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This is part two of a [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|two-part]] article providing a comprehensive examination of the different interpretations of [[Qur'an]] 18:86 and 18:90. | This is part two of a [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|two-part]] article providing a comprehensive examination of the different interpretations of [[Qur'an]] 18:86 and 18:90. | ||
==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
The precise meaning of the opening phrases in verses 86 and 90 in the 18<sup>th</sup> chapter of the Qur’an, | The precise meaning of the opening phrases in verses 86 and 90 in the 18<sup>th</sup> chapter of the Qur’an, Surah al-Kahf, or “The Cave”, is a matter of considerable controversy. These verses occur within the Dhu’l Qarnayn episode in Qur’an 18:83-101. This passage says that Allah empowered a person called Dhu’l Qarnayn, “the two-horned one”, 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, | While many people have written about these verses to promote various interpretations, 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. | ||
This article will 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. | |||
==Surah al-Kahf 83-101== | ==Surah al-Kahf 83-101== | ||
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===Translation (Yusuf Ali)=== | ===Translation (Yusuf Ali)=== | ||
{{Quote| | {{Quote|{{Quran-range|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.}} | ||
===Transliteration (muslimnet)=== | ===Transliteration (muslimnet)=== | ||
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==Part Two: What do Qur’an 18:86 and 18:90 say happened next?== | ==Part Two: What do Qur’an 18:86 and 18:90 say happened next?== | ||
Following on from [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|part one]], | Following on from [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|part one]], this part looks at the different interpretations of the phrases: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|86}}|…wajadaha taghrubu fee AAaynin hamiatin…<BR><BR>…he found it set in a spring of murky water…}} | ||
And | And | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|90}}|…wajadaha tatluAAu AAala qawmin lam najAAal lahum min dooniha sitra'''n'''<BR><BR>…he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.}} | ||
The main questions are what does wajadaha mean in these phrases, are the things found being described figuratively, from whose point of view is the story told, and is the story meant to be a fictional fable or an historical account? | The main questions are what does wajadaha mean in these phrases, are the things found being described figuratively, from whose point of view is the story told, and is the story meant to be a fictional fable or an historical account? | ||
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There is no contextual support for the later commentators’ interpretation and many contextual problems. There is no reason to remark on what the sun merely appeared or was mistakenly thought to be doing in 18:86, as Cornelius argues.<ref name="Cornelius">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> We should also notice that there would be no reason to describe the nature of the spring (murky / muddy / hot) unless something happened at the spring itself. | There is no contextual support for the later commentators’ interpretation and many contextual problems. There is no reason to remark on what the sun merely appeared or was mistakenly thought to be doing in 18:86, as Cornelius argues.<ref name="Cornelius">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> We should also notice that there would be no reason to describe the nature of the spring (murky / muddy / hot) unless something happened at the spring itself. | ||
If Dhu’l Qarnayn had just traveled until the time of sunrise or to the east in 18:90, but no closer to the sun, | If Dhu’l Qarnayn had just traveled until the time of sunrise or to the east in 18:90, but no closer to the sun, it seems odd that the people are described only in terms of how the sun affects them (it rises on them and they have been given no covering protection from it). | ||
The alternative to the clear and obvious interpretation is to suppose that these features being in the text next to words that literally and commonly mean the setting and rising places of the sun are a series of strange coincidences. Given these reasons, the only interpretation that makes sense in the context is that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun actually setting in a spring and rising close to a people. | The alternative to the clear and obvious interpretation is to suppose that these features being in the text next to words that literally and commonly mean the setting and rising places of the sun are a series of strange coincidences. Given these reasons, the only interpretation that makes sense in the context is that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun actually setting in a spring and rising close to a people. | ||
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===Spring or ocean?=== | ===Spring or ocean?=== | ||
One could also question the claim that a powerful man, intelligent enough that people would offer him tribute for his help (18:94) could be so badly mistaken as to think he had found the sun to be setting in a muddy spring or even that he could regard it as having the misleading appearance of doing so while he knows it is not in reality. | |||
To support this claim, a large body of water would be needed that extended to the horizon, so it is often claimed<ref name="Azmy Juferi">Hesham Azmy & Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Juferi - [http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/archives/2005/Quranic-commentary-on-sura-al-kahf-1886/ Qur’anic Commentary on Sura’ Al-Kahf (18):86] - Bismika Allahuma, October 14, 2005</ref> that AAaynin (which has the genitive case because it is the object of a preposition, but the case is not translated in English) means a sea rather than a spring. We shall see below that Cornelius is correct to state that this word means “spring or well not ocean or sea”.<ref name="Cornelius"></ref> | To support this claim, a large body of water would be needed that extended to the horizon, so it is often claimed<ref name="Azmy Juferi">Hesham Azmy & Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Juferi - [http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/archives/2005/Quranic-commentary-on-sura-al-kahf-1886/ Qur’anic Commentary on Sura’ Al-Kahf (18):86] - Bismika Allahuma, October 14, 2005</ref> that AAaynin (which has the genitive case because it is the object of a preposition, but the case is not translated in English) means a sea rather than a spring. We shall see below that Cornelius is correct to state that this word means “spring or well not ocean or sea”.<ref name="Cornelius"></ref> | ||
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Lane’s Lexicon explains that this word, which usually means an eye, is also used to mean a spring or source of water (because from the eye springs forth tears). | Lane’s Lexicon explains that this word, which usually means an eye, is also used to mean a spring or source of water (because from the eye springs forth tears). | ||
{{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000500.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 5 | {{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000500.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 5 page 2215]|The place [or aperture] whence the water of a قَنَاة [i.e. pipe or the like,] pours forth : (K, TA:) as being likened to the organ [of sight] because of the water that is in it. (TA.) And, (K, TA,) for the same reason, (TA,) ‡ The place whence issues the water of a well. (TA.) And, (S, Msb, K, &c.,) for the same reason, as is said by Er-Rághib, (TA,) ‡ The عَيْن (S, Msb,) or source, or spring, (K, TA,) of water, (S, Wsb, K, TA,) that wells forth from the earth, or ground, and runs : (TA: [and accord. To the Msb, it app. Signifies a running spring:] of the fem. gender:}} | ||
While there is no apparent limit on the size of the spring, the lexicon does not give the slightest indication that AAayn is ever used to mean a sea or an ocean, which are generally not like a source of water from the ground. The verses in the Qur’an where AAaynun is used in the water rather than eye sense are as follows: | While there is no apparent limit on the size of the spring, the lexicon does not give the slightest indication that AAayn is ever used to mean a sea or an ocean, which are generally not like a source of water from the ground. The verses in the Qur’an where AAaynun is used in the water rather than eye sense are as follows: | ||
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Ubayy ibn Ka’b made me read the following verse as the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) made him read: “in a spring of murky water” (fi ‘aynin hami’atin) with short vowel a after h.}} | Ubayy ibn Ka’b made me read the following verse as the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) made him read: “in a spring of murky water” (fi ‘aynin hami’atin) with short vowel a after h.}} | ||
Oceans and seas are not muddy. While an ocean might look dark at sunset, even up to the horizon, it would be clear the next day to observers that it is water rather than mud and is light or dark blue or blue-grey. It should now be very clear that “AAaynin hamiatin” does not mean any kind of sea or ocean and | Oceans and seas are not muddy. While an ocean might look dark at sunset, even up to the horizon, it would be clear the next day to observers that it is water rather than mud and is light or dark blue or blue-grey. It should now be very clear that “AAaynin hamiatin” does not mean any kind of sea or ocean and the next question is to examine the plausibility of an illusion. | ||
===A | ===A plausible illusion?=== | ||
An important point is that no one would think they could see where the sun set or appeared to set into just because they can see to the horizon. It appears no larger, and therefore no closer, wherever on Earth you observe sunset. If you knew that you had traveled west around 90km and believed you were now within 10km of the sun, you would expect the sun to have an apparent diameter at least 10 times larger than when you started. By traveling west, even to a sea, it would look no more like you had found where the sun sets than it would from the eastern end of the Mediterranean or any other west facing shore. Furthermore, our intuitive ability to use parallax to judge distances tells us from a short walk along a beach that the sun and distant clouds are a vast distance away. | An important point is that no one would think they could see where the sun set or appeared to set into just because they can see to the horizon. It appears no larger, and therefore no closer, wherever on Earth you observe sunset. If you knew that you had traveled west around 90km and believed you were now within 10km of the sun, you would expect the sun to have an apparent diameter at least 10 times larger than when you started. By traveling west, even to a sea, it would look no more like you had found where the sun sets than it would from the eastern end of the Mediterranean or any other west facing shore. Furthermore, our intuitive ability to use parallax to judge distances tells us from a short walk along a beach that the sun and distant clouds are a vast distance away. | ||
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It has been claimed by [[Zakir Naik]], a prominent Muslim public speaker, that wajadaha means that it appeared to Dhu’l Qarnayn that the sun was setting in a spring.<ref name="vid">lnvestigatelslam - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-dad389i4c Scientific Error in Quran SUN SETTING IN MURKY WATER!!?] - YouTube</ref> He says that Allah is telling us Dhu’l Qarnayn’s opinion, but Allah does not himself claim that this opinion was correct (he uses the analogy that a teacher would be wrong to say that 2 + 2 = 5, but the teacher can correctly say that ''a student thought that'' 2 + 2 = 5). | It has been claimed by [[Zakir Naik]], a prominent Muslim public speaker, that wajadaha means that it appeared to Dhu’l Qarnayn that the sun was setting in a spring.<ref name="vid">lnvestigatelslam - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-dad389i4c Scientific Error in Quran SUN SETTING IN MURKY WATER!!?] - YouTube</ref> He says that Allah is telling us Dhu’l Qarnayn’s opinion, but Allah does not himself claim that this opinion was correct (he uses the analogy that a teacher would be wrong to say that 2 + 2 = 5, but the teacher can correctly say that ''a student thought that'' 2 + 2 = 5). | ||
One can trivially dismiss on grammatical grounds Naik’s specific claim that in 18:86 wajada means “it appeared” because it requires that the subject of wajadaha is the sun, when it can only actually be Dhu’l Qarnayn. The ''fatha'' (the “a”) after wajad indicates the masculine gender, so Dhu’l Qarnayn is doing the action of the verb, which is in the active voice (a'''l'''shshams is a feminine noun). The -ha suffix is a feminine referent to the sun as the object of the verb. It must therefore mean Dhu’l Qarnayn [verb] the sun. | |||
However, | However, it is still necessary to examine the essence of Naik’s claim – that wajadaha can mean “he found it having the misleading appearance” or “he mistakenly had the opinion that it”. Note that it is not enough for his argument to work if usage of wajada indicates an opinion that fits the reality. | ||
First let us see what light Lane’s Lexicon can shed on this matter. Then we shall look at the usage of wajada in the Qur’an. | First let us see what light Lane’s Lexicon can shed on this matter. Then we shall look at the usage of wajada in the Qur’an. | ||
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The authoritative Lane’s Lexicon (freely accessible online) gives the definition below for wajada: | The authoritative Lane’s Lexicon (freely accessible online) gives the definition below for wajada: | ||
{{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 | {{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 page 2924]|He found it; lighted on it; attained it; obtained it by searching or seeking; discovered it; perceived it; saw it; experienced it, or became sensible of it;}} | ||
Each of these meanings is then further explained. Regarding the last four, which could be relevant to Naik’s claim, the Lexicon says: | Each of these meanings is then further explained. Regarding the last four, which could be relevant to Naik’s claim, the Lexicon says: | ||
{{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 | {{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 page 2924]|The finding, &c., by means of any one of the five senses: as when one says وَجَدْتُ زَيْدًا [I found, &c., Zeyd]: and وَجَدْتُ طَعْمَهُ, and رَائِحَتَهُ, and صَوْتَهُ, and خُشُونَتَهُ, [I found, or perceived, &c., its taste, and its odour, and its sound, and its roughness]. Also, The finding, &c., by means of the faculty of appetite, [or rather of sensation, which is the cause of appetite:] as when one says وَجَدْتُ الشِِّبَعَ [I found, experienced, or became sensible of, satiety].}} | ||
It is telling us that an attribute of a thing perceived by the senses (e.g. the taste of a thing) can be an object of the verb wajada. Thus, when wajada is used in this sense it means to perceive with the senses. The question | It is telling us that an attribute of a thing perceived by the senses (e.g. the taste of a thing) can be an object of the verb wajada. Thus, when wajada is used in this sense it means to perceive with the senses. The question to resolve is whether or not wajada can mean to visually perceive something which conflicts with the reality. | ||
There are 2 ways of interpreting what the lexicon here tells us about wajada. We shall see that neither interpretation gives any reason to suppose that wajada can mean to have a perception that conflicts with objective reality (which Naik’s argument requires). Then we shall see that further down, the lexicon describes the usage of wajada that we actually have in 18:86 and 18:90. | There are 2 ways of interpreting what the lexicon here tells us about wajada. We shall see that neither interpretation gives any reason to suppose that wajada can mean to have a perception that conflicts with objective reality (which Naik’s argument requires). Then we shall see that further down, the lexicon describes the usage of wajada that we actually have in 18:86 and 18:90. | ||
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Now we look a little further down the lexicon at the description of the usage of wajada which we actually have in 18:86 and 18:90. This is the two objective compliments, ditransitive usage of wajada mentioned in Lane’s Lexicon when wajada means to know something by direct experience: | Now we look a little further down the lexicon at the description of the usage of wajada which we actually have in 18:86 and 18:90. This is the two objective compliments, ditransitive usage of wajada mentioned in Lane’s Lexicon when wajada means to know something by direct experience: | ||
{{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 | {{Quote|[http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000178.pdf Lane’s Lexicon: Volume 8 page 2924]|[He found, in the sense of] he knew [by experience]. (A, TA, &c.) [In this sense, it is a verb of the kind called أفْعَالُ القُلُوبِ ; having two objective complements; the first of which is called its noun, and the second its predicate.] Ex. وَجَدْتُ زَيْدًا ذَا الحِفَاظِ I [found, or] knew Zeyd to possess the quality of defending those things which should be sacred, or inviolable.}} | ||
In verses 18:86 and 18:90 respectively, the noun is the sun (via the referent “it”) and the predicate is “setting in a muddy spring” / “rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun”. It is clear from the quote that this usage means that a person actually comes to know something as it really is. We shall see some other examples in the Qur’an of this usage in the next section. | In verses 18:86 and 18:90 respectively, the noun is the sun (via the referent “it”) and the predicate is “setting in a muddy spring” / “rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun”. It is clear from the quote that this usage means that a person actually comes to know something as it really is. We shall see some other examples in the Qur’an of this usage in the next section. | ||
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When wajada is used in this ditransitive way, it is being used as a “verb of the heart” (that is what أفْعَالُ القُلُوبِ means in the quote), and the predicate must fit the reality, as shown on [http://www.learnarabiconline.com LearnArabicOnline], which is quoted below (wajada is the 2<sup>nd</sup> verb from the bottom). What Lane calls the noun and predicate is here called the topic and comment. | When wajada is used in this ditransitive way, it is being used as a “verb of the heart” (that is what أفْعَالُ القُلُوبِ means in the quote), and the predicate must fit the reality, as shown on [http://www.learnarabiconline.com LearnArabicOnline], which is quoted below (wajada is the 2<sup>nd</sup> verb from the bottom). What Lane calls the noun and predicate is here called the topic and comment. | ||
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width = "100%" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width="100%" | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Verbs in which two objects were originally topic and comment are known as Verbs of the Heart. The following seven verbs have the potential to be used as Verbs of the Heart. | |Verbs in which two objects were originally topic and comment are known as Verbs of the Heart. The following seven verbs have the potential to be used as Verbs of the Heart. | ||
|} | |} | ||
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width = "100%" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width="100%" | ||
! Example Usage | !Example Usage | ||
! Verb of the Heart | !Verb of the Heart | ||
|- | |- | ||
|I '''mistook''' it to be worthwhile | |I '''mistook''' it to be worthwhile | ||
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|رأى | |رأى | ||
|- | |- | ||
|I '''(rightfully) found''' it to be worthwhile | |I '''(rightfully) found''' it to be worthwhile | ||
|وجَد | |وجَد | ||
|- | |- | ||
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|زعَم | |زعَم | ||
|} | |} | ||
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width = "100%" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width="100%" | ||
|- | |- | ||
|'''Definitions'''<BR> | |'''Definitions'''<BR> | ||
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As we can clearly see in this quote (2<sup>nd</sup> row from bottom in the table), when wajada is used with a noun and predicate (also called topic and comment) as in 18:86 and 18:90, it means to “rightfully” find rather than a mistaken perception. | As we can clearly see in this quote (2<sup>nd</sup> row from bottom in the table), when wajada is used with a noun and predicate (also called topic and comment) as in 18:86 and 18:90, it means to “rightfully” find rather than a mistaken perception. | ||
As further confirmation that usage of wajada implies an objective truth claim rather than subjective opinions or perceptions that can be mistaken, consider that from the same root as the verb wajada we have wujud, meaning 'being' or 'existence' (see also the next page of Lane's Lexicon following the quote earlier for the passive participle, mawjud, which means “Being, or existing”). This became a technical term in Islamic philosophy to denote the quality of existence that things have. That such a meaning is related to the verb wajada is not surprising if the latter refers to things that are objectively found to exist. But to use wujud to mean the quality of existence would be very odd if wajada means to form a visual interpretation of something that is merely subjective and could be illusory. | |||
If 18:86 and 18:90 had a few extra words, Dr. Naik’s interpretation could have worked. If a false appearance were the thing that Dhu’l Qarnayn was said to have found, there would be no problem. It could have said, “he found its appearance like it was setting in a muddy spring”. Similarly, it could have said, “he thought he found the sun setting in a spring”, and there would be no factual error in the statement. Unfortunately for Dr. Naik, this is not what the Qur’an says and we have just seen that Lane’s Lexicon gives no indication that wajada can be stretched to include the meaning of those missing words. Dr. Naik is attempting to give us a meaning invented to rescue these verses from a conflict with reality. | If 18:86 and 18:90 had a few extra words, Dr. Naik’s interpretation could have worked. If a false appearance were the thing that Dhu’l Qarnayn was said to have found, there would be no problem. It could have said, “he found its appearance like it was setting in a muddy spring”. Similarly, it could have said, “he thought he found the sun setting in a spring”, and there would be no factual error in the statement. Unfortunately for Dr. Naik, this is not what the Qur’an says and we have just seen that Lane’s Lexicon gives no indication that wajada can be stretched to include the meaning of those missing words. Dr. Naik is attempting to give us a meaning invented to rescue these verses from a conflict with reality. | ||
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===Wajada in the Qur’an=== | ===Wajada in the Qur’an=== | ||
Now let us also look at how wajada is used in the Qur’an. It is used there 107 times,<ref>A relatively quick way to see all of them is to do phonetic transliteration searches ([http://www.islamicity.com/ps/default.htm IslamiCity/ Search]) for wajad, yajad and tajad (yajidu and tajidu are forms of wajada in the imperfect tense), look at those results which are listed on the root list, and finally check 6:145, 9:92, 12:94, 18:36, 20:10, 20:115, 65:6 and 72:22 separately.<BR><BR>Alternatively, you can use this search: [http://corpus.Quran.com/search.jsp?q=pos%3Av+%28I%29+root%3Awjd The Quranic Arabic Corpus/ Search Results for pos:v (i) root:وجد]. That only returns 106 results for some reason. Their dictionary lists 107 occurances.<BR><BR> | Now let us also look at how wajada is used in the Qur’an. It is used there 107 times,<ref>A relatively quick way to see all of them is to do phonetic transliteration searches ([http://www.islamicity.com/ps/default.htm IslamiCity/ Search]) for wajad, yajad and tajad (yajidu and tajidu are forms of wajada in the imperfect tense), look at those results which are listed on the root list, and finally check 6:145, 9:92, 12:94, 18:36, 20:10, 20:115, 65:6 and 72:22 separately.<BR><BR>Alternatively, you can use this search: [http://corpus.Quran.com/search.jsp?q=pos%3Av+%28I%29+root%3Awjd The Quranic Arabic Corpus/ Search Results for pos:v (i) root:وجد]. That only returns 106 results for some reason. Their dictionary lists 107 occurances.<BR><BR>Here is a brief list of the 107 instances of wajada in the Qur’an. The following 10 verses use wajada as an intransitive verb which means having material means or money for a particular purpose: 2:196, 4:92, 5:89, 9:79, 9:91, 18:53, 24:33, 58:4, 58:12, 65:6.<BR><BR>The following 9 verses use wajada as a mono-transitive verb: 2:283, 4:43, 4:89, 5:6, 9:5, 9:57, 12:94, 33:65, 48:22.<BR><BR>The following verses use wajada as a ditransitive or tritransitive verb: 2:96, 2:110, 3:30, 3:37, 4:52, 4:64, 4:65, 4:82, 4:88, 4:91, 4:100, 4:110, 4:121, 4:123, 4:143, 4:145, 4:173, 5:82, 5:82, 5:104, 6:145, 7:17, 7:28, 7:44,7:44, 7:102, 7:102, 7:157, 9:92, 9:92, 9:123, 10:78, 12:65, 12:75, 12:79, 17:68, 17:69, 17:75, 17:77, 17:86, 17:97, 18:17, 18:27, 18:36, 18:49, 18:58, 18:65, 18:69, 18:77, 18:86, 18:86, 18:90, 18:93, 20:10, 20:115, 21:53, 24:28, 24:39, 24:39, 26:74, 27:23, 27:24, 28:15, 28:23, 28:23, 28:27, 33:17, 31:21, 33:62, 35:43, 35:43, 37:102, 38:44, 43:22, 43:23, 43:24, 48:23, 51:36, 58:22, 59:9, 71:25, 72:8, 72:9, 72:22, 73:20, 93:6, 93:7, 93:8.</ref> as listed by [http://www.studyquran.co.uk/PRLonline.htm Project Root List] and [http://corpus.Quran.com/ The Quranic Arabic Corpus]. | ||
You will see if you read them that this verb never means a mere perception that conflicts with an objective reality nor an opinion of what something appears like. | You will see if you read them that this verb never means a mere perception that conflicts with an objective reality nor an opinion of what something appears like. | ||
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Immediately after Dhu’l Qarnayn finds the sun setting in a spring, wajada is used again: | Immediately after Dhu’l Qarnayn finds the sun setting in a spring, wajada is used again: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|86}}|…wawajada AAindaha qawman…<BR><BR>…Near it he found a People…}} | ||
The “wa” prefix just means “and”. Nobody would suggest that wajada means a mistaken perception here. It is rather unlikely that the same word would have been used both in this and in the preceding phrase unless it means to say that both these things were actually found by Dhu’l Qarnayn. | The “wa” prefix just means “and”. Nobody would suggest that wajada means a mistaken perception here. It is rather unlikely that the same word would have been used both in this and in the preceding phrase unless it means to say that both these things were actually found by Dhu’l Qarnayn. | ||
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The same argument applies to verse 18:93 where the same structure is used as in 18:86 and 18:90. | The same argument applies to verse 18:93 where the same structure is used as in 18:86 and 18:90. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|93}}|Hatta itha balagha bayna a'''l'''ssaddayni wajada min doonihima qawman la yakadoona yafqahoona qawla'''n'''<BR><BR>Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word.}} | ||
Here again, the words following wajada are clearly meant to be a description of what happened in real history, not a mistaken perception or an opinion of what something looked like. | Here again, the words following wajada are clearly meant to be a description of what happened in real history, not a mistaken perception or an opinion of what something looked like. | ||
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A third example of wajada appears in the story of Moses preceding that of Dhu’l Qarnayn. | A third example of wajada appears in the story of Moses preceding that of Dhu’l Qarnayn. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|77}}|Fa'''i'''ntalaqa hatta itha ataya ahla qaryatin … fawajada feeha jidaran yureedu an yanqadda…<BR><BR>Then they proceeded: until, when they came to the inhabitants of a town … They found there a wall on the point of falling down…}} | ||
This verse has a similar structure to those in the Dhu’l Qarnayn story, beginning with “hatta itha” (although instead of balagha, the next word in this instance is “ataya”, translated “they came”, and has the sense of coming directly and quickly according to Lane’s Lexicon<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000051.pdf Volume 1 | This verse has a similar structure to those in the Dhu’l Qarnayn story, beginning with “hatta itha” (although instead of balagha, the next word in this instance is “ataya”, translated “they came”, and has the sense of coming directly and quickly according to Lane’s Lexicon<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000051.pdf Volume 1 page 14] - StudyQuran.org</ref>). As with the other examples, wajada clearly means an objective discovery rather than an illusionary perception or a matter of opinion. We can also notice that a similar grammatical structure follows wajada here as in the Dhu’l Qarnayn episode: someone finds a thing doing something. This is the two objective compliments, ditransitive usage of wajada with a noun and predicate mentioned in Lane’s Lexicon (see quote above) when wajada means to know something by direct experience. | ||
In this verse and verses 18:86 and 18:90 respectively, the noun is the wall / sun (via the referent “it”) and the predicate is “on the point of falling down” / “setting in a muddy spring” / “rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun”. | In this verse and verses 18:86 and 18:90 respectively, the noun is the wall / sun (via the referent “it”) and the predicate is “on the point of falling down” / “setting in a muddy spring” / “rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun”. | ||
A possible objection arises from the Arabic words used in 18:77. The word for word translation of the predicate is “(that) want(ed) to collapse”.<ref>[http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=18&verse=77 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (18:77)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref> Obviously, a wall cannot “want” anything. This is a figure of speech with the meaning that the wall had a structural weakness that would cause it to collapse. This does not support Naik’s claim about the word wajada because the reality described using a figure of speech is actually found, which is what we see in 18:77 and a few other verses (4:65, | A possible objection arises from the Arabic words used in 18:77. The word for word translation of the predicate is “(that) want(ed) to collapse”.<ref>[http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=18&verse=77 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (18:77)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref> Obviously, a wall cannot “want” anything. This is a figure of speech with the meaning that the wall had a structural weakness that would cause it to collapse. This does not support Naik’s claim about the word wajada because the reality described, albeit using a figure of speech, is actually found by Moses, which is what we see in 18:77 and a few other verses (4:65, 59:9, the 2<sup>nd</sup> instance in 24:39 and 73:20). The idea that the predicates describing the behavior of the sun in 18:86 and 18:90 are figures of speech rather than literal descriptions, regardless of what wajada may mean, is an alternative argument used by Dr. Naik and is examined separately later below. | ||
The fourth important example, verse 24:39, is highly problematic for any claim that wajada can mean a false perception: | The fourth important example, verse 24:39, is highly problematic for any claim that wajada can mean a false perception: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|24|39}}|Wa'''a'''llatheena kafaroo aAAmaluhum kasarabin biqeeAAatin yahsabuhu a'''l'''ththamanu maan hatta itha jaahu lam yajidhu shayan wawajada Allaha AAindahu fawaffahu hisabahu wa'''A'''llahu sareeAAu alhisab'''i'''…<BR><BR>But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account…}} | ||
The word for word translation has: | The word for word translation has: | ||
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{{Quote||But those who disbelieve, their deeds (are) like a mirage in a lowland, thinks it the thirsty one (to be) water, until when he comes to it he finds it not (to be) anything, but he finds Allah before him, He will pay him in full his due…<ref>[http://corpus.Quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=24&verse=39 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (24:39)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref>}} | {{Quote||But those who disbelieve, their deeds (are) like a mirage in a lowland, thinks it the thirsty one (to be) water, until when he comes to it he finds it not (to be) anything, but he finds Allah before him, He will pay him in full his due…<ref>[http://corpus.Quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=24&verse=39 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (24:39)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref>}} | ||
Here wajada is used in direct contrast to perceiving a mere visual illusion. Again, we have the hatta itha … yajidhu [a form of wajada] … wawajada structure. If Naik is correct, wajada would also have been used instead of yahsabuhu (he thinks/reckons) as the verb to describe the man’s initial mistaken perception. Similarly, yahsabaha could have been used instead of wajadaha in 18:86 if Naik is correct. The truth is that wajada was used to describe what was actually found because that is what it means. The thirsty man in reality finds nothing where he had falsely perceived water and finds Allah judging | Here wajada is used in direct contrast to perceiving a mere visual illusion. Again, we have the hatta itha … yajidhu [a form of wajada] … wawajada structure. If Naik is correct, wajada would also have been used instead of yahsabuhu (he thinks/reckons) as the verb to describe the man’s initial mistaken perception. Similarly, yahsabaha could have been used instead of wajadaha in 18:86 if Naik is correct. The truth is that wajada was used to describe what was actually found because that is what it means. The thirsty man in reality finds nothing where he had falsely perceived water and finds Allah judging him at the end-time instead (in the latter case, this is the ditransitive usage mentioned above, meaning to gain knowledge of what something is doing by direct experience). | ||
Other verses that have the ditransitive usage of wajada include 7:157 (“…the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures)…”), 12:65 (“they found their stock-in-trade had been returned to them…”), 27:24 (“And I found her and her people prostrating to the sun…”), and 58:22 (“Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day…”). | Other verses that have the ditransitive usage of wajada include 7:157 (“…the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures)…”), 12:65 (“they found their stock-in-trade had been returned to them…”), 27:24 (“And I found her and her people prostrating to the sun…”), and 58:22 (“Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day…”). | ||
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Let us look at the two verses below: | Let us look at the two verses below: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|6|78}}|Falamma raa a'''l'''shshamsa bazighatan…<BR><BR>When he saw the sun rising in splendour…}} | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|17}}|Watara a'''l'''shshamsa itha talaAAat…<BR><BR>Thou wouldst have seen the sun, when it rose…}} | ||
The verb raa meaning “he saw” is used at the start of both verses in reference to the sun (“watara” means “And you will see”). If verses 18:86 and 18:90 had used raaha (“he saw it”) instead of wajadaha, perhaps there would be a slight case for claiming that a mistaken perception or an opinion of what it looked like is meant, and certainly if it was then followed by a correction as in this verse: | The verb raa meaning “he saw” is used at the start of both verses in reference to the sun (“watara” means “And you will see”). If verses 18:86 and 18:90 had used raaha (“he saw it”) instead of wajadaha, perhaps there would be a slight case for claiming that a mistaken perception or an opinion of what it looked like is meant, and certainly if it was then followed by a correction as in this verse: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|22|2}}|…watara a'''l'''nnasa sukara wama hum bisukara…<BR><BR>…thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk…}} | ||
The Qur’an has many similes, in which the prefix ka- is added to a noun to which something is being compared to create the meaning “like”. Ka- combined with anna, which means “that” as in “I think that” is used to mean “as if”. The word kaannaha, meaning “as if it”, could have been used with raaha in 18:86 in a similar way to verses 27:10 and 28:31, which both have the phrase: | The Qur’an has many similes, in which the prefix ka- is added to a noun to which something is being compared to create the meaning “like”. Ka- combined with anna, which means “that” as in “I think that” is used to mean “as if”. The word kaannaha, meaning “as if it”, could have been used with raaha in 18:86 in a similar way to verses 27:10 and 28:31, which both have the phrase: | ||
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In another example we have: | In another example we have: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|31|7}}|…walla mustakbiran kaan lam yasmaAAha kaanna fee othunayhi waqran…”<BR><BR>…he turns away in arrogance, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears…}} | ||
If this pattern had been used in verse 18:86 it would have meant a mere appearance. It could have had something like the phrase, “raaha kaannaha taghrubu fee AAaynin hamiatin” (“he saw it as if it set in a spring of murky water”). It is already clear that the actual words used do not have this meaning. | If this pattern had been used in verse 18:86 it would have meant a mere appearance. It could have had something like the phrase, “raaha kaannaha taghrubu fee AAaynin hamiatin” (“he saw it as if it set in a spring of murky water”). It is already clear that the actual words used do not have this meaning. | ||
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There is an argument<ref name="vid"></ref> that whatever wajada means, the things that Dhu’l Qarnayn found (whether actually or just in his opinion) are described in figurative language. For example, we talk about the sun rising even today, but we mean that actually, the Earth has revolved enough so that the sun becomes visible to us. If the phrases about the sun’s setting and rising are meant to be figurative in 18:86 and 18:90 we could even remove the word wajada from those phrases and they should not cause any conflict with what we know in reality. We can define figurative language as a way of expressing with words a meaning that is not necessarily true when read plainly. | There is an argument<ref name="vid"></ref> that whatever wajada means, the things that Dhu’l Qarnayn found (whether actually or just in his opinion) are described in figurative language. For example, we talk about the sun rising even today, but we mean that actually, the Earth has revolved enough so that the sun becomes visible to us. If the phrases about the sun’s setting and rising are meant to be figurative in 18:86 and 18:90 we could even remove the word wajada from those phrases and they should not cause any conflict with what we know in reality. We can define figurative language as a way of expressing with words a meaning that is not necessarily true when read plainly. | ||
If we ignore the context, the phrase about the sun rising on (AAala, “on” or “above”) a people could possibly be a meant as a figure of speech as with the hadith about the sun rising on Thabir mountain (“tashruqa a'''l'''shshamsu AAala thabeerin”) ({{Bukhari|5|58|179}}). | If we ignore the context, the phrase about the sun rising on (AAala, “on” or “above”) a people could possibly be a meant as a figure of speech as with the hadith about the sun rising on Thabir mountain (“tashruqa a'''l'''shshamsu AAala thabeerin”) ({{Bukhari|5|58|179}}). | ||
There it clearly means that the sun starts to shine on the mountain, on which the sun shines earliest in that location because of its height, rather than the sun actually being overhead above the mountain. Another example is {{Muslim|20|4643}}: “…(anything) on which the sun rises or sets”, “…talaAAat AAalayhi a'''l'''shshamsu wa gharabat”. | There it clearly means that the sun starts to shine on the mountain, on which the sun shines earliest in that location because of its height, rather than the sun actually being overhead above the mountain. Another example is {{Muslim|20|4643}}: “…(anything) on which the sun rises or sets”, “…talaAAat AAalayhi a'''l'''shshamsu wa gharabat”. | ||
Ignoring the context, you could argue that 18:90 is meant to be a figure of speech that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun began to shine on the people, just as it does for everyone on Earth when their day begins. | Ignoring the context such as the people's lack of protection from the sun, you could argue that 18:90 is meant to be a figure of speech that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun began to shine on the people, just as it does for everyone on Earth when their day begins. | ||
This does not, however, mean that the phrase in which the sun “set in a spring of murky water” could be a figure of speech because 18:86 is not an exact mirror of 18:90. 18:86 is describing the place that the sun sets into using the word “fee” meaning in or into. If 18:90 had said, “wajadaha | This does not, however, mean that the phrase in which the sun “set in a spring of murky water” could be a figure of speech because 18:86 is not an exact mirror of 18:90. 18:86 is describing the place that the sun sets into using the word “fee” meaning in or into. If 18:90 had said, “wajadaha tatluAAu ''min''”, meaning “he found it rising ''from''” somewhere (i.e. the rising place that the sun emerges out of, as in Sahih Muslim book 1, no. 297 quoted above), it would be describing for sunrise the corresponding action of that described in 18:86 for sunset. Then there would be no case that the phrase in 18:90 could be a figure of speech either. | ||
In fact, 18:90 says what the sun did after it emerged (perhaps because that’s when Dhu’l Qarnayn reached them, and/or because Muhammad’s purpose in that phrase was to describe the people, not the sun). If this was mirrored in 18:86 to describe the sun before it disappeared, that verse would have to say something like “he found it set on a spring of murky water” (using AAala instead of fee), which perhaps, if we again ignore the context, would be a figure of speech to convey a reality that the sun started to appear too low to shine on a muddy spring. | In fact, 18:90 says what the sun did after it emerged (perhaps because that’s when Dhu’l Qarnayn reached them, and/or because Muhammad’s purpose in that phrase was to describe the people, not the sun). If this was mirrored in 18:86 to describe the sun before it disappeared, that verse would have to say something like “he found it set on a spring of murky water” (using AAala instead of fee), which perhaps, if we again ignore the context, would be a figure of speech to convey a reality that the sun started to appear too low to shine on a muddy spring. | ||
Instead the word “fee” is used, and | Instead the word “fee” is used, and there does not seem to be any evidence that “it set in a spring of murky water” could be a figurative phrase meaning something else. There is also no evidence in Lane’s lexicon suggesting that such a phrase could be used as a figure of speech.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000024.pdf Volume 6 page 2240] and [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf page 2241] - StudyQuran.org</ref> Neither can “fee” mean “behind”.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000250.pdf Volume 6 page 2466] and [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000251.pdf page 2467] - StudyQuran.org</ref> The word “waraa” is used in Arabic to mean behind. | ||
Most importantly, it would also be a highly misleading figure of speech to say that the sun set in a muddy spring when something else is meant. Abundant evidence set out in earlier sections of this article demonstrates that early Muslims understood it literally. This is unsurprising, especially considering the contextual issues discussed above, for example that a few words earlier Dhu’l Qarnayn reached maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi, and the usage of wajada, and that the literal reading reflected a popular legend. | |||
If “setting in a muddy spring” in 18:86 communicated a figurative meaning, why is there for centuries no evidence of this interpretation, and plentiful evidence that it was understood literally until educated Muslim scholars learned that the literal interpretation was astronomically problematic? | |||
As for 18:90, even if the phrase in this verse could be regarded as a figure of speech in the sense that the sun was not exactly overhead during the period when it is described as “rising on a people”, the context of the surrounding words strongly imply that they must at least have been unusually close to it during that part of the day, as discussed above. We can also obviously rule out one literal interpretation where AAala means that the sun was in physical contact with the people as it was rising. That was set up as a straw man by al-Qurtubi (see above) who pretended that it was the only alternative to a figure of speech interpretation. | |||
The only interpretation of 18:90 that fits with the context within the verse and with the fact that 18:86 is clearly not figurative is that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun to be over and/or close to a people when it was still relatively low in altitude after it emerged from its rising place. It is the clear and obvious interpretation, which was the only one found in the early commentaries. | The only interpretation of 18:90 that fits with the context within the verse and with the fact that 18:86 is clearly not figurative is that Dhu’l Qarnayn found the sun to be over and/or close to a people when it was still relatively low in altitude after it emerged from its rising place. It is the clear and obvious interpretation, which was the only one found in the early commentaries. | ||
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Another way of supporting the claim that the entire story is the point of view of Dhu’l Qarnayn is to use the last two Arabic words of verse 18:83 to suggest that this is meant to be merely how Dhu’l Qarnayn remembered it:<ref>[http://www.faithfreedom.com/anti_islamic_claims/zulqarnain.html The polemics, and not Zul-Qarnain, are in murky waters!] - Faithfreedom (''not to be confused with the [http://www.faithfreedom.org/ original FaithFreedom] site by Dr. Ali Sina'')</ref> | Another way of supporting the claim that the entire story is the point of view of Dhu’l Qarnayn is to use the last two Arabic words of verse 18:83 to suggest that this is meant to be merely how Dhu’l Qarnayn remembered it:<ref>[http://www.faithfreedom.com/anti_islamic_claims/zulqarnain.html The polemics, and not Zul-Qarnain, are in murky waters!] - Faithfreedom (''not to be confused with the [http://www.faithfreedom.org/ original FaithFreedom] site by Dr. Ali Sina'')</ref> | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|83}}|They ask thee concerning Zul-qarnayn. Say, ‘I will rehearse to you something of his story.’}} | ||
The second phrase is “qul saatloo AAalaykum minhu thikra'''n'''”, and in the word-for-word translation says, “Say, ‘I will recite to you about him a remembrance”. The word minhu literally means “of him” or “from him”. | The second phrase is “qul saatloo AAalaykum minhu thikra'''n'''”, and in the word-for-word translation says, “Say, ‘I will recite to you about him a remembrance”. The word minhu literally means “of him” or “from him”. | ||
The second word here, talawa (saatloo), means “to recite”. It is used 63 times in the Qur’an,<ref>[http://www.studyquran.co.uk/PRLonline.htm Project Root List] - StudyQuran</ref> always (except for 91:2 and 2:102) in relation to the reciting of revelations from Allah, and whenever the subject doing the reciting is Muhammad, it means reciting the Qur’an. It has the sense of following, repeating, or reciting what has been done, written, or said.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000350.pdf Volume 1 | The second word here, talawa (saatloo), means “to recite”. It is used 63 times in the Qur’an,<ref>[http://www.studyquran.co.uk/PRLonline.htm Project Root List] - StudyQuran</ref> always (except for 91:2 and 2:102) in relation to the reciting of revelations from Allah, and whenever the subject doing the reciting is Muhammad, it means reciting the Qur’an. It has the sense of following, repeating, or reciting what has been done, written, or said.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000350.pdf Volume 1 page 313] - StudyQuran.org</ref> An example is in verse 10:16, which refers to the Qur’an (the next verse is also quoted below, which emphasises that things which Muhammad rehearses about Allah must be true). | ||
{{Quote| | {{Quote|{{Quran-range|10|16|17}}|Say: ‘If Allah had so willed, I should not have rehearsed it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. A whole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you: will ye not then understand? Who doth more wrong than such as forge a lie against Allah, or deny His Signs?’}} | ||
In the next example, in a historical narrative about Jesus, we have all the words from the phrase in 18:83. Talawa (natloohu) is translated “we rehearse”, “AAalayka” is “to thee”, “mina” is “of”, and “'''al'''ththikri” is “the Message” (literally, “of the rememberance”). | In the next example, in a historical narrative about Jesus, we have all the words from the phrase in 18:83. Talawa (natloohu) is translated “we rehearse”, “AAalayka” is “to thee”, “mina” is “of”, and “'''al'''ththikri” is “the Message” (literally, “of the rememberance”). | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|3|58}}|Thalika natloohu AAalayka mina al-ayati wa'''al'''ththikri alhakeem'''i'''<BR><BR>This is what we rehearse unto thee of the Signs and the Message of Wisdom.}} | ||
Two more historical narratives are introduced with talawa (translated “rehearse” and “Recite”): | Two more historical narratives are introduced with talawa (translated “rehearse” and “Recite”): | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|28|3}}|Natloo AAalayka min nabai moosa wafirAAawna bialhaqqi liqawmin yuminoona…<BR><BR>We rehearse to thee some of the story of Moses and Pharaoh in Truth, for people who believe…}} | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|5|27}}|Waotlu AAalayhim nabaa ibnay adama bi'''a'''lhaqqi…<BR><BR>Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam…}} | ||
We can already see that it is unlikely that 18:83 means that Allah is commanding Muhammad to recite from another man’s mistaken recollection. Now we look at the word thikra'''n'''. Lane’s Lexicon defines this word as “A reminding”, or “causing to remember” and “An admonition”.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000136.pdf Volume 3 | We can already see that it is unlikely that 18:83 means that Allah is commanding Muhammad to recite from another man’s mistaken recollection. Now we look at the word thikra'''n'''. Lane’s Lexicon defines this word as “A reminding”, or “causing to remember” and “An admonition”.<ref>Lane’s lexicon - [http://www.studyQuran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000136.pdf Volume 3 page 970] - StudyQuran.org</ref> | ||
Two highly relevant examples of its usage in the Qur’an occur in Sura al-Kahf. Immediately preceding the passage about Dhu’l Qarnayn we have one about Moses and a servant of Allah, whom Moses follows. | Two highly relevant examples of its usage in the Qur’an occur in Sura al-Kahf. Immediately preceding the passage about Dhu’l Qarnayn we have one about Moses and a servant of Allah, whom Moses follows. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|70}}|The other said: ‘If then thou wouldst follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to thee concerning it.’}} | ||
The words translated as “concerning it” in this verse are the same as in 18:83, “minhu thikra'''n'''”. Here minhu is literally “of it” or “from it”. The reminder cannot be a recollection coming from the mind of the things which Moses might ask about. It is the servant’s reminder ''about'' the things which Moses asks. That is what the phrase means here and in 18:83. All of the major English translations understand it this way.<ref name="IslamAwakened"></ref> | The words translated as “concerning it” in this verse are the same as in 18:83, “minhu thikra'''n'''”. Here minhu is literally “of it” or “from it”. The reminder cannot be a recollection coming from the mind of the things which Moses might ask about. It is the servant’s reminder ''about'' the things which Moses asks. That is what the phrase means here and in 18:83. All of the major English translations understand it this way.<ref name="IslamAwakened"></ref> | ||
We can also see that at the end of the Dhu’l Qarnayn story, Allah refers to it as his remembrance / reminder.<ref> | We can also see that at the end of the Dhu’l Qarnayn story, Allah refers to it as his remembrance / reminder.<ref>Note that unlike all other major English translations, A.Y. Ali and M. Asad translate thikree, which is literally “my reminder / rememberance” as “rememberance of Me” ([http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/ Master Ayat (Verse) Index]). “Rememberance of me / us” is indeed what thikree / thikrina probably means in 18:28, 20:14 and 20:42. In the other examples of thikree / thikrina (38:8, 20:124, 53:29 and probably 23:110), the context suggests it instead means “my / our reminder / admonition”. The examples of thikree meaning “rememberance of me” are directed to those who already believe rather than to unbelievers who have never been mindful of Allah as in 18:101. Thus it is the majority of translations that are more likely to be correct in 18:101.</ref> | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|101}} (Pickthal)|Allatheena kanat aAAyunuhum fee ghita-in AAan thikree wakanoo la yastateeAAoona samAAa'''n'''<BR><BR>Those whose eyes were hoodwinked from My reminder, and who could not bear to hear.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|101}} (Pickthal)|Allatheena kanat aAAyunuhum fee ghita-in AAan thikree wakanoo la yastateeAAoona samAAa'''n'''<BR><BR>Those whose eyes were hoodwinked from My reminder, and who could not bear to hear.}} | ||
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The verse below from the preceding story about Moses has the same ending phrase (but without “ladayhi”, “with him”), so we can use it to verify the meaning of 18:91. Note that ahatna (“we encompassed”) and tuhit (“you encompass”) have the same root. | The verse below from the preceding story about Moses has the same ending phrase (but without “ladayhi”, “with him”), so we can use it to verify the meaning of 18:91. Note that ahatna (“we encompassed”) and tuhit (“you encompass”) have the same root. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|68}}|Wakayfa tasbiru AAala ma lam tuhit bihi khubra'''n'''<BR><BR>And how canst thou have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?}} | ||
The word-for-word translation says, “And how can you have patience for what not you encompass of it any knowledge.”<ref>[http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=18&verse=68 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (18:68)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref> | The word-for-word translation says, “And how can you have patience for what not you encompass of it any knowledge.”<ref>[http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=18&verse=68 Word-by-Word Grammar - Verse (18:68)] - The Quranic Arabic Corpus</ref> | ||
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There are also two related things I would like to add here. First, this verse begins with “inna”, which can be translated as “indeed” or “verily”. It indicates emphasis on the subject of the sentence that immediately follows it. In this case that subject is “We” i.e. Allah. The verse is emphasising that it is Allah who gave this famous man his power. It only makes sense as a claim of historical fact. We can also notice other places in the account where Allah is part of the unfolding story (18:86 says, “…We said: ‘O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.’”, and 18:90 says, “…a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.”). | There are also two related things I would like to add here. First, this verse begins with “inna”, which can be translated as “indeed” or “verily”. It indicates emphasis on the subject of the sentence that immediately follows it. In this case that subject is “We” i.e. Allah. The verse is emphasising that it is Allah who gave this famous man his power. It only makes sense as a claim of historical fact. We can also notice other places in the account where Allah is part of the unfolding story (18:86 says, “…We said: ‘O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.’”, and 18:90 says, “…a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.”). | ||
Cornelius also points out that an intended true account fits with the recorded context for this Sura (Questions suggested by Jews to test Muhammad). It was recited in response to the expectation of the questioners that Muhammad would have no knowledge of “the mighty traveller”. | Cornelius also points out that an intended true account fits with the recorded context for this Sura (Questions suggested by Jews to test Muhammad, though academic scholars note that the questioners were more likely Christian as with the other stories in surah al-Kahf). It was recited in response to the expectation of the questioners that Muhammad would have no knowledge of “the mighty traveller”. | ||
He then notes that 6:25 declares that the unbelievers dismiss the historical stories of people in the Qur’an as fictional (which obviously implies that the Qur’an claims to contain no such things): | He then notes that 6:25 declares that the unbelievers dismiss the historical stories of people in the Qur’an as fictional (which obviously implies that the Qur’an claims to contain no such things): | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|6|25}}|Of them there are some who (pretend to) listen to thee; but We have thrown veils on their hearts, So they understand it not, and deafness in their ears; if they saw every one of the signs, not they will believe in them; in so much that when they come to thee, they (but) dispute with thee; the Unbelievers say: “These are nothing but tales of the ancients”.}} | ||
There are other similar verses including the following: | There are other similar verses including the following: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|8|31}}|When Our Signs are rehearsed to them, they say: ‘We have heard this (before): if we wished, we could say (words) like these: these are nothing but tales of the ancients.’ }} | ||
Note that talawa is also used in the above verse (“tutla AAalayhim” translated “rehearsed on them”). We saw above that it is used in 18:83. Similar examples can be found in verses 25:4-5, 34:43, 68:15 and 83:13. In contrast, the verse below refers to another story in Sura al-Kahf and emphasises that it is meant to be historical: | Note that talawa is also used in the above verse (“tutla AAalayhim” translated “rehearsed on them”). We saw above that it is used in 18:83. Similar examples can be found in verses 25:4-5, 34:43, 68:15 and 83:13. In contrast, the verse below refers to another story in Sura al-Kahf and emphasises that it is meant to be historical: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|13}}|We relate to thee their story in truth: they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in guidance}} | ||
The verse below follows a story about Moses: | The verse below follows a story about Moses: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran | {{Quote|{{Quran|20|99}}|Thus do We relate to thee some stories of what happened before: for We have sent thee a Message [thikran] from Our own Presence.}} | ||
Finally, we saw above that 18:91 has Allah saying that the reminder which he is asking Muhammad to recite is how history actually happened. It seems likely that the purpose of this verse was to emphasise that the story so far had already shown that Allah could answer the testing question | Finally, we saw above that 18:91 has Allah saying that the reminder which he is asking Muhammad to recite is how history actually happened. It seems likely that the purpose of this verse was to emphasise that the story so far had already shown that Allah could answer the testing question alluded to in verse 83. It means that like that part of the story, Allah knows everything else there is to know about Dhu’l Qarnayn. | ||
The evidence presented above conclusively demonstrates that the story of Dhu’l Qarnayn was intended to be understood as a historical narrative rather than a fable or any other kind of fictional story. | The evidence presented above conclusively demonstrates that the story of Dhu’l Qarnayn was intended to be understood as a historical narrative rather than a fable or any other kind of fictional story. | ||
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In contrast, the evidence overwhelmingly supports the clear and obvious interpretation that this is intended to be understood as a historical account in which Dhu’l Qarnayn traveled until he reached the place where the sun sets and actually found that it went down into a muddy spring near to where a people were, and that he then traveled until he reached the place where the sun rises and actually found that it rose up above a people who lived close to the place where the sun rises. | In contrast, the evidence overwhelmingly supports the clear and obvious interpretation that this is intended to be understood as a historical account in which Dhu’l Qarnayn traveled until he reached the place where the sun sets and actually found that it went down into a muddy spring near to where a people were, and that he then traveled until he reached the place where the sun rises and actually found that it rose up above a people who lived close to the place where the sun rises. | ||
==See Also== | |||
== See Also == | |||
*[[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring (Part One)]] | *[[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring (Part One)]] | ||
*[[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance]] | |||
*[[Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth]] | |||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
* | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130828002043/http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/235012104-apostates-why-did-you-leave-islam/page-3#entry2566325 Forum discussion showing Shi'ite hadith also confirm a literal meaning to the sun "setting in a muddy spring"] | ||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVwizsojd1Y&t=28s Does the Quran really say the Sun sets in a muddy spring?] - The Masked Arab - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zyZxYW9v_U The Physical Setting of the Sun], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muH2FLH84RE The Sun sets in a Murky Water] - islamwhattheydonttellyou164 - ''YouTube video'' | |||
==Notes on translations, transliterations, and sources== | ==Notes on translations, transliterations, and sources== | ||
{{refbegin}} | {{refbegin}} | ||
Unless otherwise stated, the original 1934 translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali<ref>Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, | Unless otherwise stated, the original 1934 translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali<ref>Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, 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<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> 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) | For hadith (oral traditions of the words and deeds of Muhammad, collected and written down mainly in the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> 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). | ||
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]. | 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]. There do not seem to be any available sources for transliterations of the commentaries and hadith, so here this has been done 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. | ||
For the original source for both parts of this article, see the [http://quranspotlight.wordpress.com/articles/dhul-qarnayn-sunset-sunrise/ quranspotlight] website. | For the original source for both parts of this article, see the [http://quranspotlight.wordpress.com/articles/dhul-qarnayn-sunset-sunrise/ quranspotlight] website. | ||
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http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/ | http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/ | ||
''Search the | ''Search the hadith in English and Arabic, see them side by side | ||
http:// | http://www.sunnah.com/ | ||
''Download and search the hadith in English'' | ''Download and search the hadith in English'' | ||
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[[Category:Islam and Science]] | [[Category:Islam and Science]] | ||
[[Category:Qur'an]] | [[Category:Qur'an]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Dhul-Qarnayn]] | ||
{{page_title|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring (Part Two)}} | {{page_title|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring (Part Two)}} | ||
[[Category:Cosmology]] | |||
[[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | |||
[[Category:Sacred history]] | |||