between numeric and universal phenomena in the qur'an

8/9/2019 Between Numeric and Universal Phenomena in the Qur'an

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Between Numeric and Universal Phenomena in the Holy

Quran

Allah the Almighty has repeatedly cited the day and night, and the sun

and moon in the Holy Quran, in a manner that perfectly complies with therespective astronomical cycle of each; an indication of a sublime

coherence between the universe and the Quran.

God Almighty is the One and Only Creator of the universe, and also the

One who sent down the Holy Quran. Both are profound creations; we

therefore believe that a certain pattern of consistency must exist between

the universe and the Holy Quran.

The Moons Cycle

If we happen to go out on a moonlit night, take a picture of the full moon,

then come back and take a picture the next night, there will be a

difference, regardless of whether we notice it. This difference will be in

terms of both its position in the sky andthe amount of light that it

reflects. The night after, it will again be slightly more different: its

position will have somewhat changed, and it will no longer be the full

moon it was two nights ago.

Performing the same experiment a month later will also give us different

results, and none of the pictures we take will perfectly match. Here, we

remember God Almightys words: {It is He Who made the sun to be a

shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out

stages for her; that ye might know the number of years and the count

(of time). Nowise did God create this but in truth and righteousness.

(Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand.}

[Yunus, 10:5].


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And now we ask: when does the first picture we took repeat itself? In

other words, when does the moon appear again both as a full moon and in

the exactsame position in the sky?

This question has been studied for thousands of years, and scientists have

discovered that what is known as the Moons Metonic Cycle (named after

the Greek astronomer Meton of Athens) occurs every 19 years. That first

image we took of the moon will reassumepreciselythe same position as a

full moon approximately 19 years later.

The Sidereal Period

There are many different types of orbital periods. The sidereal period is

considered an objects true orbital period, because it represents the time

it takes a celestial object to make one full orbit around the sun, relative to

the fixed stars. In astronomy, when an objects orbital period is

mentioned without further explanation, it is naturally assumed that the

sidereal period is being referred to.

That being said, the sidereal (or orbital) period of the moon is 27.3 days,

which means that, approximately, the moon makes a complete orbit

around the Earth every 27 days. Similarly, the word moon is mentioned

precisely 27 times in the Quran!

Please note that this differs from the moons synodic periodof about

29.5 days, which is the time it takes the moon to return to approximately

the same position as seen by an observer on Earth. This figure is not the

moons actual orbital period, because it is affected by both the rotation of

the Earth and the Earths revolution around the sun.

The Earth takes about 365 days to complete one full revolution around

the sun. Furthermore, the sun orbits the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy,

and completes one full revolution in approximately 250 million years.

Here, we are reminded of God Almighty wisdom when He states: {It is not

permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip theDay: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).}

[Yaasin, 36:40].

When observing the rotation of electrons at atomic level, we find that they

rotate from left to right, or counter-clockwise; the same direction as the

various rotations and revolutions of the sun, moon and Earth. To be more

specific, the moon rotates counter-clockwise around its orbit. Similarly,

the moon performs counter-clockwise revolutions around the Earth. The

same is true with regards to the Earths rotations around its own orbit and

its revolutions around the sun. In short, all these celestial movements


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take place in one and the same direction; counter-clockwise, from left to

right.

Putting this into perspective for Muslims in particular, during the Hajj

season, Muslims complete seven laps around the Kaaba in Mecca. The

direction of movement of these worshippers is always from left to right, in

perfect congruence with the rest of the universe.

God Almighty says:

{The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His

glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye

understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most

Forgiving!}

[Al-Isra, 17:44]

The Suns Cycle

The suns solar cycle is witnessed by counting the placement and

frequency of visible sunspots on the sun, which appear as a result of

intense magnetic activity. These sunspots face significant variations,

rising and falling in an irregular cycle that takes place about every 11

years.

The Sun and Moon in the Quran

If we take a closer look at the verses of the Holy Quran, we notice that

the word sun always comes before the word moon. For instance, God

Almighty says: {God is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that

ye can see; is firmly established on the throne (of authority); He has

subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law)! Each one runs (its course)

for a term appointed. He doth regulate all affairs, explaining the signs in

detail, that ye may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.}

[Al-Rad, 13:2].

And from this, we can conclude from this that God indeed preceded the

suns mention over the moons because the sun is the ultimate source of

light. In other words, referring to the sun before the moon is but a sweet

indication of the origin of the moons light, which is the sun, because the

moon merely reflects the suns light and emanates no light in and of itself.

Another lovely fact that caught my attention was that sun is mentioned

in the entire Quran more times than moon. That is, the word sun is

mentioned precisely 33 times in the Quran, and the word moon is cited

27 times.


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A Beautiful Meeting of Moon and Sun!

Astronomers have established that a natural 19-year cycle exists between

the moon and the sun. That is, they interact together in a cycle which

takes about 19 years to complete. Very interestingly, we find that the

words sun and moon have been mentioned togetherexactly 19 times

in the Holy Quran. In other words, there are precisely 19 Quranic verses

which contain the combined phrase the sun and the moon.

Night and Day in the Quran

One of the important facts of our universe is that night originally prevailed

before day or light ever appeared. That is, our universe, in the beginning

of its existence, encountered a lengthy period of darkness, and

afterwards, light and day emerged. In the same way that night appeared

before day, we find that in the Quran, in all the verses which mention

night and day, the word night always comes before day! For instance,

God Almighty says: {He has made subject to you the Night and the Day;

the sun and the moon; and the stars are in subjection by His Command:

verily in this are Signs for men who are wise.} [Al-Nahl, 16:12].

Moreover, the word night is mentioned more times than the word day!

That is, night is mentioned 92 times and day 57 times, making the

very order of night and day in our universe consistent with the repetition

of each phenomenon in the Quran.

The Night, the Day, the Sun and the Moon

The words night, day, sun and moon are all found in the Quran.

However, they have been mentioned together in the same verse on two

occasions, and interestingly, the order is the same on both occasions:

night is mentioned first, followed by day, sun, and moon. For

example, God says: {It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the

sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its

rounded course.} [Al-Anbiya, 21:33]

But more amazingly, the number repetitions of each of these words in the

Holy Quran is in that very same order: Night has been repeated the

most, followed by day, then sun, and finally moon!

The word night is repeated 92 times.

The word day is repeated 57 times.

The word sun is repeated 33 times.

The word moon is repeated 27 times.


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Quranic and Universal Compatibility!

God Almighty is the Creator of this universe and the One who revealed the

Holy Quran to mankind. Therefore, it is necessary for consistency to be

found between the Quran and the universe, and this was something that

truly caught me by surprise when I came across the following profound

numeric miracle.

We have already established that the moon reassumes the same form in

exactly the same position every 19 years. The suns cycle, on the other

hand, repeats itself every 11 years. In other words, we can say that the

universal cycles of the sun and moon repeat themselves every (19 x 11)

years, or every 209 years.

Since the degrees of dark and light (or night and day) are determined by

the suns solar cycle and the moons metonic cycle, which are represented

by the numbers 11 and 19 respectively, we can also say that the cycles of

night, day, the sun and the moon repeat themselves every (19 x 11)

years, or every 209 years.

That being said, when we count the repetitions of the words night,

day, sun and moon across the entire Quran, we find that they are

repeated:

92 + 57 + 33 + 27 = 209 times!

And the number 209 is equal to 19 x 11. In other words, the cycles of the

night, the day, the sun and the moon take place every 209 years, and the

repetition of those very four words in the Quran is also 209, resembling

the exact number of those years!

The Miracles in Brief

1- The word night in the Quran always comes before the word day,

and in this fact lies two observations, a universal and numeric

observation. Universally, night, or darkness, originated first, and isaccordingly mentioned first. Numerically, night is mentioned more

times than day, and for that reason too, is accordingly mentioned

first.

2- The word sun in the Quran always comes before the word moon,

and again, our observations are the same. In our universe, the sun is

the source of light, and the moon merely reflects this light, therefore, it

is only fitting for it to be mentioned first. And in terms of numbers,

sun is mentioned more times than moon, and it thus makes sense

that it is mentioned first for that reason as well.


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3- The words (The night and the day, and the sun and the moon) appear

in that order wherever they are mentioned in the Quran (two

instances), and there is also both a universal and numerical

significance here. First, universally, night (or darkness) prevails over

almost the entire universe. That is, it covers more than 99% of it. Day(or light) has its presence in less than 1% of the universe. Next comes

the sun, which is larger than the moon, and so we notice a descending

order in terms of size. Numerically, of course, as we stated before, the

repetition of these words is also in the same descending order.

4- The suns solar cycle, which is a sign of day, is repeated every 11

years, and the moons Metonic cycle, which is a sign of night, is

repeated ever 19 years. And the words night, day, sun and

moon are repeated a total of 11 x 19 times in the Quran, in a

manner that matches their respective cycles.

Finally, we can only ask: Could this beautiful coming together of universal

and Quranic marvels have occurred by chance? Can coincidence be used

to explain this immaculate compatibility, or is the Creator of this universe

Himself the One who sent down this Holy Scripture? He explains in the

Quran: {God is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and

Disposer of all affairs.} [Al-Zumar, 39:62].

between numeric and universal phenomena in the qur'an

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