Question 550: Is there any historical record of any other civilizations witnessing the moon split (Shaqq al-Qamar) in Muhammedian Era? And,what does the Imami school believe in the event? As there are refutations that the event never occured and is fabricated,and the verse in the Quran simply indicates to locking of moon into two faces which God speaks would happen during end times.
Answer 550: In order to answer this question precisely, we need to mention some points as follows:
1- The splitting of the moon is one of the great miracles of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In surah Inshiqaq, Allah (swt) speaks of this magnanimous incident in such a manner: “اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَ انْشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ”[i]. In this verse, two important incidents have been mentioned; one being the nearness of the Day of Judgment which is the greatest change the universe is to undergo, and the other being the significant miracle of splitting the moon which is both a manifestation of Allah’s (swt) never-ending power and proof of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) prophethood.[ii]
There is more than enough evidence that proves this was a miracle, namely: This matter has been mentioned in the Quran using a past tense verb, showing that the splitting of the moon has taken place, the same way the Day of Judgment has neared as a result of the coming of the final prophet (pbuh).
Add to that the many hadiths in Islamic references that narrate this incident as a miracle of the prophet (pbuh). These hadiths are so high in number to the extent that they leave no doubt that the splitting of the moon was truly a miracle of the prophet (pbuh), a few of the ahadith narrated in Shia and Sunni sources are as follows:
Sheikh Sadouq: Sheikh Sadouq (ra) quoted: Muhammad bin Ebrahim bin Ishaq Taleqani (ra) told me that I heard from Abul Qasim Hussain bin Rooh that he narrated a saying of Imam Mahdi (ajtf) that He said the Shaqq al-Qamar (splitting the moon) is one of the holy Prophet’s (pbuh) miracles.[iii]
Sheikh Mufid: Sheikh Mufid narrated a hadith from Imam sadiq (as) that He said: The moon has been split into two parts by Allah, the Almighty.[iv]
Ahmad bin Muhammad: Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Salt narrated from ibn Oqda Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Saeed from Ali bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ali Hussaini from Ja’afar bin Muhammad bin Eisa from Obaidullah bin Ali from Imam Reza (as) from His father, grandfather, great grandfather from Imam Ali (pbuth) that the Moon has split into two parts in Mecca, then the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: Be Witness, witness (this miracle)…[v]
Anas bin Malik: Bukhari narrated a hadith from Abdullah bin Abdul Wahhab from Bashar bin Mofaddal from Saeed bin Abu Arooba from Qatada from Anas bin Malik: the people of Mecca wanted the Holy Prophet (pbuh) to bring a miracle, so the Prophet showed them the Moon has been split by Him in a way they saw the Hira mountain between the two parts.[vi]
Abdullah bin Muhammad narrated from Younes from Shayban from Qatadat from Anas bin Malik and Khalifa from Yazid bin Zaree from Saeed from Qatada from Anas bin Malik that the people of Mecca wanted the holy Prophet (pbuh) to bring a miracle to prove His Nubuwwat and the Prophet showed it to them.[vii]
The same tradition also narrated from Muslim from Zuhayr bin Harb from Abd bin Hamid from Younes bin Muhammad from Shayban from Qatada.[viii] It is also mentioned in Musnad Ahmad from Abudolla from his father from Younes bin Muhammad ….[ix]
Abdullah Bin Abbas: Bukhari narrated from Yahya bin Bokayr from Bakr from Ja’afar from Ark bin Malik from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah from ibn Abbas that the Moon split at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).[x]
Muslim from Musa bin Quraish al-Tamimi from Ishaq bin Bakr bin Modher from his father from Jafar bin Rabiah from Arak bin Malik from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah bin Masood from ibn Abbas that the Moon was split at the time of the holy Prophet (pbuh). [xi]Also, Tabara narrated it from ibn al-Muthanna from Abdul A’ala, from Dawood from Ali bin Abbas about the verse of the holy Quran “Iqtarabatessâ’ato wânshaqqalqamar” that this issue has been done before the Hegira that people saw the Moon split into two parts. [xii]
Abdullah bin Masood: bukhari narrated from Sadaqa bin Fadl from ibn Ayniyya from Abu Nujayh from Mujahid from Abu Mo’mar from Abdullah bin Masood that the Moon split into two parts at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and then the Prophet (s) said: Witness, witness (this miracle)…. [xiii]
Muslim from Ubaidullah bin Ma’az Anbari from his father from Sho’bah from A’amash from Ebrahim from Abu Mo’amar from Abdullah bin Masood narrated the same, then the one part of the Moon was covered by mountain and the other was above the mountain, so the Prophet (pbuh) said: Witness….[xiv]
The same hadith also narrated from different chain of narraotros: … Ahmad from Abdullah from his father from Sofyan from ibn Abu Nojayh from Mujahid from Abu Mo’amar from ibn Masood. [xv]
What is more interesting is the reason why this miracle took place. The disbelievers said that magic and sorcery only have an effect on the earth, so in order to be sure of the prophet (pbuh) being truthful in his claim and that his miracles aren’t plain magic, they proposed that he split the moon.[xvi]
Despite seeing such evident miracles, the disbelievers (of Quraish) accused the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of being magician, Soothsayer, Mad Man and Liar. In the Holy Quran Allah, the Almighty says: “Therefore continue to remind, for by the Grace of your Lord, you are not a soothsayer, nor a mad man”.[xvii] Also, in the holy Quran Allah (SWT) describes such disbelievers “They impugned them though they were convinced in their hearts wrongfully and defiantly. So observe how was the fate of the agents of corruption!”.[xviii] Although, the disbelievers were sure about the miracles but they denied them. [xix]
The disbelievers had been saying that since the magic cannot be affective in the sky, so they told the holy Prophet (pbuh) that if you split the Moon into two parts we would certainly acknowledge your faith. Thus, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) split it in Mecca on the fourteenth night of Dhu al-Hijjah, but they did not have faith.[xx]
2- The splitting of the moon and contemporary science: First off, not only isn’t the splitting and breaking of celestial bodies possible according to astrology and science, but takes place a lot too, although the causes of such phenomena may vary.
To put it another way, splitting, breakage and explosions frequently occur in space; for instance, scientists today say that the solar system came about through an explosion that involved the sun, breaking parts of it off, hence the different members of the “family” of the solar system.[xxi]
Anyway, the splitting of celestial bodies isn’t something that hasn’t happened before, and isn’t considered scientifically impossible, so it can’t be said that something impossible was the subject of a miracle.
As for the moon coming together again after splitting, it is because of the gravitational force between the two halves, although this fact isn’t correct according to the Ptolemaic system of astrology, because according to this system, our solar system is made up of nine spheres that are stuck together like the layers of an onion, making their splitting and coming together impossible, and it is because of this that the advocates of this system didn’t believe in bodily ascension to the skies and the splitting of the moon, because it necessitated the piercing of these spheres. But today, this system isn’t followed anymore and is considered an incorrect and out-of-date one so its claims on the splitting of the moon being impossible are disregarded.[xxii] According to NASA, our moon has indeed split before and come together again. The official website of Al-Watan, an Arabic newspaper printed in the US, has quoted a Jordanian astronomer and space specialist saying: “After years of orbiting the moon and doing research, the space probe “Clementine” has reached the conclusion that the moon has split into two halves hundreds of years ago, and come together again.” This astronomer has sent a report to NASA explaining that Muslims believe this phenomenon belongs to 1400 years ago and is a miracle of their prophet; a phenomenon that NASA still hasn’t been able to discover the true cause to, because it is a unique one that hasn’t taken place for other celestial bodies.[xxiii]
Two more points to consider:
1- Proving Islamic facts that are somewhat metaphysical, isn’t possible through normal science that is limited to this material world and is only physical, especially since it has developed in an environment that has had nothing to do with Islam.
2- If an issue is logically possible, without any reason for its impossibility, and is something that Islam firmly says has taken place, there is no longer any need to prove it scientifically; although it is sometimes better to do so, so that one becomes personally sure of the fact’s truth.
[i] Inshiqaq:1 “The Day of Judgment has drawn near and the moon split”
[ii] Tafsir Nemouneh, vol. 23, pp. 7-8.
[iii] . Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ne’mat, Sadouq, Vol. 1, Pgs. 507-509, Muhammad bin Ali bin Hussain bin Babwyh Qummi, 381 A.H, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya Publication, Qom, 1395 A.H; Al-Ihtijaj, Tabarsi, Vol. 2, Pgs. 471-473, Abu Mansour, Ahmad bin Ali bin Abu Talib, Mortada Publication, The holy city of Mashad, 1403 A.H.
[iv] . Al-Irshad fee Marefat Hujajallah ala al-Ebad, Mufid, Vol. 2, Pg. 385, Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Noman, 413 A.H, Hezareh Sheikh Mufid International Congress, Qom, 1413 A.H. (eleventh volume of the collection of Sheikh Mufid’s works).
[v] . Al-Amali Liltoosi, Toosi, Vol. 1, Pg. 341, Sheikh al-Taefat Abu Ja’afar Muhammad bin Hasan, 460 A.H, Dar al-Thiqafa, Qom, 1414 A.H.
[vi] . Al-Jame’ al-Sahih al-Mokhtasar, Vol. 3, Pg. 1404, N 3655, Bukhari al-Jofi Muhammad bin Esmaeel Abu Abdullah, 256 A.H, Tahqiq Mostafa Dib al-Baqa, Dar ibn Kathir, al-Yamama, Beirut, 1407 A.H.
[vii] . Ibid, Pg. 1331, N 3438.
[viii] . Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, Pg. 2159, N. 2802, Muslim bin Hajjaj Abul-Hasan Qushayri Nayshaboori, 261 A.H. Taliq wa Tahqiq Muhammad Foad Abdul Baqi, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut.
[ix] . Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 3, Pg. 207, N. 13177, Ahmad bin Hanbal Abu Abullah al-Shaybani, 241 A.H. Qortaba Institution, al-Qahirah (Cairo).
[x] . Al-Jame’ al-Sahih al-Mokhtasar, Vol. 4, Pg. 1843, N. 4585, Bukhari al-Jofi Muhammad bin Esmaeel Abu Abdullah, 256 A.H. Tahqiq Mostafa Dib al-Baqa, Dar ibn Kathir, al-Yamama, Beirut, 1407 A.H.
[xi] . Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, Pg. 2159, N. 48- 2803, Muslim bin Hajjaj Abul Hasan Nayshaboori, 261 A.h, Ta’liq wa Tahqiq, Muhammad Foad Abdul baqi, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut.
[xii] . Jame al-Bayan fee Tafsir al-Quran, Tabari, Vol. 27, Pg. 51, Abu Ja’afar Muhammad bin Jarir, 310 A.h. Dar al-Marefat, Beirut, 1412 A.h.
[xiii] . Al-Jame’ al-Sahih al-Mokhtasar, Vol. 3, Pg. 1330, N. 3437, Bukhari al-Jo’fi Muhammad bin Esmaeel Abu Abdullah, 256 A.h. Ta’liq wa Tahqiq, Muhammad Foad Abdul baqi, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut.
[xiv] . Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, Pg. 2159, N. 43- 2800, Muslim bin Hajjaj Abul Hasan Nayshaboori, 261 A.h, Ta’liq wa Tahqiq, Muhammad Foad Abdul baqi, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut.
[xv] . Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ahmad bin Hanbal Abu Abdullah al-Sheybani, Vol. 1, Pg. 377, N. 3583, 241 A.H. Qortaba Institution, Cairo; Majma al-Bayan fee Tafsir al-Quran, Tabarsi, Vol. 9, Pg. 310, Amin al-Islam Abu Ali Fadl bin Hasan bin Fadl, 548 A.h. Naser Khosrow Publication, Tehrn.
[xvi] Biharul-Anwar, vol. 17, pg. 355 (hadith 10).
[xvii] . Surah al-Toor, verse 29.
[xviii] . Surah al-Naml, verse 14.
[xix] . Makarem Shirazi, Naser, tafsir Nemoonah, Vol. 15, Pgs. 413-414, Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, first edition.
[xx] . Atyab al-Bayan fee Tafsir al-Quran, Tayyib Sayyid Abdul-Hussain, Vol. 12, Pg. 346.
[xxi] Of course there is a debate between different scientists on this subject; some say the main cause was the sun’s centrifugal force, while others say it was the flux and reflux of the sun because of another star nearing the sun.
[xxii] With help from Tafsir Nemouneh, vol. 23, pp. 12-19.
[xxiii] Jomhouriye Eslami (newspaper), issue no. 7608 (23rd of Mehr, 1384, pg.5).