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Topic: Ibn Taymiyyah on the Shape of the Heaven and Earth and the Concept of Time and Related Issues
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 abu.iyaad
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Member
Posts: 182
Joined: Sep 2002
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| The Heaven and the Earth are Spherical |
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Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about two men who disputed about the nature of the heaven and the earth, are they spherical bodies? So one of them said that they are spherical and the other one rejected this statement and said that it has no basis, so what is correct?
He replied: The heavens (as-samaawaat) are circular (i.e round) in the view of the Scholars of the Muslims, and the consensus of the Muslims regarding that has been narrated by more than one from the Scholars, the Imaams of the Muslims, such as Abul-Husayn Ahmad bin Ja`far bin al-Munaadee, one of the senior individuals from the second rank (tabaqah) of the companions of al-Imaam Ahmad, and he has around 400 authored works. And the consensus regarding that has also been quoted by al-Imaam Abu Muhammad bin Hazm and Abul-Faraj bin al-Jawzee, and the Scholars have reported that with chains of narration well known from the Companions and the Successors (after them), and they mentioned that from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and they spoke about it in great and sufficient detail using textual evidences, even if this had already been established also, by way of mathematical evidences...
[Then the Shaykh addresses briefly the claim of those who were affected by the Astronomers, and who said that it may be possible that the heavenly bodies may be square or hexagonal (but without negating that they maybe spherical]
Then he continues:
And amongst the evidences for that is His, the Most High's saying, "And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating" (Al-Anbiya 21:33) , and the Most High said, "It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit". (Ya-Sin 36:40).
Ibn Abbaas and others from the Salaf said, "In a (circular) orbit similar to the orbit of the spinning wheel". And this (statement) is explicit in indicating istidaarah (circularity) and dawraan (spinning, orbiting), and the basis of this is that "al-falak" in the language is something spherical, circular (al-mustadeer), it is said, "the girls breast tafallaka", when it became round, and the orbit of the round spindle (spinning wheel) is called "falkah", due to its circularity...
Majmoo` al-Fataawaa 6/586-587
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.-=abu.iyaad=-.
-=amjad bin muhammad rafiq=-
--as.salafi--
This message was edited by abu.iyaad on 6-1-03 @ 12:46 PM
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| abu.iyaad
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Member
Posts: 182
Joined: Sep 2002
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| The Specialists of Tafseer and Language Are Agreed That Orbits are Circular, That the Notion of Time is Based Upon Movement of Heavenly Bodies and That Absence of Rifts and Flaws in the Heavens Is Due to The Spherical Nature of the Heavenly Bodies |
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Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah continues:
And the specialists of tafseer and language are agreed that "al-falak" is what is round, circular, and the knowledge of the meanings of the Book of Allaah are taken from these two paths, from the specialists of tafseer, those who are trusted in from amongst the Salaf (in this regard), and also from the language, the one with which the Qur'aan was revealed, and it is the language of the Arabs.
And Allaah the Most High said, "He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night" (Az-Zumar 39:5), they (the people of language) said, "at-Takweer" (to roll, to wind around) is "at-Tadweer"(making something circular, round). When you wrap the imaamah around (the head in a circular fashion) it is said, "kawwartu al-imaamah wa kawwartuhaa" (I wrapped the imaamah around), and also it is said concerning that which is round, "kaarah", and its origin is (the word) "koorah", however, the waw has been changed and what is before it (the letter kaaf) has had a fatha placed on it, thus, the waw becomes an alif. And it is also said, "kurah", and its origin is "koorah", but the same letter has been omitted (the waw), just as has been said concerning (the words) "thubah" and "qulah".
And the night and day, and all of the states of time follow on from movement (al-harakah), for (the notion) of time is based upon the scope (extent, degree) of movement, and movement is established with the moving body. And when time follows on from such movement, (and this movement) which itself follows on from a body that is described with circularity (in its motion), then the body itself is more befittingly described with circularity (in form, shape).
And the Most High said, "You can see no fault in the creations of the Most Beneficent" (Al-Mulk 67:3), and there is nothing in the heaven except the bodies of those (things) that resemble each other, there is no variation or difference to be found in that, since the roundness comprises all of its sides - but as for things that are triangular, or square, or pentagonal or hexagonal, then there is variation and difference by way of the corners and edges (that comprise these shapes).
Majmoo` al-Fataawaa 6/587-588
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.-=abu.iyaad=-.
-=amjad bin muhammad rafiq=-
--as.salafi--
This message was edited by abu.iyaad on 6-1-03 @ 12:58 PM
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01-06-2003 @ 12:08 AM
