The Sun: Never Cease nor Disappear

Ibn 'Abbâs atgis narrated that the Prophet was asked,

"Where does the sun set, and where does it rise from? The Messenger of Allah answered, "It is going in a (nonstop) regular motion; it does not cease or disappear'. It sets in one place and rises in another, and sets in another place and rises elsewhere and so on. So, some people would say the sun has set and others would say it has just risen (at the same moment). "
' The Prophet means that it does not disappear anywhere as they thought that it sets in a certain location, and rises again from that place.
{ Reported by Imam Abi Is-haq al-Hamadhani in "Musnad Imam Abi Is-haq al-Hamadhani".}

Explanation of the Hadîth

This could only take place if the earth is spherical or spheroid, and is, at the same time, continuously rotating round its axis facing the sun. This motion pattern leads to the continuous alternation of day and night on its surface, until life on earth comes to an end, i.e. until the Day of Resurrection.
One of the most prominent phenomena linked to this spherical shape of the earth, is that there are different places of sunrise and sunset for different zones of the globe. Each of the sun, the moon and other celestial bodies, sets somewhere in the globe and rises in another. They are all rotating, regularly, in fixed orbits, which they never leave or depart from
Truly, Allâh says, (...And each of them ( the moon and the sun) floats along in (its own) orbit. ) (Yâsîn: 40) The Messenger of Allâh talked about all these cosmic facts in such accurate scientific style at a period of time when people thought that the earth was flat and stationary.
This is definitely one of the signs, which testifies to the truthfulness of the Message of Muhammad For sure, no one in the Arabian Peninsula at the time of revelation, and for centuries to follow realized the fact that the earth is spherical and that it rotates around its axis facing the sun.
Needless to say that at that time, no one was able to perceive the real or the apparent motion of the moon, the sun and other celestial bodies, as Arabia was but a simple and primitive environment.
The Glorious Qur'ân refers to the spherical shape of the earth and its axial rotating, and to its revolving in its orbit around the sun. The Qur'ân refers to these issues in many verses but in a subtle implicit way which may not astound the bedouins in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of revelation, but still keeps the scientific fact in context. Among these verses are the following: Allâh the Almighty says, (He has created the heavens and the earth with truth (in true proportions). He makes night overlap day and day overlap night and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running (on a fixed course) for an appointed term. Verily He is the Almighty, the Oft-forgiving. (Az-Zumar: 5) 1. The Glorious Qur'ân also confirms in more than one verse that the earth is "spread out" without ending at an edge. This could only be possible if the earth is spherical or spheroid, as the spherical shape is the only shape, which could endlessly be spread out or extended. For example,Allah the Almighty says, (And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers... } (Ar-Ra'd: 3) 2. The same fact is also assured when the Qur'ân refers to the East and the West in different forms. First in the singular', then in the dual form by indicating that there are "Two Easts and Two Wests'"
! As in Sürat al-Muzzamil, (The Lord of the East and the West... (Al Muzzamil: 9). , and in the plural form by referring to "Easts and Wests"
This also emphasizes the fact that the earth is spherical and that it rotates round its axis while facing the sun. These verses also emnhasize the fact that the Earth is tilted on its avis and that it does not orbit the sun in a perfect circle. 3. The fact that the earth is spherical in shape is also emphasized by the verses referring to the alternation of night and day.
The Glorious Qur'ân indicates how Allah makes the “Night overlap (Kawwar') the Day and the Day overlap the Night'
(Sürat az-Zumar: 5). Among the verses that indicate the spherical shape of the earth is the one referring to the passing away of the mountains in the saine way the clouds do, (And you will see the mountains and think them stationary, but they shall pass away as the passing away of the clouds...) (An-Naml: 88) ' As in Sürat ar-Rahmân, "The Lord of the two Easts (places of sunrise) and the Lord of the two Wests (places of sunset)." (Ar-Rahmân: 17). Reference is made here to the places of sunrise and sunset during early summer and early winter. Even though the sun rises and sets from a different location throughout the 365 days of the year, the difference between sunrise and sunset at early summer and early winter is more clearly distinct, indicating the longest and the shortest days of the year.
As in Sürat al-Ma'ârij, "So I swear by the Lord of the Easts (all the points of sunrise in the east) and the Wests (all the points of sunset in the west) that surely We are able..." (Al-Ma'ârij: 40). This verse refers to locations of sunrise and sunset throughout the year.
3 The Arabic word used here "Kawwar" means to overlap, roll or coil round an axis, which indicates the circular movement of an object. The overlapping, rolling or winding of the day and night can only take place if the earth is spherical and that it rotates round its axis. Thus, day and night will continuously occur.
4 The clouds in their movement are driven by an external force, which is the wind, while the mountains are driven by the rotations of the earth.
All of the above facts mentioned in the Qur'ân have urged Muslims, at the time of the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mûn, to measure the circumference of the earth very accurately.
Their imotive was the firm belief that the earth is spherical and that it rotates around its axis facing the sun. Moreover, the Muslim scholar and scientist "al-Bayyrûnî"' divided the earth into lines of longitude and latitude, in his book: "Tahdîd Nihâyât al-Amâkin li Tas-hih Masâfât al-Masâkin," which he wrote in 416 A.H (about 1040 A.C.). The source of all this knowledge is the illuminating signs that are mentioned in the Qur'ân and Sunnah of the Prophet *, and each of them testifies to the truthfulness and the Divine nature of the Message of the last of the Prophets and Messengers. This accurate scientific knowledge could not be obtained except for a Divine Revelation.
' {He was a Muslim scholar and Mathematician of Persian origin, died in 1048. He left several books in comparative religion, astronomy, geology; etc. 2 The title means, "Determining the ultimate locations of zones to correct the distances between lands."}