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Does the Hadith really contain scientific errors regarding the sun's rising and
setting?
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Update!
New scientific quotes, evidence
and proofs regarding "dahaha" (egg-shaped and expanded in
Arabic) and its link to the earth's expansion, egg-shape, and its
egg-shaped orbit around the sun were added to this article:
If the Noble Quran says the earth is "egg-shaped" through a Notion, then
why couldn't Prophet Muhammad just say it clear in plain Arabic?
Important Notes on the
Scientific Notions
in the Noble Quran:
|
Why does the Noble Quran
use words that have multiple meanings?
Why should we accept the scientific
meaning of the Word in the Noble Quran that fits our discoveries
today, and not accept any of its other meanings, especially that the
Word was revealed 1,500 years ago?
1-
The use of scientific notions in the Noble Quran:
It is important to know that the
Noble Quran doesn't give scientific equations. It instead gives
many scientific notions that had been proven today to be clear
Scientific Miracles because they fit perfectly with
modern science. One of the Divine Miracles of the Noble Quran is
that Allah Almighty (through His perfect use of the complex and
artistic language of Arabic) used scientific notions to make the
Noble Quran truly dynamic for all the times that It is presented in.
These scientific notions hid in them, for many centuries, the
scientific statements and discoveries that we just came to know
today, and perhaps are even hiding in them more statements that our
future generations will discover. These
notions are basically key words and/or terms that describe certain
creations of GOD Almighty. For example:
1-
Allah Almighty in one Word said that the Universe is expanding and
in another term said it will shrink back again. Science confirmed
that today through the big bang and the cosmic crunch theories.
2-
Allah Almighty in two Words mentioned the layers of waves and
darkness inside the vast oceans. Science today, again, confirmed
that.
3-
Allah Almighty in one Word said that He made the earth as an egg.
We all know today that earth is spherical and science did confirm
that the earth is indeed egg-shaped. Please visit:
If the Noble Quran says the earth is
"egg-shaped" through a Notion, then why couldn't Prophet
Muhammad just say it clear in plain Arabic?
(detailed proofs demonstrating the
miracle of the Word/Notion "dahaha").
4-
Allah Almighty in few terms in several Noble Verses said that
mountains prevent the earth from shaking. Science today did indeed
confirm that mountains stabilize the earth and prevent it from
constantly shaking while it is rotating around its own axle.
5-
Allah Almighty in one term talked about the earth reducing in size.
Science today indeed confirmed that earth is shrinking in size due
to volcanoes and earth "debris" caused by erosions, earthquakes,
sea-waves changing the shape and condition of the land and other
natural factors, escaping to space. In fact,
it is estimated that earth lost approximately 10-40 miles from its
radius or depth size in the past 10 or so billion years!
(I heard this from Dr. Zaghloul Al-Naggar on TV. My numbers may not
be quite accurate because I am relying on memory, but the fact of
the earth shrinking is definitely true, and in the link above I have
provided several quotes from Western scientists demonstrating why
the earth is reducing/shrinking in size).
6-
Allah Almighty mentioned in one term the moon's fault line. Science
today confirmed that the moon's fault line, which is splitting it in
half, was caused by major moonquakes.
7-
Allah Almighty in one term talked about the earth's 7 properties.
Science today confirmed that the earth has 7 inner layers and 7
atmospheric layers.
8-
Allah Almighty in one term talked about the region inside the
human-brain that controls the movements. Science today confirmed
that.
Many more examples (and the list is
growing) are provided at:
The overwhelming Scientific Miracles in the Noble Quran section.
The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon
him, was already accused of being crazy by the infidels. Have Allah
Almighty given sophisticated scientific statements that covered
exact details as we scientifically know them today, then no one
would've believed the Prophet of Islam, because:
1-
He wasn't a scientist and such science wasn't known to man back
then, which makes it impossible for him to explain it, even if Allah
Almighty Inspired it to him. The information would not have been
understood by the nomad bedouins 1,500 years ago.
2-
People had already inclined toward declaring the Prophet as an
insane man, and many already did. Any extraordinary supernatural
statement that requires a lot of scientific explanations such as
"we have people standing on the other side of
the world (under our feet), and all humans are actually
standing on the side of the earth not on its
top or back."
Such statement would require
knowledge in gravity and astronomy, which man did not know about
1,500 years go.
Like I said, many have accused the
Prophet of being a madman. Allah Almighty did not want to
complicate Islam, especially to the people who did not know much
about science:
"Say (to them O
Muhammad SAW): "I exhort you on one (thing) only: that you stand up
for Allahs sake in pairs and singly, and reflect (within yourselves
the life history of the Prophet SAW): there is no madness in
your companion (Muhammad SAW), he is only a warner to you in
face of a severe torment." (The Noble
Quran, 34:46)"
"And (O
people) your companion (Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) is not a
madman; (The Noble Quran,
81:22)"
That is why Allah Almighty used scientific notions instead of
statements and equations. They are for man to discover as he
advances in life. The more man advances, the more he will find that
many of his discoveries are mentioned in the Noble Quran.
That is why the Noble Quran's Miracles are for all
times and all places!
Again, please also visit:
The overwhelming Scientific Miracles in the Noble Quran section.
2-
The complex language of Arabic:
Arabic is a very complex, artistic
and poetical language by nature! A single word can mean a host of
meanings. The art and beauty of Arabic comes in how a person
constructs and puts together words to form a sentence or paragraph.
The art and creativity in the style and poetry are what determine
the strength and beauty of the sentence or poem. That is why the
Noble Quran is extremely difficult to understand sometimes, even by
the fluent and professional Arabic speakers. That is why
Muslims always say that the translations of the Noble Quran do it
absolutely no justice, because the poetry and complexity of
language-art are completely compromised in the translation. What
the English reader, for instance, is left with when reading the
English Noble Quran, is the subject that the Noble Verses are
talking about. But he/she doesn't see the beautiful and
complex stylistic and linguistic Divine Miracle that the Arabic text
carries in it.
At any rate, Allah Almighty Chose
for the Noble Quran to be Difficult to comprehend, and to be quite a
challenge to interpret and translate, because:
1- He Chose to have the Miracle
of the Noble Quran be an ever lasting one by living in the text of
the Holy Book Itself.
2- To demonstrate Its Divinity
to the Arabs back then, who were very experienced/mature, fluent and
also addicted to poetry, along with the Arabic-speaking people
today, and to challenge them and to show them that certainly the
Noble Quran is not just an average everyday book. It is indeed a
Divine Miracle, proving that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is
indeed a Truthful and real Prophet.
3- This is Allah Almighty's way
to Lead to the Right Path whom He pleases and to Lead astray whom He
pleases. |
Does the Hadith really contain scientific
errors regarding the sun's rising and setting?
The following question and Hadith-narrations of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
were taken from http://www.islamtoday.net/english/show_detail_section.cfm?q_id=811&main_cat_id=31.
The response below is mine.
Emphasis below are mine.
Question: I was reading Sahīh Muslim and saw
a hadīth which confused me a lot. Modern science has proven that Earth is orbiting the
Sun. However, there is a hadīth that says the Sun goes around the Earth and when it
reaches a specific place under the Earth, it prostrates to Allah and then Allah permits it
to go to the same way, but when the Day of Judgment comes, Allah will command it to go in
the direction where it came from. Isn’t this in conflict with modern science?
Answered by the Scientific Research Committee - IslamToday.net |
We must look carefully at the texts in question to determine exactly what those texts are
saying, and equally importantly, what they are not saying.
This hadīth is found in Sahīh al-Bukhārī (3199, 7424). Its text, as related
by Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, is as follows:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to me: “O Abū Dharr! Do you know where the
Sun goes when it sets?”
I said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”
He said: “It goes until it prostrates beneath the
Throne. Then it seeks permission and permission is granted to it. Soon
it will prostrate and it will not be accepted from it, and seek permission and will not be
granted permission. It will be said to it: ‘Go back where you came from.’ Then
it will rise from its setting place. This is Allah’s statement: ‘And the Sun
runs on to its place of settlement. That is the determination of the Mighty the Knowing. [Sūrah
YāSīn: 38]’.”
It is also found in Sahīh Muslim (159,205). Its text, as related by Abū
Dharr al-Ghifārī, is as follows:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said one day: “Do you know where the Sun goes when
it sets?”
They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”
He said: “It goes until it arrives at its place of settlement beneath the Throne. Then it falls down in prostration and
remains like that until it is said to it: ‘Arise! Go back from whence you came.’
Then it goes back and rises from its place of rising. Then it goes until it arrives at its
place of settlement beneath the Throne. Then it falls down in prostration and remains like
that until it is said to it: ‘Arise! Go back from whence you came.’ Then it goes
back and rises from its place of rising. Then it goes without people finding anything
wrong with it until it arrives at that place of settlement it has beneath the throne. Then
it will be told: ‘Arise! Enter upon the morning rising from your setting
place’.”
Then Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Do you know when that will be?
It will be when ‘its faith will not avail a soul which had not believed before or
earned some good from its faith. [Sūrah al-An`ām: 157]’.”
The hadīth is also found in Sahīh al-Bukhārī in a highly abridged form
(4803, 7433). Its text reads:
I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him)
about Allah’s statement: “And the Sun runs on to its place of settlement... [Sūrah
YāSīn: 38]”.
He said: “Its place of settlement is beneath the throne
(of Allah Almighty).”
Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalānī, in Fath al-Bārī, his commentary on Sahīh
al-Bukhārī, writes:
This was how Wakī` related it from al-A`mash in an abbreviated form. It is a narration
by meaning. In the previous narration of the hadīth, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
asked Abū Dharr: “Do you know where the Sun goes when it sets?” [Fath
al-Bārī (8/688)]
|
My response:
The sub-sections of this section are:
1- The Prophet, according to the Noble Quran, was
given limited and little knowledge.
2- My response to the Hadiths above.
1- The Prophet, according to the Noble
Quran, was given limited and little knowledge:
It is, first of all, important to know that neither was Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, a scientist, nor was the Noble Quran a Science Book. While it is true that
Allah Almighty gave many scientific notions in the Noble Quran that clearly prove that the
Noble Quran was truly revealed to Prophet Muhammad by a supernatural power, which we call
GOD Almighty, but Allah Almighty did not cover every single scientific topic in the Noble
Quran.
There is also a very important point that Muslims often miss regarding Prophet
Muhammad, and that is his GOD-given knowledge. While it is true that Allah Almighty
clearly declared in the Noble Quran that Prophet Muhammad doesn't utter nonsense and lies
from his mouth and actions, but at the same time, Allah Almighty also did clearly declare
that the Prophet and his followers and all of mankind were only given little and limited
knowledge. Let us look at the following Noble Verses:
(a) Prophet Muhammad doesn't utter nonsense and lies
either through his words or actions:
"Your companion (Muhammad SAW) has neither gone astray nor
has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration
that is inspired. He has been taught (this Quran) by one mighty in power
(Jibrael (Gabriel)). (The Noble Quran, 53:2-5)"
"So Today (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), none of you can
profit or harm one another. And We shall say to those who did wrong (i.e. worshipped
others (like angels, jinns, prophets, saints, righteous persons, etc.) along with Allah):
"Taste the torment of the Fire which you used to belie. And when Our Clear Verses are
recited to them, they say: "This (Muhammad SAW) is naught but a man who wishes to
hinder you from that which your fathers used to worship." And they say:
"This is nothing but an invented lie." And those who disbelieve say
of the truth when it has come to them (i.e. Prophet Muhammad SAW when Allah sent him as a
Messenger with proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, etc.): "This is
nothing but evident magic!" And We had not given them Scriptures which
they could study, nor sent to them before you (O Muhammad SAW) any warner (Messenger). And
those before them belied; these have not received one tenth (/th) of what We had granted
to those (of old), yet they belied My Messengers, then how (terrible) was My denial
(punishment)! Say (to them O Muhammad SAW): "I exhort you on one (thing) only: that
you stand up for Allahs sake in pairs and singly, and reflect (within yourselves the life
history of the Prophet SAW): there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad SAW), he is
only a warner to you in face of a severe torment." Say (O Muhammad SAW):
"Whatever wage I might have asked of you is yours. My wage is from Allah only. and He
is Witness over all things." Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Verily! My Lord sends down
Inspiration and makes apparent the truth (i.e. this Revelation that had come to me), the
AllKnower of the Ghaib (unseen). Say (O Muhammad SAW): "The truth (the Quran and
Allahs Inspiration) has come, and AlBatil (falsehood - Iblees (Satan)) can neither create
anything nor resurrect (anything)." Say: "If (even) I go astray, I
shall stray only to my own loss. But if I remain guided, it is because of the Inspiration
of my Lord to me. Truly, He is AllHearer, Ever Near (to all things)."
(The Noble Quran, 34:42-50)"
""He is only a man who has invented a lie against
Allah, but we are not going to believe in him." He said: "O my Lord!
Help me because they deny me." (The
Noble Quran, 23:38-39)"
"Or say they: "He has invented a lie against
Allah?" If Allah willed, He could have sealed your heart (so that you
forget all that you know of the Quran). And Allah wipes out falsehood, and establishes the
truth (Islam) by His Word (this Quran). Verily, He knows well what (the secrets) are in
the breasts (of mankind). (The Noble Quran, 42:24)"
(b) Prophet Muhammad, his followers, and all
humans were only given little and limited knowledge:
"And they ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning the Rooh (the
Spirit); Say: "The Rooh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which
is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a
little." (The Noble Quran, 17:85)"
"Say: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself
except as God willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have
multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me: I am but a warner,
and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have faith." (The Noble Quran, 7:188)"
"This is part of the tidings of the things
unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Apostle!) by inspiration: Thou wast not
with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the
care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point). (The Noble Quran, 3:44)"
"God will not leave the believers in the state in which ye
are now, until He separates what is evil from what is good nor will He disclose
to you the secrets of the Unseen. But He chooses of His Apostles (For the purpose) whom He
pleases. So believe in God. And His apostles: And if ye believe and do right,
ye have a reward without measure. (The Noble Quran,
3:179)"
"With Him are the keys of the unseen, the
treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth
and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the
darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is
(inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read). (The
Noble Quran, 6:59)"
"Such is one of the stories of what happened
unseen, which We reveal by inspiration unto thee; nor wast thou (present)
with them then when they concerted their plans together in the process of weaving their
plots. (The Noble Quran, 12:102)"
"Neither doth he withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the
Unseen. (The Noble Quran, 81:24)"
In the light of this, I will go ahead and answer the above Hadiths.
2-
My response to the Hadiths above:
Sahīh al-Bukhārī (3199, 7424). Its text, as related
by Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, is as follows:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to me: “O Abū Dharr! Do you know where the
Sun goes when it sets?”
I said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”
He said: “It goes until it prostrates beneath the
Throne. Then it seeks permission and permission is granted to it. Soon
it will prostrate and it will not be accepted from it, and seek permission and will not be
granted permission. It will be said to it: ‘Go back where you came from.’ Then
it will rise from its setting place. This is Allah’s statement: ‘And the Sun
runs on to its place of settlement. That is the determination of the Mighty the Knowing. [Sūrah
YāSīn: 38]’.”
عن أبي ذر رضي الله عنه أنه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه
وسلم له حين غربت الشمس: أتدري أين تذهب؟ قلت الله ورسوله اعلم، قال: فإنها
تذهب حتى تسجد تحت العرش فتستأذن فيؤذن لها وتوشك أن تسجد فلا يقبل منها،
وتستأذن فلا يؤذن لها، يقال لها ارجعي من حيث جئت، فتطلع من مغربها فذلك قوله
تعالى: والشمس تجري لمستقر لها ذلك تقدير العزيز العليم.
What we have to understand from the above Hadiths is that the Prophet, peace be upon
him, was rather aiming for more Glorification and Praising of Allah Almighty. Since
every created thing that GOD Almighty created recognizes the Creator, Allah, and worships
Him, then the sun too prostrates to GOD Almighty in its own way and worships Him.
This is clearly mentioned in the following Noble Verses:
"Seest thou not that to God bow down in worship
all things that are in the heavens and on earth,- the sun, the
moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among
mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for Punishment: and such as God
shall disgrace,- None can raise to honour: for God carries out all that He wills. (The Noble Quran, 22:18)"
"They say: "God hath begotten a son" :Glory be to
Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything
renders worship to Him. (The Noble Quran,
2:116)"
"To God do belong the unseen (secrets) of the
heavens and the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): then worship
Him, and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught that ye
do. (The Noble Quran, 11:123)"
So the Prophet wasn't really trying to prove a scientific theory here, even though his
statements above don't make much scientific sense as far as our astronomists today would
be concerned, because of the sun going underneath the throne of Allah Almighty and
prostrating to Him and seeking His permission, etc.... But, nonetheless, his
statements above are not in HOSTILITY with science either, because no where did
the Prophet, for instance, say that the sun goes through a hole on
earth (as the Hindu scriptures say), nor did he say that the sun goes UNDER THE
EARTH! He said that the sun goes underneath the throne of Allah
Almighty, prostrates to Him and seeks His permission, which again proves my point about
the Prophet wasn't trying to say a scientific statement more than he was trying to really
Glorify and Praise Allah Almighty as much as possible through his metaphoric speech.
The clear-cut proof regarding his speech being metaphoric is the fact that he said that
the sun prostrates to Allah Almighty, which is obviously different from how we, humans,
prostrate to the Almighty GOD.
Personally and frankly, I do not look forward for scientific notions in the Hadiths.
I look for them in the Divine Revelations of Allah Almighty in the Noble
Quran, and there are tons of them that are truly breath taking! Putting
the Prophet and his Hadiths to the ultimate grilling and test is not fair and just!
Putting the Noble Quran is definitely fair and just and Allah Almighty Has truly proven
the Noble Quran to be a Divine Miracle and Revelation! The reason for this is
following simple and logical reasons:
1- Only the
Noble Quran is the Divine Revelation directly from Allah Almighty. The Hadiths are
rather inspirations by Allah Almighty and His Angel(s) to the Prophet, which mostly and
mainly covered social laws and issues.
2- The
Prophet, as we clearly an indisputably saw in the Noble Verses above, was given limited and little knowledge, and thus, we
can't expect sophisticated statements from him, because he didn't know everything nor was
he capable of giving anything sophisticated as far as science is concerned.
3- The
Prophet's statements weren't in hostility with science, and therefore, the Noble Verses
above that state that the Prophet never utters nonsense and lies either through his words
or actions are not in contradiction because as I said, the Prophet was given limited
knowledge by GOD Almighty, and therefore, we can only expect limited
interpretations by the him.
Conclusion:
In light of all of the evidence that I provided and demonstrated above, I'd like to
summarize this article with the following statement:
We can only expect limited statements and interpretations by Prophet Muhammad, peace be
upon him, because Allah Almighty Willed for him to only go this far and only have this
capability as clearly stated in the Noble Verses above, and especially in Noble Verse 17:85.
So to answer the question of this article's title above: Does
the Hadith really contain scientific errors regarding the sun's rising and setting?
Maybe Yes: From a pure
scientific point of view, the answer might be yes, because we
obviously can't teach Prophet Muhammad's statements in astronomy classes, nor can we
include them in academic astronomy books. However, his
statement is also like our statement today "sun rise and
sun set". The sun never actually sets nor
does it actually rise, because the earth rotates around its own axle and swims around the
sun. Therefore, this statement too is scientifically inaccurate despite the fact
that we live 1,500 years after the Prophet!