Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth: Difference between revisions

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→‎Flat Earth in the hadiths: Added in a link to the Science and the Seven Earths pages where relevant. And a small line highlighting (and linking to) the many verses Al-Jalalayn believed showed a clear flat earth - not only the one listed.
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(→‎Greek astronomical knowledge: I have added in another section from an Islamic scholar on Greek astronomical knowledge being advanced upon and gaining traction with caliph sponsorship, highlighting one of Al-Ma'mun's accomplishments and patronaging, which can explain how later tafsir/commentators gained this knowledge.)
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===Seven stacked earths===
===Seven stacked earths===
''Main article: [[Science and the Seven Earths]]''
Various narrations describe seven stacked flat earths (not spherical layers, طوّقه means put on a neck-ring<ref>طوق tawwaqa [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000179.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p. 1894</ref>):{{Quote|{{Bukhari|3|43|634}}|Narrated Salim's father (i.e. `Abdullah):
Various narrations describe seven stacked flat earths (not spherical layers, طوّقه means put on a neck-ring<ref>طوق tawwaqa [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000179.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p. 1894</ref>):{{Quote|{{Bukhari|3|43|634}}|Narrated Salim's father (i.e. `Abdullah):


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The word "sutihat" in {{Quran|88|20}} [[Flat Earth and the Quran#Qur.27an_88:20_-_sutihat_.28.22spread_out_flat.22.29|means "laid out flat"]].
The word "sutihat" in {{Quran|88|20}} [[Flat Earth and the Quran#Qur.27an_88:20_-_sutihat_.28.22spread_out_flat.22.29|means "laid out flat"]].
See also their commentary on [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/91.6 91.6], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/71.19 71.19], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/13.3 13.3], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/15.19 15.19], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/51.48 51.48], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/79.30 79:30] etc.


===Others===
===Others===
Many further examples of scholars expressing a flat earth interpretation of the Quran are collated in [https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/ another article ]. These interpretations contrast with claims of an Islamic scholarly consensus for a round earth. As scholar Omar Anchassi says '''It is clear that the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic vision of the cosmos remained contested by theologians of all stripes to the end of the fifth/eleventh century''<nowiki/>'<ref>''[https://www.academia.edu/93485940/Against_Ptolemy_Cosmography_in_Early_Kal%C4%81m_2022_ Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām (2022).]'' Omar Anchassi. ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', ''142''(4), 851–881. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033</nowiki></ref> in his article 'Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām'.
Many further examples of scholars expressing a flat earth interpretation of the Quran are collated in [https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/ another article.] One can see that all early mufassirūn (Quranic scholars who wrote commentaries/tafsirs) (''which can be viewed directly on [https://www.altafsir.com/ tafsir.com]'') that commented on the relevant verses took the view the Qur'an was describing a flat earth with the sun literally setting in a muddy spring.
 
Adding to these lists of mufassirūn we can almost certainly add the main compliers of the hadith (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i and ibn Majah), who were themselves extremely important scholars in early Islam. As while they may not have had a 100% consistent view of the cosmos in every aspect, it is clear they adhere to the ancient flat-Earth (with seven flat earths) geocentric worldview, as they would unlikely have trusted or contained so many statements in their collections (such as mentioned above), had they known or believed them to conflict directly with reality or the Qur'an.
 
These interpretations contrast with claims of an Islamic scholarly consensus for a round earth. As Dr Omar Anchassi says '<nowiki/>''It is clear that the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic vision of the cosmos remained contested by theologians of all stripes to the end of the fifth/eleventh century''<nowiki/>'<ref>''[https://www.academia.edu/93485940/Against_Ptolemy_Cosmography_in_Early_Kal%C4%81m_2022_ Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām (2022).]'' Omar Anchassi. ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', ''142''(4), 851–881. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033</nowiki></ref> in his article '''Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām''<nowiki/>' (2022).


==Modern perspectives and criticisms thereof==
==Modern perspectives and criticisms thereof==
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