Some disbelievers say that God says that the moon is located in the middle of the universe based on this ayat:
Sahih International
Do you not consider how Allah has created seven heavens in layers
Sahih International
And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?http://quran.com/71/15-16
The reason for their laughable claim is that some english translators used the word midst 'And made the moon a light in their midst' (which is a wrong translation).
The Arabic words 'Fihaa', 'Fihinna', 'Fihim' and 'Fihi' (i.e. 'in it' or
'in them') etc. are used to imply 'within', which does not necessarily
imply 'lying at the middle/center' as they want to portray.
The
point that would truly establish the said 'scientific' error is that the
referred Arabic words for 'within' cannot be used for
something that lies at the periphery of something else. In other words,
what disbelievers needs to establish is that the referred Arabic words
for 'within' cannot
be used for the situation depicted in Square B, as shown in the diagram.
So, as we can see, like many of other refuted claims, the straw man fallacy is commonly committed..
God chose the language of the Arabs as the medium for relaying His final and most important message to mankind. Among the many languages of humanity, Arabic has a very high level of subtlety and eloquence. When we study carefully the words Allah chooses to describe things, the miraculous nature of the Quran becomes quite clear.
God chose the language of the Arabs as the medium for relaying His final and most important message to mankind. Among the many languages of humanity, Arabic has a very high level of subtlety and eloquence. When we study carefully the words Allah chooses to describe things, the miraculous nature of the Quran becomes quite clear.
One verse that describes the sun as a 'siraj' or lamp is:
(Nuh 71:16)
It is very interesting, and also one of the miracles of the Quran, that Allah uses the example of a lamp, or siraj,
to describe the sun. At the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), it was not known what exactly the sun was made of and how it
produced light and heat.
With
the increase in scientific knowledge that Allah has blessed us with
today, we now know that the sun is very much like a lamp. It requires
some type of fuel to burn. When any fuel is burned and reaches a certain
level of heat, the flame becomes bright enough to produce a glowing
light. The sun we see every day is actually a massive ball of burning
hydrogen gas that is millions of kilometers away, 149,597,892 kilometers to be exact.
Allah also describes the moon using the word "muneera" meaning something that is illuminated, or lit up by something shining light on it.
*{Blessed is He Who made constellations in the sky, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light.}* (Furqan 25:61)
Again,
this is something that has only recently been discovered, that the moon
does not generate its own light, as does the sun, but rather it
reflects the light coming from another source, the sun. Allah used the
word "muneera" in the Quran to scientifically describe the reality of the moon's light centuries before we discovered this fact.
Again, the
Qur’aanicdescription matches perfectly with
the true nature of the moon, which does not give off light itself and is an
inert body that reflects the light of the sun.
Not once in the Qur’aan, is
the moon mentioned as
siraaj, wahhaaj or diya or the sun as nur or
muneer.
Exalted
and venerated be Allah, Whose giving is plentiful, for His blessings
upon His creation are evident. He is the One Who, by His grace, has
adorned the lowest heaven with these great stars and planets, and the
sun and the moon which give light by night and day. He has created that
as part of His perfect blessings to His creation; His blessings are vast
and His generosity and kindness are immense. So let them ponder the
great signs that are above them, and the blessings that they enjoy, so
that they might believe in their Lord and give thanks to Him.
And Allaah knows best.