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The Islamic Bulletin
Volume X X No. 26
Page 23
In the Qur’an Allah employs different words when referring to
such celestial bodies as the Moon, the Sun and the stars. This
is how the differences between the structures of the Sun and
Moon are expressed in the Qur’an:
Don’t you see how He created seven heavens in layers, and
placed the Moon as a light in them and made the sun a
blazing lamp?
(Qur’an, 71:15-16)
In the above verse, the word “light” is used for the Moon
(“noor” in Arabic) and the word “lamp” for the Sun (“siraaj” in
Arabic.) The word used for the Moon refers to a light-reflect-
ing, bright, motionless body. The word used for the Sun refers
to a celestial body which is always burning, a constant source
of heat and light.
On the other hand, the word “star” comes from the Arabic
root “najama,” meaning “appearing, emerging, visible.” As in
the verse below, stars are also referred to by the word
“thaaqib,” which is used for that which shines and pierces the
darkness with light: self-consuming and burning:
It is the star that pierces through darkness! (Qur’an, 86:3)
We now know that the Moon does not emit its own light but
reflects that reaching it from the Sun. We also know that the Sun
and stars do emit their own light. These facts were revealed in
the Qur’an in an age when mankind simply did not have the
means to make scientific discoveries of their own accord. It was
an age when peoples’ knowledge of celestial bodies was severely
restricted, to say the least. This further emphasises the miraculous
nature of the book of Islam.
ORBITS AND THE ROTATING UNIVERSE
One of the most important reasons for the great equilibrium
in the universe is the fact that celestial bodies follow specific
paths. Stars, planets
and satellites all
rotate around their
own axes and also
rotate together with
the system of which
they are a part. The
universe functions
within a finely-tuned
order, just like the
wheels in a factory.
All these celestial
bodies follow the
most finely calcu-
lated paths and
orbits. For millions
of years, each one
has been moving in
its own path in
flawless harmony
with all the others.
The verse which
reads
“[I swear] by
Heaven with its
cyclical systems,”
(Qur’an, 86:11) indicates this truth. Natu-
rally, at the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people had
no telescopes with which to study bodies millions of
kilometres away in space, advanced observation technology or
our modern knowledge of physics and astronomy. It was
therefore impossible to establish that space had “its oscillat-
ing orbits,” (Qur’an, 51:7) as described in the verse. The
Qur’an however, revealed at that time, provided clear infor-
mation concerning that fact. This is proof that this book is
indeed Allah’s word.
THE SUN’S TRAJECTORY
It is stressed in the Qur’an that the Sun and Moon
follow specific trajectories:
It is He Who created night and day and the Sun and Moon,
each one swimming in a sphere. (Qur’an, 21:33)
The word “swim” in the above verse is expressed in Arabic by the
word “sabaha” and is used to describe the movement of the Sun
in space. The word means that the Sun does not move randomly
through space but that it rotates around its axis and follows a
course as it does so. The fact that the Sun is not fixed in position
but rather follows a specific trajectory is also stated in another
verse:
And the Sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the
Almighty, the All-Knowing.
(Qur’an, 36:38)
These facts set out in the Qur’an were only discovered by means
of astronomical advances in our own time. According to astrono-
mers’ calculations, the Sun moves along a path known as the
Solar Apex in the path of the star Vega at an incredible speed of
720,000 kmph (447,000 mph). In rough terms, this shows that
the Sun traverses some 17.28 million km (10.74 million miles) a
day. As well as the Sun itself, all the planets and satellites within
its gravitational field also travel the same distance.
THE MOON’S ORBIT
And We have decreed set phases for the Moon, until it ends
up looking like an old date branch. It is not for the Sun to
overtake the Moon nor for the night to outstrip the day; each
one is swimming in a sphere.
(Qur’an, 36:39-40)
The Moon does not follow a regular orbit like the satellites of
other planets. As it orbits the Earth, it sometimes moves behind it
and sometimes in front. As it also moves with the Earth around
the Sun, it actually follows a constant pattern resembling the
letter “S” in space. This route, traced by the Moon in space, is
described in the Qur’an as resembling an old date branch and
does indeed resemble the twisted form of the date tree branch.
Indeed, the word “urjoon” employed in the Qur’an refers to a
thin and twisted date branch and is used to describe that part left
after the fruit has been picked. The way that this branch is
described as “old” is also most appropriate since old date
branches are thinner and more twisted.
There is no doubt that it was impossible for anyone to have any
knowledge about the orbit of the Moon 1,400 years ago. The way
that this pattern, identified by modern technology and accumu-
lated knowledge, was revealed in the Book is yet another scien-
tific miracle of the Qur’an.
Muslims people have a huge treasure in their hands, the Holy
Quran. This book not only describes the way a Muslim person
should lead their life, but it also is full of complex explana-
tions of the world that we live in. Constant reading of the
Quran will enable a person to better understand this world
and to become a closer servant to Allah (SWT).