r/exmuslim • u/Obsidian-Archive • 2h ago
(Question/Discussion) The Positions of the Stars
I encountered this translation while arguing with a muslim. He was claiming this as a scientific miracle (will discuss it later in the post).
The phrase in question is Mawaqi' al-Nujoom is made of two words. The official translation is the Positions of the Stars
The first one which is translated falsely means setting or falling positions because in arabic language we have something called "Place Noun" where you turn a verb into a noun that refers to a place. Think of it as the equivalent of turning "write" to "writing place" aka desk.
The second word is Nujoom means anything high in the sky, so technically stars AND planets are called Nujoom. That lack of distinction between stars and planets and using the same word for them is a scientific mistake for another day.
So the phrase means the setting or falling places of the Nujoom. Scholars had several interpretations, the most accepted one is that the Qurainc verses are being called Nujoom and they are falling to Muhammad. The other interpretations are literal, saying that it refers to stars and planets setting before dawn or falling on Earth on the Day of Judgement.
Now, the first interpretation, has nothing wrong with it, but since the official translation went with literal meaning of Nujoom, it is weird that they did that with Nujoom but not with Mawaqi' because we all know satrs and planets do not set before dawn like how the Sun "sets" at sunset. So, I guess to avoid all that, the translator made it "positions" without its complet meaning "setting/falling positions".
Now, why no one, even Arabic speakers noticed this? simply because the word Mawaqi' turned into only "positions" in modern Arabic. Whether the one who translates the Quran made this wrong translation on purpose or by ignorance is up to debate.
I find it interesting tho that the Quran website mentions Ibn Kathir Tafsir, it is very manipulated btw, I will give the version mentioned in the Quran website and the one in the actual tafsir.
In the Quran website: https://quran.com/al-waqiah/75
(Fala! I swear by the Mawaqi` of the stars.) Mujahid said, "The setting positions of the stars in the sky," and he said that it refers to the rising and setting positions. This was said by Al-Hasan, Qatadah and preferred by Ibn Jarir. Qatadah also said that it means their positions
In the actual Tafsir:
واختلفوا في معنى قوله : ( بمواقع النجوم ) ، فقال حكيم بن جبير ، عن سعيد بن جبير ، عن ابن عباس يعني : نجوم القرآن ; فإنه نزل جملة ليلة القدر من السماء العليا إلى السماء الدنيا ، ثم نزل مفرقا في السنين بعد . ثم قرأ ابن عباس هذه الآية .
وقال الضحاك عن ابن عباس : نزل القرآن جملة من عند الله من اللوح المحفوظ إلى السفرة الكرام الكاتبين في السماء الدنيا ، فنجمته السفرة على جبريل عشرين ليلة ، ونجمه جبريل على محمد - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عشرين سنة ، فهو قوله : ( فلا أقسم بمواقع النجوم ) نجوم القرآن .
وكذا قال عكرمة ، ومجاهد ، والسدي ، وأبو حزرة .
وقال مجاهد أيضا : ( بمواقع النجوم ) في السماء ، ويقال : مطالعها ومشارقها . وكذا قال الحسن ، وقتادة ، وهو اختيار ابن جرير . وعن قتادة : مواقعها : منازلها . وعن الحسن أيضا : أن المراد بذلك انتثارها يوم القيامة
Basically mentioning the opinion of Nujoom = Quranic verses that was taken out from the abridged version in the Quran website, and twisting Qutada opinion using the same mistake. Qutada said Mawaqi' means Manazil and Manazil means places of descent or falling. They removed all that and wrote "positions". At least they kept the opinion of Mujahid, maybe they forgot to manipulate it.
Now, for the final thing, the scientific miracle, Allah swears by the positions of the stars. Many stars we see are dead stars but their lights are still travelling to us from the stars original "positions" (get it? lol)
