It's just quite amazing!

It is truly quite amazing that Allah Almighty in the Noble Quran Said these precise words through the tongue of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that no ordinary person would've thought about.  I mean, who would've been able to come up with such sentences and words 1,500 years ago to describe and comparing the moon's orbit to an old, dry and twisted date branch tree, which is shaped like the English-letter "S" as shown in the next section below, similar to our our scientists today when they describe it as "S-shaped"?  Who on earth would've thought about that??  The answer is simple.  The Prophet didn't think about anything.  He only spoke what was sent down to him from Divine Truth and Revelations!  Allah Almighty Said:

"We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and INSIDE THEIR SELVES, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?  (The Noble Quran, 41:53)"

Closing tightly:  The corner of each curve will curve and close more and more tightly as the branch
dries out.  This will cause for all of the branches above to be much closer to the resemblance of the letter
"S".  The curving is a natural result with all tree-branches and leaves in general.  Remember that Allah
Almighty compared the Moon's orbit with an "an old date branch" and not just a normal and young one. 

 
Two pictures of one palm-tree of a different palm-fruit carrying dry, curvey,
and S-shaped stalks/branches.

Here is the same image without the circles and curved lines.

Notice here how the branches on the left and the center have the curves of snakes or the letter "S".  Now,
the reason why the one on the outside far right looks like an arc is because the angel of the camera didn't
do it justice.  But notice, however, the sections that I've circled in the image and how they're twisted and
curved like the letter "S".  When the branches all dry out and die, their curves start getting more and more
twisted and resembling to the letter "S".  Again, remember that Allah Almighty compared the Moon's
orbit with an "an old date branch" and not just a normal and young one.

And again, the moon's orbit around earth is not really a perfect "S".  Scientists said that it resembles the
letter "S", but that doesn't mean that it looks perfectly like the English-letter "S".  Therefore, the
date-branches don't also have to look like a perfect letter "S".  Resembling it would be enough to
prove the Divine Miracle of Allah Almighty.

Allah Almighty's description of the "phases/stages" of the moon's orbit as an "old (qadeem)" and dried out "branch of a date tree," and the scientists' description of the orbit as S-shaped only prove that the Noble Quran is indeed a Divine Revelation from Allah Almighty.  And as we clearly see below, all of the English translations of Noble Verse 36:39 accurately translated  كالعرجون القديم  as old dried out branch of a date tree.

From http://www.answering-christianity.com/cgi-bin/quran/quran_search1.cgi?search_text=36%3A39&B1=Search:

Indeed, all Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty alone!

5-  What about those date-branches that are shaped like an arch and DO NOT resemble the letter "S"?  Do they disprove the Noble Quran's Statement?

I've noticed that among the date-stalks' bunch (either dry and twisted or not) that not all of them resemble the English-letter "S".  Some of them are archy and sometimes even short.  So would this now disprove the Noble Quran's Statement?

Answer:

Absolutely not for the following reasons:

1-  Allah Almighty never Said that every single existing date-tree-stalk on the face of this earth is shaped the same.  In all of Allah Almighty's creations, there are always variations in looks, behaviors and characteristics among every group of creation.  So it is only normal and natural to expect and anticipate differences among the date-tree-stalks' looks, lengths, colors and other characteristics.
 

2-  Allah Almighty in the Noble Quran Said:

‏36:39 والقمر قدرناه منازل حتى عاد كالعرجون القديم

And We have decreed set phases for the moon, until it ends up looking like an old date branch. (Qur'an, 36:39)

If we actually look at all of the old, dry and twisted date-stalks (or branches or strands), we would see that many of them naturally resemble the English-letter "S", and that some of them do look archy and others even look like straight lines.  In the case of the moon's orbit around the earth, it visibly appears archy to us.  To the ordinary person, 1,500 years ago, the moon orbited the earth in a circle.  No one could have ever imagined that the moon's orbit around the earth is S-shaped, and when we know today that many of the old, dry and twisted date-stalks do also resemble the English-letter "S", then we are left with a stunning Divine Miracle from the Noble Quran, because, yes, while the moon's orbit is archy, but it is still also S-shaped, which is a more comprehensive description of the moon's orbit.  The beautiful thing about this is that the S-shaped date-tree-stalks do encompass both.

Also, as we've seen with the ample pictures above, it is indeed a true statement to say that the natural curves and looks of the date-tree-stalks, either when they're young or when they dry-out, do indeed resemble the English-letter "S".  We are not talking about exceptions here or 1 stalk out of a 1,000.  I've looked at countless pictures of date-stalks' bunches on the internet and all of them had many curved and twisted branches that resembled the English-letter "S" along with other branches that were archy and also straight lines.  In fact, in the very first date-stalk picture, above, where they've made and positioned the stalk to look like the English-letter "S", proves that the common thought about the shape of the date-tree-branches or stalks is that they do indeed resemble the English-letter "S".  This picture along with most of the other ones, above, were all taken from non-Muslim Western commercial web sites.  So they are definitely not for proving the Noble Quran so that they would doctor the picture, - not that I am claiming that we Muslims are liars who doctor pictures or anything like that.

So yes, the moon's orbit around the earth is both archy and S-shaped, and both cases combined perfectly confirm Allah Almighty's Divine Statement in the Noble Quran.  All Praise and Glory are due to Him alone.

But what about the date-stalks that are straight lines and aren't either archy or S-shaped?  Wouldn't they refute the Noble Quran's Statement?

Again, absolutely not, because even to man, 1,500 years ago, the moon's orbit around the earth never looked like a straight line.  So those stalks must be excluded because they do not represent anything.

And again, as I mentioned in point #1, above, Allah Almighty never Said that every single existing date-tree-stalk on the face of this earth looks the same.  In all of Allah Almighty's creations, there are always variations in looks, behaviors and characteristics among every group of creation.  So it is only normal and natural to expect and anticipate differences among the date-tree-stalks' looks, lengths, colors and other characteristics.

The very fact, though, that Allah Almighty made it clear in the Noble Quran that the sun's and the moon's orbits are different from each others [1], while to man, 1,500 years ago, they both looked the same just going around in endless circles, clearly and indisputably proves that Allah Almighty's Statement in the Noble Quran is indeed a stunning Divine Miracle in the Noble Quran!  Again, all Praise and Glory are due to Him, the Almighty, alone.

Notes for this section:

1.  Allah Almighty Said that the moon's orbit is like an old and twisted date-tree branch.  However, Allah Almighty never said anything about the shape of the sun's orbit.  Not only that, but Allah Almighty also Said that the day and the night, and the sun and the moon, each swims in its orbit:

"And He is the One Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Each is afloat in its orbit.  (The Noble Quran, 21:33)"

Yet, the moon's own orbit is different from the others because it is shaped like a date-branch.

Not only that, but notice how Allah Almighty Said that He Created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon.  Scientists today have indeed confirmed that it is the day-layer that processes and reveals the sun's brilliant rays, because the sun's brilliant rays in outer space are very dark blue, and they are not shining.  That is why the space is absolutely black during our brightest day on earth.  Allah Almighty Said:

"By the sun and its radiant light, and the moon that trails (and reflects) its light. By the day that reveals its brightness.  (The Noble Quran, 91:1-5)"

I have provided ample Noble Verses from the Noble Quran, and ample Scientific quotes, pictures, and even a movie-clip that thoroughly demonstrate the Truthfulness of this Noble Verse.  Please visit:

The sun rays that we see during the day are different from the ones seen in space - mentioned in the Noble Quran and confirmed by Science!

The skinning of the day from the night Miracle - mentioned in the Noble Quran and confirmed by Science!

So yes, indeed, it is not the sun that reveals our day, but rather, it is the day that processes reveals the sun's radiant lights.  So yes, indeed, the night and the day, and the sun and the moon are all swimming in their orbits and they are each doing their own different and unique tasks that complement each others by Allah Almighty's Magnificent Design, Wisdom and Will.

6-  Two indisputable proofs from the Noble Quran about Allah Almighty referring to the S-shaped date branches and not just the archy ones:

As we've clearly seen above, the date branches, whether dry and twisted or not, do resemble:

1-  S-shaped curves.

2-  Archy curves.

3-  Just plain straight lines.

So which one did Allah Almighty mean?  And why and how?

  
Answer:

The first proof:

To man 1,500 years ago, the sun and the moon were orbiting the earth in endless circles.  The sun's orbit was the bigger circle than the moon's because people witnessed eclipses where the moon comes in front of the sun, blocks its rays, and turns the day into a night.  There are ample Noble Verses from the Noble Quran and Sayings (Hadiths) from Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that talked about eclipses [1].  So this was a known fact to man 1,500 years ago.

So what does this mean?  Well, there is certainly a Divine Purpose for Allah Almighty to only Say that the moon's orbit is shaped like an "old and twisted date branch" and never mentioned anything about the sun's orbit.  Why didn't Allah Almighty mention anything of this sort about the sun's orbit around the earth?  Didn't the sun and the moon's orbits look the same to man 1,500 years ago and even to us today?  I mean, to the ordinary, aren't the sun's and the moon's orbit no more than endless circular motions around the earth?  So if the moon's orbit is shaped like an "old and twisted date branch" then this should make the sun's orbit the same thing to man 1,500 years ago.  Right?

This certainly would've been true if Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was a liar and the Noble Quran wasn't revealed by Allah Almighty.  But because Prophet Muhammad is a True Messenger from GOD Almighty, and because the Noble Quran is a True Divine Revelation from GOD Almighty, Allah Almighty only talked about the moon's orbit and not the sun's, because they are both different.  Allah Almighty Said:

"We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and inside their selves, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?  (The Noble Quran, 41:53)"

Certainly, the moon's orbit being different from the sun's is a Sign from Allah Almighty "in the Universe" for us, and there are tens (10s) more topics with 100s of Noble Verses, combined, that were revealed to us throughout the Noble Quran.  Since man have discovered that the sun's orbit and the moon's orbit are completely different from each others, and since Allah Almighty PRECISELY Chose to only talk about the moon's orbit being S-shaped and since scientists today have demonstrated and proven that the moon's orbit around the earth is S-shaped, and the moon's orbit around the sun is also in an endless S-shaped loop, then we have indeed a Stunning Noble Verse and a Divine Miracle in Noble Verse 36:39:

‏36:39 والقمر قدرناه منازل حتى عاد كالعرجون القديم

And We have decreed set phases for the moon, until it ends up looking like an old date branch. (Qur'an, 36:39)

  
The second proof:

If Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was indeed a liar, and if the Noble Quran was indeed a Book not from Allah Almighty, then we wouldn't have seen ample Scientific Miracles in the Holy Book.  We, instead, would've seen scientific blunders in It:

"Do they not ponder on the Qur'an?  Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.   (The Noble Quran, 4:82)"

The very fact that Allah Almighty Chose to Say "old and twisted date branch" and not just "date branch" for the moon's orbit proves that there is a Divine Message, Purpose and Wisdom in this Noble Verse, especially that when Allah Almighty only Said it about the moon and didn't include the sun with it.  We have already seen how the freely hanging date branches - when they become dry and twisted - they resemble the English-letter "S": [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7a, 7b] [8] [9].  And we have also seen the ample scientific proofs in both pictures and text (quotes from scientists) that have demonstrated and proven how the moon's orbit around the earth indeed resembles the English-letter "S", and how the moon's orbit around the sun is also swimming in S-shaped loops.

So undoubtedly, the main characteristic of the moon's orbit, whether around the earth or the sun, is that it is shaped like the English-letter "S".  I just find it to be indeed very stunning that Allah Almighty Said this about the moon's orbit alone and the characteristics of the moon's orbit alone 1,500 years ago when man had absolutely no idea and no clue about this fact.  Indeed, all Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty alone.

Notes for this section:

1.  The following sample Hadiths and Noble Verse prove that eclipses were known to man 1,500 years ago:

Narrated Asma' bint Abu Bakr: "The Prophet ordered us to free slaves at the time of solar eclipses.  (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 46, Number 695)"

Narrated Abu Bakra: "The solar eclipse occurred while we were sitting with the Prophet He got up dragging his garment (on the ground) hurriedly till he reached the mosque The people turned (to the mosque) and he offered a two-Rak'at prayer whereupon the eclipse was over and he traced us and said, "The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah, so if you see a thing like this (eclipse) then offer the prayer and invoke Allah till He remove that state,"  (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 676)"

"And the moon is eclipsed.  (The Noble Quran, 75:8)"

7-  The moon had water and became dry:

It is important to know that the some of the Noble Verses in the Holy Quran could have multiple interpretations to them, and all of those interpretations are true at the same time.  Noble Verse 36:39 seems to fit this well:

‏36:39 والقمر قدرناه منازل حتى عاد كالعرجون القديم

And We have decreed set phases for the moon, until it ends up looking like an old date branch. (Qur'an, 36:39)

  
The Arabic word عاد (ended up, returned) is both a simple past and a past tense.  What this means is that the Noble Verse could also be referring to an event that took place in the past. 

Date is a desert fruit.  The fruit and its branches are known to store water for survival:

In fact, it is said that if you travel in the desert and you're carrying dates with you, then you wouldn't need to drink much from your water, because eating dates will help quench your thirst and boost your energy due to the water, sugars, vitamins, minerals, and all of the other energy materials such as hormones and others that they contain.  Dates have everything your body needs to keep you alive.

The moon used to have water.  The moon too used to have water in its interior until it all dried out: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]....

Please visit:  Another seven good Miracles in the Holy Quran.

Why did Allah Almighty choose the date branch?

There is certainly a Divine Wisdom and a big reason for why Allah Almighty chose to compare the moon and its orbit to a desert fruit's branch.  And all Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty Alone, the more we discover about both the moon and the date fruit, the more we see that the parable was indeed a great example with much Divine Knowledge, Wisdom and Truth in it. 

I believe the reason why Allah Almighty chose the date-fruit branch for the parable is because:

1-  The date-fruit branch, when it dries up, it does resemble the English-letter S, which is what the moon's orbit looks like.

2-  The date-fruit branch, when it starts growing up, it looks like an arch (crescent), and then as it ages, it starts curving from the bottom making it resemble the English-letter S as shown in the 10s (tens) of pictures above.

3-  The date fruit and its branch, like a camel, store much water for later use to enable them to survive the unforgiving desert's extreme heat and lack of much water.  While other desert plants like the cactus and cactus fruit also store water, but their branches are not anywhere near resembling the moon's S-shaped orbit.

I am sure there are other reasons that I can't think of right now.  All Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty Alone!

8-  Conclusion:

Again, the Noble Quran is filled with scientific statements and notions.  These are statements of Allah Almighty describing how He created things on earth and in the Universe.  What's most amazing is that all of these scientific statements and notions had been proven to be in perfect agreement with science and our modern-day scientific discoveries.  Allah Almighty made the Noble Quran be Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Everlasting Divine Miracle and proof for Prophethood.  The Holy Book certainly stood the test of time 1,500 years ago with Its Claims, Prophecies and Miraculous language eloquence, and it does again and again in our day today with Its overwhelming agreement with science and discoveries that were not known to man 1,500 years ago.

Allah Almighty's comparison of the moon's orbit around the earth with the shape of an old and dried-out branch of a date tree is truly amazing!  No man could've possibly thought about this 1,500 years ago, because the S-shaped orbit of the moon around our planet was not known to man back then.  On the contrary, man thought that the earth was flat and that the sun and the moon were rotating around it in perfectly circular motion.  Not only that, but in some of the far eastern pagan scriptures such as in Hinduism, they are even taught that the earth has two holes at its "ends" that the sun goes through during its rising and setting!  Allah Almighty in the Noble Quran, on the other hand, described the earth as egg-shaped [2] [3], and talked about its motion in space and around its own axle in numerous Noble Verses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].  And now, the Almighty GOD perfectly described for us how the moon orbits our planet earth!

Also, scientists have recently confirmed that the moon used to have water in its interior.  Desert fruits and their branches do also store water in their interiors to survive the hot and unforgiving desert.  Allah Almighty's parable of the moon going through phases until ends up looking like or being like a date-tree branch is also Miraculous, because both the moon and an old date-tree branch are dry and dead.  And both used to have water and life in them.

Indeed, all Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty alone for making the Noble Quran be the Perfect and Everlasting Miracle, for us humans, out of all of His Divine Miracles!  And may Allah Almighty send His Peace, Mercy and Blessings upon our Beloved and Blessed Prophet, Teacher and Role Model, Muhammad.  Ameen.

9-  Rebuttals:

Some polytheist trinitarian pagans tried to refute this article by claiming that people of old, before Islam, knew of the moon's different positions in regards to orbiting the planet earth.  Thus, the Noble Quran's Claim is not a big deal or is not Miraculous.

  
My Response:

It is true that people of old, before Islam, knew of the moon's different positions in regards to orbiting the earth.  That is why they had eclipses and that is why they had lunar and solar year-calculations.  But none ever claimed that the moon's orbit around the earth is S-shaped or shaped like an old and twisted date-tree branch or shaped like any Latin alphabet that resembled the English-letter S.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was an illiterate Bedouin who lived in the desert.  He also didn't know this fact, nor did anyone in Arabia or elsewhere.  It was Allah Almighty Alone Who Knew it and mentioned it to mankind in His Divine Revelation, in the Noble Quran, before astronomers today discover it.  That is why Allah Almighty Promised and Prophesized in the Holy Quran:

"We will show them Our signs in the Universe and inside their selves, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?  (The Noble Quran, 41:53)"

The polytheist trinitarian pagans failed to provide a single claim from the people of old, before Islam or even after Islam, about the moon's orbit being shaped like a date-tree branch or an English letter S.  It was our astronomers who just recently confirmed this fact that already existed in the Holy Quran 1,500 years ago.  All what the pagans did was provide an explanation on how people calculated the moon's orbit for lunar date calculations. 

Furthermore, I challenge the pagans to provide us with something similar to the Noble Quran's Stunning Divine Claim in their pornographic bible; the book that literally sings glory and praising songs about women's vaginas and breasts taste like "wine"; the book of she wished if her lover (boyfriend) was her brother so that she wouldn't have to take him home in secrete to "our bed" (their bed that is); and the book of 100s of textual, scientific and historical contradictions and errors in it.

As to pagans' claim about the Noble Verse's text being too vague and that we are reading the Divine Miracle into it, please refer to sections 1, 2, 5 and 6 above for detailed analysis of the Arabic text, and the comparison of the sun's and the moon's orbits in the Noble Quran.

Therefore, the polytheist trinitarian pagans' arguments fail and Islam wins.  All Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty Alone!

Also and as I have demonstrated in great details in the earlier section above, scientists have recently confirmed that the moon used to have water in its interior.  Desert fruits and their branches do also store water in their interiors to survive the hot and unforgiving desert.  Allah Almighty's parable of the moon going through phases until ends up looking like or being like a date-tree branch is also Miraculous, because both the moon and an old date-tree branch are dry and dead.  And both used to have water and life in them.

All Praise and Glory are due to Allah Almighty Alone!

10-  Great articles on the moon:

Here are some nice articles on the moon and its orbit:

http://www.dcassidybooks.com/UP_SG/SG_4_p89-165.pdf

http://www.dcassidybooks.com/UP_Text/chapt02_p057-116.pdf

http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit2/courses.html

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6885614.html

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001DPS....33.1605S

http://www.lunarplanner.com/HCpages/Venus.html 

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99371.htm

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/ast99/ast99599.htm