Shooting Stars in the Quran: Difference between revisions

[[File:ShootingStars.jpg|right|thumb|175px|Long exposure photograph of a meteor shower]]

In a number of verses the Quran states that Allah adorned and guarded the nearest heaven with stars, and has made them (the stars) missiles against devils who attempt to eavesdrop on heavenly meetings. The devils are pelted from every side, pursued by a bright burning flame if they overhear anything. These verses were understood by early Muslims as a reference to meteors, or "shooting stars", which in reality are completely distinct from the distant stars, though in the ancient world the concepts were commonly confused. Academic scholars have situated the Quranic concept in the context of ancient near east mythologies about eavesdropping devils and celestial phenomena.

Other relevant verses are {{Quran|55|33-35}} (flame of fire and smoke, though a slightly different context):

And [https://quran.com/21?startingVerse=32 Quran 21:32], which many classical commentators have associated with protection against devils:

A hadith collected in Sahih Muslim and Sunan al Tirmidhi confirms that the 'pursuant flames / missiles' in the two verses refer to visible meteors which they saw shooting across the sky.

{{Quote|{{Al Tirmidhi||5|44|3224}}|Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

"We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), while he was sitting with a group of his Companions, when they saw a glowing shooting star. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'When you saw the likes of this during Jahiliyyah, what would you say about it?' They said: 'We would say that a great man died, or that a great man has been born.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'It is not shot due to the death of anyone, nor his coming into life. Rather when our Lord [Blessed is His Name and Most High] decrees a matter, He is glorified by the bearers of the Throne. Then He is glorified by the inhabitants who are below them, then those below them, until such glorification reaches this Heaven. Then the inhabitants of the sixth Heaven ask the inhabitants of the seventh Heaven: "What did your Lord say?" He said: 'So they inform them; then the inhabitants of each Heaven seek the information, until the news is conveyed to the inhabitants of the Heavens of the earth. The Shayatin try to overhear so they are shot at, so they cast it down to their friends. Whatever they came with is true, as it is, but they distort it and add to it.'"}}

See Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary of [https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000282.pdf Najm, Volume 8, pages: 282] </ref> and not necessarily a star, but it is at least clear that these hadiths refer to what we now understand are visible meteors.

{{Quote|(Translation by Paul Smith in) <i>Anthology of Classical Arabic Poetry (From Pre-Islamic Times to Ibn ‘Arabi).</i> New Humanity Books. Kindle Edition. Locations 4668 - 4680|...Some stars wander far, others are fixed; falling ones flame, God makes them to throw at rebel satans who His Paradise are approaching… those who might move with stealth to listen in… by being closer, encounter a star’s flaming fire that’s always waiting to be shooting...}}

As mentioned in the introduction, while stars are giant balls of gas thousands of times larger than the earth, meteors are now known to be distinct from the distant stars, being small rocky masses or grains of debris which burn up after entering the earth's atmosphere. This debris is not even 'star-like', but just rocks, metal and dust with no light source, and therefore cannot accurately be said to match the description of 'lamps'.  

The results of many stellar size measurements over the years have shown that most nearby stars are roughly the size of the Sun, with typical diameters of a million kilometers or so.<ref>Lumen Learning. Astronomy. ''[https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-astronomy/chapter/diameters-of-stars/ The Stars: A Celestial Census. Diameters of Stars.]''</ref> An example of a calculation to demonstrate the size of this, is the sun can fit around 22 billion billion billion (10^28) people in, with the full workings found in this [https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-can-fit-in-the-sun Quora answer] as an estimate. This of course makes them absurdly large to be used as an object to be thrown by angels at jinn, both of which are approximately human size and visit Earth.  

==Modern Apologetic interpretations==

</ref> which eventually go on to become the sources of debris which can become meteors.  

2. Meteors do not even come directly from stars, but rather form asteroids and comets either hitting earth or occasionally breaking into Mars or the Moon, with the debris getting burned up in Earths atmosphere (''again, see: [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-of-shooting-stars/ The Scientific American. The Science of Shooting Stars. 2023. Phil Plait.] for a further explanation of the science''). It is only true to say all the elements which make up everything (and not just space debris) in the universe were once part of a star.

4. If it meant something like the unknown sources of meteors at the time, it easily could have used another of the many words for objects/things in the heavens rather than those which have a different meaning. Or a generic term such as 'ajrām as-samāwiyya/ الأجرام السماوية' for 'heavenly bodies', which can be used to cover all things in the sky (and therefore cover the unknown debris), without using words specifically designated to stars.

===Cosmic rays===

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abul_A'la_Maududi Abul Ala-Maududi] (d. 1979 AD) also wrote:{{Quote|{{cite web| url=https://myislam.org/surah-al-hijr/ayat-18/ | title= Tasfir Abul Ala-Maududi 15.18}}|In Arabic the word shihab-i-mubin literally means a fiery flame. In Surah (Surah As-Saffat, Ayat 10), the same thing has been called shihab-i-thaqib (flame that pierces through darkness). <b>This may or may not necessarily be a meteor for it is just possible that it may be some type of rays such as cosmic rays or even a stronger type which we have not been able to discover as yet. </b>Anyhow, if the fiery flame that pursues Satans may be taken to be a meteor, a countless number of these can form a fortification around our sphere of the universe. Scientific observations made with the help of the telescope have shown that billions of these meteors are rushing from space in a mass of rainfall. towards the earth’s atmosphere. Such a scene was witnessed in an eastern pan of North America on November 13, 1833. This is so strong a fortification that it can prevent Satans from passing through any fortified sphere.}}''Note: the meteor shower being referred to here Leonid Meteor Storm, where fragments of ice, rock, and dust left behind by the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. About every 33 years, the Leonid meteor shower intensifies, increasing the possibility of a dazzling display of lights.<ref>''[https://blog.newspapers.com/november-12-13-1833-the-night-the-stars-fell/ November 12-13, 1833: The Night the Stars Fell.] Newspapers.com. 2022. Jenny Ashcraft.''</ref> This comes from a predictable pattern of material left behind by the comet entering earths atmosphere and burning up,<ref>Royal Museums Greenwich. ''[https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/leonid-meteor-shower-when-and-where-see-it-uk When and where to see the Leonid meteor shower.]''</ref> they do not actually form a flame in space which is impossible due to there being no oxygen.<ref>''[https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24733000-900-lighting-fires-in-space-is-helping-us-make-greener-energy-on-earth Lighting fires in space is helping us make greener energy on Earth.]'' New Scientist. 2020. Philip Ball.</ref>''

There is also nothing said of their function of holding planetary systems together,<ref>NASA Science. Astrophysics. Focus Areas. ''[https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve/ Stars.]''</ref> which could have easily been done by the differentiation of fixed stars from moving stars, and shown genuine scientific foreknowledge.

==External Links==