In Islamic thought, celestial signs in the Qur'an are evaluated through a multi-layered approach that harmonizes spiritual meaning, physical utility, and rational observation. The Qur'an refers to these celestial bodies as āyāt (signs), which serve as a bridge between the seen world and the unseen Creator.
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1. Theological and Philosophical Layer
The primary purpose of celestial signs is to demonstrate the power, wisdom, and unity of God.
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Argument from Contingency: Scholars like Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī argue that the precise measurements and "contingent" nature of the heavens—which could have been otherwise—require a Sovereign Creator.
Order and Stability: The "raising of the heavens without visible pillars" (Qur'an 13:2) is seen as a sign of divine governance, with modern interpretations often linking these "invisible pillars" to the force of gravity.
Purposive Design: The cosmos is viewed as "not created in vain" (Qur'an 3:191). The regularity of orbits (sun, moon, stars) reflects a purposeful design intended to sustain life and foster human reasoning.
2. Scientific and Empirical Layer
Islam encourages the study of celestial bodies as a form of worship and intellectual duty.
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Astronomy as Halal: While astrology (predicting the future) is forbidden (haram), astronomy is considered a legitimate and encouraged science (halal) for understanding the universe.
Multiple Heavens: References to "seven heavens" (Qur'an 65:12) are interpreted variously as atmospheric layers, planetary systems, or vast dimensions of the universe, aligning with modern cosmological concepts of a multi-layered reality.
Physical Phenomena: The Qur'an describes the sun as a "lamp" (siraj) and the moon as a "reflected light" (nur), correctly identifying the sun as an active energy source and the moon as a passive reflector.
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3. Practical and Functional Layer
Celestial signs are evaluated for their direct benefit to human civilization.
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Navigation: Stars are specifically mentioned as "guides" for travelers on land and sea (Qur'an 6:97).
Timekeeping: The phases of the moon and the movements of the sun are given to help humanity calculate years, months, and daily timings (Qur'an 10:5), directly inspiring the development of the Islamic lunar calendar.
4. Symbolic and Aesthetic Layer
The universe is also a source of beauty intended for human contemplation.
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Beautification: The placement of constellations (burūj) is described as an "adornment" for observers (Qur'an 15:16), inviting a sense of awe and appreciation for the Creator's artistry.
Zodiac Signs: While Islamic scholars accept zodiac signs as astronomical positions for the sun and moon, they reject the symbolic power of these signs to influence human fate, which is considered a violation of monotheism (shirk)
While the verses of the Quran on natural phenomena made sense to the immediate audience of the 7th century Arabia, to our observation they remain coherent to us even when we read them through the eyes of the 21st century readers.
It appears that viewing these verses from
multiple perspectives, instead of a single perspective, should help us for a
better understanding and a more complete reading. No doubt, our evolving
scientific knowledge can easily qualify for at least one of these many
viewpoints wherefrom we may try to look into them.
Now, if the same verses make sense to
different generations of different times, and in different ways, then one may
ask: Should we necessarily perceive them through the perception of the
ancients? Or, we should understand them from the perspective of our own
worldview? Also, who is here to decide what the ultimate, intended meaning of a
verse is? And, why should we not be entitled to get a new meaning that was
never grasped by the readers in the past?
A possible rational approach in this
regard is what Nidhal Guessoum, an astrophysicist, calls a “multiple, multi-level approach”.
Mustansir Mir, Professor of Islamic
Studies at Youngstown State University, argues for a similar approach:
“From a linguistic standpoint, it is
quite possible for a word, phrase or statement to have more than one layer of
meaning, such that one layer would make sense to one audience in one age and
another layer of meaning would, without negating the first, be meaningful to
another audience in a subsequent age.”
“The word yasbahun (swim or float) in the
verse ‘And He is the One Who created the night and day, and the Sun and Moon –
each swimming in an orbit’ (Q 21:33) made good sense to 7th century Arabs
observing natural phenomena with the naked eye; it is equally meaningful to us
in light of today’s scientific findings (i.e. celestial mechanics).”
Here we will cite two more examples that
allow analysis with similar multiple, multi-layered
approach:
The Quranic description of the sky/heaven
as ‘a well-guarded roof’ over us (21:32; cf. 52:5) appeared literally true to
the classical commentators who imagined sky as a dome or solid ceiling over the
Earth. Now it makes sense in a very different way to a modern reader: Not only
the Earth’s atmosphere itself with its multiple layers protects the terrestrial
life from extinction by functioning as a strong steel shield against the
meteorite bombardment and other dangers, our solar system (‘the lowest Heaven’)
acts like a guard in protecting the Earth as it prevents the potentially
harmful intruders from the outer, extra-solar cosmos, like meteors, cosmic rays
etc (15:17, 37:7, 67:5; cf. 2:22).
Then, the word ‘alaq’ in 23:14, which
describes an initial stage of the development of the human embryo, originally
means ‘something that clings or remains attached to something’. The word has
been traditionally used to mean a clinger, leech, blood-sucker, worm, clot,
hanging embryo, affection etc. While some of these meanings appeared convincing
to a desert Arab, others make more sense to a modern reader.
Summary
A multiple,
multi-layered approach can be useful during our reading of the
verses on natural phenomena. This is because a word or a text in the Quran may
have more than one layer of meaning, such that the same verses may make sense
to different generations of different times, in different ways.
