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Geocentrism and the Quran: Difference between revisions
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→Primary Evidence: Added very significant hemisphere falak point & removed paragraph covered in the cosmology page - better to get right into the interesting stuff.
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# The floating/swimming/running (the verb جري) of the sun is always mentioned with that of the moon, and in these verses they are nearly always mentioned in the context of night and day.<Ref>21:33, 39:40, 31:29, 35:13, and 39:5; the exception being 13:2. See also 14:33, though note that the word translated "constant in their courses" is daibayni, which is simply a verb meaning to strive, toil, labour, hold on or continue. Ref: dal-alif-ba [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000005.pdf Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 106]</ref> | # The floating/swimming/running (the verb جري) of the sun is always mentioned with that of the moon, and in these verses they are nearly always mentioned in the context of night and day.<Ref>21:33, 39:40, 31:29, 35:13, and 39:5; the exception being 13:2. See also 14:33, though note that the word translated "constant in their courses" is daibayni, which is simply a verb meaning to strive, toil, labour, hold on or continue. Ref: dal-alif-ba [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000005.pdf Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 106]</ref> | ||
# <p>Qur'an 36:37-40 is a passage about night and day.<ref>"''And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness; And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing. And the Moon,- We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk. 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).''" - {{cite Quran|36|37|end=40|style=ref}}</ref> Right after describing the change from day to night it says that the sun runs on to a resting place for it (see footnotes regarding the Arabic word here, which differs from similar verses<ref>A few translations use instead, "appointed term", though in nearly all other verses where we find mustaqarrin (qaf-ra-ra قرر [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000029.pdf Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 2501]) as a participle they translate it as a place of settlement or an abode or resting place. There are other verses (35:13, 31:29, 39:5, 13:2) that mention the sun and moon floating/swimming (with the same verb as is translated "run" in 36:38) for a term appointed, but these use the words لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى which do indeed mean a term appointed, but note that mustaqarrin مُسْتَقَرٍّ in 36:38 is a different word.</ref>). There are also sahih hadith that use the same Arabic word as in verse 36:38 to mean a resting place as part of the sun's daily cycle.<ref>{{Muslim|1|297}}. For the Arabic of this hadith, see [http://sunnah.com/muslim/1/306 here]</ref>. </p><p>The alternative view was that it refers to the sun's final resting on the last day. Another similar sahih hadith probably supports this view.<ref>With a different ending indicating that the مُسْتَقَرٍّ (resting place) in 36:38 refers to the end of the world when the sun is asked to rise from its setting place (مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا). Ref: {{Bukhari|9|93|520}}. For the Arabic see [http://sunnah.com/bukhari/97/52 here]</ref> Whichever interpretation was intended, the sun's movement is nevertheless mentioned right after describing day and night, just as the next verse mentions the different mansions appointed for the moon each night. The whole passage is about day and night and the sun and moon's movement in that context.</p> | # <p>Qur'an 36:37-40 is a passage about night and day.<ref>"''And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness; And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing. And the Moon,- We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk. 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).''" - {{cite Quran|36|37|end=40|style=ref}}</ref> Right after describing the change from day to night it says that the sun runs on to a resting place for it (see footnotes regarding the Arabic word here, which differs from similar verses<ref>A few translations use instead, "appointed term", though in nearly all other verses where we find mustaqarrin (qaf-ra-ra قرر [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000029.pdf Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 2501]) as a participle they translate it as a place of settlement or an abode or resting place. There are other verses (35:13, 31:29, 39:5, 13:2) that mention the sun and moon floating/swimming (with the same verb as is translated "run" in 36:38) for a term appointed, but these use the words لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى which do indeed mean a term appointed, but note that mustaqarrin مُسْتَقَرٍّ in 36:38 is a different word.</ref>). There are also sahih hadith that use the same Arabic word as in verse 36:38 to mean a resting place as part of the sun's daily cycle.<ref>{{Muslim|1|297}}. For the Arabic of this hadith, see [http://sunnah.com/muslim/1/306 here]</ref>. </p><p>The alternative view was that it refers to the sun's final resting on the last day. Another similar sahih hadith probably supports this view.<ref>With a different ending indicating that the مُسْتَقَرٍّ (resting place) in 36:38 refers to the end of the world when the sun is asked to rise from its setting place (مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا). Ref: {{Bukhari|9|93|520}}. For the Arabic see [http://sunnah.com/bukhari/97/52 here]</ref> Whichever interpretation was intended, the sun's movement is nevertheless mentioned right after describing day and night, just as the next verse mentions the different mansions appointed for the moon each night. The whole passage is about day and night and the sun and moon's movement in that context.</p> | ||
# The sun and moon each float in an orbit (or more precisely, each in a | # The sun and moon each float in an orbit (or more precisely, each in a "falak", which at best can be translated as curved course, but actually meant celestial hemispheres to the Arabs and was closely related to hemisphere shaped objects<ref name=LanesLexiconFalak></ref>). It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, though on the last day they will be joined together, which is rather suggestive of them orbiting the same body at a similar distance from us. | ||
# The stars have settings (mawaqi) <ref>{{cite quran|56|75}}</ref>, but only the day, night, the sun and moon are mentioned as each floating in an orbit (falak | # The stars have settings (mawaqi) <ref>{{cite quran|56|75}}</ref>, but only the day, night, the sun and moon are mentioned as each floating in an orbit (falak), while there is no indication of the Earth's own orbit. | ||
# Abraham is approvingly quoted as saying that Allah brings the sun from the east in one verse, and setting and rising places of the sun are reached and described in the Dhu'l Qarnayn story. | # Abraham is approvingly quoted as saying that Allah brings the sun from the east in one verse, and setting and rising places of the sun are reached and described in the Dhu'l Qarnayn story. | ||
For the Qur'an to be scientifically credible, it must contain accurate statements in regards to all that is visible i.e. material objects and phenomena. How can Allah appeal to such things as signs of his power and existence if he fails to make his case obvious? | For the Qur'an to be scientifically credible, it must contain accurate statements in regards to all that is visible i.e. material objects and phenomena. How can Allah appeal to such things as signs of his power and existence if he fails to make his case obvious? | ||
===The visibility of the sun's movement=== | ===The visibility of the sun's movement=== | ||
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For a detailed discussion of the key words in these verses, evidence showing that early Muslims took it literally, and contemporary Arabic and Syriac poems of the same legend, see the article [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring]] | For a detailed discussion of the key words in these verses, evidence showing that early Muslims took it literally, and contemporary Arabic and Syriac poems of the same legend, see the article [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring]] | ||
The Qur'an is quite clear about the course of the sun. It does not even describe a complete orbit, but merely a rounded course (falak) that has a beginning, an end, and a highest point. | The Qur'an is quite clear about the course of the sun. It does not even describe a complete orbit, but merely a rounded course in a hemisphere (falak<ref name=LanesLexiconFalak></ref>) that has a beginning, an end, and a highest point. | ||
===The regular cycle of the sun=== | ===The regular cycle of the sun=== | ||
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{{Quote|{{cite quran|39|5|style=ref}}|He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term.}} | {{Quote|{{cite quran|39|5|style=ref}}|He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term.}} | ||
But as with 7:54 mentioned above and the verses where the day and night (as well as the sun and moon) have a falak | But as with 7:54 mentioned above and the verses where the day and night (as well as the sun and moon) have a falak<ref name=LanesLexiconFalak></ref>, it actually indicates that the night and day are active entities rather than any sign that the Earth revolves. You could reasonably describe the Earth as passing through night and day. Perhaps, at a stretch, you could even say that night and day wrap around the earth as you could spin an item in order to wrap it with something. But it would be utter nonsense to describe what really happens by saying that the the day or night wrap each other, for they are always on the sunward and opposite sides of the Earth. | ||
To even try to make it work you would have to suppose that 'day' means the half of the Earth that is currently sunward, and 'night' means the shadow of the Earth cast by the sun, but then to make the next phrase work you have to suppose that 'night' means the half of the Earth that is currently opposite the sun, and that 'day' means the light from the sun. So at the halfway point in the sentence you have to change your definition of the word 'day' and the definition of 'night' to make it fit the real situation! | To even try to make it work you would have to suppose that 'day' means the half of the Earth that is currently sunward, and 'night' means the shadow of the Earth cast by the sun, but then to make the next phrase work you have to suppose that 'night' means the half of the Earth that is currently opposite the sun, and that 'day' means the light from the sun. So at the halfway point in the sentence you have to change your definition of the word 'day' and the definition of 'night' to make it fit the real situation! | ||