref>A certain ‘Omara narrates this in a manuscript studied by Friedländer (who on p.130 says it notes that he was a contemporary of Muqatil ibn Sulayman, who died 150AH). Israel Friedländer, Die Chadhirlegende and der Alexanderroma, p.139, Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1913 cited in A. J. Wensinck, The Ocean in the Literature of the Western Semites in Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam. Afdeeling Letterkunde. Nieuwe reeks. dl. 19. no. 2. pp.36-37, 1918</ref>). It was clearly not seen as a problem in the Alexander Legend, which has the sun set and rise through windows of heaven over the sea encircling the world. The rising place also has people living there, like the Quran (perhaps people were imagined to live all along the range where it rises, or maybe just in the place Alexander went to on that day). As for the muddy spring, it is probably based on the pre-Islamic poems quoted above or derived from the fetid sea of the Alexander Legend, or their common source for the story. Muhammad would have felt bound to follow its outline (insofar as he correctly remembered or was informed about it) to meet the challenge of the questioners in 18:83. Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat tells us that the question about Dhu’l Qarnayn and others in Surah al Kahf were provided by Jews to test Muhammad’s claim of prophetic knowledge.

The article on this topic by Osama Abdallah<ref name="Answering Christianity"></ref> puts forth various arguments that the words discussed above are being used as metaphorical or figurative words. These arguments are nonsensical and very easily dismissed. We shall look at arguments that the passage as a whole is metaphorical or figurative later in [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part Two|part two]].

{{Quote|{{Quran-wi|6|19}}|…This Qur’an hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all whom it reaches…}}

 

== See Also ==

{{Hub4|Dhul-Qarnayn|Dhul-Qarnayn}}

*[{{Reference archive|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828002043/http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/235012104-apostates-why-did-you-leave-islam/page-3#entry2566325|2=2013-11-29}} Forum discussion showing Shi'ite hadith also confirm a literal meaning to the sun "setting in a muddy spring"]

Unless otherwise stated, the original 1934 translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali<ref>Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, [[The Holy Qur'an (Abdullah Yusuf Ali)|The Holy Qur’an: Translation and Commentary]], Lahore: 1934</ref> is used for quotations from the Qur’an due to its widespread distribution. Word for word translations are those used on [http://corpus.Quran.com/ The Quranic Arabic Corpus]. However, these are used only to explain in English the arguments in this article, which are founded on analysis of the Arabic words of the Qur’an.

For hadith (oral traditions of the words and deeds of Muhammad, collected and written down mainly in the 8^th and 9^th centuries CE), the translation of Muhammad Muhsin Khan<ref>M. Muhsin Khan - [{{Compendium-of-muslim-texts-base-url}}/hadith/bukhari/ Translation of Sahih Bukhari] - CRCC, University of Southern Carolina</ref> is used for Sahih Bukhari. That of Abdul Hamid Siddiqui<ref>Abdul Hamid Siddiqui - [{{Compendium-of-muslim-texts-base-url}}/hadith/muslim/ Translation of Sahih Muslim] - CRCC, University of Southern Carolina</ref> is used for Sahih Muslim. Their numbering systems are used (vol., book, no. and book, no., respectively). Where an Arabic transliteration is given, the numbering of the hadith in Arabic on [http://www.ekabakti.com ekabakti.com] is given in the references. A hyperlink to it, and often to the same hadith in Arabic on [http://hadith.al-islam.com al-Islam], which includes vocalization marks, is also given in the references.

All transliterations of the Arabic Qur’an into Latin characters are from the free, widely used Muslimnet transliteration used by many popular websites such as [http://www.muslimaccess.com MuslimAccess], which has a transliteration table,<ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/index.htm Transliteration of the Qur'an] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref><ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/table.html Transliteration Table] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref> and [http://www.islamicity.com IslamiCity]. We have not found a source for transliterations of the commentaries and hadith, so we have done those ourself from the Arabic using the same transliteration rules. Hadith and tafsir (commentaries) are not used here as authoritative sources on the meaning of the Qur’an, but rather for near contemporary examples of language usage and beliefs.

[[Category:Martin Taverille]]