The aforementioned narrations collectively support and elaborate on the statements of the Holy Qur’an. None of them are in contradiction or in excess of the primary declarations and intents of the Book of God. The summary of their agreed-upon points is as follows:
The incident of the splitting of the moon was a sensory event.
This event occurred approximately five years before the migration to Medina.
Among its eyewitnesses were the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), his noble companions, and the disbelievers of Quraysh.
People, regardless of religious distinction, have conveyed it from generation to generation; therefore, in historical context, it holds the status of khabar-e-mutawatir (continuously recurrent narration).
The incident occurred in the early part of the night, when people were still awake.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and his Companions were present in Mina
The moon was in the form of a full moon and was clearly visible.
The moon split and separated into two pieces.
Then one piece went to one side of the mountain and the other went to the other side.
At this moment, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “People, bear witness.”
The disbelievers directly witnessed this event, yet they could not believe their own eyes, which is why they interpreted it as magic.
Some among them said to wait for the people who are returning from their journey, because they cannot be affected by magic.
When the people came, they also testified about this incident.
Thus, the disbelievers had to acknowledge the truth of this event.
Despite this, they did not believe.
Almost all the narrations of the splitting of the moon include essentially these points. However, in some versions of the narration by Anas (RA), a few additional points are also mentioned that are not transmitted in the narrations of other companions. These versions are as follows:
حدثني عبد الله بن عبد الوهاب، حدثنا بشر بن المفضل، حدثنا سعيد بن ابي عروبة، عن قتادة، عن انس بن مالك رضي الله عنه: ان اهل مكة سالوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ان يريهم آيةً، فاراهم القمر شقتين حتى راوا حراءً بينهما.
Abdullah bin Abdul Wahab narrated to me, he said that Bishr bin Mufaddal narrated to us, he said that Saeed bin Abi Arouba narrated to us, from whom Qatadah narrated that Anas bin Malik (RA) narrated that the disbelievers of Mecca demanded a sign from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), so the Prophet (PBUH) showed them the moon split into two. To the extent that they saw the Hira mountain between the two halves. (Sahih Bukari No. 3868)
حدثني زهير بن حرب، وعبد بن حميد، قالا: حدثنا يونس بن محمد، حدثنا شيبان، حدثنا قتادة، عن انس ان اهل مكة سالوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ان يريهم آيةً فاراهم انشقاق القمر مرتين.
Zuhair bin Harb and Abdul bin Humaid narrated to me, they said that Yunus bin Muhammad narrated to us, he said that Shaiban narrated to us, he said that Qatadah narrated to us from Anas (RA) that the people of Mecca asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for a sign. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, showed them the moon splitting into two parts. (Sahih Muslim No. 7254)
The following three additional points have been mentioned in these accounts:
1. The event of the splitting of the moon occurred twice.
2. This occurred in response to the disbelievers’ demand for a sign.
3. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) showed them the splitting of the moon.
These three points, in terms of the possibility of occurrence, are not beyond imagination. The reason is that if the moon can split once by the power of Allah, it can also do so more than once. Similarly, if Allah can send a sign in response to the demands for signs by former nations, this matter is also possible with the Quraysh. Furthermore, if Allah can grant multiple other miracles to His Messenger (PBUH), it is not unexpected for the splitting of the moon to be manifested through him as well. Despite this, most hadith scholars and commentators have not accepted these additions.
In this context, the summary of their arguments is as follows:
1. At the time of this incident, Anas (RA) was a young child of four or five years and was living in Medina. This makes it clear that he did not witness the incident directly. Furthermore, the individuals from whom he heard of the event are not mentioned in the narration. Therefore, it is likely that he heard and narrated it as a well-known story of his time. Based on this, it is necessary that the primary account of the incident should be attributed to the eyewitness, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA), and only those parts of Anas’s (RA) narrations should be accepted that are consistent with the accounts of Ibn Mas‘ud and other eyewitnesses.
2. In the narration of Anas (RA), the word marratayn (twice) is mentioned, implying that this event occurred twice. This is quite a unique assertion. The words of the Holy Qur’an do not accommodate this interpretation. They indicate a singular occurrence of the splitting of the moon. It is plausible that some later narrators misunderstood firqatayn or fiqatayn (two pieces) as marratayn (twice) and conveyed it as such. This mistake points to the weakness of the mentioned narration.
3. In some narrations from Anas (RA), the demand for a sign from the disbelievers is not mentioned, and in some narrations, instead of the word marratayn, the correct word firqatayn is used. This also creates the possibility that such words are additions by later narrators.
In reference to these evidences, excerpts from a few scholars of Hadith and Tafsir are provided below:
In Al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyah, Allama Ahmad bin Muhammad Qastallani writes:
As for Anas (RA) and Ibn Abbas (RA), they were not present at the time of this incident, because this event occurred in Mecca almost five years before the migration, and Ibn Abbas (RA) had not even been born yet. Hazrat Anas (RA) was about four or five years old at that time and was in Madinah. (2/254)
Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani has written in Fath al-Bari:
Anas (RA) did not witness this event, and Ibn Abbas (RA), from whom this event is transmitted, also did not witness it. The companions, Abdullah bin Mas‘ud, Jubair bin Mut‘im, and Hudhayfah bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them), who are eyewitnesses to this event, do not mention in their narrations that this event occurred in response to the demand of the polytheists. This detail is mentioned only in the narration of Anas (RA) or is transmitted in some of the transmissions from Ibn Abbas (RA). (7/182)
He further writes:
I do not know of any scholar of hadith who has claimed that the event of the moon splitting occurred multiple times during the era of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)... and according to the scholars of hadith and history, this view is incorrect. Therefore, the truth is that the event of the moon splitting happened only once. (7/183)
While summarizing this statement of Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Allama Qastallani has written:
And it is possible that those who say ‘Marratayn’ mean ‘Firqatayn’. Different narrations can only be reconciled in this manner. (2/256)
Maulana Syed Abul A‘la Maududi has elaborated on these points in detail. It is stated in Tafheem-ul-Qur’an:
Some narratives reported from Anas (RA) give rise to the misunderstanding that the event of the splitting of the moon occurred not once, but twice. However, firstly, no other companions have reported this matter. Secondly, some narrations from Anas (RA) use the words marratayn (twice), while others use the words firqatayn and shaqqatayn (two pieces). Thirdly, the Holy Qur’an only mentions a single occurrence of the splitting. Based on this, the correct understanding is that the event happened only once. As for the tales popular among the masses that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) pointed towards the moon with his finger, and it split in two, and that a piece of the moon entered his collar and came out through his sleeve, these are entirely baseless.
Here, the question arises: what was the true nature of this incident? Was it a miracle shown by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) at the request of the disbelievers of Mecca as a proof of his Prophethood? Or was it a cosmic event that occurred in the moon by the power of Allah, to which the Prophet (PBUH) merely drew attention, so that it might serve as a sign of the possibility and nearness of the Hour? A large group of Islamic scholars counts this among the miracles of the Prophet (PBUH) and holds the opinion that it was shown at the demand of the disbelievers. However, this view rests solely on certain reports narrated from Anas (RA). Apart from him, no other Companion has explicitly stated this. In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar writes: “Among all the chains through which this event has been transmitted, I have not come across any version—except the hadith of Anas—that conveys the idea that the event of the splitting of the moon occurred at the request of the polytheists.” (Bab Inshiqaq al-Qamar) A narration conveying the same idea has been reported by Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani in Dala’il al-Nubuwwah from Abdullah ibn Abbas, but its chain of transmission is weak. Moreover, among the many reports transmitted from Ibn Abbas with strong chains in the major hadith collections, none includes this detail. Furthermore, both Anas and Ibn Abbas were not contemporaneous eyewitnesses of the event. In contrast, Companions who were present at the time—such as Abdullah bin Masʿud, Hudhayfah, Jubair bin Mut‘im, Ali, and Abdullah bin Umar—none of them stated that the polytheists of Mecca had demanded a sign as proof of the Prophet’s truthfulness, and that this miracle of the splitting of the moon was shown in response. The most significant point is that the Noble Qur’an itself does not present this incident as a proof of the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), but rather as a sign of the nearness of the Resurrection. Nevertheless, in this regard, it certainly serves as a prominent proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet (PBUH) in that it confirmed the news he had given about the coming of the Day of Judgment.