The Quran contains several verses about the movements of the sun and the moon. Many modern Muslim apologists present these verses as evidence of “scientific miracles,” claiming that the Quran described orbital mechanics centuries before modern astronomy discovered them. But a careful reading of the actual Arabic text, combined with the classical Islamic commentaries (tafaseer), tells a very different story — one that reveals a serious scientific error rooted in the pre-scientific, geocentric understanding of the cosmos.
Let us examine the evidence.
The Quranic Verses in Question
The Quran mentions the orbital motion of the sun and moon primarily in two verses:
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
“And He is the One Who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon — each travelling in an orbit.”
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
“It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor does the night outrun the day. Each is travelling in an orbit.”
These are among the most commonly cited verses by Muslim apologists who claim Islam contains advanced scientific knowledge. But do these verses really describe what modern science tells us about orbital mechanics? Let us dig deeper.
The Translation Trick: “An Orbit” vs. “Orbits”
One of the most important things to notice is a subtle trick in many modern English translations of these verses. The Arabic word used in both verses is:
فَلَكٍۢ (falakin) — which is singular and indefinite.
The plural of this word is أَفْلاك (aflāk). But the Quran does not use the plural form. It says فَلَكٍ — a single orbit, not “orbits.”
Yet look at how some popular modern translations render these verses:
- Yusuf Ali: “Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).”
- Dr. Mustafa Khattab (The Clear Quran): “Each is travelling in an orbit of their own.”
- Abdel Haleem: “each floats in [its own] orbit.”
Notice how the words “(its own)” or “their own” are inserted — sometimes in brackets, sometimes without any brackets at all. These additions do not exist in the Arabic text. There is no possessive pronoun attached to falak. It is not فلكهم (“their orbit”) or أفلاكهم (“their orbits”). It is simply فَلَكٍ — “an orbit” — singular, indefinite, with no possessive marker.
By contrast, more literal translations render it honestly:
- Sahih International: “each, in an orbit, is swimming.”
- Pickthall: “They float each in an orbit.”
- Muhsin Khan: “They all float, each in an orbit.”
The difference matters enormously. The Quran is saying that the sun, the moon, the night, and the day are all floating in a single orbit — not that each has its own separate orbit. This is a key distinction that modern apologists try to blur.
What Do the Classical Tafaseer Say?
If someone insists that the singular falak could still mean multiple separate orbits, we can settle the matter by looking at what the earliest and most respected Muslim scholars understood from these very same verses. All the major classical tafaseer confirm the singular orbit interpretation.
1. Tafsir Al-Baghawi on 21:33
Tafsir Al-Baghawi — Surah Al-Anbiya 21:33 says:
يجرون ويسيرون بسرعة كالسابح في الماء
“They flow and move swiftly, like a swimmer in water.”
Then he defines the orbit:
والفلك : مدار النجوم الذي يضمها ، والفلك في كلام العرب : كل شيء مستدير ، وجمعه أفلاك ، ومنه فلك المغزل
“The falak (orbit) is the celestial sphere that contains the stars. In Arabic, falak refers to anything round, and its plural is aflāk; hence the term falak al-maghzal (the spindle’s whorl).”
وقال الحسن : الفلك طاحونة كهيئة فلكة المغزل : يريد أن الذي يجري فيه النجوم مستدير كاستدارة الطاحونة
“Al-Hasan said: ‘The orbit is like a millstone, similar in shape to the spindle’s whorl.’ He meant that the sphere in which the stars move is round, like the roundness of a millstone.”
This is describing one single round structure — like a spinning wheel or a millstone — inside which everything moves. Not separate orbits for different celestial bodies. Al-Baghawi even helpfully tells us the plural is aflāk, confirming that the Quran’s use of the singular falak is deliberate. The Quran is talking about one orbit, and the classical scholars understood it that way.
2. Tafsir Al-Tabari on 36:40
The great early exegete Al-Tabari (d. 923 CE) provides extensive narrations about this verse. In Tafsir al-Tabari — Surah Ya-Sin 36:40, he states:
وقوله ( وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ) يقول: وكل ما ذكرنا من الشمس والقمر والليل والنهار في فلك يجرون.
“And His saying ‘Each in an orbit floating’ means: everything We have mentioned — the sun, the moon, the night, and the day — all of them run in an orbit (i.e., a single orbit).”
He then narrates from Ibn Abbas through multiple chains of transmission:
حدثنا محمد بن المثنى، قال: ثنا أبو النعمان الحكم بن عبد الله العجلي، قال: ثنا شعبة، عن مسلم البطين، عن سعيد بن جُبَير، عن ابن عباس ( وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ) قال: في فلك كفلك المِغْزَل
“Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us, from Abu al-Nu’man al-Hakam ibn Abdullah al-‘Ijli, from Shu’bah, from Muslim al-Batin, from Sa’id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas: (regarding) ‘Each in an orbit floating’ — he said: ‘In an orbit like the orbit (whorl) of a spindle.’“
Al-Tabari narrates this same explanation from Ibn Abbas through another chain as well, confirming it. He also narrates from Mujahid:
حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى؛ وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء، جميعًا عن ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد، قال: مجرى كلّ واحد منهما، يعني الليل والنهار، في فَلَك يسبحون: يجرون
“From Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, he said: ‘The course of each of them — meaning the night and the day — in an orbit floating: they run.'”
From Qatadah:
حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ) أي: في فلك السماء يسبحون
“From Qatadah: ‘Each in an orbit floating’ — meaning: in the orbit of the sky they float.”
And another narration from Ibn Abbas:
حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا أبو صالح، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله ( وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ) دورانا، يقول: دورانا يسبحون؛ يقول: يجرون
“From Ibn Abbas: ‘Each in an orbit floating’ — revolving — he said: they float revolving; he said: they run.”
Every single classical authority quoted by Al-Tabari — Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah — speaks of a single orbit (the celestial sphere) in which things revolve. No one among them speaks of the sun and moon having separate, distinct orbits.
3. Tafsir Al-Qurtubi on 21:33
Tafsir Al-Qurtubi — Surah Al-Anbiya 21:33 provides an even more detailed cosmological picture. After discussing the word falak, Al-Qurtubi states:
والأصح أن السيارة تجري في الفلك ، وهي سبعة أفلاك دون السماوات المطبقة ، التي هي مجال الملائكة وأسباب الملكوت ، فالقمر في الفلك الأدنى ، ثم عطارد ، ثم الزهرة ، ثم الشمس ، ثم المريخ ، ثم المشتري ، ثم زحل ، والثامن فلك البروج ، والتاسع الفلك الأعظم
“The most correct view is that the planets move in the orbits, and they are seven orbits below the layered heavens, which are the domain of the angels and the means of the Divine Kingdom. The Moon is in the lowest orbit, then Mercury, then Venus, then the Sun, then Mars, then Jupiter, then Saturn. The eighth is the orbit of the constellations (zodiac), and the ninth is the Greatest Orbit.“
Does this ordering look familiar? It should. This is precisely the Ptolemaic geocentric model — the ancient Greek cosmological system formulated by Claudius Ptolemy around 150 CE. The Ptolemaic system is a geocentric cosmology; that is, it starts by assuming that Earth is stationary and at the centre of the universe. In this model, the smallest sphere around the Earth is the one carrying the Moon. The next largest is Mercury’s, followed by the sphere of Venus. The Sun’s sphere follows, and then the spheres of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (source).
The order given by Al-Qurtubi — Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn — matches the Ptolemaic model exactly. After the translation movement that included the translation of Almagest from Latin to Arabic, Muslims adopted and refined the geocentric model of Ptolemy, which they believed correlated with the teachings of Islam.
So here we have one of Islam’s most respected classical scholars confirming that the Quran’s cosmology is geocentric — the Earth is at the center, and everything else orbits around it. This is, of course, scientifically wrong. The Earth orbits the Sun, not the other way around. The Moon orbits the Earth. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn all orbit the Sun. The Ptolemaic system is a thoroughly debunked model.
And note the additional problem: even within this geocentric framework, Al-Qurtubi identifies seven separate spheres (aflāk — plural!). But the Quran uses the singular — falak. This creates an internal contradiction. The classical scholars were aware that the cosmology required multiple spheres, yet the Quran’s text stubbornly uses the singular.
“The Sun Shall Not Overtake the Moon” — But It Does, Every Eclipse
Let us return to Surah Ya-Sin 36:40:
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ
“It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon…”
Al-Tabari records the following narration in his Tafsir on 36:40:
حدثني يعقوب بن إبراهيم، قال: ثنا الأشجعيّ، عن سفيان، عن إسماعيل، عن أبي صالح ( لا الشَّمْسُ يَنْبَغِي لَهَا أَنْ تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ ) قال: لا يدرك هذا ضوءَ هذا ولا هذا ضوء هذا
“Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, from Al-Ashja’i, from Sufyan, from Isma’il, from Abu Salih — regarding ‘The sun is not permitted to overtake the moon, nor does the night precede the day’ — he said: ‘Neither catches up to the light of the other, nor does the light of one reach the other.’“
This is a remarkable statement and it contains two scientific errors in one sentence:
Error 1: The claim that the sun and moon can never catch up to each other. But what happens during a solar eclipse? The moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun — and from the Earth’s perspective, the moon has “caught up” to the sun and covered it completely. The moon, 1/400th the size of the sun and 400 times closer to the Earth, appears the same size as the sun when viewed from our planet. Thus, when the moon comes in between the sun and the Earth, a solar eclipse results. That the Prophet Muhammad himself witnessed a solar eclipse is confirmed by one of the most authentic hadith in Islam:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1058 (Sahih):
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي قَيْسٌ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لاَ يَنْكَسِفَانِ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلاَ لِحَيَاتِهِ، وَلَكِنَّهُمَا آيَتَانِ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُمَا فَصَلُّوا ”
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone’s death or life, but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah, so pray whenever you see them.”
This hadith with similar wording is also mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari 1041, Sahih al-Bukhari 1048, and Sahih al-Bukhari 1060.
So the Prophet himself knew about eclipses. A solar eclipse is, by definition, the moon “catching up” to the sun from the perspective of the Earth-based observer. Yet the Quran says this is not permitted. If the sun and moon are truly in the same orbit (or even in related orbits as the Quran implies), and they can never catch up to each other, then how do you explain eclipses?
Al-Tabari also narrates from Ibn Abbas about the same verse:
ورُوي عن ابن عباس في ذلك… يقول: إذا اجتمعا في السماء كان أحدهما بين يدي الآخر، فإذا غابا غاب أحدهما بين يدي الآخر
“It was narrated from Ibn Abbas: He said: ‘When they are together in the sky, one of them is ahead of the other, and when they set, one of them sets ahead of the other.'”
This describes the sun and moon chasing each other across the sky — a purely observational, geocentric understanding. From the Earth’s surface, the sun and moon do appear to move across the sky, sometimes one ahead of the other. But this is not a description of orbital mechanics. It is a description of what things look like from the ground — an apparent motion caused by the Earth’s rotation, not by the sun and moon “running” in a shared orbit.
Error 2: “The light of one does not reach the other.” This is flatly wrong. The Moon does not produce its own light. “Moonlight” is actually reflected sunlight. The Moon’s Bond albedo averages 0.136, meaning only 13.6% of incident sunlight is reflected from the lunar surface (source). The very reason we can see the moon at night is because sunlight reaches the moon and bounces back to us. The ancient Greeks knew this too — the ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras noted that “the sun provides the moon with its brightness.” So the Quran’s commentators claim that the light of one does not reach the other, while modern science (and even ancient Greek science!) confirms that the moon shines precisely because the sun’s light reaches it.
But What About Tafsir Ibn Kathir?
Some readers may point to Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah Al-Anbiya 21:33, which appears to offer a different view. Ibn Kathir says:
“…the sun with its own light and its own path and orbit and allotted time, and the moon which shines with a different light and travels on a different path and has its own allotted time.”
At first glance, this looks like it supports the modern scientific understanding — different paths, different orbits. You might think: “See! Islam got it right 1,400 years ago!”
Not so fast. Let us look at what Ibn Kathir also says. He narrates:
كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
“means, revolving. Ibn Abbas said, ‘They revolve like a spinning wheel, in a circle.’“
So even Ibn Kathir ultimately refers back to the same concept — revolving in a circle, like a spinning wheel. And more importantly, if we look at what the broader classical tradition actually meant by “different paths,” we find the answer in Al-Qurtubi’s tafsir cited above: The “different paths” are the different Ptolemaic spheres — the moon in the lowest sphere, the sun in the fourth, etc. — all centered on the Earth. This is not the heliocentric model. This is the debunked geocentric model. The moon does not orbit the sun; the earth does. The “different path” for the sun described by classical scholars is its supposed orbit around the Earth, which is simply wrong.
The Quran Also Mentions the Sun “Running” — But Where Is the Earth?
Another verse worth considering is:
وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
“And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term.”
Once again, the sun and moon are paired together as things that “run.” But notice what is conspicuously absent from these verses: the Earth. The Quran never produces a single verse stating that the earth is traveling in an orbit. The reason is simple — the Quran implies that the earth is stationary in relation to the sun and moon (source).
If the Quran truly contained advanced astronomical knowledge, why does it never mention that the Earth itself moves — that it rotates on its axis and orbits the Sun? If the Quran were truly foretelling modern scientific facts, wouldn’t this have been a perfect place for God to state that the earth also travels, seeing that the orbits of both the sun and moon are mentioned in this verse? Instead, the consistent impression given by the Quran is that the earth is not travelling, whereas the sun and moon are.
The simplest explanation is that the Quran reflects the common understanding of its time: the Earth is fixed, and the sun and moon move around it.
The Real Picture: What Modern Science Actually Tells Us
Let us compare the Quran’s cosmology with what we actually know:
The Moon orbits the Earth at an average distance of about 384,400 km, completing one orbit roughly every 27.3 days.
The Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 149.6 million km, completing one orbit every 365.25 days.
The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy, taking approximately 225–250 million years to complete one orbit.
The Sun and the Moon are not in the same orbit. They are not even orbiting the same thing. The Moon orbits the Earth. The Earth (along with the Moon) orbits the Sun. Putting the Sun and Moon together as though they share an orbit (or even as though they are both independently “running” while the Earth stays still) is a fundamental error.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun — meaning from the Earth’s perspective, the Moon has indeed “caught up” to the Sun. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth is between the Sun and Moon, and the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. Both of these common astronomical events directly contradict the Quran’s claim that the Sun cannot overtake the Moon and vice versa.
The Pattern of Reinterpretation
What we see here is a clear pattern:
Step 1: The Quran makes a statement about the sun and moon moving in “an orbit” (singular) and not catching up with each other.
Step 2: For over a thousand years, the most respected Islamic scholars understood this exactly as it reads — a geocentric model where celestial bodies orbit the Earth in spheres, much like the Ptolemaic system.
Step 3: Modern science discovers that the geocentric model is wrong. The Earth orbits the Sun. The Moon orbits the Earth. Eclipses involve celestial bodies crossing each other’s paths.
Step 4: Modern Muslim apologists quietly change the translation — adding words like “(its own)” and “(their own)” that are not in the Arabic — and claim the Quran predicted modern astronomy all along.
This is not evidence of a scientific miracle. This is evidence of post-hoc reinterpretation — changing the meaning of old texts to fit new discoveries, rather than the texts actually predicting those discoveries.
Questions for the Reader
If the Quran truly contained advanced scientific knowledge from an all-knowing God, why does it:
- Use the singular word for orbit (falak) instead of the plural (aflāk) when describing the movements of different celestial bodies?
- Never once mention that the Earth itself moves or orbits?
- Say that the sun cannot “catch up” with the moon, when every solar eclipse demonstrates exactly that from the observer’s perspective?
- Get interpreted by its own classical scholars — the people closest in time, language, and culture to its revelation — as describing a geocentric Ptolemaic model that is now known to be completely wrong?
- Require modern translators to add words that are not in the Arabic text in order to make it sound scientifically accurate?
These are not minor issues. These are fundamental questions about whether the Quran’s cosmology is divinely inspired or simply a reflection of the 7th-century understanding of the world — an understanding that was wrong then, and is still wrong now.