Question Summary:
Questions about the sun in Islam

Question Detail:

Is there anything mentioned in the Quran and Ahadith that day and night differ in different locations around the world and that the earth is round in shape? Also, I read one dua “Asbahna wa asbahal mulku lillahi rabbil ālamīn” – morning arised and also Allah’s entire world did. How can this be correct if the times of sunset and sunrise are different throughout the world?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
 
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
 
Amidst the clamour, the commotion and the pandemonium in the world surrounding the concepts of religion, monotheism, polytheism, atheism, dogmatism and sectarianism that is rife and rampant without exception throughout the world; the Muslim’s are gradually but tragically misunderstanding the reason that the Quran was revealed. Amongst the Richard Dawkins, the Albert Einsteins’, the Sigmund Freuds’, the Stephen Hawkings’ of society; Muslims have started thinking and believing that they need to justify their beliefs. They are starting to forget that we need no justification to believe in Allah, his messengers and the Holy Quran.
Unfortunately, some Muslims have started to claim that the Quran is a book of science; a textbook. The absurdity and incongruity of this assumption is next to none. We do not denounce the fact that the Quran DOES contain scientific facts and that it does not contradict science; (except two unproven concepts of science; namely: human evolution and the origins of the universe) we are merely pointing out that the Quran was not revealed to clarify, substantiate or profess scientific facts

The signs of Moosa alaihis salaam – his stick and his hand – were of the kind that was prevalent during his time, which was magic (sihr). The signs of Isa alaihis salaam – raising the dead and healing the blind and lepers – were of the kind that his people were skilled in and that was widespread among them, which was medicine. 

Hence we say that one of the greatest features of the Quran is its eloquence. Scholars nowadays are still discovering new aspects of its eloquence through their study of its verses. This does not mean that there are no other miraculous aspects to the Quran. Rather in some verses Allah mentions things about the design of the human body, the stages of its creation and development, some natural phenomena, etc.
 
To conclude, the Quran wasn’t revealed for the purpose of informing us and teaching us scientific facts; rather it was revealed to teach us how to live our lives correctly. To claim that the Quran is a textbook of science is to blemish and stain the immaculateness and the purity of the Holy Quran.
Now that we have got this out of the way, let us focus on your questions.
The difference of night and day in different locations around the world
 
Allah Ta῾ālā states in the Holy Quran:
 
رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ
(55:17)
 
“The Lord of the two Easts and the two Wests”
 
“Mashariq” and “magharib” also mean the place where the sun rises and sets. In this context, the above verses are referring to different sites of the dawning and closing of the day. We understand from this that day and night differs in different locations.
 
The shape of the earth according to the Holy Quran
 
The Quran contains no explicit mention of the shape of the earth. Some people claim that the the earth is flat according to the Quran based on the following verse.:
 
حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ
(18:86)
 
“Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud”
 
Such a conclusion is incorrect. The verse “Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud” is a figure of speech. When one makes statements such as “I saw the sun setting behind that building” it is not meant to be taken literally. In the same way, Allah Ta῾ālā described the scene by describing the sun as setting in a muddy spring.
 
The meaning of ‘Asbahna wa asbahal mulku…’
This dua is found in numerous Hadith books. The following version is found in Abū Dāwūd:
قال رسول الله صل الله عليه و سلم: إِذَا أَصْبَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلْ: أَصْبَحْنَا وَأَصْبَحَ الْمُلْكُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ[1]
 
Translation: Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: “When you wake up in the morning, you should say: We have awoken just as the Kingdom of Allah Ta῾ālā has awoken for Allah the Lord of all the worlds.”
 
People throughout the world celebrate occasions such as New Years Eve and Christmas Eve and make statements such as “The whole world will be illuminated with fireworks tonight.” Everybody understands that this statement doesn’t literally mean that the fireworks will take place at the same time and that the time of night is the same throughout the world. It is another way of saying that New Years will be celebrated throughout the world.
 
The same applies to the abovementioned Hadith. It doesn’t mean that the time of Dawn is the same throughout the world; it is just a turn of phrase which means that everything in the Kingdom of Allah Ta῾ālā arises at its specific time.
[This analysis on New Year’s Eve and Christmas is by no way permitting the celebration of these occasions. These occasions are merely being used as an example.]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
 
Mawlana Saanwal ibn Muhammad,
UK
Student Darul Iftaa
 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net