43. KYA ZAMEEN CHAPTI AUR HAMWAAR HAI? [Consensus that the Earth is round]
KYA ZAMEEN CHAPTI AUR HAMWAAR HAI?
” Quran yeh kahta hai keh zameen ko tumhare liye bichhona bana diya gaya hai. Is se yeh isharah milta hai keh zameen chspti aur humwaar hai. Kya yeh baat muslimah jadeed sciency haqaiq ke manaafi nahi ?
” Is sawal mein Qur’an e kareem ki surah e Nuh ki ek aayat ka hawala diya gaya hai jis mein farmaya gaya hai :
“ وَاللّٰهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا “
” Aur Allah ne tumhare liye zameen ko bichhona banaya hai. “
[ Surah : Nuh 19 , 71]
Lekin mandarja bala aayat ka jumla mukammal nahi, jumla is se agli aayat mein jaari hai jo pichli aayat ki wazahat karta hai.
Is mein irshaad hai :
” لِّتَسْلُكُوا مِنْهَا سُبُلًا فِجَاجًا “
” Takey tum us ke kushaada raaston par chal sako. “
[ Surah : 20 , 71 ]
Isi tarah ka ek paigham surah e Taaha mein dohraya gaya hai :
” الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا “
” wo zaat jis ne tumhare liye zameen ko bichhona banaya aur tumhare chalne ke liye us mein raaste banaye”
[Surah Taa haa : 53/ 20]
zameen ki balaai teh ya qishra-e-arz ki motai 30 meel se bhi kum hai aur agar is ka muwazna zameen ke nisf qutr se kiya jaye jis ki lambai taqriban 3750 meel hai to qishra-e-arz bahot hi bareek maloom hota hai, ziyada gahrai mein waqey zameen ki tahen bahot garam, sayyaal aur har qism ki zindagi ke liye nasazgaar hain. Kishra-e-arz zameen ka thos surat ikhtiyar kar lene wala woh khol hai jis par hum reh sakte hain, lehaza Qur’an majeed baja tor par usko ek bichhone ya qaleen se mushabha qaraar deta hai taake hum us ki shahrahon aur raston par safar kar sakain.
QURAN KEY MUTABIQ ZAMEEN CHAPTI NAHI
Qur’an e kareem mein koi aisi aayat maujood nahi jis mein yeh kaha gaya ho keh zameen mustawi ya chapti hai. Qur’an sirf qishr-e-zameen ko qaaleen se tashbeeh deta hai. Maloom hota hai keh ba’az logon ke nazdeek qaleen sirf qatài hamwaar zameen hi par bichhaya ja sakta hai, halan keh kurra e arz jaise bare kurra par bhi qaleen bichhana mumkin hai aur us ka mozahirah zameen ke globe ka ek namuna le kar aur us par qaleen bichha kar ba asaani kiya ja sakta hai. Qaleen bil’umoom ek aisi satah par bichhaya jata hai jis par basurat e deegar sahulat se na chala ja sakta ho. Qur’an e majeed qishr-e zameen ka zikr bator e qaleen karta hai jis ke niche garam, sayyaal aur maanè-e- hayaat maahol paya jata hai. Qishr-e zameen ki surat mein bichhaye gaye qaleen ke baghair bani nau insaan ka zinda rehna mumkin na hota, lehaza Qur’an e kareem ka bayaan na sirf ain mantaq ke motabiq hai balkey is mein ek aisi haqiqat bhi bayaan kar di gayi hai jisey sadiyon baad mahireen e arziyyaat ne daryaaft kiya.
Kushada farsh e arzi – Qur’an kareem ki mota’ddid ayaat mein yeh farmaya gaya hai keh zameen bichha di gai hai, hukum e rabaani hai :
وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ
” hum ne zameen ko ( qaleen ki tarah ) bichha diya hai, so hum kaise achhe bichhane wale hain -”
[ Surah Al zariyaat : 48/ 51]
Isi tarah Qur’an e kareem ki mota’addid dusri ayaat mein zameen ko kushada bichona ya farsh kaha gaya hai, irshaad e Baari ta’ala hai
:
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا- وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا
” Kya hum ne zameen ko aek farsh nahi banaya ? aur paharon ko ( us mein ) meekhen ( nahi banaya ?) “
[ Surah Al Naba : 6,7/ 78 ]
Qur’an e kareem ki kisi aayat mein mamuli sa ishara bhi nahi kiya gaya keh zameen chapti aur hamwaar hai. aayat se sirf yeh zaahir hota hai keh zameen waseè aur kushada hai aur is wusat o kushadgi ki wajah bayan kar di gayi hai. Qur’an azeem mein irshaad hai :
《يعِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ》
” Aye mere bandon jo iman laye ho ! beshak meri zameen bari waseè hai, pas meri hi ibadat karo. “
[ Surah Al ankaboot : 56/ 29 ]
Consensus that the Earth is round
Is there consensus that the Earth is round? If there is, then what is the evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah that the Earth is round or egg shaped?
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
More than one of the scholars have narrated that there is consensus that the Earth is round. For example:
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that from Abu’l-Husayn ibn al-Munaadi (may Allah have mercy on him), when he said:
Imam Abu’l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn al-Munaadi narrated from the prominent scholars who are well known for knowledge of reports and major works in religious sciences, from the second level of Ahmad’s companions, that there was no difference of opinion among the scholars that the sky is like a ball.
He said: Similarly they were unanimously agreed that the Earth, with all that is contains of land and sea is like a ball. He said: That is indicated by the fact that the sun, moon and stars do not rise and set over those who are in different parts of the earth at the same time; rather that occurs in the east before it occurs in the west.
End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (25/195)
He (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about two men who disputed about the nature of heaven and earth: were they both round bodies? One of them said that they were, but the other denied that and said there is no basis for that. What is the correct view?
He replied:
The heavens are round, according to the Muslim scholars. More than one of the scholars and Muslim leaders narrated that the Muslims are unanimously agreed on that, such as Abu’l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn al-Munaadi, one of the leading figures among the second level of the companions of Imam Ahmad, who wrote approximately four hundred books. Consensus on this point was also narrated by Imam Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm and Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi. The scholars narrated that with well-known chains of narration (isnaads) from the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, and they quoted that from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. They discussed that in detail with orally-transmitted evidence. There is also mathematical evidence to that effect, and I do not know of anyone among the well-known Muslim scholars who denied that, apart from a few of those who engaged in arguments who, when they debated with the astrologers denied it for the sake of argument and said: It may be square or hexagonal and so on. They did not deny that it could be round, but they said that the opposite of that was possible. I do not know of anyone who said that it is not round – with any certainty – apart from some ignorant people to whom no one pays any attention.
End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (6/586)
Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Evidence for the earth being round:
Abu Muhammad said: We are going to discuss some of the arguments against the idea that the earth is round. They said: There is sound evidence that the earth is round, but the common folk say otherwise. Our response – and Allah is the source of strength – is that none of the leading Muslim scholars who deserve to be called imams or leaders in knowledge (may Allah be pleased with them) denied that the earth is round, and there is no narration from them to deny that. Rather the evidence in the Qur’an and Sunnah stated that it is round. … and he quoted evidence to that effect.
End quote from al-Fasl fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’ wa’l-Nihal (2/78)
The evidence that the earth is round includes the following:
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He created the heavens and earth for a true purpose; He wraps the night around the day and the day around the night”
[az-Zumar 39:5].
Ibn Hazm and others quoted this verse as evidence.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The earth is round, based on the evidence of the Qur’an, reality, and scientific views.
The evidence of the Qur’an is the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He created the heavens and earth for a true purpose; He wraps the night around [yukawwir] the day and the day around the night”
[az-Zumar 39:5].
The word yukawwir (translated here as “wraps around” means to make something round, like a turban. It is well-known that night and day follow one another on earth, which implies that the Earth is round, because if you wrap one thing around another thing, and the thing that it is wrapped around is the Earth, then Earth must be round.
With regard to real-life evidence, this has been proven. If a man were to fly from Jeddah, for example, heading west, he would come back to Jeddah from the east, if he flew in a straight line. This is something concerning which no one differs.
With regard to the words of the scholars, they stated that if a man died in the west at sunset, and another died in the west at sunset, and there was some distance between them, the one who died in the west at sunset would inherit from the one who died in the east at sunset, if he was one of his heirs. This indicates that the earth is round, because if the earth were flat, sunset in all regions would occur at the same time. Once this is established, no one can deny it. This is not contradicted by the verses in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Do they not look at the camels, how they are created?
And at the heaven, how it is raised?
And at the mountains, how they are rooted and fixed firm?
And at the earth, how it is spread out?”
[al-Ghaashiyah 88:17-20]
Because the Earth is huge and its curvature cannot be seen from a short distance, it appears to be spread out and one cannot see anything that would make one fear living on it, but this does not contradict the fact that it is round, because it is very big. However they say that it is not evenly round; rather it is indented or pushed in at the north and south poles. Hence they say that it is egg-shaped.
End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb
Thus it is known that the Earth is round, and that is not contradicted by the fact that it is like an egg. Rather the false view is that which claims that it is flat, as the Church used to believe and for that reason used to curse and burn those scientists who said that it was round.
See: al-‘Almaaniyyah: Nash’atuha wa Tatawwuruha (1/130)
And Allah knows best.
REFERENCE:
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/118698/consensus-that-the-earth-is-round
کیا زمین چپٹی اور ہموار ہے؟
’’قرآن یہ کہتا ہے کہ زمین کو تمھارے لیے بچھونا بنادیا گیا ہے۔ اس سے یہ اشارہ ملتا ہے کہ زمین چپٹی اور ہموار ہے۔ کیا یہ بات مسلمہ جدید سائنسی حقائق کے منافی نہیں؟‘‘
اس سوال میں قرآن کریم کی سورۂ نوح کی ایک آیت کاحوالہ دیا گیا ہے جس میں فرمایا گیا ہے:
وَاللّٰهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا
’’اور اللہ نے تمھارے لیے زمین کو بچھونا بنایا ہے۔‘‘
نوح :19،71
لیکن مندرجہ بالا آیت کا جملہ مکمل نہیں۔ جملہ اس سے اگلی آیت میں جاری ہے جو پچھلی آیت کی وضاحت کرتا ہے۔ اس میں ارشاد ہے:
لِّتَسْلُكُوا مِنْهَا سُبُلًا فِجَاجًا
’’تاکہ تم اس کے کشادہ راستوں پر چل سکو۔‘‘
نوح:20،71
اسی طرح کا ایک پیغام سورۂ طٰہٰ میں دہرایا گیا ہے:
الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا
’’وہ ذات جس نے تمھارے لیے زمین کو بچھونا بنایا اور تمھارے چلنے کے لیے اس میں راستے بنائے۔‘‘
طہٰ: 20/53
زمین کی بالائی تہ یا قِشْرارض کی موٹائی 30میل سے بھی کم ہے اوراگر اس کا موازنہ زمین کے نصف قطر سے کیاجائے جس کی لمبائی تقریباً 3750میل ہے تو قشرارض بہت ہی باریک معلوم ہوتا۔ زیادہ گہرائی میں واقع زمین کی تہیں بہت گرم، سیال اور ہر قسم کی زندگی کے لیے ناسازگار ہیں۔ قشرارض زمین کاٹھوس صورت اختیار کر لینے والا وہ خول ہے جس پر ہم زندہ رہ سکتے ہیں، لہٰذا قرآن مجید بجاطورپر اس کو ایک بچھونے یا قالین سے مشابہ قراردیتا ہے تاکہ ہم اس کی شاہراہوں اور راستوں پر سفر کرسکیں۔
قرآن کے مطابق زمین چپٹی نہیں
قرآن کریم میں کوئی ایسی آیت موجود نہیں جس میں یہ کہا گیا ہوکہ زمین مستوی یا چپٹی ہے۔ قرآن صرف قشرِزمین کو قالین سے تشبیہ دیتا ہے۔ معلوم ہوتاہے کہ بعض لوگوں کے نزدیک قالین صرف قطعی ہموار زمین ہی پربچھایا جاسکتا ہے، حالانکہ کرۂ ارض جیسے بڑے کرے پر بھی قالین بچھانا ممکن ہے اور اس کا مظاہرہ زمین کے گلوب کا ایک بہت بڑا نمونہ لے کر اوراس پر قالین بچھا کر بآسانی کیا جاسکتا ہے۔ قالین بالعموم ایک ایسی سطح پر بچھایا جاتا ہے جس پر بصورت دیگر سہولت سے نہ چلا جاسکتا ہو۔ قرآن مجید قشر زمین کا ذکر بطور قالین کرتا ہے جس کے نیچے گرم، سیال اور مانع حیات ماحول پایا جاتا ہے۔ قشرزمین کی صورت میں بچھائے گئے قالین کے بغیر بنی نوع انسان کا زندہ رہنا ممکن نہ ہوتا، لہٰذا قرآن کریم کا بیان نہ صرف عین منطق کے مطابق ہے بلکہ اس میں ایک ایسی حقیقت بھی بیان کردی گئی ہے جسے صدیوں بعد ماہرین ارضیات نے دریافت کیا۔
کشادہ فرشِ ارضی
قرآن کریم کی متعدد آیات میں یہ فرمایا گیا ہے کہ زمین بچھا دی گئی ہے۔حکم ربانی ہے:
﴿أ وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ ﴾
’’ہم نے زمین کو (قالین کی طرح) بچھادیا ہے، سو ہم کیسے اچھے بچھانے والے ہیں۔‘‘
الذریات :51/48
اسی طرح قرآن کریم کی متعدد دوسری آیات میں زمین کو کشادہ بچھونا یا فرش کہا گیا ہے۔ارشا د باری تعالیٰ ہے :
﴿أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا ﴾
’’کیا ہم نے زمین کو ایک فرش نہیں بنایا؟ اور پہاڑوں کو(اس میں) میخیں (نہیں بنایا؟)‘‘
النبا:78/7،6
قرآن کریم کی کسی آیت میں معمولی سا اشارہ بھی نہیں کیا گیا کہ زمین چپٹی اورہموار ہے۔ آیات سے صرف یہ ظاہر ہوتا ہے کہ زمین وسیع اور کشادہ ہے اوراس وسعت و کشادگی کی و جہ بیان کر دی گئی ہے۔ قرآن عظیم میں ارشاد ہے:
﴿يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ﴾
’’اے میرے بندو جوایمان لائے ہو! بے شک میری زمین بڑی وسیع ہے، پس میری ہی عبادت کرو۔‘‘