Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth - Revision history

CPO675: /* Mount Qaf */ Added another verse that taken literally implies a flat earth, with some exegete examples given who have followed this logic.

2026-02-08T21:13:33Z

Mount Qaf: Added another verse that taken literally implies a flat earth, with some exegete examples given who have followed this logic.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 8 February 2026
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	''The Arab geographer Yaqut describes Qaf as a mountain that encompasses and encloses the earth. It is made out of blue or green crystal, and all mountains in the world are tributaries of Qaf. Mt. Qaf is associated with the city of “Jabalq,” which can be read also as “Mt. Qaf” [Ar. Jabal-Qaf] in Arabic. This city is supposed to be located in the extreme east or west, at the edges of the earth. Qaf is also linked to the mountain on which Adam was supposed to have stood and peered into heaven after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden.''</ref>		''The Arab geographer Yaqut describes Qaf as a mountain that encompasses and encloses the earth. It is made out of blue or green crystal, and all mountains in the world are tributaries of Qaf. Mt. Qaf is associated with the city of “Jabalq,” which can be read also as “Mt. Qaf” [Ar. Jabal-Qaf] in Arabic. This city is supposed to be located in the extreme east or west, at the edges of the earth. Qaf is also linked to the mountain on which Adam was supposed to have stood and peered into heaven after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden.''</ref>
	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|50\|1}}\|Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an,}}		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|50\|1}}\|Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an,}}
			===The Highest Horizon===
			The Qu'ran says Muhammad was in the highest horizon ''bil-ufuqi<ref>افق - [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/01_A/103_Afq.html Lane's lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary root: hamza fā qāf (أ ف ق)] Horizon ''ufuq'' (أُفُق) [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0068.pdf Lane's Lexicon p.68] Horizon ''ufuq'' (أُفُق) [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0069.pdf Lane's Lexicon p.69]</ref>l-aʿlā''<ref>Lanes Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary Root: [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/18_E/190_Elw.html ʿayn lām wāw (ع ل و)] (l-a)ʿlā [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_2142.pdf Lanes Lexicon p.2142], [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_2143.pdf Lanes Lexicon p.2143]</ref>. Typically taken as referring to him receiving knowledge there as part of his [[Buraq#The Night Journey (al-Isra wal-Mi'raj)\|night journey]].{{Quote\|{{Quran\|53\|7}}\|possessed of sound judgement. He settled, while he (was) in the horizon - the highest.}}See also: {{Quran\|81\|23}}

			On a round Earth, there is no such place as an objective highest horizon, as once you move towards the it (i.e. the furthest place you can see where the land and sky appear to meet in the distance),<ref>[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/horizon Horizon Definition] Cambridge Dictionary</ref> the view (i.e. the horizon) simply moves further back as you circle around the Earth, never actually being reached. So some classical Islamic exegetes have taken this highest horizon to be the place where the sun rises from, in the seventh heaven, or where it reaches the Earth,<ref>E.g. [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/53.7 Tafsir al-Jalalayn on verse Q53:7] by Al-Mahalli (d. 1459 CE) and Al-Suyuti (d. 1505 CE) and the famous pseudepigrapha [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Abbas/53.7 Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on verse Q53:7]</ref> which is only possible on a flat Earth.
	==Classical perspectives==		==Classical perspectives==
	Knowledge of the spherical nature of the Earth existed, at the very least, for nearly a millennium prior to the emergence of [[Islam]] in the 7th century. However, due to the non-uniform distribution of knowledge across the world and the pervasive assumption of a flat-Earth in Islamic scriptures, it is widely held that Muhammad and his [[companions]] were almost certainly ignorant of the matter. In the absence of explicit and authentic formulations from [[Muhammad]] and his companions on the topic, however, full confidence is impossible and modern inquirers are left to infer the cosmology of the earliest Muslims on the basis of indirect scriptural allusions. Such allusions are plenty and uniformly point to the assumption of a flat-Earth.		Knowledge of the spherical nature of the Earth existed, at the very least, for nearly a millennium prior to the emergence of [[Islam]] in the 7th century. However, due to the non-uniform distribution of knowledge across the world and the pervasive assumption of a flat-Earth in Islamic scriptures, it is widely held that Muhammad and his [[companions]] were almost certainly ignorant of the matter. In the absence of explicit and authentic formulations from [[Muhammad]] and his companions on the topic, however, full confidence is impossible and modern inquirers are left to infer the cosmology of the earliest Muslims on the basis of indirect scriptural allusions. Such allusions are plenty and uniformly point to the assumption of a flat-Earth.

Lightyears: Linked Alexander Romance page and removed out of place quote covering points already made elsewhere.

2025-12-12T18:44:55Z

Linked Alexander Romance page and removed out of place quote covering points already made elsewhere.

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:44, 12 December 2025
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	Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.}}		Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.}}
	A flat conception of the Earth is the only sort that permits the setting and rising places of the sun to be visited. Contemporary 7th-century Arabic poems and a mid-6th century Syriac Legend telling the same story suggest that early Muslims understood the story literally, as do early tafsirs and narrations therein (see main article).		A flat conception of the Earth is the only sort that permits the setting and rising places of the sun to be visited. Contemporary 7th-century Arabic poems and [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance\|a mid-6th century Syriac Legend]] telling the same story suggest that early Muslims understood the story literally, as do early tafsirs and narrations therein (see main article).

	===Qur'an 2:187 and 17:78 - fasting and prayer times===		===Qur'an 2:187 and 17:78 - fasting and prayer times===
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	[...] al-Farra narrated from Hibban, from al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih, from Ibn ‘Abbas "muddy". He said, "It sets in a black spring".}}		[...] al-Farra narrated from Hibban, from al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih, from Ibn ‘Abbas "muddy". He said, "It sets in a black spring".}}

	Al-Tabari (d. 923) in his ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' and al-Baydawi (d. 1286) in his tafsir mention the opinion that the sun has 360 springs into which it can set. ~~A similar idea is found in the so~~-~~called pre-Islamic~~ "~~Jahili" Arab poems.~~		Al-Tabari (d. 923) in his ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' and al-Baydawi (d. 1286) in his tafsir mention the opinion that the sun has 360 springs into which it can set. Another, very early tafsir records Abu al-Aliya (d. 93 H) stating that he was informed that "the sun is in a spring; the spring casts it to the East". The story with the sun literally setting in a spring is also found in early (probably post-Islamic) Arab poems. See the main article (Part One) for all of these things.

	~~As historian of science James Hamman notes, ''when~~ the ~~translation movement began~~ in ~~the late eighth century, the study of the Koran was already~~ a ~~mature discipline. And since~~ the ~~Koran was~~ the product of a very different environment from multicultural Baghdad, its world picture didn’t cohere with the cosmology transmitted by the foreign sciences of Indian and Greek astronomy''.<ref>Hannam, James. ''The ~~Globe: How~~ the ~~Earth Became Round''~~ (~~pp. 194~~-~~195~~). ~~REAKTION BOOKS. 2023~~.~~</ref>~~

	===The sky as a dome above the Earth===		===The sky as a dome above the Earth===
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	Ibn Taymiyyah proceeds to directly give this evidence for the round shapes of the heavens from the Qur'an, sunnah, and narrations from the early Muslims. Here, he argues that a round heavens and Earth is supported by what specialists on tafsir and language have said about certain words in the Qur'an.		Ibn Taymiyyah proceeds to directly give this evidence for the round shapes of the heavens from the Qur'an, sunnah, and narrations from the early Muslims. Here, he argues that a round heavens and Earth is supported by what specialists on tafsir and language have said about certain words in the Qur'an.

	The Qur'an verses cited by Ibn Taymiyyah in support of the round shape of the heavens are {{Quran\|21\|33}}, {{Quran\|36\|40}}, {{Quran\|39\|5}}, and {{Quran\|67\|5}}). These evidences are, however, indirect, and rely on what Ibn Taymiyyah and those he references argue is implied by their extrapolations on the linguistic nuances of the verses discussed. The solitary piece of direct evidence that Ibn Taymiyyah brings from the companions about the round shape of the heavens is a narration where Ibn 'Abbas and others comment on {{Quran\|36\|40}}, which describes the heavenly bodies [[Geocentrism and the Quran\|swimming in a falak]] (~~rounded course~~):		The Qur'an verses cited by Ibn Taymiyyah in support of the round shape of the heavens are {{Quran\|21\|33}}, {{Quran\|36\|40}}, {{Quran\|39\|5}}, and {{Quran\|67\|5}}). These evidences are, however, indirect, and rely on what Ibn Taymiyyah and those he references argue is implied by their extrapolations on the linguistic nuances of the verses discussed. The solitary piece of direct evidence that Ibn Taymiyyah brings from the companions about the round shape of the heavens is a narration where Ibn 'Abbas and others comment on {{Quran\|36\|40}}, which describes the heavenly bodies [[Geocentrism and the Quran\|swimming in a falak]] (celestial dome or sphere):

	{{Quote\|1=[https://tafsir.app/ibn-katheer/36/40 Ibn Kathir 36:40]; see also: [https://tafsir.app/tabari/36/40 al-Tabari 36:40]\|2=فِي فَلْكَة كَفَلْكَةِ الْمِغْزَل		{{Quote\|1=[https://tafsir.app/ibn-katheer/36/40 Ibn Kathir 36:40]; see also: [https://tafsir.app/tabari/36/40 al-Tabari 36:40]\|2=فِي فَلْكَة كَفَلْكَةِ الْمِغْزَل

Lightyears: Mentioning academic opinion at the start as many muslim and non-muslim critics of the page assume we are presenting an idiosyncratic view

2025-12-06T01:04:17Z

Mentioning academic opinion at the start as many muslim and non-muslim critics of the page assume we are presenting an idiosyncratic view

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:04, 6 December 2025
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	{{QualityScore\|Lead=4\|Structure=4\|Content=4\|Language=4\|References=4}}		{{QualityScore\|Lead=4\|Structure=4\|Content=4\|Language=4\|References=4}}
	[[File:Flat Earth The Wonders of Creation.jpg\|right\|thumb\|175px\|Taken from Zekeriya Kazvinî's "Acaib-ül Mahlûkat" (The Wonders of Creation). Translated into Turkish from Arabic. Istanbul: ca. 1553. <BR>This map depicts "a traditional Islamic projection of the world as a flat disk surrounded by the sundering seas which are restrained by the encircling mountains of Qaf".<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/world/earth.html Views of the Earth] - World Treasures of the Library of Congress, July 29, 2010</ref> ]]		[[File:Flat Earth The Wonders of Creation.jpg\|right\|thumb\|175px\|Taken from Zekeriya Kazvinî's "Acaib-ül Mahlûkat" (The Wonders of Creation). Translated into Turkish from Arabic. Istanbul: ca. 1553. <BR>This map depicts "a traditional Islamic projection of the world as a flat disk surrounded by the sundering seas which are restrained by the encircling mountains of Qaf".<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/world/earth.html Views of the Earth] - World Treasures of the Library of Congress, July 29, 2010</ref> ]]
	Islamic [[scriptures]] imply, adhere to, and describe a flat-Earth cosmography ([[Geocentrism and the Quran\|arranged in a geocentric system]]) ~~which conceives of the earth as existing in the form of a large plane or disk~~. While knowledge of the spherical shape of the Earth has existed to a greater or lesser degree since at least the classical Greeks (4th Century BCE), such knowledge prominently entered the Islamic milieu in the 9th century CE when many Greek texts were translated into Arabic for the first time under the sponsorship of the Abbasid [[Khilafah (Caliphate)\|caliphate]].		Islamic [[scriptures]] imply, adhere to, and describe a flat-Earth cosmography ([[Geocentrism and the Quran\|arranged in a geocentric system]]) according to numerous academic studies. While knowledge of the spherical shape of the Earth has existed to a greater or lesser degree since at least the classical Greeks (4th Century BCE), such knowledge prominently entered the Islamic milieu in the 9th century CE when many Greek texts were translated into Arabic for the first time under the sponsorship of the Abbasid [[Khilafah (Caliphate)\|caliphate]].

	Today, some Islamic scholars claim that Islamic scriptures and their first audiences were fully aware of the spherical shape of the Earth and that this was also a consensus view of early scholars. Evidence does not support any of these claims, despite oft-cited statements from the works of [[Islamic_Views_on_the_Shape_of_the_Earth#Classical_perspectives\|Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Hazm (see below)]]. Critics note that clear descriptions and assumptions made in the [[Qur'an]], [[hadith]], [[Tafsir\|tafsirs]], and writings of early Islamic scholars demonstrate that Muhammad and his companions did not know the Earth was spherical but in fact held it to be flat and disk like, and this is the framework within which the Qur'an operates.		Today, some Islamic scholars claim that Islamic scriptures and their first audiences were fully aware of the spherical shape of the Earth and that this was also a consensus view of early scholars. Evidence does not support any of these claims, despite oft-cited statements from the works of [[Islamic_Views_on_the_Shape_of_the_Earth#Classical_perspectives\|Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Hazm (see below)]]. Critics note that clear descriptions and assumptions made in the [[Qur'an]], [[hadith]], [[Tafsir\|tafsirs]], and writings of early Islamic scholars demonstrate that Muhammad and his companions did not know the Earth was spherical but in fact held it to be flat and disk like, and this is the framework within which the Qur'an operates.
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	{{Quote\|Dīwān, Umayya ibn Abī al‐Ṣalt, p. 179 cited in {{citation \|last1=Tabatabaʾi \|first1=Mohammad A. \|last2=Mirsadri \|first2=Saida \|date=2016 \|title=The Qurʾānic Cosmology, as an Identity in Itself \|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24811784 \|journal=Arabica \|volume=63 \|issue=3/4 \|pages=201-234}} p. 226<BR />See [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem36172.html here] for the poem in Arabic.\|And [he] shaped the earth as a carpet then he ordained it, [the area] under the firmament [are] just like those he uplifted}}		{{Quote\|Dīwān, Umayya ibn Abī al‐Ṣalt, p. 179 cited in {{citation \|last1=Tabatabaʾi \|first1=Mohammad A. \|last2=Mirsadri \|first2=Saida \|date=2016 \|title=The Qurʾānic Cosmology, as an Identity in Itself \|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24811784 \|journal=Arabica \|volume=63 \|issue=3/4 \|pages=201-234}} p. 226<BR />See [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem36172.html here] for the poem in Arabic.\|And [he] shaped the earth as a carpet then he ordained it, [the area] under the firmament [are] just like those he uplifted}}

	Damien Janos in another paper on Qur'anic cosmography has similarly noted that while the exact shape of its boundaries are not described, "what is clear is that the Qurʾān and the early Muslim tradition do not uphold the conception of a spherical earth and a spherical universe. This was a view that later prevailed in the learned circles of Muslim society as a result of the infiltration of Ptolemaic astronomy".<ref>{{citation \|last1=Janos \|first1=Damien \|date=2012 \|title=Qurʾānic cosmography in its historical perspective: some notes on the formation of a religious wordview \|journal=Religion \|volume=42 \|issue=2 \|pages=215-231}} See pp. 217-218</ref>		Damien Janos in another paper on Qur'anic cosmography has similarly noted that while the exact shape of its boundaries are not described, "what is clear is that the Qurʾān and the early Muslim tradition do not uphold the conception of a spherical earth and a spherical universe. This was a view that later prevailed in the learned circles of Muslim society as a result of the infiltration of Ptolemaic astronomy".<ref>{{citation \|last1=Janos \|first1=Damien \|date=2012 \|title=Qurʾānic cosmography in its historical perspective: some notes on the formation of a religious wordview \|journal=Religion \|volume=42 \|issue=2 \|pages=215-231}} See pp. 217-218</ref> Likewise, Omar Anchassi in his study of early Islamic cosmography notes, "A plain-sense reading of the Quranic text renders the earth as flat".<ref name="Anchassi" />

	==Direct references to a flat Earth in the Qur'an==		==Direct references to a flat Earth in the Qur'an==
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	Many further examples of scholars expressing a flat earth interpretation of the Quran are collated in [https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/ another article.] One can see that all early mufassirūn (Quranic scholars who wrote commentaries/tafsirs, which can be viewed directly on [https://www.altafsir.com/ tafsir.com]) who commented on the relevant verses took the view the Qur'an was describing a flat earth.		Many further examples of scholars expressing a flat earth interpretation of the Quran are collated in [https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/ another article.] One can see that all early mufassirūn (Quranic scholars who wrote commentaries/tafsirs, which can be viewed directly on [https://www.altafsir.com/ tafsir.com]) who commented on the relevant verses took the view the Qur'an was describing a flat earth.

	These interpretations contrast with claims of an Islamic scholarly consensus for a round earth. As Dr Omar Anchassi says '<nowiki/>''It is clear that the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic vision of the cosmos remained contested by theologians of all stripes to the end of the fifth/eleventh century''<nowiki/>'<ref>''[https://www.academia.edu/93485940/~~Against_Ptolemy_Cosmography_in_Early_Kal%C4%81m_2022_~~ Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām ~~(2022).~~]'' ~~Omar Anchassi. ''~~Journal of the American Oriental Society'', ''142''(4), 851–881. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033</nowiki></ref> in his article '''[https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033 Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām]''<nowiki/>' (2022).		These interpretations contrast with claims of an Islamic scholarly consensus for a round earth. As Dr Omar Anchassi says '<nowiki/>''It is clear that the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic vision of the cosmos remained contested by theologians of all stripes to the end of the fifth/eleventh century''<nowiki/>'<ref name="Anchassi">Omar Anchassi. ''[https://www.academia.edu/93485940/ Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām]'', Journal of the American Oriental Society, '''142'''(4), 2022, pp. 851–881. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033</nowiki></ref> in his article '''[https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033 Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām]''<nowiki/>' (2022).

	==Modern perspectives and criticisms thereof==		==Modern perspectives and criticisms thereof==

Lightyears at 02:08, 5 December 2025

2025-12-05T02:08:16Z

Lightyears: Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

2025-11-12T19:26:07Z

Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

Lightyears: Removed some superflous/elsewhere repeated details for brevity and the QXP/Khalifa translations that no-one uses anymore

2025-10-03T17:23:43Z

Removed some superflous/elsewhere repeated details for brevity and the QXP/Khalifa translations that no-one uses anymore

Show changes

CPO675: /* Qur'an 57:21 - a garden, its width like the width of the heaven(s) and the earth */ Re-wrote slightly to highlight the implications more.

2025-09-30T13:44:06Z

Qur'an 57:21 - a garden, its width like the width of the heaven(s) and the earth: Re-wrote slightly to highlight the implications more.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:44, 30 September 2025
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	Classical tafsirs unanimously<ref>[https://tafsir.app/55/17 Tafsirs 55:17]</ref> understand this verse as a reference to the two easts, or rising places (almashriqayni), and the two wests, or setting places (almaghribayni) of the sun on the summer and winter solstices. This accords with the literal meanings of mashriq<ref>مَشْرِقُ mashriq - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000265.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 1541</ref> and maghrib<ref>مَغْرِبُ maghrib - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2241</ref>. Similarly, verse 70:40 ({{Quran\|70\|40}}) was classically understood to refer to all the different places where the sun rises and sets between these ranges (almashariqi waalmagharibi).<ref>[https://tafsir.app/70/40 Tafsirs 70:40]</ref> Taken literally, these descriptions can only concord with a flat Earth, as on a spherical Earth, the "two Easts" and "two Wests" are only relative and everchanging positions lacking any definite, physical nature - that is, there is no place on Earth that could be definitely and universally described as "one of the two Easts", for instance such that Allah could be "Lord of it".		Classical tafsirs unanimously<ref>[https://tafsir.app/55/17 Tafsirs 55:17]</ref> understand this verse as a reference to the two easts, or rising places (almashriqayni), and the two wests, or setting places (almaghribayni) of the sun on the summer and winter solstices. This accords with the literal meanings of mashriq<ref>مَشْرِقُ mashriq - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000265.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 1541</ref> and maghrib<ref>مَغْرِبُ maghrib - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2241</ref>. Similarly, verse 70:40 ({{Quran\|70\|40}}) was classically understood to refer to all the different places where the sun rises and sets between these ranges (almashariqi waalmagharibi).<ref>[https://tafsir.app/70/40 Tafsirs 70:40]</ref> Taken literally, these descriptions can only concord with a flat Earth, as on a spherical Earth, the "two Easts" and "two Wests" are only relative and everchanging positions lacking any definite, physical nature - that is, there is no place on Earth that could be definitely and universally described as "one of the two Easts", for instance such that Allah could be "Lord of it".

	===Qur'an 57:21 - a garden, its width like the width of the heaven(s) and the earth===		===Qur'an 57:21 - a garden, its width like the width of the heaven(s) and the earth===

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|57\|21}}\|سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ '''وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ''' أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|57\|21}}\|سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ '''وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ''' أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ

	Sabiqoo ila maghfiratin min rabbikum wajannatin AAarduha kaAAardi alssamai waalardi oAAiddat lillatheena amanoo biAllahi warusulihi thalika fadlu Allahi yuteehi man yashao waAllahu thoo alfadli alAAatheemi		Sabiqoo ila maghfiratin min rabbikum wajannatin AAarduha kaAAardi alssamai waalardi oAAiddat lillatheena amanoo biAllahi warusulihi thalika fadlu Allahi yuteehi man yashao waAllahu thoo alfadli alAAatheemi

	Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and '''a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth''', prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding}}		Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and '''a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth''', prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding}}The words ''ʿarḍuhā kaʿarḍi'' ("its width is like the width") refer to the breadth, width, or side of something.<ref>عَرْضٌ 'ard - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000291.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2006</ref>

			The Qur'an says paradise is the width of the heaven and Earth. Some academic scholars cite this verse in support of their argument that the Qur'anic heavens are flat layers above a flat earth (see [[Cosmology of the Quran]]). Then in a very similar verse below states paradises' width is as the width of the heavens (plural) and the Earth.{{Quote\|{{Quran\|3\|133}}\|And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and <b>a Garden - its width (is like that of) the heavens and the earth</b> prepared for the pious.}}The interchangeable width of the heaven singular (57:21) with heavens plural (3:133) lends further support to that view. The verses most naturally indicates that the author imagined the heaven(s) to be of similar width to the earth, whether they were imagined to be dome shaped or flat [[Science and the Seven Earths#The%20solid%20universe\|solid layers]], and that the earth's flatness makes for an ideal width yardstick.

	~~The words ʿarḍuhā kaʿarḍi ("its width is like~~ the ~~width") refer~~ to the ~~breadth, width~~, ~~or side of something.~~<ref>~~عَرْضٌ 'ard -~~ [~~http~~://www.~~studyquran~~.~~org~~/~~LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000291.pdf Lane's Lexicon~~] ~~page 2006</ref>~~		Modern science has shown the earth to be around 3.08e-58% of the observable universe,<ref>[https://www.quora.com/How-much-space-in-percentage-does-earth-occupy-in-the-universe How much space, in percentage, does earth occupy in the universe?] - Quora Question

	~~Some academic scholars cite this verse in support of their argument that the Quranic heavens are flat layers above a flat earth (see [[Cosmology~~ of the ~~Quran]]). In a very similar verse~~, ~~the garden~~'s width is as the ~~heavens plural and the earth~~ ({{Quran\|3\|~~133~~}}~~). This interchangable width of~~ the heaven ~~singular (57:21~~) ~~or heavens plural (3:133) may lend further support to that view. The verse most naturally indicates that the author imagined the heaven or heavens to be~~ of ~~similar width to the earth~~, ~~whether they were imagined to be dome shaped or flat layers, and that~~ the ~~earth's flatness makes for an ideal~~ width ~~yardstick, though other interpretations are possible~~.		3.08e-58% is: ~0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000003% of the observable universe, who's width is a similar level.</ref> claimed by Muslims to be the 'heaven(s)', (which must be included in it as {{Quran\|37\|6}} notes the stars are decked in the lowest heaven), and there are allegedly 7 of them {{Quran\|41\|12}}, making the width comparison inclusion of the two together absurd.

	===Qur'an 2:22 - the heavens are a canopy / building===		===Qur'an 2:22 - the heavens are a canopy / building===

CPO675: /* Hadith allowing an estimate for prayer times */ Have moved this Hadith counter argument to the main Ramadan Pole Paradox page as this is already very long, and as mentioned in the previous update I believe it's much more relevant and fitting there.

2025-09-30T10:53:27Z

Hadith allowing an estimate for prayer times: Have moved this Hadith counter argument to the main Ramadan Pole Paradox page as this is already very long, and as mentioned in the previous update I believe it's much more relevant and fitting there.

@@ Line 225: / Line 225: @@
 {{Quote|{{citation| url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Inside_the_Kingdom/VEYsi7ZmtywC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT99&printsec=frontcover| title=Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia| author=Robert Lacey| publisher=Penguin| date=2009| chapter=Chapter 10| ISBN=9781101140734}}|“‘Look,’” Sultan remembers telling him, “‘we’re going to be traveling at eighteen thousand miles per hour. I’m going to see sixteen sunrises and sunsets every twenty-four hours. So does that mean I’ll get Ramadan finished in two days?' The sheikh loved that one—he laughed out loud.” . . . “It would be no good trying to face Mecca,” remembers the prince. “By the time I’d lined up
 on it, it would be behind me.”}}
 ===Qur'an 2:144 - praying towards the Ka'bah===

Lightyears: /* Ibn Taymiyyah (d.1328) */

2025-06-09T01:26:46Z

Ibn Taymiyyah (d.1328)

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	===Ibn Taymiyyah (d.1328)===		===Ibn Taymiyyah (d.1328)===
	In one oft-cited work<ref name="IslamQAarticle"></ref>, [[Ibn Taymiyyah]] (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) references Abu’l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn al Munadi as saying that the scholars from the second level of the companions of Imam Ahmad (d. 241 AH / 855 CE) – i.e. the early Hanbalis – maintained that there was consensus among the scholars that both heaven and Earth are balls, giving astronomical reasoning for both. ~~In fact~~, it has been established that this refers to a consensus among ~~astronomical~~ scholars, as almost ~~the exact same~~ wording appears in Muslim astronomical works by Ahmad ibn Rustah (d. 913) and Ibn Kathīr al-Farghānī (d. 861) to describe the agreement and reasoning among astronomical scholars, not the agreement of Muslim scholars in general ([https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/1l4qi4b/reexamining_the_origins_of_ibn_almunadis_quote_on/ ~~see here~~]).		In one oft-cited work<ref name="IslamQAarticle"></ref>, [[Ibn Taymiyyah]] (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) references Abu’l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn al Munadi as saying that the scholars from the second level of the companions of Imam Ahmad (d. 241 AH / 855 CE) – i.e. the early Hanbalis – maintained that there was consensus among the scholars that both heaven and Earth are balls, giving astronomical reasoning for both. However, it has in fact been established that this refers to a consensus among scholars of astronomy and geography, as almost identical wording appears in Muslim astronomical works by Ahmad ibn Rustah (d. 913) and Ibn Kathīr al-Farghānī (d. 861) to describe the agreement and reasoning among astronomical scholars, not the agreement of Muslim scholars in general. [https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/1l4qi4b/reexamining_the_origins_of_ibn_almunadis_quote_on/ See here] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250606223527/https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/1l4qi4b/reexamining_the_origins_of_ibn_almunadis_quote_on/ archive]).

	Moreover, this evidence does not help determine earlier beliefs, since from the 8th century CE onwards, Muslims were using Greek astronomical scholarship, which had already come to learn of the Earth's spherical form (see above).		Moreover, this evidence does not help determine earlier beliefs, since from the 8th century CE onwards, Muslims were using Greek astronomical scholarship, which had already come to learn of the Earth's spherical form (see above).

Lightyears at 00:55, 9 June 2025

2025-06-09T00:55:29Z

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	===The Earth on the back of the Islamic Whale===		===The Earth on the back of the Islamic Whale===
	{{Main\|The Islamic Whale}}		{{Main\|The Islamic Whale}}
	Al-Tabari's tafsir regarding {{Quran\|68\|1}}, which mysteriously starts with the Arabic letter Nun, records, along with many other classical tafsirs and sahih narrations<ref>[https://tafsir.app/68/1 Tafsirs 68:1]</ref><ref>{{Citation\|title=Islam & the whale that carries the Earth on its back\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVhsVjXJzKM&ab_channel=TheMaskedArab\|publisher=The Masked Arab\|publication-date=February 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation\|url=https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/muhammads-magical-mountain-one-whale-of-a-tale/\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701144708/https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/muhammads-magical-mountain-one-whale-of-a-tale/\|publisher=Answering Islam Blog\|publication-date=October 19, 2016\|chapter=Muhammad’s Magical Mountain: One Whale of a Tale!}}</ref><ref>{{Citation\|author=Sam Shamoun\|publisher=Answering Islam\|url=https://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/whale_nun.htm\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030934/https://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/whale_nun.htm\|chapter=The Quran and the Shape of the Earth}}</ref>, that one of the interpretations among sahabah such as ibn 'Abbas was that the 'nun' is a whale on whose back the Earth is carried (other interpretations were that "Nun" is an inkwell or a name of Allah). While there may not have been a consensus on the existence of the whale, the plausibility and acceptability of the idea implies a flat Earth ~~and radically non-modern cosmology~~.		Al-Tabari's tafsir regarding {{Quran\|68\|1}}, which mysteriously starts with the Arabic letter Nun, records, along with many other classical tafsirs and sahih narrations<ref>[https://tafsir.app/68/1 Tafsirs 68:1]</ref><ref>{{Citation\|title=Islam & the whale that carries the Earth on its back\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVhsVjXJzKM&ab_channel=TheMaskedArab\|publisher=The Masked Arab\|publication-date=February 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation\|url=https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/muhammads-magical-mountain-one-whale-of-a-tale/\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701144708/https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/muhammads-magical-mountain-one-whale-of-a-tale/\|publisher=Answering Islam Blog\|publication-date=October 19, 2016\|chapter=Muhammad’s Magical Mountain: One Whale of a Tale!}}</ref><ref>{{Citation\|author=Sam Shamoun\|publisher=Answering Islam\|url=https://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/whale_nun.htm\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030934/https://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/whale_nun.htm\|chapter=The Quran and the Shape of the Earth}}</ref>, that one of the interpretations among sahabah such as ibn 'Abbas was that the 'nun' is a whale on whose back the Earth is carried (other interpretations were that "Nun" is an inkwell or a name of Allah). While there may not have been a consensus on the existence of the whale, the plausibility and acceptability of the idea implies a flat Earth cosmography among early Muslims.

	=== Mount Qaf ===		=== Mount Qaf ===
	Similarly Surah 50 begins with the Arabic letter Qaf, which Scott Noegel and Brannon Wheeler (2010) note many Muslim exegetes ~~take~~ to refer to [~~https~~:~~//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Mount_Qaf Mount. Qaf] ''~~(Q 50:1)~~ as a “world mountain,” which surrounds the earth and holds up the sky, thus connecting the heavens and the earth.''<ref>Noegel, Scott B.; Wheeler, Brannon M.. ''The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism (The A to Z Guide Series Book 176).'' 2010. pp 68 (Kindle Edition pp. 148). See under a section titled "Cosmology and Cosmogony" pp. 67-68:		Similarly Surah 50 begins with the Arabic letter Qaf, which Scott Noegel and Brannon Wheeler (2010) note many Muslim exegetes took to refer to [[W:Mount_Qaf\|Mount Qaf]] ''as a “world mountain,” which surrounds the earth and holds up the sky, thus connecting the heavens and the earth.''<ref>Noegel, Scott B.; Wheeler, Brannon M.. ''The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism (The A to Z Guide Series Book 176).'' 2010. pp 68 (Kindle Edition pp. 148). See under a section titled "Cosmology and Cosmogony" pp. 67-68:

	''Much like the classical Greek conception, the earth or the middle realm of the cosmos is envisioned as a flat disc surrounded by the world ocean on all sides. The Quran describes the earth as flat and spread out (Q 71:19), wide and expansive (Q 29:56). There are points on the earth that serve as conduits or points of contact with the lower realms (pits, caves, water sources) and the upper realms (mountains, trees, high buildings). Muslim exegetes describe '''Mt. Qaf (Q 50:1)''' as a "world mountain," which surrounds the earth and holds up the sky, thus connecting the heavens and the earth.''</ref>		''Much like the classical Greek conception, the earth or the middle realm of the cosmos is envisioned as a flat disc surrounded by the world ocean on all sides. The Quran describes the earth as flat and spread out (Q 71:19), wide and expansive (Q 29:56). There are points on the earth that serve as conduits or points of contact with the lower realms (pits, caves, water sources) and the upper realms (mountains, trees, high buildings). Muslim exegetes describe '''Mt. Qaf (Q 50:1)''' as a "world mountain," which surrounds the earth and holds up the sky, thus connecting the heavens and the earth.''</ref>

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	==Direct references to a flat Earth in the Qur'an==		==Direct references to a flat Earth in the Qur'an==
	The Qur'an frequently describes, in explicit terms, the creation of "al-ard", which can be translated as either "Earth" or "land", as a flat structure. The use of metaphors and words intimately associated with flat objects (such as beds and carpets) is especially common in cases where the context of the verse makes it clear that the word "al-ard" is being used to describe the creation of the Earth at the beginning of time alongside the creation of the "heavens" (rather than in the more limited sense of a certain portion of "land"). The best example of this is perhaps [[Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth#Qur.27an_88:20_-_sutihat_.28.22spread_out_flat.22.29\|verse 88:20]].		The Qur'an frequently describes, in explicit terms, the creation of "al-ard", which can be translated as either "Earth" or "the land", as a flat structure. The use of metaphors and words intimately associated with flat objects (such as beds and carpets) is especially common in cases where the context of the verse makes it clear that the word "al-ard" is being used to describe the creation of the Earth at the beginning of time alongside the creation of the "heavens" (rather than in the more limited sense of a certain portion of "land"). The best example of this is perhaps [[Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth#Qur.27an_88:20_-_sutihat_.28.22spread_out_flat.22.29\|verse 88:20]].

	The same term 'al-ard' is even used to describe the creation of the next Earth after judgement day,<ref>E.g. {{Quran\|14\|48}}</ref> and is commonly used alongside 'the heavens' (i.e. the heavens and the Earth) ~~as a reference to~~ the ~~whole Islamic conception~~ of ~~the universe~~ - ~~it's meaning of~~ the whole Earth can be ~~seen in further verses where it is used~~ on [https://corpus.quran.com/search.jsp?t=3&q=the%20earth ~~QuranCorpus~~].		The same term 'al-ard' is even used to describe the creation of the next Earth after judgement day,<ref>E.g. {{Quran\|14\|48}}</ref> and is commonly used alongside 'the heavens' (i.e. the heavens and the Earth). In the vast majority of Quranic usage, al-ard refers to the whole Earth rather than "the land", as can be verified on [https://corpus.quran.com/search.jsp?t=3&q=the%20earth corpus.quran.com].

	===Qur'an 2:22 - ''firashan'' ("thing spread to sit or lie upon")===		===Qur'an 2:22 - ''firashan'' ("thing spread to sit or lie upon")===
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	مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse<ref>مَهْدً mahdan - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000267.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2739</ref>		مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse<ref>مَهْدً mahdan - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000267.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2739</ref>

	Sinai 2023 notes that ~~also~~ in {{Quran\|13\|18}}, hell ~~that~~ is called a mihād, a “resting-place spread out.”<ref>Footnote 47 (p. 40): S''inai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary'' (p. 128). Princeton University Press.</ref> ~~This may give further weight to~~ the seven earths ~~found~~ in {{Quran\|65\|12}} ~~being~~ flat discs one above the other as discussed in the hadith section below~~, with the~~ lowest ~~being~~ hell ~~as was believed by~~ a number of early and medieval ~~Muslims as this IslamQA post shows~~.<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/215011/where-are-paradise-and-hell Where Are Paradise and Hell?] IslamQA. 2015. </ref>		Sinai (2023) notes that in {{Quran\|13\|18}}, hell too is called a mihād, a “resting-place spread out.”<ref>Footnote 47 (p. 40): S''inai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary'' (p. 128). Princeton University Press.</ref> Early Muslims pictured the seven earths apparently mentioned in {{Quran\|65\|12}} as flat discs one above the other, as discussed in the hadith section below. The lowest of these was hell in the view of a number of early and medieval scholars.<ref>See [https://islamqa.info/en/answers/215011/where-are-paradise-and-hell Where Are Paradise and Hell?] IslamQA. 2015. </ref>

	===Qur'an 43:10 - ''mahdan'' ("bed")===		===Qur'an 43:10 - ''mahdan'' ("bed")===
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	Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.}}		Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.}}
	A flat conception of the Earth is the only sort that permits the setting and rising places of the sun to be visited. Contemporary 7th-century Arabic and Syriac ~~poems~~ telling the same ~~legend~~ suggest that early Muslims understood the story literally, as do early tafsirs and narrations therein (see main article).		A flat conception of the Earth is the only sort that permits the setting and rising places of the sun to be visited. Contemporary 7th-century Arabic poems and a mid-6th century Syriac Legend telling the same story suggest that early Muslims understood the story literally, as do early tafsirs and narrations therein (see main article).

	===Qur'an 2:187 and 17:78 - fasting and prayer times===		===Qur'an 2:187 and 17:78 - fasting and prayer times===
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	The Qur'an conceives of itself as containing guidance for all people in all times in all places, yet the instructions contained here are, taken literally, impracticable for those who live near the North and South poles of the globe, where above the Artic Circle (and its southern equivalent) a single day/night cycle can take any where from weeks to months.		The Qur'an conceives of itself as containing guidance for all people in all times in all places, yet the instructions contained here are, taken literally, impracticable for those who live near the North and South poles of the globe, where above the Artic Circle (and its southern equivalent) a single day/night cycle can take any where from weeks to months.

	Even below the ~~Artic~~ Circle, for instance in Aberdeen, Scotland, the time between the night prayer (Isha) and the dawn prayer (Fajr) is around 4 and a half hours in June, such that a practicing Muslim would be required to regularly awaken around 3:20am for prayer. These matters are further complicated by the increasingly relevant and real cases of space travel, and even simply travel through the air aboard a plane, as it is not entirely clear whether someone flying in or opposite the direction of the sun would be required to repeat or skip certain prayers due to the rapidly changing time of day. By these appearances, the rituals and instructions set out in the Qur'an were intended for the more limited audience and understanding of a 7th-century desert city.		Even below the Arctic Circle, for instance in Aberdeen, Scotland, the time between the night prayer (Isha) and the dawn prayer (Fajr) is around 4 and a half hours in June, such that a practicing Muslim would be required to regularly awaken around 3:20am for prayer. These matters are further complicated by the increasingly relevant and real cases of space travel, and even simply travel through the air aboard a plane, as it is not entirely clear whether someone flying in or opposite the direction of the sun would be required to repeat or skip certain prayers due to the rapidly changing time of day. By these appearances, the rituals and instructions set out in the Qur'an were intended for the more limited audience and understanding of a 7th-century desert city.

	Before embarking on the 1985 Discovery space shuttle flight he had been chosen to serve on as payload engineer, Saudi prince Sultan bin Salman, the first Muslim in space, said the following memorable lines to Sheikh Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, later the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia:		Before embarking on the 1985 Discovery space shuttle flight he had been chosen to serve on as payload engineer, Saudi prince Sultan bin Salman, the first Muslim in space, said the following memorable lines to Sheikh Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, later the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia:

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	''Main article: [[Science and the Seven Earths]]''		''Main article: [[Science and the Seven Earths]]''

	Various narrations describe seven stacked flat earths (not spherical layers, طوّقه means put on a neck-ring<ref>طوق tawwaqa [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000179.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p. 1894</ref>):{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|3\|43\|~~634~~}}\|Narrated Salim's father (i.e. `Abdullah):		Various narrations describe seven stacked flat earths (not spherical layers, طوّقه means put on a neck-ring<ref>طوق tawwaqa [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000179.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p. 1894</ref>):{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|2454\|darussalam}}\|Narrated Salim's father (i.e. `Abdullah):

	The Prophet said, "Whoever takes a piece of the land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection."}}		The Prophet said, "Whoever takes a piece of the land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection."}}

	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|3\|43\|~~632~~}}\|Narrated Sa`id bin Zaid:		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|2452\|darussalam}}\|Narrated Sa`id bin Zaid:

	Allah's Messenger said, "Whoever usurps the land of somebody unjustly, '''his neck will be encircled with it''' down the seven earths (on the Day of Resurrection). "		Allah's Messenger said, "Whoever usurps the land of somebody unjustly, '''his neck will be encircled with it''' down the seven earths (on the Day of Resurrection). "
	}}		}}

	{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|10\|~~3923~~}}\|Sa'id b. Zaid reported:		{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|\|1610d\|reference}}\|Sa'id b. Zaid reported:

	I heard Allah's Apostle say: He who took a span of earth wrongly '''would be made to wear around his neck''' seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.}}		I heard Allah's Apostle say: He who took a span of earth wrongly '''would be made to wear around his neck''' seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.}}
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	A similar, more elaborate hadith in Sahih Muslim (shown below) describes a cycle in which Allah instructs the sun to go and rise "from its rising place" (min matli'iha مَطْلِعِهَا - this word also occurs as matli'a ash shamsi "the rising place of the sun" in {{Quran\|18\|90}}). One day, it will instead be told to go and rise "from the place of your setting" (min maghribiki مِنْ مَغْرِبِكِ), so it goes and rises "from the place of its setting" (min maghribiha مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا ). The latter phrase also appears in all the simpler narrations of this hadith despite often being mistranslated as "in the west".<ref>Muhsin Khan is particularly guilty of this in his translation of Sahih Bukhari. Compare with min al maghribi in {{Quran\|2\|258}} which does mean "from the west".</ref> The sun is commanded to go to some particular place. The words "matli'" and "maghrib", when juxtaposed, refer to a "rising place" and "setting place", while the words "al mashriq" and "al maghrib", when juxtaposed, refer more generically to "the east" and "the west", although some English translations attempt to obscure this detail. The use of the words "matli'iha" and "maghribiha" in reference to specific locations as opposed to general directions is further confirmed by the lack of the definite article (al-) and usage of possessive pronouns (-ha) which make these "the sun's matli'" and "the sun's maghrib" - if the narration were referring to the "east" and "west" generically, the hadith would not refer to "the sun's east" and "the sun's west".		A similar, more elaborate hadith in Sahih Muslim (shown below) describes a cycle in which Allah instructs the sun to go and rise "from its rising place" (min matli'iha مَطْلِعِهَا - this word also occurs as matli'a ash shamsi "the rising place of the sun" in {{Quran\|18\|90}}). One day, it will instead be told to go and rise "from the place of your setting" (min maghribiki مِنْ مَغْرِبِكِ), so it goes and rises "from the place of its setting" (min maghribiha مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا ). The latter phrase also appears in all the simpler narrations of this hadith despite often being mistranslated as "in the west".<ref>Muhsin Khan is particularly guilty of this in his translation of Sahih Bukhari. Compare with min al maghribi in {{Quran\|2\|258}} which does mean "from the west".</ref> The sun is commanded to go to some particular place. The words "matli'" and "maghrib", when juxtaposed, refer to a "rising place" and "setting place", while the words "al mashriq" and "al maghrib", when juxtaposed, refer more generically to "the east" and "the west", although some English translations attempt to obscure this detail. The use of the words "matli'iha" and "maghribiha" in reference to specific locations as opposed to general directions is further confirmed by the lack of the definite article (al-) and usage of possessive pronouns (-ha) which make these "the sun's matli'" and "the sun's maghrib" - if the narration were referring to the "east" and "west" generically, the hadith would not refer to "the sun's east" and "the sun's west".

	{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|1\|~~297~~}}\|It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one day said:		{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|\|159a\|reference}}\|It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one day said:

	'''Do you know where the sun goes?''' They replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Verily it (the sun) glides till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it falls prostrate and remains there until it is asked: '''Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out from its rising place''' and then glides till it reaches its place of rest under the Throne and falls prostrate and remains in that state until it is asked: Rise up and return to the place whence you came, and it returns and emerges out from it rising place and the it glides (in such a normal way) that the people do not discern anything ( unusual in it) till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it would be said to it: '''Rise up and emerge out from the place of your setting, and it will rise from the place of its setting.''' The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. Do you know when it would happen? It would happen at the time when faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed or has derived no good from the faith.<ref>For the Arabic, see [http://sunnah.com/muslim/1/306 sunnah.com] or #159: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=81&BookID=25&PID=299 hadith.al-islam.com]</ref>}}		'''Do you know where the sun goes?''' They replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Verily it (the sun) glides till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it falls prostrate and remains there until it is asked: '''Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out from its rising place''' and then glides till it reaches its place of rest under the Throne and falls prostrate and remains in that state until it is asked: Rise up and return to the place whence you came, and it returns and emerges out from it rising place and the it glides (in such a normal way) that the people do not discern anything ( unusual in it) till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it would be said to it: '''Rise up and emerge out from the place of your setting, and it will rise from the place of its setting.''' The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. Do you know when it would happen? It would happen at the time when faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed or has derived no good from the faith.<ref>For the Arabic, see [http://sunnah.com/muslim/1/306 sunnah.com] or #159: [http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=192&TOCID=81&BookID=25&PID=299 hadith.al-islam.com]</ref>}}

	===Ends of the Earth===		===Ends of the Earth===
	{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|41\|~~6904~~}}\|Thauban reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:		{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|\|2889a\|reference}}\|Thauban reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

	'''Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake. And I have seen its eastern and western ends.''' And the dominion of my Ummah would reach those ends which have been drawn near me and I have been granted the red and the white treasure and I begged my Lord for my Ummah that it should not be destroyed because of famine, nor be dominated by an enemy who is not amongst them to take their lives and destroy them root and branch, and my Lord said: Muhammad, whenever I make a decision, there is none to change it. I grant you for your Ummah that it would not be destroyed by famine and it would not be dominated by an enemy who would not be amongst it and would take their lives and destroy them root and branch even if all the people from the different parts of the world join hands together (for this purpose), but it would be from amongst them, viz. your Ummah, that some people would kill the others or imprison the other}}		'''Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake. And I have seen its eastern and western ends.''' And the dominion of my Ummah would reach those ends which have been drawn near me and I have been granted the red and the white treasure and I begged my Lord for my Ummah that it should not be destroyed because of famine, nor be dominated by an enemy who is not amongst them to take their lives and destroy them root and branch, and my Lord said: Muhammad, whenever I make a decision, there is none to change it. I grant you for your Ummah that it would not be destroyed by famine and it would not be dominated by an enemy who would not be amongst it and would take their lives and destroy them root and branch even if all the people from the different parts of the world join hands together (for this purpose), but it would be from amongst them, viz. your Ummah, that some people would kill the others or imprison the other}}
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	The following two narrations alluding to the optional Tahajjud prayer state that there is a particular time of night when Allah approaches the nearest heaven and invites supplications. This concept could only make any sense at all in a flat earth worldview, not in a spherical world in which it is always night-time somewhere.		The following two narrations alluding to the optional Tahajjud prayer state that there is a particular time of night when Allah approaches the nearest heaven and invites supplications. This concept could only make any sense at all in a flat earth worldview, not in a spherical world in which it is always night-time somewhere.

	{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|4\|~~1657~~}}\|Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:		{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|\|758b\|reference}}\|Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

	Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven '''when one-third of the first part of the night is over''' and says: I am the Lord; I am the Lord: who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to beg of Me so that I grant him? Who is there to beg forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? '''He continues like this till the day breaks.'''}}		Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven '''when one-third of the first part of the night is over''' and says: I am the Lord; I am the Lord: who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to beg of Me so that I grant him? Who is there to beg forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? '''He continues like this till the day breaks.'''}}
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	The hadith also appears in Sahih al-Bukhari ("to us" is not present in the Arabic).		The hadith also appears in Sahih al-Bukhari ("to us" is not present in the Arabic).

	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|2\|21\|~~246~~}}\|Narrated Abu Huraira:		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|1145\|darussalam}}\|Narrated Abu Huraira:

	Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) said, "'''Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains''', saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?"}}		Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) said, "'''Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains''', saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?"}}
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	Finally, Ibn Taymiyyah cites the following hadith from al-Bukhari and, returning to his reliance on indirect grammatical nuance, argues that if the structure (the hadith refers to "[[Jannah (Paradise)\|Jannah]]" or Paradise in particular, rather than Heaven in general) described below has a "midmost" part, then it must be spherical, for only spherical structures have such a "midmost" point.		Finally, Ibn Taymiyyah cites the following hadith from al-Bukhari and, returning to his reliance on indirect grammatical nuance, argues that if the structure (the hadith refers to "[[Jannah (Paradise)\|Jannah]]" or Paradise in particular, rather than Heaven in general) described below has a "midmost" part, then it must be spherical, for only spherical structures have such a "midmost" point.

	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|9\|93\|~~519~~}}\|The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever believes in Allah and His Apostle offers prayers perfectly and fasts (the month of) Ramadan then it is incumbent upon Allah to admit him into Paradise, whether he emigrates for Allah's cause or stays in the land where he was born." They (the companions of the Prophet) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Should we not inform the people of that?" He said, "There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allah has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth, so if you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, for <b>it is the last part of Paradise ["فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ", "أَوْسَطُ" is better translated as "midmost" or "medial"<ref>[https://ejtaal.net/aa/#ll=3039,hw4=1262,ls=74,la=h4830,sg=h1231,ha=h880,br=h1049,pr=h168,aan=h720,mgf=h856,vi=h385,kz=h2934,mr=h796,mn=h1557,uqw=h1850,umr=h1171,ums=h987,umj=h941,ulq=h1799,uqa=h450,uqq=h429,bdw=h954,amr=h694,asb=h1077,auh=h1747,dhq=h609,mht=h973,msb=h259,tla=h98,amj=h920,ens=h1,mis=h1 Lane's Lexicon]</ref>]</b> and the highest part of Paradise, and at its top there is the Throne of Beneficent, and from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise."}}		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|7423\|darussalam}}\|The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever believes in Allah and His Apostle offers prayers perfectly and fasts (the month of) Ramadan then it is incumbent upon Allah to admit him into Paradise, whether he emigrates for Allah's cause or stays in the land where he was born." They (the companions of the Prophet) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Should we not inform the people of that?" He said, "There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allah has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth, so if you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, for <b>it is the last part of Paradise ["فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ", "أَوْسَطُ" is better translated as "midmost" or "medial"<ref>[https://ejtaal.net/aa/#ll=3039,hw4=1262,ls=74,la=h4830,sg=h1231,ha=h880,br=h1049,pr=h168,aan=h720,mgf=h856,vi=h385,kz=h2934,mr=h796,mn=h1557,uqw=h1850,umr=h1171,ums=h987,umj=h941,ulq=h1799,uqa=h450,uqq=h429,bdw=h954,amr=h694,asb=h1077,auh=h1747,dhq=h609,mht=h973,msb=h259,tla=h98,amj=h920,ens=h1,mis=h1 Lane's Lexicon]</ref>]</b> and the highest part of Paradise, and at its top there is the Throne of Beneficent, and from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise."}}

	Given that Ibn Taymiyyah cited the above-mentioned scholars, the narrations he uses to argue for the spherical shape of the heavens (when asked about the shape of both the heavens and Earth), were most probably the best available. Stronger and clearer evidence might reasonably be expected if a consensus for the round shape of the Earth (in addition to that of the heavens) went back to Muhammad and the companions.		Given that Ibn Taymiyyah cited the above-mentioned scholars, the narrations he uses to argue for the spherical shape of the heavens (when asked about the shape of both the heavens and Earth), were most probably the best available. Stronger and clearer evidence might reasonably be expected if a consensus for the round shape of the Earth (in addition to that of the heavens) went back to Muhammad and the companions.