The Sun and Holy Quran
From WikiIslam
[edit] When Ignorance becomes Godliness: The Sun and Holy Quran
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A few years ago I heard that a miracle of the Quran was that it described the sun in terms of modern science. Naturally, I was somewhat impressed and was curious to read about Quranic science. However, I was disappointed when I actually read the following verse the article was based on:
Verse 1
PICKTHAL: And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit. (Quran 021.033)
The Quran repeatedly (a) praises God’s creations and (b) describes nature to prove its divinity such as in the above verse. Most verses touted as scientific fall under this category. However, neither describing nature, nor praising God’s creations is valid evidence.
The reason is because the above statement is a mere observation of a man. Anyone can say that God created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Ancient civilizations anyway believed that the earth was stationary and the sun and the moon moved in orbit across the earth during the day and night respectively because that is what it the world to them appeared like. As children, most of us also naturally assumed that the sun and moon moved and the earth was flat and stationary. So if a little child or a cave man would make an identical statement, how is it a miracle? Anyone can praise God's creation or nature, but that does not prove that they are prophets. Is establishing the authenticity of God’s word so trivial to us?
Let us consider the other verses from the Quran regarding the sun.
Verse 2
PICKTHAL: And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise. (Quran 036.038) We have the same problem here because an ignorant observer would assume that the sun comes from the east, goes to the west and then rests somewhere during the night when it cannot be seen. This statement is not evidence, for reasons explained above in Verse 1.
Verse 3
PICKTHAL: He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth. He maketh night to succeed day, and He maketh day to succeed night, and He constraineth the sun and the moon to give service, each running on for an appointed term. Is not He the Mighty, the Forgiver? Again, to an observer in Arabia, the sun and the moon would be ‘running’ over the earth in a timely manner so that the pattern of day and night would be followed. (Obviously the observer had not travelled to Scandinavia, the North Pole or the South Pole). Also, please note the question “Is not He the Mighty, the Forgiver?” , mildly suggesting that “Isn’t this evidence enough for you?”. Clearly no evidence has been presented other than a description of an (ignorant) observation.
Verse 4
PICKTHAL: Allah it is Who raised up the heavens without visible supports, then mounted the Throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to be of service, each runneth unto an appointed term; He ordereth the course; He detaileth the revelations, that haply ye may be certain of the meeting with your Lord. (Quran 013.002) Like the above verse, this states an obvious, albeit incorrect, observation. It is likely that the idea of the heavens being raised without visible is also based on a flat stationary earth concept rather than a spherical and rotating earth. Note that there is a subtle implication at the end of the verse insisting that this verse is proof that it is a revelation, even though there is no evidence here because it is at best a combination of the author’s imagination and observation. Since all of us could make a similar unverifiable statement (about Heavens), praise God and describe nature, these cannot be used as proof of divinity. Therefore God gives us no evidence here either.
Verse 5 PICKTHAL: Bethink thee of him who had an argument with Abraham about his Lord, because Allah had given him the kingdom; how, when Abraham said: My Lord is He Who giveth life and causeth death, he answered: I give life and cause death. Abraham said: Lo! Allah causeth the sun to rise in the East, so do thou cause it to come up from the West. Thus was the disbeliever abashed. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. (Quran 002.258) This verse too, means nothing from an evidence standpoint, but it plays a psychological trick. Any of us could manufacture a story about Christ or Buddha once saying how his God caused life and death and caused the sun to rise in the east and asked a disbeliever if he could make the sun rise in the west. Note the implication in the verse that it should suffice as evidence to believe a man’s word to be from God. In reality, like we said, this is not evidence because it can be manufactured and is not valid.
Verse 6 PICKTHAL: It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit. (Quran 036.040) We have already seen that the Quranic verses (1 to 5 above) about the sun were clearly just observations (often wrong). To say that these imply that the sun is moving in the Milky Way is to say that a cave man was referring to the sun’s motion in the galaxy when he saw and said that it moved from east to west on ‘his flat earth’. The above verse about the sun not overtaking the moon and night not outstripping the day only agrees with the belief of the sun and moon moving over the flat earth to cause day and night, because only in that case would the question of the sun or moon overtaking the other for night to outstrip day arise.
Verses 7, 8 PICKTHAL: Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness. (Quran 018.086)
PICKTHAL: Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom. (Quran 018.090)
In the earlier verses (1 to 6), we found incorrect observations and unverifiable imagination. These verses (7, 8) are a work of imagination too by Muhammad (pbuh)! Unfortunately, they were unverifiable by the poor Arabs and other ancient people (just as the incorrect observations were).
However, today we can not only verify the incorrect observations of Muhammad (pbuh), but also the imaginary statements of the self claimed prophet and confirm that they are false. Muhammad (pbuh) did not know ‘the place’ on ‘his flat earth’ where the sun rose or where it set. Nor did his peers. Therefore, he conveniently manufactured descriptions of the rising place and setting place of the sun on ‘his flat earth’. However, we know today that the sun does not set in a muddy spring and it does not rise at a place on the earth at which the people would be unsheltered from it. The earth is not flat and the sun is always shining on half of the earth. At any location on earth, it appears to rise to the east of that location and set to the west of that location. Thus there is no real or fixed rising place or setting place that the sun has for the earth, and no resting place either. The above verses are very important. Muhammad made many imaginary and unverifiable claims. He described Heaven, Hell, Jinns, Moses chasing a running stone (Sahih Bukhari V1, B5,#277)etc. If he had to manufacture his descriptions of the earth and the sun, we know for a fact that his description of the heavens, hell and God are all imaginary as well. Through the above verses, we see that Muhammad’s claims and imaginations are false and that he used the name of God to manufacture descriptions and stories. He just invented information that could not be verified at that time. The importance of these verses is tremendous as they are equivalent to God giving us a glimpse of Heaven and telling us that it is nothing like what Muhammad described to us! Sorry, those of you who were counting on wine or consorts! In conclusion, Muhammad cannot lead us to the imaginary murky spring in which the sun sets, nor can he lead us to the paradise he promised for believing him. By following his inhumane message and his deceitful example, we can only be led to the fiery Hell, he so vividly described. It is also very sad that information is being distorted and incorrectly presented to mislead millions. Scientific fallacies are being shown as miracles. It is unfortunate that our belief is so blind that we make and believe any claim against all evidence. By doing that, we are only letting the mind and evidence we have from God be defeated by a 7th century man's incorrect observations and false imaginary claims. We cannot let ignorance become Godliness.
I will leave you with an explanation of one of the verses about the sun, from its author himself, the prophet Muhammad. Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Number 421 Narrated Abu Dhar: The Prophet asked me at sunset, "Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: "And the sun Runs its fixed course For a term (decreed). that is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing."(36.38 )
