Starlight Miracle in the Quran

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The Quran describes supernatural events that will happen on the Day of Judgement. Some Islamic apologists don't understand it and think that the Quran talks about the universe as it is today (before the Day of Judgement).

The claim

Stars can end their lives in one of three forms: Dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes.

Stellar Remnants
After a star has burned out its fuel supply, its remnants can take one of three forms, depending on the mass during its lifetime.

-White and black dwarfs
-Neutron stars
-Black holes

Wikipedia, Stellar Evolution, 2019

But whatever its form it can no longer be seen with the naked eye. This was only known recently. But 1400 years ago the Quran said that stars will lose their light:

[Quran 77:8] If the stars dimmed.

"Tumisat in Arabic طُمِسَتْ" means lost its light. Today we know that all stars will become invisible to the naked eye.

How could an illiterate man who lived 1400 years ago have known that stars will dim?


The verse

The translation is of the word tumisat (طمست) is not clear. However the translation of إذا (idhaa) is unanimously "when" and not "if" as apologists translated it:

Dr. Ghali: So when (إذا) the stars will be obliterated (طمست),

Muhsin Khan: Then when the stars lose their lights;

Pickthall: So when the stars are put out,

Sahih International: So when the stars are obliterated

Yusuf Ali: Then when the stars become dim;


There are more verses that use a word form the same root طمس [1]. For example:

Our Lord, obliterate (اطمس, itmis) their wealth and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.


So it's not clear that 77:8 talks about dimming.

From the context we can see that the verse is not talking about what happens in the universe, but about what will happen on the Day of Judgement:

77:7 Indeed, what you are promised is to occur.

77:8 So when the stars are obliterated

77:9 And when the heaven is opened

77:10 And when the mountains are blown away

77:11 And when the messengers' time has come...

77:12 For what Day was it postponed?

77:13 For the Day of Judgement.


Quran 77:7, translation Sahih International

Apologists translated إذا (idhaa) as "when", probably because they wanted to hide the fact that the verse is describing what will be happening when the Day of Judgement comes. The verse just describes another supernatural event that will happen on the Day of Judgement. It's not a scientific description of what is happening in the universe before the Day of Judgement.

See also

References