Basing the Quraan Majeed on scientific theories
Q: 1: Geocentrism [Quran 36:38-40] - And the sun runs [on course| toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. And the moon - We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk. It is not allowable [i.e., possible] for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming
The Quran describes the universe as the geocentric model, where the earth is the center of the universe and everything is orbiting us. In reality, this is not true and everyone at this time back then believed in this model. The sun actually doesn't orbit us, we orbit it instead. It just looks like the sun is moving but actually the earth is just spinning. Muslims "refute" this by pointing out that the sun orbits the milky way, which is true but if the Quran was actually talking about the sun orbiting the milky way, how would that even be relevant to us at that time rather than the common belief of geocentrism? That 230 million year orbit around the milky way has absolutely nothing to do with humanity whatsoever. Besides, the entire solar system and everything within the gravitational region of the black hole in the center of the milky way orbits it, not just us.
Why would the Quran only refer to the sun if it was talking about the gravitational regions of the black hole? Why would the Quran not speak about the very common 7th century belief rather than something absolutely no one knew about?
It is not allowable [i.e., possible| for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.
In this verse, the issue is that the movements of the sun and moon are described similarly, whereas our model of the universe has the sun and moon's movements as completely different. Why does the Quran discuss the orbit of the sun in the same verse that explains the phenomenon of day and night, if it is not referring to geocentrism?
[Sahih al-Bukhari 3199] - The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) 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.
Muslims often respond to this hadith desperately trying to reinterpret it. The usual Muslim response is "well what does 'prostrating' mean or what does 'goes'mean?" ..Well if these aren't signifying orbit, then what does "underneath the throne mean"? I think we can all agree that this hadith says the sun at some point is underneath the throne of Allah. And as we know, the throne of Allah is above the waters which are above the seventh heaven of the flat earth. The only way for the sun to be underneath the throne of Allah is for it to be above the earth, which would fit the geocentric world view. Scientifically speaking, the sun is not above the earth and it never will be. This hadith is geocentric, there's no escaping it. [Sahih al-Bukhari 3124]
Please answer everything here.
A: The Quraan Shareef speaks in a language that is understood by all and sundry i.e. at the level of the common person. Hence, if it talks about the sun then it talks about it as it would appear before people. Like if you see in Surah Kahf, وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِى عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ - it does not mean that the sun is going into a dark murky spring, but this is how it appears and how people view it. There are many other examples that could be shown.
As for the sujood of the sun then it is not just the sun that makes sujood; the sun, moon, stars, animals, trees etc. all perform sujood. Their sujood does not have to be like the sujood of people. For we cannot see animals doing sujood or the sujood of the trees, but we know that it is also in sujood at times. The same will apply to the sun.
There is no question of people being desperate to interpret these verses. It is science that is desperately trying to prove its theories. There are many theories that were conjured 200 or 300 years ago which science very forcefully claimed, but they had to scrap those theories due to new research. Hence, science is evolving all the time. It is subject to how people understand it presently and their understanding could change. So what was the need for you to subject the Quraan Shareef to theories that are not conclusive.
Afterall, scientists are also under the employ of their bosses who will see them favourably if they talk their language. And the language they talk is a language of godlessness and making people understand that the universe just came of its own. So it will be your good fortune to look into science, study its faults and mistakes and show it to people. Thereafter, to show how they went wrong so that their beliefs can be rectified and corrected.
The Quraan Shareef does not say that it is a book of science and physics. Rather, it claims its status. The status of the Quraan Shareef is guidance and hidaayat which will take you to Jannat and save you from eternal destruction.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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