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Shooting Stars in the Quran: Difference between revisions
→The Qur'an: Added note on satans being called rajim in the Qur'an as 'stoned/pelted/deserving to be pelted'
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(→Ancient beliefs around stars and meteors pre-Islam: Added a scholarly source (Nicolai Sinia) for pre-Islamic poetry containing this same (incorrect) idea before Muhammad, directly linking it to his immediate environment) |
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In {{Quran|67|5}}, the word translated "missiles" is rujūman (رُجُومًا), which are things that are thrown, especially stones.<ref>رُجُومًا - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000214.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 1048]</ref> | In {{Quran|67|5}}, the word translated "missiles" is rujūman (رُجُومًا), which are things that are thrown, especially stones.<ref>رُجُومًا - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000214.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 1048]</ref> | ||
In {{Quran|15|16}} the phrase translated "zodiacal signs" is [https:// | In {{Quran|15|16}} the phrase translated "zodiacal signs" is Burūj بُرُوجًا, meaning great stars or constellations;<ref>Lanes Lexicon [https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000217.pdf Vol 1 p217 - برج Burūj] </ref> Surah 85 (Al-Burūj) is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Burooj The Great Star]. | ||
This term also means towers/forts/castles, which a smaller number of mufassirūn have understood it as (towers on the firmament) in their commentaries on the Quran.<ref>E.g. ''[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Abbas/15.16 Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on verse 15:16.]'' | This term also means towers/forts/castles, which a smaller number of mufassirūn have understood it as (towers on the firmament) in their commentaries on the Quran.<ref>E.g. ''[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Abbas/15.16 Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on verse 15:16.]'' | ||
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{{Quote|[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279378884_Islamic_Folk_Astronomy <i>Islamic Folk Astronomy.</i> Varisco, Daniel. Astronomy Across Cultures, 2000, pp 615 - 650. <i>(pp. 627 - 628)</i> DOI:10.1007/978-94-011-4179-6_21]|The zodiacal constellations were referred to in Arabic as <i>burūj</i>, a term used for fortifications and castles. Quranic usage (15: 16, 25: 61, 85: 1) is in the generic sense of a constellation rather than for the specific twelve zodiacal constellations (Table 5) later recognised in the astronomical texts.}} | {{Quote|[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279378884_Islamic_Folk_Astronomy <i>Islamic Folk Astronomy.</i> Varisco, Daniel. Astronomy Across Cultures, 2000, pp 615 - 650. <i>(pp. 627 - 628)</i> DOI:10.1007/978-94-011-4179-6_21]|The zodiacal constellations were referred to in Arabic as <i>burūj</i>, a term used for fortifications and castles. Quranic usage (15: 16, 25: 61, 85: 1) is in the generic sense of a constellation rather than for the specific twelve zodiacal constellations (Table 5) later recognised in the astronomical texts.}} | ||
Satans are often called 'rajīm' as an attribute, which can mean both pelted/stoned or accursed in different verses;<ref>[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/10_r/053_rjm.html ''rā jīm mīm'' (ر ج م)] - Quranic Research Lane's Lexicon | |||
rajīm - Lane's Lexicon Book 1 Page [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_1048.pdf 1048] & [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_1049.pdf 1049]</ref> though in these contexts meaning they are pelted/stoned, or deserving to be pelted.<ref name=":02">''rajīm'' Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 333). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref> Talmudic evidence suggests that late antique Jews also sometimes employed language implying “that Satan could be warded off by throwing things at him”.<ref name=":02" /> | |||
Other relevant verses are {{Quran|55|33-35}} (flame of fire and smoke, though a slightly different context): | Other relevant verses are {{Quran|55|33-35}} (flame of fire and smoke, though a slightly different context): | ||
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These also seem to reinforce the incorrect idea of stars being shooting stars, and give us yet a fourth word for stars. | These also seem to reinforce the incorrect idea of stars being shooting stars, and give us yet a fourth word for stars. | ||
In both cases we see the word (najm/نجم) is used to describe the shooting star. Literally: رُمِيَ was thrown<ref>رمي - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000327.pdf Lane's Lexicon page 1161]</ref> بِنَجْمٍ a star<ref>نجم - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000282.pdf Lane's Lexicon Supplement page 3028]</ref> فَاسْتَنَارَ then it flamed<ref>نار - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000119.pdf Lane's Lexicon page 2865]</ref> (نار in Arabic form X, derived from نور light). It is sometimes said that a najm (نجم) could refer to any kind of celestial body and not necessarily a star, but it is at least clear that these hadiths refer to what we now understand are visible meteors. | In both cases we see the word (najm/نجم) is used to describe the shooting star. Literally: رُمِيَ was thrown<ref>رمي - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000327.pdf Lane's Lexicon page 1161]</ref> بِنَجْمٍ a star<ref>نجم - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000282.pdf Lane's Lexicon Supplement page 3028]</ref> فَاسْتَنَارَ then it flamed<ref>نار - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000119.pdf Lane's Lexicon page 2865]</ref> (نار in Arabic form X, derived from نور light). It is sometimes said that a najm (نجم) could refer to any kind of celestial body (without any reference to a classical Arabic dictionary)<ref>[https://islamqa.info/amp/en/answers/243871 Meteorites and shooting stars may be called “stars” (nujoom) and “heavenly bodies” (kawaakib) in Arabic.] IslamQA. 2016. | ||
See Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary of [https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000282.pdf Najm, Volume 8, pages: 282] </ref> and not necessarily a star, but it is at least clear that these hadiths refer to what we now understand are visible meteors. | |||
A hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah's collection also conveys the concept, though without clarifying the nature of the shihab (the word translated as "burning flame" in the Quran verses quoted above): | A hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah's collection also conveys the concept, though without clarifying the nature of the shihab (the word translated as "burning flame" in the Quran verses quoted above): | ||