Geocentrism and the Quran: Difference between revisions

This article will examine the evidence for [[Qur'an|Qur'anic]] geocentric [[cosmology]].  

Some may confuse geocentricism with the the idea that the [[Flat Earth and the Quran|Earth is flat]]. These are in fact two different ideas. Geocentrism simply is the notion that the Earth is the (immovable) centre of our universe, thus all celestial bodies move around it. The ancient Greeks and the Europeans of the middle ages thought that the celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the 5 known planets) all moved in celestial spheres around a spherical Earth. It should be noted that even though not all geocentrists are flat-Earthers, invariably all flat-earthers seem to be geocentrists.

The Qur'an says that both the sun and the moon swim / float in a rounded course, or perhaps in a celestial sphere or hemisphere (a 'falak' in the Arabic<ref name="LanesLexiconFalak">Falak [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000227.pdf Lane's Lexicon Volume 1 page 2443] and [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000228.pdf page 2444] Lane also says that the Arab astronomers said there were seven of these spheres for the sun, moon, and the five visible planets, rotating about the celestial pole. This must reflect the post-Qur'anic influence of Ptolemy, whose astronomical work was translated for the Arabs from the 8th century onwards.</ref>). It seems that Allah brings the sun from the east, it goes high above the Earth and ends after sunset with the Sun going to a resting place. All this took place around an Earth that was spread out and had a firmament of seven heavens built without pillars that can be seen above it. This was a common belief in the region at that time and can be found earlier with the Babylonians, ancient Hebrews, the Assyrians and other cultures in the region.

A common claim is that references in the Qur'an to the sun's movement concern its 225 million year orbit around our milky way galaxy rather than to a geocentric orbit. Yet the author of the Qur'an describes a movement of the sun (as well as of the moon) that he expects any of its listeners to see, hence it does not mean a galactic orbit.

The following verse says that the sun and moon running their courses are signs (ayaat) to mankind and thus they must be visible (or known) to a 7th century Arab audience. It says they are explained in detail in the Qur'an to strengthen the faith of Muslims. Yet the modern galactic orbit explanation requires outside knowledge and recent science, and these verses cause doubts in the minds of Muslims.

In the following verses the Qur'an clearly tells us that the sun follows a daily cycle, which ends every night when the sun goes to its resting place (ِمُسْتَقَرٍّ See the footnotes for the Primary Evidence section regarding this word). As usual in the Qur'an (13:2 being the only exception), the sun's movement is mentioned in the context of night and day.

Moreover, saying that it is not for the sun to overtake the moon in verse 40 is a very strange thing to say unless speaking from a naive human perspective where they orbit the same world, and indeed, will one day be joined together (see below). The word translated 'for' in the phrase 'It is not for the sun...' in verse 36:40 is يَنۢبَغِى yanbaghee, which means is fit, suitable, or proper, or behoves, or is right and allowable, or good, or facilitated or easy, or practicable or manageable<ref>ba-ghayn-ya [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000269.pdf Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 233]</ref> and the word translated 'overtake' is تُدْرِكَ tudrika, which means catches up and comes upon<ref>dal-ra-kaf [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000039.pdf Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 873]</ref>)

Here it is again: heavens and earth, night and day, sun and moon.

And again: the Qur'an explains, not only are humans [[Quranic Claim of Everything Created in Pairs|created in pairs]] (male and female), so are the two bodies of flowing waters (one salt and one sweet), and the night and the day and the sun and the moon.  

Various verses explain the shape of the sun's course. Apparently Allah brings the sun from east, it travels high and eventually goes down. Most of these can be dismissed as the same kind of convenient language we would use today ({{Quran|20|059}}, {{Quran|20|130}}, {{Quran|17|078}}, {{Quran-range|6|77|78}}, {{Quran|18|17}}). Some are more interesting, however.

 

The Qur'an also describes the locations where the sun actually rises and sets in response to a question about an existing legend. It can be seen by human eyes in the story of [[Dhul-Qarnayn]] (Alexander the Great):

The moon (the sign of the night) is to be used to count the years (12 [[Islamic Lunar Calendar|lunar years]] make up the Islamic year) and the sun is to be used to keep track of time. The only solar movement Muslims use for timekeeping is the apparent daily course of the Sun (from east up and then down to the west). To this very day, Muslims use the (crude) lunar calender, and the waqt (prescribed time) of their daily [[Salah|salats]] (prayers) is determined entirely  by the position of the Sun along it’s apparent course.

The picture is pretty clear: the apparent daily course of the sun dictates the time of each and every daily prayer and the only examples of the sun being used for timekeeping in the Qur'an employs the sun's daily movement along the sky.

Despite all the verses discussed above that strongly indicate a geocentric worldview, Islamic websites present a few counter arguments to try to prove heliocentricism in the Qur'an. We saw above that the galactic orbit interpretation for the sun's falak does not stand up to scrutiny. In the same section above we also saw that 36:40 ('it is not for the sun to overtake the moon...') is evidence of geocentrism rather than heliocentrism. Two other verses are sometimes used to try to demonstrate knowledge that the Earth rotates on its axis.

At first it seems plausible to suppose that 'day' and 'night' refers to the process of the Earth's rotation revealing and obstructing the view of the sun (though the verse also fits with a geocentric view where 'day' and 'night' are processes when the sun is above or below the horizon). But this idea quickly falls apart when comparing with other verses as detailed below, but also even examining the verse in isolation. For the Earth is actually a globe, and there are no specific times 'when' (itha) the day reveals the sun or the night conceals it. Rather at all times half the Earth is in daytime and half in nighttime, so the sun is at all times both revealed and concealed. This problem wouldn't arise if the word 'when' (itha) was absent in these verses.