Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Sun and The Moon Revolve Around the Earth According to Al-Qur'an

"Does the Qur'an teach that our solar system is geocentric ?" This is a fair question considering there are many of Qur'an's verses mention that the sun, moon, and star are "running", but seem none of verses in the Qur'an which clearly state the earth is moving, running or floating. So, does the Qur'an state that our solar system was geocentric, which the earth is the center and the sun, moon and other celestial bodies are running around the earth? While the science is indicating that the earth moves around the sun and the sun itself is move along with our galaxy. Which should we believe further, revelation or science?

Moreover the Quran was revealed at a time when the majority of the world consider that the earth was still, and motionless, and the sun and moon orbit around up and down the earth, because that are seen and felt by the people on earth. Statement that the earth moves around the sun, at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, of course, would cause Islam not accepted by the people, and even would bring out a lot of criticism from some of people of the Book.

"The earth moves? Do you feel the earth move? That's a stupid idea. Clearly we see the sun rising in the east, moving up and setting in the west, after that the moon appears as the sun does", perhaps that was a response from the people in the past about heliocentric idea or ideas that the earth, moon, stars, and even the sun moves in its own orbit and that the earth moves around the sun.

A Muslim believes and does not deny that the Qur'an is the revelation of Allah the Most Perfect, that therefore, it is unquestionable truth. On the other hand, every Muslim does believe that Allah revealed the Qur'an with His knowledge, explaining and justifying the signs of God in nature. Thus, for Muslims, there are only two possibilities, the Qur'an justifies even precedes science, or science is wrong.

Now let's see, does the Qur'an really state that the earth is the center of the solar system? Here are verses in the Qur'an that mention about the circulation of the sun and the moon:
[36:37] And a sign for them is the night. We remove from it [the light of] day, so they are [left] in darkness.
[36:38] And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
[36:39] And the moon - We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk.
[36:40] It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.
From verses 37-40 of Surah Yaasiin above, it can be concluded:
  1. Allah uses the phrase "remove from it (from the night) day", indicating that the universe is dominated by the night (dark), and the day it is something that is "attached" to the darkness (night) itself. Like as a frame strips out from the walls, meand that the walls is the dominant where the frame previously affixed to the wall.
  2. The sun revolves (walk) around its own orbit, circling the center of the galaxy, towards its "resting place". "Limustaqarrin Laha" literally means "to somewhere appointed to it" can also means "to be stable / fixed", "to its resting place" or "to its stopping point". The word "orbit" itself in Arabic is "falak". This verse wants to tell us that the sun is revolves "until the appointed time, when it has reached its resting place or in a stable condition / not moving anymore."
  3. Determination of the phases of the moon, can only be done when the earth is also rotating around itself and also revolves around the sun, and the moon also revolves around the earth, which will be presented later in this post, Insya Allah.
  4. Orbit (falakin) is different between the sun and the moon (respectively).
  5. The orbits of the sun and the moon is not associated with the change of day and night, so that God revealed the two things as the assertion "It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon" because each celestial bodies has different orbit, the sun revolves around the galaxy, the moon revolves around the earth, and the second statement " nor does the night overtake the day", because the earth is round and rotates/spins . The sun and moon may be parallel, but still "It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon".
When mentions about the circulation of the sun and the moon, Allah always include night and day, with the possible explanation (wallahu a'lam):
  1. So that the circulation of the sun and moon can be differ with the change of night and day, because the sun does not revolve around the earth, but otherwise the earth revolves around the sun, so the inclusion of day and night in those verses as the assertion that "the circluation of the sun and the moon" and "change of night and day" are two different things.
  2. The use of the phrase "night and day" (laila wan nahaar), where the word "night" is always mentioned first than the "day", indicating that the night was created first before the day, as the sun was created first than the moon, according to the Qur'an , because the word "sun" has always mentioned precede the word "moon".
  3. Besides what mentioned in the point 2, the use of the phrase "night and day" instead of "day and night", has purposes so that it cannot be related with the phrase "the sun and the moon" if someone look those two phrase with its word order, and it makes clearer that "the circulation of the sun and the moon" is different with "change of night and day", because "the sun" is always mentioned precede "the moon", but "the night" (which associated with darkness or the moon) is always mentioned precede the day (which associated with light/shine or sun.
  4. Other verses that mention the circulation of "the sun and the moon", we can always see that they also mentioned "night and day", so that people understands that"the circulation of the sun and the moon" and "change of night and day" can be distinguished as two different things. Those verses are QS 14:33, 21:33, 31:29, 35:13, and 39:5.
Now lets look at another verse:
[13:2] It is Allah who erected the heavens without pillars that you [can] see; then He established Himself above the Throne and made subject the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. He arranges [each] matter; He details the signs that you may, of the meeting with your Lord, be certain.
"each running" is a translation of "wa kullun yajri". See the use of the word "kullun" here, which means "all" (plural indefinite / uncountable). Notice how the Qur'an does not use the word "kilaahuma" (both of/dual form) but using the indefinitite form "kullun". Al-Qur'an want to say, rather than just sun and moon are revolves and circulating, but also  everything in the universe, the heavens, it's also circulating. Sun, earth, moon, planets and stars all circulate. The word "kullun" is used in all the verse that states curculation of the sun and moon as in surah Yaasiin (36) verse 40 above, followed by plural or indefinite noun/adjective/adverb, not in the dual form, like the word "musamman" which means "determined" is also an indefinite form.


Earth's rotation and revolution in the Qur'an

For the statements about the Qur'an about whether the earth rotates and revolves, or in other words moving, let us see surah Luqman verse 29, where Allah says:
[31:29] Do you not see that Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allah , with whatever you do, is Acquainted?
Notice the words "to enter (yuuliju)" the night into the day and the day into the night, signifies that the earth rotates. Part of the earth where is experiencing the day, is entered to the area that oppose the sun so that part of the earth is the experience of the night and vice versa. That is why the Qur'an uses the word "to enter (yuuliju)" to describe the change of day and night.
In surah an-Naml verse 88 Allah says:
[27:88] And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allah , who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do.
One of the miracle of the Qur'an is the Qur'an, since 15 centuries ago, has declared that the mountains is moving instead of still and rigid . The mountains are generated by the plates of the earth, where the plates always keep moving. This is something that just discovered and proven centuries after the revelation of the Qur'an. The other miracle is the statement "as the passing of clouds".

Cloud, at a certain height from the surface of the earth, always moving from west to east, because as the earth's rotation is also from west to east. So this verse also explains that the earth indeed moves and the direction of movement (rotation) is that "as the passing of clouds".
Now let's look at surah Al-Furqaan verse 45 as following:
[25:45] Have you not considered your Lord - how He extends the shadow, and if He willed, He could have made it stationary? Then We made the sun for it an indication.
[25:46] Then We withdraw it unto Us with gradual withdrawal.
Note the phrase "We made the sun for it an indication". Something that is used as a guide / indication is something fixed, relative to the object. If someone says "You go there, and the indication that you have already arrive to that place is you see a large guava tree beside a big red house" here "guava tree beside a big red house" is an indication or a guide, something that is relatively stand still to the moving person. Or if someone says "The car speed of 100 km / h" means refers to something that is relatively stand still to the car.

See how Allah does the selection of words, so that the statement could be receive at the time of revelation  but can be accepted also in the present time, and of course, does not conflict with science, as indeed all knowledge comes from Allah.
" and if He willed, He could have made it stationary ... Then We withdraw it unto Us with gradual withdrawal.". The position of the Earth in orbit around the sun following an elliptical orbit with oblique position, not perpendicular, to the sun. This verse also indicates that earth revolves the sun with non-perpendicular nor fix position, so there are times when the shadow at the same hour be shorter or longer, depending on the season going. If Allah wills, Allah makes shadow at the same hour also has same length, but Allah wills it won't that way.
In the Surah An-Naba '(78) verse 6, God says:
[78:6] Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse ?
Above is Yusuf Ali translation, where "a wide expanse" here is a translation of "mihaadan". Te word "mihaadan" literally means "resting place" (as translate in sahih international translation) or "swing / cradle" (in the indefinite form), from the root word "al-mahd". Some translator translate it as "wide expance" most likely take root from "madaad" used in another verse which has mean "expanse". The use of the word mihaadan as "resting place" can be seen in other verses in the Quran in Sura 7:41 that is, 13:18, 38:56, 3:197. 3:12, and 2:206.
The use of "mihaadan" in the sense of swing / cradle, which used similar words in verse 29 of Surah Maryam:
[19:29] So she pointed to him. They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?"
Here the Qur'an used in the singular form of mihaadan mean that in a swing or cradle. baby cradle or crib for the baby or infant is usually made swing to the left and right, so that the child felt comfortable and fell asleep. Thus the Qur'an describes the earth as if it is in the cradle / crib, so that the surah An-Naba 'verse 78 can be translated "Did we not made the earth like a cradle / crib?"

The science proves that the Earth rotation around its axis while revolving the sun is not perpendicular but oblique and irregular, sometimes moving away from the sometimes close to its perpendicular axis to its orbit. The fact that only recently known, have already been mentioned in the Qur'an 15 centuries ago.


Even in the next verse Allah states in the Qur'an:
[78:7] And the mountains as pegs?
Here, Allah states that the mountains made in the earth such as pegs and also functioned like pegs. Of course a question arises, what is the purpose Allah made the mountains as pegs? Concerning to this, Allah describes in another verse:
[16:15] And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you ...
[31:10] He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with you ...
So one of the functions used as the mountains on earth are as a balancer, stabilizing the Earth's rotation, which together with the earth's gravity, resulting in a swift or shake due to the rotation of the earth is not perceived by humans, so people on earth still feel that the earth was "flat" and "stand still", not shaking the people who lived on its surface. So the ordinance of Allah, the Lord of all universes.

Another thing what the Qur'an says is the revolution of the moon, as Allah has said in surah Yaasiin verse 36 above :
[36:39] And the moon - We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk.
" 'urjuuni al-qadiimi" in above verse has meaning of "old date stalk", means "stalks that has already had date fruit on them".
Al-Qur'an statements about the "kal 'urjuuni al qadiimi" has to be underlined, because the orbit of the moon, both in geocentric and/or heliocentric paradigm,  is in the form a circle or ellipse, but in this verse is explained that for the moon, had been determined the set of phases (dead moon, new moon, half moon, full moon) and keep repeating, like the old date stalk, and also explains that the earth indeed rotates and revolves around the sun, because those phase of moon only occur if the earth is moving.

The picture below will explain how this verse not only proves that the earth and the moon rotates, but the earth, with accompanied by revolution of moon, also revolves around the sun.


[70:40] So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings ( masyaariq - plural form and settings ( maghaaribi - plural form ) that indeed We are able
As has mentioned in the article "Does Al-Qur'an Say that the Earth is Flat ?", that the existance of wests and easts (in plural) indicate that the earth is round-shape. But also explained in that article that "masyaariq" and "maghaarib" also literally mean "sun rising places" and "sun setting places", so this verse also try to explained that the earth in its rotation (which causes the sun rises and sets, as observed from the earth) is not perpendicular but oblique or tilted from its the perpendicular axis.

Science proves that the earth rotates in 23.5 degree angle from the perpendicular axis, sometimes the northern part of the earth toward the sun, and sometimes the southern part does (along with the change of seasons). This makes the point of sunrise and sunset are always different for people who are in the north and south equatorial, especially in different seasons, even though relatively same for the people in the equatorial region. And this also makes not only places but also time of sun rising and setting is different every places every day, all express by the Qur'an by the term masyaariq and maghaarib, which is in their plural form. These Masyaariq and maghaaribi only occur when the earth is spherical, rotates and revolves around the sun, and spesifically in oblique angle to its perpendicular axis.

Thus, the Qur'an uses the language style and paravle that can be accepted by the people of in the past when the Qur'an was revealed time, but in line with science and provable in centuries after the Qur'an was revealed.


Does surah Asy-Syams verse 1 and 2 state about geo-centric?

"Wait, what about Asy-Syams verses 1-2?", Some people might ask it. "Is not it obvious that the moon is said to follow the sun? Means sun in circulation, followed by the moon, which means that support and express the geocentric?"
Answering this question, let's look at surah Asy-Syams  verses 1-2:
[91:1] By the sun and its brightness,
[91:2] And [by] the moon when it follows it,
From those two verses can be explained:
  1. Once again, please state that there is no statement in these verse which mention explicitly that the sun nor the moon revolves the earth (although the moon indeed revolves the earth). As the verse is revealed 15 centuries ago, the second verse of this seems reasonable, because that is actually what people see when observe from the earth. Moon appears after the sun set in the evening. But it is an understanding based on eye observation, which can be received and understandable the 15th century ago.
  2. The word "follow" is a translation of "talaha" from word "tala" which means "to follow", or "rely on". This "tala" has the root word "talaw" (ta lam waw) which means "read and dictate (recite)", in where the words with the root word "talaw" are used no less than 60 times in the Qur'an.
  3. The moon is something that "follow" the sun. Whereas if we look in another verse, explained that the moon and the sun has different orbit, furthermore the moon's orbit is shaped like an old date stalk, where the moon with the earth around the sun. This verse in fact contain scientific truth, which is evidenced by the current science that says that the moon tends to "follow" the sun because of the sun's gravity, as shown in the following figure:
  4. In the present time, it has known that the moon is actually do "talaha", that is "read" the sun light and "recite" the light to Earth.  Light owned the moon is the reflection of sunlight. That is also why the Qur'an says that the sun "shines (dhiyaan)" and the moon "luminous/derived the light (Nuur)", because "shine" means to have its own light source, while the "luminous" dependent on other objects that have a light. 
[10:5] It is He who made the sun a shining light (dhiyaan) and the moon a derived light (nuuran)
Related to point 4 above, moreover explained in surah Nuh (71) verse 16:
[71:16] And made the moon therein a [reflected] light (nuuran) and made the sun a burning lamp (sirajan)?
So, in this verse "the moon" is mentioned first before "the sun" does not mean that moon is created before the sun, because that is not the point. This verse is not focused to the creation of the moon, but it is said that for the moon, Allah has given to it a light, but this light is coming from another source, and then explain that the "another source" is the sun that Allah made it as a lamp so that the moon can get the light from "the lamp" and reflects it. Based on Arabic-English Lane's Lexicon, sirajan literally means "lamp". So, this verse basicly confirm for point 4 above that the moon is actually do "talaha".

For closing of this article : Not only state that the earth revolves around the earth, the Qur'an also state that the sun also revolves in its own orbit, around the center of galaxy, as other celestial bodies does in their own orbit. This is also means that the galaxy also floats in its own orbit, wallahu a'lam.
[35:41] Indeed, Allah holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (tazula). And if they should cease (zalata), no one could hold them [in place] after Him. Indeed, He is Forbearing and Forgiving.
"Tazula" or "zalata" has the origin of the word "Zala" which means "to deviate from the state of motion" or "stop of the state of motion", indicating that the heavens (sun, planets, moon, stars, and other celestial bodies) and earth, are moving in its orbit as determined by Allah.
If there are verses in the Quran that says the sun rises from the east (like in the story of Abraham when he encounter unbelievers, surah 2:258), or where the sun rising place and the sun setting place (in the story Zulkarnain, QS 18 : 86), the Qur'an describes that it was felt by the people who become the object of the narrative (in this case, the prophet Ibrahim and Zulkarnain), and even that what is felt by all people on earth : "the sun rises from the east and sets in west ", but the Qur'an does not claim that the sun around the earth. Are we not taught in school, "the sun rises in the east and sets in the west" ? The term "sunrise" or "sunset" we also use in everyday life, even though we know (and have been taught) that in fact that is caused by the earth's rotation.

Once again, all of those parables created by Allah so that people would think, because the greatest potential given to mankind is his/her mind, so that he/she can think, able to understand the signs of Allah's existence and power.
[29:43] And such are the Parables We set forth for mankind, but only those understand them who have knowledge
Allah the Most Righteous with His words  
(from various sources) 
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "I have been sent with Jawami al-Kalim (i.e., the shortest expression carrying the widest meanings), and I was made victorious with awe (caste into the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the earth were brought to me and were put in my hand." Muhammad said, Jawami'-al-Kalim means that Allah expresses in one or two statements or thereabouts the numerous matters that used to be written in the books revealed before (the coming of) the Prophet .
(Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 141)

To view and search the verses of the Qur'an can be through http://www.quranplus.com
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