Chapter Two

The Splitting of the Moon in the Qur’an

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he incident of the splitting of the moon is mentioned in the opening verses of Surah Al-Qamar in the Qur’an. To understand the nature, reality, and purpose of this event, it is important to comprehend the meanings and implications of these verses. It is stated:

اِقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانْشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ. وَاِنْ يَّرَوْا اٰيَةً يُّعْرِضُوْا وَيَقُوْلُوْا سِحْرٌ مُّسْتَمِرٌّ. وَكَذَّبُوْا وَاتَّبَعُوْ٘ا اَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَكُلُّ اَمْرٍ مُّسْتَقِرٌّ.

The hour which they are being warned of is about to arrive and the moon is cleft asunder. [But they will not profess faith,] and whatever sign they see, they will only evade it and remark: “This is a magic that is being handed down from the past.” [Thus, this is what has happened] and they have denied even now and followed their fancies, and [We did not seize them immediately because with Us] every matter has an appointed time. (54:1-3)

When this passage is read in the light of the overall themes of the Qur’an and the coherence of the discourse, the following points become clear:

1. It is evident from the content of the Surah that it was revealed in Mecca, during the phase of general warning in the Prophet Muhammad’s call. The theme of the Surah is the establishment of the Day of Judgment and, in reference to it, a warning and good tidings. It argues from the manifestation of God’s judgment.

2. It is also evident from the content of the Surah that the address is to the Quraysh of Mecca, who were demanding a sign for the impending punishment. In the aforementioned verses, the words wa in yaraw āyatan yu‘ridū wa yaqūlū sihrun mustamir (and whatever sign they see, they will only evade it and remark: This is a magic that is being handed down from the past) also confirm this point.

3. The Surah references the accounts of the people of Noah, the people of ‘Ad, the people of Thamud, the people of Lot, and the people of Pharaoh. It clarifies that messengers from Allah were sent to them. Alongside them, Allah sent His signs, yet they remained obstinate in denial until the very end. Therefore, Allah brought His punishment upon them. The case of the Quraysh of Mecca is no different from these. Thus, they will be dealt with in the same manner as the wrongdoers of past nations. This has been expressed as a definitive prophecy. The words of verse 45 of the Surah are:

سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّوْنَ الدُّبُرَ.

This group of theirs shall soon be routed, and turning their backs they will be fleeing away. (54:45)

Regarding this prophecy of punishment, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi has written:

This is an explicit prophecy that was made years before the migration and was fulfilled exactly as it was made, down to every letter. After the conclusive proof had been established against the Quraysh, this scene was first witnessed at the Battle of Badr. In the face of God’s overwhelming forces, their assemblages could not hold their ground in any field thereafter, until Mecca was conquered, and everywhere people witnessed them turning away and fleeing. (Al-Bayan 5/91)

4. The chapter begins with the words Iqtarabat al-Saa‘ah (The hour which they are being warned of is about to arrive). According to the esteemed teacher, al-Saa‘ah here refers to the Hour of Judgment, “which begins with the punishment that necessarily befalls the deniers of the Messenger, as a result of their insistence on denial.”^[11] This means that the execution of their judgment in the Hereafter actually begins in this world, and their punishment starts from here as well. There is no further reckoning for them in the Hereafter. They first endure worldly punishment, then suffer in the torment of the grave, and subsequently become fuel for Hell as a continuation of this. The disbelievers of the Quraysh are being warned that if they persist in their ways of denial and disbelief, their fate will be the same. Soon their judgment will be pronounced, and the series of their punishments will commence.

The words Wa anshaqqa al-qamar are explicit regarding the splitting or cleaving of the moon. Anshaqqa is a past tense verb, indicating the occurrence and completion of an action. This means the act of splitting has taken place and reached completion. The subsequent connected verse further emphasizes and confirms that this is not an event to occur in the future,^[12] which is yet to happen, but rather an event that has already occurred. The next verse is Wa in yaraw ayatan yu‘ridoo wa yaqoolu sihrum mustamirrun (and whatever sign they see, they will only evade it and remark: This is a magic that is being handed down from the past).

Javed Ahmed Ghamidi states:

Wa in yaraw ayatan yu‘ridoo wa yaqoolu sihrum mustamirrun. This sentence is clear evidence that the event of the splitting of the moon is not a prophecy of the future, but rather an incident that occurred during the time of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), with which the Qur’an has reasoned about the punishment and the occurrence of the Day of Judgment. Because if the meaning of anshaqqa al-qamar is taken to be that the moon will split, then after that this sentence becomes completely irrelevant. (Al-Bayan 5/83)

6. Similarly, it cannot be attributed to any time before the Messenger, PBUH. It is completely clear from verse 2 that its addressees are the Quraysh, about whom Allah has informed that they will continue to dismiss such signs by declaring them as magic.