In the Quran, the "Celestial Signs" (Verse) and "Precise Orbits" of the sun and moon refer to the orderly, divine system of celestial motion—specifically mentioning they "swim along" in orbits (21:33, 36:40). These serve as signs of God's power, guiding humanity to acknowledge the Creator and the calculated, purposeful design of the universe.
بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٣٣
"And He is the One Who created the day and the night, the sun and the moon—each travelling in an orbit'.
[Surah Al Anbiya: Ayat 33]
Key Quranic Concepts of Orbits and Signs:
Ordered Motion (Falakin Yasbahoon): The Quran describes the sun and moon "swimming" or floating in a falak (orbit or celestial path).
Scientific Harmony: The Quranic description of celestial motion indicates that all celestial bodies are in a planned motion.
Purpose of Creation: The orbits are designed for accurate timekeeping (years and calculations), showing the calculated nature of the cosmos;
بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءًۭ وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًۭا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ ٥
"He is the One Who made the sun a radiant source and the moon a reflected light, with precisely ordained phases, so that you may know the number of years and calculation ˹of time˺. Allah did not create all this except for a purpose. He makes the signs clear for people of knowledge".
(Surah Yunus 10: Ayat 5)
Theological Significance: These motions are not accidental, but rather a "sign" (Father) meant to inspire awe, gratitude, and recognition of Tawhid (the Oneness of God).
No Collision: The orbits are described as a system where the sun cannot catch the moon, nor does night outpace day, indicating perfect, divine orchestration -refer (Surah Yassin: Ayat 40).
Key Verses Referring to Orbits:
refer {Surah Al-Anbiya: Ayat 33: "And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Each one of them rotates in an orbit."
refer (Surah Ya-Sin: Ayat 40): "...each, in an orbit, is swimming."
refer (Surah Yunus: Ayat 5) describes the sun and moon with "precisely ordained phases" to calculate time.
These verses are interpreted by many Muslims as aligning with modern scientific understandings of the solar system, where both the sun and moon follow specific, independent, and precise paths in space.
In the Quran, celestial signs and the precise orbits of the sun and moon are presented as profound verses (signs) of God's creative power, meticulous order, and absolute oneness (1.1.2, 1.2.6).
The Meaning of Precise Orbits
Calculated Motion: The Quran states that the sun and moon move according to a precise calculation (bi-husban) (1.1.8, 1.3.7). This is interpreted by scholars as a rejection of a chaotic cosmos, affirming instead a universe governed by fixed, divinely ordained physical laws (1.1.2, 1.2.2).
"Swimming" in Orbits: Verses like 21:33 and 36:40 use the term yasbahun (swimming/floating) to describe celestial bodies in their constellation (orbit) (1.1.2, 1.1.4). This linguistic choice implies a smooth, continuous, and independent motion, which contemporary scholars often highlight as a "scientific miracle" aligned with modern orbital mechanics (1.1.2, 1.4.2).
Lack of Conflict: The Quran emphasizes that the sun cannot overtake the moon, nor the night outstrip the day (36:40), symbolizing the perfect synchronization and balance of the universe (1.1.5, 1.3.3).
The Meaning of Celestial Signs
Guidance and Navigation: Stars and constellations are described as tools for guidance in the "darknesses of the land and sea" (6:97), providing fixed reference points for travelers (1.4.7, 1.5.6).
Precise Orbits of the Sun and Moon
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
وَٱلشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّۢ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ٣٨وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَـٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ ٣٩لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٤٠
“And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the determination of the All-Mighty, All-Knowing. And the moon – We have determined its phases, until it returns like an old, curved date-stalk. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each floats in an orbit.”
(Surah Yassin/36: Ayat 38–40)
“The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation.”
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍۢ ٥
"The sun and the moon ˹travel˺ with precision."
(Surah Ar Rahman/55: Ayat 5)
Reflection: These
verses emphasize the orderliness and separation of the sun and moon’s
movements. In Surah Yā-Sīn, the sun is described as running its course to a
“resting place” or an appointed endpoint – highlighting that the sun’s journey
(daily across the sky, or its longer cosmic journey) is fixed by God’s decree.
The moon’s phases are clearly noted: from new crescent to full and back to a
thin “old date-stalk” shape (a beautifully apt simile in an Arab
context, comparing the waning crescent to the curved, withered palm frond).
This shows an appreciation of the cyclic nature of the moon’s
appearance. Importantly, verse 40 sets a rule: the sun and moon have distinct
roles – “it is not for the sun to overtake the moon”, and likewise
night and day keep their proper sequence without one bursting in out of turn.
This speaks to a cosmos of non-interference and balance. The sun governs
the day, the moon the night; they each have their lane. Night doesn’t
prematurely cut short the day nor does day encroach before its time – an
assurance of stability. “Each floats in an orbit” could refer
to the orbits of the celestial bodies or the regular paths they take in our sky
(from our perspective). Either way, motion is orderly, not erratic.
Surah Yassin verse 5 - succinctly
states: “the sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation.” This
highlights the mathematical regularity in their motions. Spiritually,
this precision is a sign of the Divine “measure” (Qadar) by
which all things are set. It invites us to trust in the reliability of God’s
design. The ancients could predict eclipses and the coming of seasons by
observing the heavens; the Qur’an hints that this predictability is no accident
but a sign – the universe operates on God’s clock. For the faithful, this
fosters a sense of security (the celestial lights won’t clash or fail
arbitrarily) and an admiration for God’s wisdom (Who else could set such a
grand clockwork in motion?). It also subtly encourages the pursuit of
knowledge: since the sun and moon follow calculation, we are meant to calculate
and learn – which Muslims did, excelling in astronomy and calendrical science
in part due to verses like these. In daily life, the separation of sun and moon
roles also has a moral metaphor: just as the sun shouldn’t encroach on the
moon’s domain, everything in creation has its proper place and duty – so we
should observe the boundaries and duties God has set for us (human ethics,
times of prayer, etc.) to maintain harmony.
Scientific Insight: These verses are remarkably rich in astronomical content:
The sun’s “resting place” (Arabic: mustaqarr) has been interpreted variously. Some classical scholars thought it refers to the time of sunset (the sun “rests” at night beneath the horizon), others to a physical endpoint (perhaps alluding to an ultimate end of the sun’s course). From a modern view, one could link it to the fact that the sun orbits the center of the galaxy and also will one day exhaust its fuel – thus it has an appointed destination in time and space. Another possibility: the sun’s “resting place” could be figurative for the limit of its apparent journey (the far west each evening, as observed). Either way, the emphasis is that the sun’s motion is governed and finite, not random or endless.
The moon’s phases are a staple of observational astronomy. The Qur’an’s description “until it returns like an old dry palm branch” precisely captures the last waning crescent before it disappears into new moon. This shows attention to the entire cycle, not just the waxing side. The month in Islamic (lunar) calendar begins when that thin crescent is sighted after new moon, so this verse also underpins Islamic time-reckoning. Scientifically, the moon’s phases result from its orbit around Earth, presenting different portions of its sunlit half to us. The fact that this is regular (29.53 days per synodic month) is the “determination” mentioned. Astronomers can calculate the moon’s phase for any date past or future easily because it’s such a stable cycle. The imagery used indicates the waning crescent’s slenderness; we now know that at that phase the moon is almost between Earth and sun, so we see only a sliver of the side illuminated by the sun. The Quran’s language might even hint at the moon’s orbit being somewhat curved (like the shape of that frond). Notably, it doesn’t say the moon itself shrinks, just that its appearance does – which aligns with reality.
“Not for the sun to overtake the moon” – In literal terms, this ensures the sun and moon never appear in the sky as if chasing each other such that the sun catches up to the moon’s position. Indeed, in nature, the sun and moon occasionally align (during a new moon, causing a solar eclipse if precisely aligned), but the sun never moves into the moon’s orbit or path in a way that cancels the moon’s motion. They operate on different schedules: the sun “moves” through the sky once a day due to Earth’s rotation, and the moon takes about 24.8 hours to return to the same position (hence, moonrise is ~50 minutes later each day). The phrase can also be understood as “the sun never catches up to the moon [in its course]” meaning their cycles (year vs month) are independent.
Modern science quantifies this: the moon orbits Earth roughly 12 times in one year, but there is no resonance where, say, the sun and moon meet at some point periodically except in eclipses, which are brief and actually a testament to their precise orbits. Another way: the sun will never lap the moon in the sense of moving out of its fixed annual path to collide or overtake – they have separate orbital planes (the moon’s orbit is inclined about 5° to the ecliptic). There’s a stability in that separation, preventing, for instance, continuous eclipses. The second half, “nor does the night outstrip the day”, reinforces that there’s a proper sequence. Earth’s rotation direction is constant (west-to-east), ensuring day and night follow in order without irregular jumps. It implies a fixed rotational direction and speed, which is exactly what Earth has. The sun won’t suddenly rise in the west (until possibly the end times in Islamic eschatology, but naturally speaking it hasn’t in all of human history because Earth’s rotation hasn’t reversed).
“Each floats in an orbit” – At the surface level for a 7th-century listener, this could mean each of these celestial bodies moves in its own path across the sky. But scientifically, it’s spot on: the sun orbits the center of our Milky Way, the moon orbits Earth, and Earth (causing day-night) orbits the sun. Nothing in space is static; everything is in motion relative to something. The word “float” (yasbaḥūn) conveys motion through a fluid or space effortlessly. Indeed, in the vacuum of space, planets and stars move along orbital trajectories as if gliding, held by gravity but encountering no resistance. We have stunning visualizations from simulations showing stars orbiting the galactic center in elegant ellipses, and planets around the sun likewise. The phrase also demarcates plurality: each, meaning not only the sun and moon, but implicitly every celestial body has an orbit or path. This was not obvious to ancient people; many believed in a solid sky with fixed stars, etc. But the Qur’an uses dynamic imagery (everything is swimming!). Modern astrophysics sees even galaxies moving in clusters, clusters in superclusters – essentially, everything is indeed in motion. So this statement has grown more profound with time.
SurahYassin Verse:5, saying -“the sun and moon [move] by precise calculation (bi ḥusbān)” underscores the mathematical regularity of their motions. We now know their movements are so regular that they can be described with equations and predicted. For example, we can predict solar and lunar eclipses to the minute, even centuries ahead, because of this precision. The term ḥusbān implies calculation or reckoning; the same root gives ḥisāb (arithmetic). Medieval Islamic astronomers took this to heart and developed sophisticated mathematics (like spherical trigonometry) to calculate prayer times, moon sightings, and eclipses. They saw in this verse an encouragement to do astronomy. It is striking that the Qur’an does not say the sun and moon move chaotically or by the whim of the gods, but by calculation, inviting a scientific mindset.
Today, we use Newton’s laws and Kepler’s laws to calculate orbital mechanics. The fact that these laws work – that nature follows mathematical relationships – is a deep fact about the universe. Eugene Wigner famously wrote about the “unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics” in describing nature. A believer might respond that it’s not unreasonable at all if the Creator set the sun and moon in measured courses. For instance, the length of the year (time for Earth to orbit once) is about 365.2422 days, and the length of the month (lunar orbit) is about 29.5306 days. These are constants in our solar system that can be measured to great precision – indeed, precise calculation.
To put it simply, the Qur’an
observes that astronomy is a science of precision, and modern science
has shown just how precise: millisecond pulsars, atomic clocks synced to solar
time, etc., all reveal an elegant cosmic timekeeping. When verse 36:39
highlights lunar phases and 36:40/55:5 the stable orbits, it implies the idea
of a cosmic clock. The moon is the calendar hand, the sun the daily hand,
and they never conflict – thereby keeping time accurately. Humans have used
this cosmic clock for millennia (a month approximates a lunar cycle, a year a
solar cycle). It’s only in the last few centuries that we’ve moved to mechanical and
then atomic clocks, but even those have to be occasionally synced with leap
seconds due to Earth’s minuscule rotation changes. We still ultimately rely on
the cosmos to define time (e.g., the second is defined by atomic vibrations,
but our calendar is still tied to Earth’s orbit around the sun and rotation).
In conclusion, these verses
highlight cosmic precision and order. The spiritual takeaway is that such
orderliness comes from a Wise Planner – it’s not random. The scientific
perspective not only affirms the order but provides the details of how
(gravity, inertia, conservation laws) and even the why in a
physical sense (angular momentum from the solar system’s formation, etc.). But
the deeper “why” – why should the universe follow laws at all,
and why those laws – remains a philosophical question. Many scientists of faith
answer that by pointing to the Creator. Qur’an 55:5 essentially told us 1400
years ago: look, the cosmos is law-governed (calculated), that’s a
sign. And indeed, the drive to find those laws has been a major
triumph of human intellect, yielding the understanding we have today. It’s a
beautiful example of how a spiritual principle (cosmic order) propelled
scientific discovery (astronomy and physics), and how scientific discovery in
turn enhances our appreciation of that spiritual principle. The more precisely
we can calculate an eclipse or the motion of a planet, the more we might stand
in awe of the One who ordained such fine-tuned harmony, saying as the
Qur’an begins Surah Yā-Sīn, “Yā-Sīn… By the Wise Qur’an…Certainly, We
have put everything in precise measure (قدر)”.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
