سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 33
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ﴿33﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(is) the One Who
خَلَقَ
khalaqa
created
ٱلَّيْلَ
al-layla
the night
وَٱلنَّهَارَ
wal-nahāra
and the day
وَٱلشَّمْسَ
wal-shamsa
and the sun
وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ
wal-qamara
and the moon
كُلٌّۭ
kullun
each
فِى
fī
in
فَلَكٍۢ
falakin
an orbit
يَسْبَحُونَ
yasbaḥūna
floating
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
33. And it is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; each (celestial body) is floating in its own orbit [31].
[31] In this verse, Allah Almighty has mentioned by name two celestial bodies, the sun and the moon, and then said: All (of them) are floating in their (respective) orbits. From this, many facts become evident.
(1) The meaning of ﴿سبح﴾ is to float in water or air, or to pass swiftly. Thus, the planets are revolving in the atmosphere or space at great speed.
(2)
The Movement of the Sun and the Moon:
Besides the sun and the moon, all the other planets are also in motion.
(3)
Different Theories Regarding the Movement of the Earth:
Like the moon, the sun is certainly in motion. Here, a very important question arises: Is our earth stationary and the sun revolves around it, or is the sun stationary and the earth revolves around it? This is a question to which, up to now, four different theories have been presented in response. The initial theory was that our earth is stationary and the sun revolves around it, as it apparently appears to everyone. About five and a half centuries before Christ, a Greek philosopher and astronomer presented the theory that the sun is stationary and our earth revolves around it. Also, besides our earth, there are many other planets that revolve around the sun. Later, in the fourth century BC, the philosopher Ptolemy presented the same first theory regarding astronomy, that in reality our earth is stationary and the sun revolves around it. Ptolemy was a master and unique figure of his time in the sciences of geometry, astronomy, and astrology. He also established an observatory for the study of celestial bodies. His book on astronomy, Almagest, is considered highly authoritative. This third Ptolemaic theory, along with all its beliefs, remained famous and popular throughout the world for about 1800 years. Eventually, the European astronomer Copernicus (1473–1543 CE) presented at the beginning of the sixteenth century the theory that the sun is not moving but stationary, and our earth rotates on its own axis and also completes a revolution around the sun in a year. But after Copernicus, another astronomer, Tycho Brahe, rejected Copernicus’s theory and, with a slight modification, declared the Ptolemaic theory correct, in which the earth is considered stationary and the sun and all other planets revolve around it. Later, the Italian astronomer Galileo, with the help of another astronomer (from Holland), made various types of telescopes and observed celestial bodies, and found Copernicus’s theory to be very accurate, which was the fourth theory in this regard. Afterwards, many astronomers supported this theory, and in today’s era, this is the prevailing and accepted theory: that the sun is stationary and nine stars revolve around it, and it has also been suggested that perhaps our sun, along with its entire family (the solar system), is revolving around some greater sun. Regarding the movement of the earth, we do not find any explicit statement in the Book and Sunnah as to whether it is stationary or moving. However, from the evidence, it appears that since the earth is also a planet and is round, therefore it too is included in the command of “all” and is moving. As for the sun, it is explicitly mentioned in the Book and Sunnah that it is moving, and by this movement is not meant only axial rotation, but from the words “flowing” or ﴿سبح﴾, it means to move from one place to another and to keep moving. Thus, the supposition of present-day astronomers is not merely a supposition but a reality, that the sun, along with its family, is revolving around some greater sun (i.e., Shams al-Shumūs or Thabit al-Thawabit).
(4)
The Spheres and Their Movements:
In this verse, the word “falak” is used. Although in Urdu it is translated as “sky,” here it does not mean the seven heavens whose number is mentioned in the Book and Sunnah as (sab‘ samāwāt). Rather, it refers to the orbits of the planets or the paths on which they revolve. According to the Ptolemaic theory, there were seven planets and thus seven spheres. On the first sphere is the moon, on the second Mercury, on the third Venus, on the fourth the sun, on the fifth Mars, on the sixth Jupiter, and on the seventh Saturn. These seven spheres were attributed to the seven planets. Then above them is the eighth sphere, which is also called the eighth sphere, the sphere of the fixed stars, and the sphere of the zodiac. The circle of this eighth sphere is divided into 12 parts, each part being called a zodiac sign.
5. According to the Ptolemaic theory, not only the planets are in motion, but these spheres also move. And the movement of these planets and spheres has deep effects on human life, as is evident from the following verse of Ghalib: “Day and night, the seven heavens are in motion... Something or the other will happen, so why worry?” In this verse, the movement of the planets is mentioned, but it is also stated that these spheres (orbits) do not move.
[31] In this verse, Allah Almighty has mentioned by name two celestial bodies, the sun and the moon, and then said: All (of them) are floating in their (respective) orbits. From this, many facts become evident.
(1) The meaning of ﴿سبح﴾ is to float in water or air, or to pass swiftly. Thus, the planets are revolving in the atmosphere or space at great speed.
(2)
The Movement of the Sun and the Moon:
Besides the sun and the moon, all the other planets are also in motion.
(3)
Different Theories Regarding the Movement of the Earth:
Like the moon, the sun is certainly in motion. Here, a very important question arises: Is our earth stationary and the sun revolves around it, or is the sun stationary and the earth revolves around it? This is a question to which, up to now, four different theories have been presented in response. The initial theory was that our earth is stationary and the sun revolves around it, as it apparently appears to everyone. About five and a half centuries before Christ, a Greek philosopher and astronomer presented the theory that the sun is stationary and our earth revolves around it. Also, besides our earth, there are many other planets that revolve around the sun. Later, in the fourth century BC, the philosopher Ptolemy presented the same first theory regarding astronomy, that in reality our earth is stationary and the sun revolves around it. Ptolemy was a master and unique figure of his time in the sciences of geometry, astronomy, and astrology. He also established an observatory for the study of celestial bodies. His book on astronomy, Almagest, is considered highly authoritative. This third Ptolemaic theory, along with all its beliefs, remained famous and popular throughout the world for about 1800 years. Eventually, the European astronomer Copernicus (1473–1543 CE) presented at the beginning of the sixteenth century the theory that the sun is not moving but stationary, and our earth rotates on its own axis and also completes a revolution around the sun in a year. But after Copernicus, another astronomer, Tycho Brahe, rejected Copernicus’s theory and, with a slight modification, declared the Ptolemaic theory correct, in which the earth is considered stationary and the sun and all other planets revolve around it. Later, the Italian astronomer Galileo, with the help of another astronomer (from Holland), made various types of telescopes and observed celestial bodies, and found Copernicus’s theory to be very accurate, which was the fourth theory in this regard. Afterwards, many astronomers supported this theory, and in today’s era, this is the prevailing and accepted theory: that the sun is stationary and nine stars revolve around it, and it has also been suggested that perhaps our sun, along with its entire family (the solar system), is revolving around some greater sun. Regarding the movement of the earth, we do not find any explicit statement in the Book and Sunnah as to whether it is stationary or moving. However, from the evidence, it appears that since the earth is also a planet and is round, therefore it too is included in the command of “all” and is moving. As for the sun, it is explicitly mentioned in the Book and Sunnah that it is moving, and by this movement is not meant only axial rotation, but from the words “flowing” or ﴿سبح﴾, it means to move from one place to another and to keep moving. Thus, the supposition of present-day astronomers is not merely a supposition but a reality, that the sun, along with its family, is revolving around some greater sun (i.e., Shams al-Shumūs or Thabit al-Thawabit).
(4)
The Spheres and Their Movements:
In this verse, the word “falak” is used. Although in Urdu it is translated as “sky,” here it does not mean the seven heavens whose number is mentioned in the Book and Sunnah as (sab‘ samāwāt). Rather, it refers to the orbits of the planets or the paths on which they revolve. According to the Ptolemaic theory, there were seven planets and thus seven spheres. On the first sphere is the moon, on the second Mercury, on the third Venus, on the fourth the sun, on the fifth Mars, on the sixth Jupiter, and on the seventh Saturn. These seven spheres were attributed to the seven planets. Then above them is the eighth sphere, which is also called the eighth sphere, the sphere of the fixed stars, and the sphere of the zodiac. The circle of this eighth sphere is divided into 12 parts, each part being called a zodiac sign.
5. According to the Ptolemaic theory, not only the planets are in motion, but these spheres also move. And the movement of these planets and spheres has deep effects on human life, as is evident from the following verse of Ghalib: “Day and night, the seven heavens are in motion... Something or the other will happen, so why worry?” In this verse, the movement of the planets is mentioned, but it is also stated that these spheres (orbits) do not move.
