THE FLASHES

Third Viewpoint

According to ancient cosmography, it was assumed that the sun moved. Each thirty degrees of its course was called a zodiacal sign. When imaginary lines were drawn between the stars within these signs, forms appeared resembling a lion, a balance, an ox, and a fish. For this reason, those signs were given these names.

In modern cosmography, however, the sun is not regarded as moving in this way; in that respect, these signs have no active function. Instead, it is the earth that moves.

Therefore, these heavenly orbits must now appear on a smaller scale in the annual orbit of the earth. In this way, the zodiacal signs manifest themselves in the yearly course of the earth. The globe of the earth is thus, every month, as it were, beneath the shadow and image of one of the signs. It is as though the annual orbit of the earth functions as a mirror in which the heavenly signs are reflected.

From this viewpoint, the Messenger of Allah (saw), as we mentioned earlier, said on one occasion, “upon the ox,” and on another, “upon the fish.” Indeed, in a manner befitting the miraculously eloquent prophetic language, and as an indication of a very profound truth that would only be understood many centuries later, he once said, “upon the ox.” For at the time when that question was asked, the globe of the earth was, as it were, in the position of the sign of Taurus, the Sawr.

A month later, the same question was asked again, and he then answered: “upon the fish.” For at that time, the globe of the earth was, as it were, in the position of the sign of Pisces, the Hūt.

Thus, as an allusion to this elevated truth that would only be fully understood in the future, and as an indication of the duty, movement, and journey of the globe of the earth, he symbolically said: “upon the ox and the fish.” By this he pointed out that, as far as the sun is concerned, the heavenly signs have remained empty and without a guest, while the truly active signs are found in the annual orbit of the earth. For it is within those signs that the globe of the earth itself fulfils its duty and makes its journey.

Allah knows best what is correct.

Some strange and unreasonable stories concerning the sawr and the hūt found in certain Islamic works are either derived from Israelite narrations, or are symbolic representations, or are interpretations by certain hadith scholars that the inattentive have taken for hadith and therefore wrongly attributed to the Prophet (saw).

رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَاۤ اِنْ نَسِينَاۤ اَوْ اَخْطَاْنَا

سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلٖيمُ الْحَكٖيمُ