Assalaamu-'alaikum I am not exactly sure of history, but in fact Ibn Taimiyyah (rah.) took from the people of his time (Muslims?) that the earth was spherical: "Know that there is agreement that the Earth is spherical of shape and water covers most of it." [Majm�` al-Fat�w� (5/150). See also: Majm�` al-Fat�w� (6/546-567)] Ibn Taymiyah is merely mentioning the scientific knowledge of his day. He is not making a statement of religious beliefs nor is he discussing the Unseen. The shape of the Earth was determined then as it is now � by human observation. (However, Ibn Taymiyah argues that the other celestial bodies, like the Sun and Moon, are round on the authority of the Qur'�n, Sunnah, and `Ijm�`. [See: Majm�` al-Fat�w� (5/150)]) [I'd like 2 know more about this latter point] It would be fair to ask why Ibn Taymiyah, who was clearly concerned with religious matters and not scientific ones, would care to discuss the shape of the Earth at all? The answer is that in these passages that we quoted to you, Ibn Taymiyah is concerned with something that is indeed a matter of faith. He is arguing with people who claim that Allah's throne cannot be above the Earth since the Earth is round. His purpose is to refute them by demonstrating that Allah's throne can indeed be above the Earth even though the Earth is undoubtedly round. You also ask how people back then knew that the Earth was round when they had not explored all of the Earth, never traveled around it, and never departed from its surface. There were many ways they came to know this. The most obvious of these is the existence of a horizon. Things do not just appear smaller and smaller as they stretch off endlessly in the distance. This is what we would see if the Earth was flat, and it would be a strange sight to us indeed. What we actually see is that things suddenly disappear at the horizon. When we are standing on a flat plain, the horizon is crisp and clean in all directions. The reason for this is that the horizon is the place where the curve of the Earth dips below our line of sight. Moreover, the top of a distant tall mountain might be seen peeking out from just beyond the horizon. As we approach it, we can see lower and lower down the mountainside. If the Earth was flat, we would see the entire mountain from the base to the summit getting larger and larger as we approach it. However, we see the summit first. A sailor approaching a mountainous coast sees this phenomenon most clearly. He first sees the mountaintops, then as he approaches the coast, he can see lower down the mountains. People also observed that the angle of a shadow at the same time of day from different cities was different. The reason for this is that the rays of the Sun are hitting the Earth at different angles because the Earth's surface is curved. From this observation, ancient people not only realized that the Earth was round, but they were actually able to calculate the size of the Earth with surprising accuracy. Ancient people also noticed that during a lunar eclipse � which occurs when Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon � the shadow of the Earth on the Moon is circular. They realized from this observation that the Earth was a sphere, since only a sphere could cast such a circular shadow. Therefore, the shape of the Earth was a well-known observable fact since ancient times. It was not a matter of the Unseen. [I'd also like 2 know who exactly held this idea on shape in the past] www.islamtoday.com/show_detail_section.cfm?q_id=369&main_cat_id=31 wallaahu-a'lam wassalaamu-'alaikum... --- In [email protected], "Islahonline" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Ziad Abdelgalil Science leads to Islam - 2 - Shape of The Earth is Spherical. Science leads to Islam - Shape Of The Earth is Spherical In early times, people believed that the earth was flat. For centuries, men were afraid to venture out too far, for fear of falling off the edge! Sir Francis Drake was the first person who proved that the earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597. Consider the following Qur'anic verse regarding the alternation of day and night: "Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night?" [31:29] Merging here means that the night slowly and gradually changes to day and vice versa. This phenomenon can only take place if the earth is spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have been a sudden change from night to day and from day to night. The following verse also alludes to the spherical shape of the earth: "He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night." [39:5] The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning 'to overlap' or 'to coil'- the way a turban is wound around the head. The overlapping or coiling of the day and night can only take place if the earth is spherical. The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but geo-spherical, i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The following verse contains a description of the earth's shape: "And the earth, moreover, hath He made egg shaped." [79:30] The Arabic word for egg here is dahaahaa1 which means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth. Thus the Qur'an correctly describes the shape of the earth, though the prevalent notion when the Qur'an was revealed was that the earth was flat. Source: Islam and Modern Science - Dr. Zakir Naik. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? 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