In
the Islamic sacred tradition, this verse of the Qur’an is generally associated
with a special miracle of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), known widely as the
event of “Shaqqul Qamar”, or the ‘splitting’ of the Moon. There are
several Ahadith that confirms
the miracle. The authenticity of these traditions are beyond reproach as the
transmission chains and channels pertaining to them go all the way to the great
companions of the Holy Prophet (sa), such as Ibn
Abbas, Anas bin Malik, Abdullah bin Masud and others. The traditions on the subject can be seen in all the major collections of Ahadith: Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, etc.
For instance, in Sahih Al Bukhari, one can read several
traditions being reported on Shaqqul Qamar:1. Narrated Abdullah bin Masud: "During the lifetime of the Prophet the moon was split into two parts and on that the Prophet said, 'Bear witness (to thus).'"
2. Narrated Anas: "That the Meccan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon."
3. Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: "The moon was split into two parts during the lifetime of the Prophet." (Volume 4, Book No:56, Traditions: 830-832)
4. Narrated Anas bin Malik: "The people of Mecca asked Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiram' mountain."
5. Narrated 'Abdullah: "The moon was split ( into two pieces ) while we were with the Prophet in Mina. He said, "Be witnesses." Then, a Piece of the moon went towards the mountain."
6. Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: "During the lifetime of Allah's Apostle the moon was split (into two places)."
7. Narrated 'Abdullah: "The moon was split (into two pieces)." (Volume 5, Book No:58, Traditions: 208-211)
Hadhrat
Ali (ra) is reported to have affirmed
to have heard the account from several persons that once a number of
polytheists came to the Prophet Muhammed (sa), and said, 'If you claim to be a prophet,
split the moon which is now in the sky into two parts.'
The Holy Prophet (sa) asked them, 'If I
do so, will you then believe?'
and on their answering in the affirmative, he stretched out his hands in
prayer, or, according to another account, he made a sign to the moon with his
fore-finger, when instantly the moon became divided in two, one part remaining
where it was and the other descending behind the mountain and disappearing; or,
according to another account, one half was seen over one mountain and the other
half over another mountain; or, according to still another account, the moon
was divided in such a manner that the mount Hira could be seen between the two
halves. But the unbelievers said, 'Mohammed has used magic before us.'
Rumi on ‘Shaqqul
Qamar’
'A donkey stuck in mud is logic’s fate---
Love’s
nature only love can demonstrate:
Sunshine
reveals its nature in each ray,
So
if it’s proof you want just look this way!
Shadows
can indicate what’s shining bright
But
it’s the sun which fills your soul with light,
Shadows
like late-night chat make people doze,
The moon was
split when that
divine sun rose!
Eternal
sun––there’s nothing quite so strange,
The
soul’s sun has no past, it doesn’t change,'
Again on p.102,
one can read:
“…If
you have problems in perceiving it
You’ll
also doubt the fact the moon was
split,
Revive
your faith, but not just with your tongue,
Secretly
to your lusts why have you clung?
When
lusts are fresh, faith can’t be any more,
Lust
is the very key that locks the door!
Now
you are judging God’s inviolate word––
Examine
your own soul, not truths you’ve heard!
Since
you read through desire the Holy Verse
You
make its meaning wretched and perverse!”
Jalal-ud-Din
Rumi’s The Masnavi, Book One: A New Translation
by Jawid Mojeddedi, Oxford World’s Classics series (edn.2004)
Promised Massih on Splitting of the Moon
“Let
it be known that the miracles of Prophets are of two kinds:
(1)
Those
that are purely heavenly phenomena, in which human design and reason
play no part, such as the miracle of the splitting
of the moon, a miracle of our lord
and master, the Holy Prophet (sa). God manifested this miracle through His
infinite power to manifest the majesty of His true and perfect Prophet (sa).
(2)
Miracles
of wisdom. These are manifested with the help of extraordinary wisdom
that only comes from Divine revelation. An example of this is the miracle of
Solomon referred to in the verse (“A
palace paved with smooth with slabs of glass”- Al Naml, 27: 45) which was
witnessed by Queen Sheba and she was consequently blessed with faith”. - (Izala-e-Auham,
RK, Vol. 3, pp.253-254, footnote)
2.
“The truth of the matter is that God Almighty does not do anything against the
law of nature. What He does is that He creates the causes, whether we know of
them or not, and these are always present. Hence, miracles such as splitting of the moon and the miracle mentioned in
Surah Al Anbiya’ (of fire turning
cold when Abraham (as) was thrown into it, 21:70, “Turn cold O Fire, and be a source
of peace”) are also no
exceptions. Rather, they too resulted
from some very subtle and hidden means, and were based on true and factual
science. Short sighted people and those who are enamoured of dark philosophy
cannot comprehend these things” - (Malfuzat, vol. 1, p.72)
Ustaad Said
Nursi on Moon Splitting
Miracles
take place in order to prove the claim of prophethood and to convince deniers,
but not to force them to believe. This miracle was needed to convince those who
had already heard of the prophethood of Muhammad. To let it be seen from other
parts of the world, or to demonstrate it in an undeniably obvious way,
therefore, would have been contrary both to the wisdom of the All-Wise Creator
and to the purpose of humanity's function in the universe, which is to open the
way for the mind without disabling the free will. If
the All-Wise Creator had, in accordance with the whims of materialist
philosophers, left the Moon in the same condition for a few hours to show it to
the entire world, and if this fact had thereby been recorded by all historians,
it would have been treated among other astronomical incidents, without being
restricted to the messengership of Muhammad and without being considered a
proof of his prophethood. Or, it would have been such an obvious miracle that
it would have forced minds to believe and deprived them of free will. As a
consequence, coal and diamonds (or Abu Jahl and Abu Bakr) would have been the
same and the purpose of humanity's function in the universe would have been
lost...
On the
significance of Shaqqul Qamar for the true believers, Said Nursi wrote:
Khalifa Sani on the Splitting of Moon
In his larger, Five-volume Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, while explaining the relevant verse of Surah Al Qamar, where it is stated: “The Hour draws near; the Moon is split”, Khalifa Sani Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra) (1889-1965) explains it as “a vision of the Holy Prophet in which the Companions of the Holy Prophet and some of the Quraish were made to share-just as the rod turning into a serpent was a vision of Moses in which the magicians were made to share...” (Volume 3; pp.2523-24). As Hadhrat Khalifa Sani further indicated in his Commentary, the Divine signs have a metaphorical dimension as well. As the moon is the symbol of Arab pride, the “splitting” also alluded to the loss of prestige and grandeur of the Arab unbelievers, with the birth and progress of the small army of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the several battles of the period.
‘Shaqqul Qamar’ as a Sign of Our Times
In
the context of our own times, it is interesting to note that learned divines in
the Muslim Ummah looks upon the opening verses in Surah Al Qamar as containing
a promised sign of the Later Days. For instance, in his recent Oxford English Translation
of the Qur’an, the distinguished scholar of Arab-Islamic studies, Professor MAS
Abdul Haleem adds the following explanatory note to the verse on “Shaqqul
Qamar’:
“One of
the signs of the Day of Judgement. The Arabic use of the past tense, as if that
Day were already here, to help the reader/listener imagine how it will be. Some
traditional commentators hold the view that this describes an actual event at
the time of the Prophet, but it clearly refers to the end of the world: cf.
the same expression with reference to the sky, 55:37; 84: 1.” (The
Qur’an: a new translation, Oxford World’s Classics series, p.350; edn.
2010).
The
other verses of the Qur’an, referred above, reads as follows: “When the sky is split and turns crimson,
like red hide” (Surah Ar-Rahman: 55:37);
“When
the sky cracks…” (Surah Al-Inshiqaq (The Cracking), 84:1).
A Prophecy on "Splitting the Moon"
“Likewise, all round the world there have been manifestation of such like phenomena, so that they act as an eye-opener that all these rare occurrences in this special era (2000-till now – in my times). And now, I am going to prophecy yet another heavenly phenomenon, which is the splitting of the moon into two. Such phenomenon has happened in the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) and in my times also, such sign shall be witnessed by my friends and foes alike as a proof of my truthfulness as the Chosen Messenger of Allah of this era, the second Muhammad (saws) whose advent has been prophesised in the Holy Quran in Chapter 62. This prophecy (moon splitting) shall be physical and spiritual, both literal and metaphorical.” ( For the speech, click here ).
The Divine Sign of “Shaqqul Qamar” is being fulfilled in some ways in our own times. It was by the second half of the Fourteenth Century of Islamic Era that scientific exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies have become possible for man. In our prophesised times, as per the Qur’anic view, when the times of “SAA’ATH” (End of Times) has arrived, a man from this earth went to the Moon. After splitting the rocks of the Moon surface, a part of the rock, he brought down to the Earth. This was indeed a Manifestation of the “Shaqqul Qamar”. It is indeed a first of its kind of great, miraculous event in the entire human history. Man has also undertaken space visit in our times. (About this also, the Qur’an prophesizes), Going beyond the Earth orbit and gravitational field, one man goes into the Moon’s surface and brings back a rock formation. Who can deny that it was indeed a miraculous event?
At the turn of the Fifteenth Century of
Islamic Calendar, in 1979, the international community came together and agreed
upon a legal framework for the exploration of Moon and other celestial bodies.
This international agreement is entitled as the Agreement Governing the
Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, better
known as the Moon Treaty. Under Article 11 of the Moon
Treaty, the moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of
mankind. The moon is not subject to national appropriation by any claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means. It further
envisages that States Parties to the Treaty will have to establish an
international regime, including appropriate procedures, to govern the
exploitation of the natural resources of the moon as such exploitation is about
to become feasible.
The direction of scientific and technological developments
in the contemporary times, when viewed in their accompanying political and transnational legal context, leaves one with the profound conviction
that the spiritual prophecy on "Shaqqul Qamar" is going to be
fulfilled in even more magnificent, metaphorical ways. Already, scientists
believe that precious metals and Helium-3, a rare isotope that has potential
for power generation, could be extracted from the Moon’s surface. Also, a
base built on the Moon could be used as a launch pad for a flight to Mars. As
big powers in space technology arena and in space faring activities such as the
United States, Russia, China and India and the European Space Agency, gear up
for increased resource commitments and research agenda for
celestial exploration and exploitation, international law will evolve further
for defining and refining the legal norms applicable for both the exploration and the exploitation of commonly-held natural resources in the
Moon. Put differently, just as nation-states 'split' or share common properties and natural resources down here in the Earth among themselves based on equitable principles and legal arrangements, it is likely that an international legal regime can eventually emerge for what the experts and the scientists may literally call, a framework for "Splitting the Moon" among the member states of the wider international community.
The Holy prophet (sa) spoke about several
Mahdis coming in the Later Days, a fact confirmed by the Promised Massih
(as) as well, as we have noted here. The present Divine
Manifestation in Mauritius confirms that the prophecies of the Holy Prophet
(sa) and the Promised Massih (as) have been fulfilled in own times, Alhamdulillah.
As miracles are the testimonials to the veracity of Divine Existence and
the truthfulness of the revelations being received by the Divine
servants, the extraordinarily rare heavenly sign of the total eclipses of the sun and the moon in the same Holy Month of Ramadan in November 2003, as we have shown here, testified to the truth of the Divine Servant in our midst. Likewise, the different manifestations of "Shaqqul Qamar" unfolding in
our times also bear witness to the truth of the Khalifatullah (aba) and thereby, stands resplendent as an indicator of the vitality of the Islamic spiritual system to produce spiritual moons to defend Islam against all other ideological systems and thereby, illuminate the morally-darkened skies of our lives and times, Insha
Allah, Aameen.
The direction of scientific and technological developments
in the contemporary times, when viewed in their accompanying political and transnational legal context, leaves one with the profound conviction
that the spiritual prophecy on "Shaqqul Qamar" is going to be
fulfilled in even more magnificent, metaphorical ways. Already, scientists
believe that precious metals and Helium-3, a rare isotope that has potential
for power generation, could be extracted from the Moon’s surface. Also, a
base built on the Moon could be used as a launch pad for a flight to Mars. As
big powers in space technology arena and in space faring activities such as the
United States, Russia, China and India and the European Space Agency, gear up
for increased resource commitments and research agenda for
celestial exploration and exploitation, international law will evolve further
for defining and refining the legal norms applicable for both the exploration and the exploitation of commonly-held natural resources in the
Moon. Put differently, just as nation-states 'split' or share common properties and natural resources down here in the Earth among themselves based on equitable principles and legal arrangements, it is likely that an international legal regime can eventually emerge for what the experts and the scientists may literally call, a framework for "Splitting the Moon" among the member states of the wider international community.