By: Hisham Azmi | Category: Explanation of Miscellaneous Islamic Beliefs Forum (Article)
"Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a dark muddy spring."
(Sūrah al-Kahf, 18:86)
Critics, particularly from secular or missionary circles, argue that this verse implies the sun physically sets into a muddy spring — which, they claim, contradicts established astronomical knowledge.
To illustrate:
When one says, "The sun set behind the mountains," it’s understood as a visual perspective — not a claim that the sun physically disappeared behind or into the mountains.
Similarly, the Qur’ān narrates that Dhū al-Qarnayn, upon reaching a distant western land, saw the sun appearing to set into a muddy spring — a phenomenon anyone can witness at a sea horizon.
"He (Dhū al-Qarnayn) saw it as such; he didn’t claim the sun actually sinks into it. Rather, this was his visual experience, likely at the edge of a sea or ocean."
(Anwār al-Tanzīl, vol. 3, p. 394)
✔ Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī states:
"This expression reflects perception. He saw it as if it were setting in a muddy spring, similar to how a person sees the sun dipping into the ocean at sunset."
(Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 21, p. 166)
✔ Imām Ibn Kathīr clarifies:
"He reached a land near the ocean where it looked as though the sun set into a body of dark water. This is how it appears to observers; it’s not literal."
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, vol. 5, p. 120)
It would be unreasonable to accuse newspapers of scientific error for saying “the sun rises at 6:20 AM.” The same understanding must be applied to the Qur’ānic expression — it is descriptive, not scientifically explanatory.
Thus, the claim that this verse opposes science stems from misreading and ignoring linguistic context, and classical as well as modern scholarly interpretations clearly dismantle this objection.
❖ The Common Objection
In Sūrah al-Kahf (18:86), the Qur’ān describes an episode from the story of Dhū al-Qarnayn:"Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a dark muddy spring."
(Sūrah al-Kahf, 18:86)
Critics, particularly from secular or missionary circles, argue that this verse implies the sun physically sets into a muddy spring — which, they claim, contradicts established astronomical knowledge.
❖ Language and Perception: Understanding the Word "وَجَدَهَا"
The Arabic word "wajada" means "he found", i.e., how something appeared to him. It does not imply a literal or objective fact. In this context, it conveys Dhū al-Qarnayn’s visual experience, not a scientific assertion about the sun's actual setting location.To illustrate:
When one says, "The sun set behind the mountains," it’s understood as a visual perspective — not a claim that the sun physically disappeared behind or into the mountains.
Similarly, the Qur’ān narrates that Dhū al-Qarnayn, upon reaching a distant western land, saw the sun appearing to set into a muddy spring — a phenomenon anyone can witness at a sea horizon.
❖ Classical Commentators' Interpretations
✔ Imām al-Bayḍāwī explains:"He (Dhū al-Qarnayn) saw it as such; he didn’t claim the sun actually sinks into it. Rather, this was his visual experience, likely at the edge of a sea or ocean."
(Anwār al-Tanzīl, vol. 3, p. 394)
✔ Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī states:
"This expression reflects perception. He saw it as if it were setting in a muddy spring, similar to how a person sees the sun dipping into the ocean at sunset."
(Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 21, p. 166)
✔ Imām Ibn Kathīr clarifies:
"He reached a land near the ocean where it looked as though the sun set into a body of dark water. This is how it appears to observers; it’s not literal."
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, vol. 5, p. 120)
❖ Modern Analogies and Context
Just as newspapers today mention "sunrise" and "sunset", despite knowing that the earth rotates — not the sun — the Qur’ānic text uses familiar, experiential language that aligns with human perception.It would be unreasonable to accuse newspapers of scientific error for saying “the sun rises at 6:20 AM.” The same understanding must be applied to the Qur’ānic expression — it is descriptive, not scientifically explanatory.
❖ Conclusion
This verse in Sūrah al-Kahf describes a phenomenological experience, not a cosmological claim. The language used is consistent with how human beings observe and describe natural events, and not a contradiction to scientific reality.Thus, the claim that this verse opposes science stems from misreading and ignoring linguistic context, and classical as well as modern scholarly interpretations clearly dismantle this objection.
