|
The
Sun and the Moon Float in Space |
|
By
Prof. Dr.`Abd al-Hakam`Abd al-Latif As-Sa`idi,
Al-Azhar
University |
|
 Allah
Almighty says what means: [And a sign to them is the night: We draw
forth from it the day, then lo! they are in the dark; And the sun
runs on to a term appointed for it; that is the ordinance of the
Mighty, the Knowing. And (as for) the moon, We have ordained for it
stages till it becomes again as an old dry palm branch. It is not
for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the
day. They float each in an orbit.] (Ya-Sin: 37-40)
Night
and day are closely related, yet they seem to carry antonymous
indications in the sense that night indicates darkness and
stillness, while day refers to light and movement. The moon and the
sun are also closely related, though the moon appears in the night,
while the sun rises during the day. The moon reflects light from
the sun back to the earth.
Allah
Almighty has created the universe in an accurate and marvelous
system. The sun, the earth, the moon, and all other planets with
the bodies and moons related to them float in space with a certain
speed and in a certain direction. The sun with its solar system and
many other stars are located in a huge galaxy, the Milky Way. The
stars in the disk of the galaxy orbit around its center, each at a
speed relevant to its distance from the center. The sun moves at a
speed of more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) per second and takes
about 200 million light years to complete one revolution around the
center of the galaxy.
The
sun cannot catch up with the moon, nor can the moon overtake the
sun, for each moves in a separate orbit that makes their overtaking
each other impossible. The Qur’anic reference to the movements of
the sun and the moon as floating in spheres is in conformity with
the scientific discoveries made in that respect, which shows the
truthfulness of the Qur’an. Glory be to Allah Who created the
universe in the best way.
|
