Objection:
It is said that if the event of the splitting of the moon (Shaqq al-Qamar) took place, it should have been seen all over the world, and it should have been mentioned in history books.
Answer:
The splitting of the moon was a miracle, and the scope of a miracle can be limited to specific circumstances and people. The purpose of a miracle is to convince those who witnessed it or who demanded it.
Clarification of the time and circumstances of the splitting of the moon:
Why was it not possible to observe the moon all over the world?
At that time the moon was visible only in Arabia and its eastern regions.
The miracle occurred for a brief time, and during it there was no explosion or emission of light.
It was an unexpected event, so not all the people of the world were sitting with their eyes fixed on the moon.
For this reason, only those who had demanded the miracle became its witnesses.
Evidence of the splitting of the moon
➊ The observation of Cheraman Perumal, the king of Malabar
Cheraman Perumal, the king of Malabar (present-day Kerala, India), witnessed the event of the splitting of the moon with his own eyes.
Details of the event:
- While the king was strolling on the roof of his palace, he saw the moon split into two pieces and rejoin. This event was astonishing to him, and he resolved to learn its truth.
- The king learned from merchants that this event had occurred in Makkah through a Prophet ﷺ.
- He left his throne and crown and travelled to Arabia, where he met the Prophet ﷺ, accepted Islam, and took the name Taj al-Din.
- On his return journey he died in Yemen, but he had instructed his successor to build a mosque in Cranganore. This mosque is today known as “Cheraman Juma Masjid” and is considered the first mosque in the subcontinent.
➋ Evidence from archaeology
Archaeologists found an inscription on the stones of an ancient building in China which mentions a “great celestial calamity.”
Result of the research:
- Experts calculated the date recorded on the stones, and it came out to be the same time when the miracle of the splitting of the moon occurred.
➌ The debate between Padre Fender and Maulana Rahmatullah Kiranawi
During the British era, the well-known Padre Fender raised objections about the splitting of the moon in a debate with Maulana Rahmatullah Kiranawi, but he was silenced by the Maulana’s answers.
➍ Mention in Tarikh-e-Firishta
The renowned historian Muhammad Qasim Firishta wrote in his history that:
- Muslims coming from Arabia met the king of Malabar and related the event of the splitting of the moon.
- The king ordered his astrologers to investigate, and they confirmed that on a certain date the moon had split into two pieces and rejoined.
- After this event the king accepted Islam.
The miracle of the splitting of the moon and science
➊ Why is the miracle outside the domain of science?
- The domain of science is limited:
Science is an evolving discipline that keeps changing. Scientific research that exists today may be proven wrong tomorrow.
Introduction to the miracle: A miracle does not occur under any ordinary law of nature but is the result of divine power.
Limits of science: Science believes in testing everything on the basis of experiments and observations, but miracles lie beyond scientific laws.
➋ Two perspectives on the miracle:
- Limitation of present-day science: The splitting of the moon may be an event that falls outside the current scope of scientific knowledge. It is possible that in the future science may be able to offer some explanation of this event.
- Beyond science: A miracle may lie outside the scientific domain, but it is not contrary to reason.
Conclusion
The splitting of the moon was a divine miracle, and its evidence exists both historically and logically. The absence of mention of it in Western history does not negate its occurrence, because many major historical events are found only in the histories of particular nations.
