The Quran has provided insights and guidance on various aspects of Human life. Beyond its spiritual teachings, the Quran also contains references that align with modern scientific discoveries. One such area of convergence is the concept of the rotation of the Earth and other stars.
Quranic Verses on Celestial Movements
The Quran contains several verses that speak about the heavens, the Earth, and the celestial bodies within the universe.
One of the key verses that scholars often refer to in the context of Earth’s rotation is from Surah An-Naml:
“أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُواْ فِيهِ وَٱلنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ” (Al-Naml 27:86)
“Alam yaraw annā jaʿalnā al-layla li-yaskunū fīhi wan-nahāra mubṣirā. Inna fī dhālika la-āyātin liqawmin yuʾminūn.”
Translation: “Have they not seen that We made the night for them to rest in and the day to give them light? Surely in this are signs for people who believe.”
This verse highlights the cyclical nature of night and day, which can be interpreted as an allusion to the Earth’s rotation. The alternation between night and day occurs because the Earth rotates on its axis, creating a rhythmic pattern of light and darkness.
Another relevant verse is found in Surah Ya-Sin:
“وَٱلشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّۢ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ” (Ya-Sin 36:38)
“Wash-shamsu tajrī limustaqarrin lahā dhālika taqdīru l-ʿazīzi l-ʿalīm.”
Translation: “And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.”
Here, the verse describes the movement of the sun, which can be interpreted as both its rotation around its axis and its journey through the galaxy. While the ancient understanding of the verse might have been limited to the sun’s apparent movement across the sky, modern science recognizes the sun’s rotation and its orbit around the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
In Surah Al-Anbiya, we find another verse that speaks to the orbits of celestial bodies:
“وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ” (Al-Anbiya 21:33)
“Wa huwa lladhī khalaqa al-layla wa n-nahāra wa ash-shamsa wa al-qamara kullun fī falakin yasbaḥūn.”
Translation: “And it is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.”
This verse explicitly mentions that the sun and the moon are in constant motion within their respective orbits. The term “yasbaḥūn” (يَسْبَحُونَ), which is often translated as “swim,” suggests a dynamic and continuous movement, resonating with the concept of celestial bodies in orbit, including the Earth’s rotation and revolution around the sun.
As per the European Space Agency research have mentioned on their website
“The Astronauts in space do not feel gravity, which means that they float freely. The closest feeling to this is swimming – floating – in water. Astronauts train in a swimming pool, practicing movements they will have to do when in space in the water until they get more comfortable with working under these conditions”
Interpretation of Hadiths
While the Quran is the primary source of guidance in Islam, Hadith literature, which records the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), also provides insights into the understanding of celestial phenomena.
One of the relevant Hadiths is narrated by Abu Huraira, which discusses the alternation of night and day:
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘When the sun sets, it goes and prostrates itself underneath the Throne, and then it returns (to its rising place) and it continues emerging from the rising place until Allah wishes it to rise from the west.'” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 54, Hadith 421)
Modern Discoveries of Celestial Movements
It was not until the 16th century, with the work of Copernicus, that the heliocentric model gained prominence. This model proposed that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. Later, Galileo’s observations through a telescope provided further evidence, showing that celestial bodies like the moons of Jupiter orbited their planet, challenging the long-held geocentric view.
In the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation explained the forces governing the movement of celestial bodies, including the Earth’s rotation. The understanding of the sun’s rotation around its axis came from later observations, revealing that the sun completes a rotation approximately every 25 to 35 days, depending on the latitude.
Modern astronomy has expanded this understanding even further. The sun is now known to be part of the Milky Way galaxy, which itself is in motion. The sun, along with the entire solar system, orbits the center of the Milky Way at a speed of about 828,000 km/h (514,000 mph), taking approximately 230 million years to complete one orbit.
Quran and Modern Science: Yet Another Miracle of the Quran
The Quran’s descriptions of celestial movements align remarkably with modern scientific discoveries. While the Quran was revealed over 1400 years ago, its verses resonate with the contemporary understanding of astronomy.
For instance, the verse in Surah Al-Anbiya (21:33) that speaks of celestial bodies swimming in their orbits can be seen as a metaphor for the complex gravitational interactions that govern the movement of planets, stars, and galaxies. The Earth’s rotation, which causes the alternation of night and day, and the sun’s movement within the galaxy are all part of this grand cosmic dance.
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