THE ORBIT OF THE MOON
39- And the moon. We have measured for it mansions. Till it returns like an old curved palm tree branch.
36-Ya Sin, 39
In comparison with other satellites of the solar system, the moon is a very large one. Theories clash as regards the formation of the moon. According to the widely accepted one, the earth must have collided with a celestial body, the impact parceling out a big mass from the earth’s crust that was eventually to turn into the moon. Although this may not be the true story, recent data obtained – by means of the Lunar Prospector, the American probing instrument – seem to corroborate this theory. The small core of the moon presents great similarity with the outer crust of the earth.
There are, in the Quran, many references to the moon and its movements. The data provided by modern scientific findings demonstrated how necessary the moon was for life on earth. The moon with its great volume, a well-designed distance in terms of proportions of a satellite, fixes the earth’s center of rotation. This makes possible the climatic conditions of our planet creating ideal medium for life on it. This situation has been going on for billions of years. There are scientists who contend that the core of our world preserves its liquid form thanks to the gravity exerted by the moon. This protects our planet’s magnetic field. (We shall come back to it in Chapters 18&19) Had there been no magnetic field, the cosmic radiation would have reached us vertically and destroy life on the earth. Had it not been for the moon, it is estimated that the earth would have rotated about its axis in 10 hours, which would seriously affect the life on earth. The moon having exerted its attraction on oceans slowed down its rotation.
MOON AND MATHEMATICS
All these formations, including the mass and the spinning velocity of the moon, are the result of infinitesimal calculations made at the time of creation by God. God used the word “qadar” for the mathematics to which He had recourse. We are not going to dwell on the erroneous interpretation of this concept haphazardly contrived in the name of religion. The Arabic word “qadar” has the following meanings: ‘destiny’, ‘eternal preordination’, ‘divine’ ‘providence’, ‘measure’, ‘setting of measure’ and ‘mathematical arrangement’. In Verse 35 of the Sura Ya Sin, the mathematical arrangement is expressed by the word “qadar”. The moon’s distance from the earth, its mass and the velocity of its revolution, its position in relation to the sun and gravity are calculated with mathematical precision. Its “qadar” has been predetermined. The slightest variation in these calculations would bring to life on earth to an end. In these calculations also we cannot help seeing God’s finely calculated design and mathematical arrangements. The moon is not only the actor of romantic nights, the object of inspiration of poets, but also the “sine qua non” friend of life on earth.
The moon revolves around the earth thanks to the balance between a variety of forces; not only the attractions of the earth and the sun but also the gravity of other planets plays a role. The measure expressed in the motion equation of the moon is established by means of hundreds of parameters, the moon being only one of them. The Creator’s system is so designed that the existence of the moon and its orbital movement, targeting to render life possible on earth, are related to hundreds of parameters with a mathematical precision. The result of all these is but one condition among thousand others required for the survival of our race.
OLD CURVED PALM TREE BRANCH
The moon orbits earth in 27 days, 7 hours and 11 seconds. The Arabic word “qamar” meaning moon is used 27 times in the Quran. (The miraculous character of this shall be dealt with in the coming pages). The moon’s orbit around the earth traces a sinuosity. While the earth travels around the sun, the moon revolves about the earth in a variable orbit tracing a curvature, a sinuosity, a spiral. The same face is always presented to the earth. The curve it traces is reminiscent of a curved branch. The Arabic word used to designate the orbit of the man is urjun, the stump of a bunch of dates left on the tree when the branch is cut off. This branch is qualified by the attribute ‘old’ that denotes a thinner and more curved branch. The simile beautifully describes the orbit traced by the moon about the earth comprising the initial and ultimate phases of the moon about the earth. The verse’s drawing attention to mathematical measurement and the likening of the curvature to an old branch are hardly compatible with the level of knowledge at the time, which would not allow any one to know the shape of the orbit traced by the moon about the earth, ??????????????
MOON’S DEPENDENCE ON THE SUN
1-By the sun and its brightness
2-And the moon as she follows in his wake
91-The Sun,1,2
The Quran perfectly described the moon’s orbit in the universe by having recourse to the “…old, curved palm tree branch.” In the above verses we see described the moon’s relation to the sun. The Arabic word fela means a ‘follower’, ‘a hanger on’. The moon revolves around the sun together with the earth of which it is a satellite; they follow in the footsteps of the sun. Both the moon and our world are dependent on the sun’s motion. They displace while pursuing the sun. The moon and the earth revolve around a moving sun. The Quran’s revelation about the moon’s dependence on the sun is another miracle that leaves us in awe.
