“And the sun runneth on unto a resting place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise. And for the moon, We have appointed mansions till she returns like an old shriveled palm leaf. It is not for the Sun to overtake the Moon nor doth the night outstrip the day; they float, each other, in orbit” (36:38-40).

The nature of the universe has always fascinated man, and he has theorized about whether or not the Sun, Moon, and planets move since the beginning of time. As referred to in the above Qur’anic passage, some of his first theories were developed from elaborate mythological tales about the night overtaking the day.

The Qur’an’s revelation brought us insight into the workings of the heavens that we had never had before. It was not until later, however, that we knew how to interpret some of this information. Through the elucidation of previous theories and the knowledge we gained from the Qur’an, man developed mathematical astronomy as we know it today.

Early astronomy consisted largely of mathematical formulas about the heavens. World “systems” and accompanying mathematical tables were drawn alongside one another that showed how calculations in position and motion were made.

In the second century, Claudius Ptolemy was the fountainhead of astronomical calculations, creating some of the first diagrams and tables of the heavens. Although there were earlier scholars who had worked in the area, most of their contributions had been lost.

Later generations improved upon Ptolemy’s work, which, ironically, would have been lost to the world, had it not been for the Islamic Civilization at the time. In The Album of Science, John E. Murdoch says that not only did the scientists of Islamic Empires, Emirates and Sultanates preserve and develop early theories, but they had a far greater understanding of it than most others.

The Ptolemaic theory was that the earth was the center of the universe and that the other planets and even the Sun rotated around it in an eccentric and ecliptic fashion. Diagrams were drawn that showed the earth at the center with circles around it representing the motion of the planets.

They were meant to provide a greater understanding of the workings of the heavens, how day and night were created, how the months and seasons corresponded with the motions of the moon and planets, and the calculation of the distance to and circumference of some of these heavenly bodies.

Some of the manuscripts of Ptolemy’s original model exist only in the form of Arabic copies. John E. Murdoch states, “Medieval refinements of Ptolemy’s accomplishments in mathematical astronomy belong almost entirely to the Islamic and not the Latin scholars.” The most significant contributions to developing his work, in fact, were made by Nasir El-Din Al-Tusi whose system was named the “Tusi-couple.”

The Tusi-couple was developed largely from the Islamic idea that “there is no waste in the heavens”; thus, the motions of the planets must be regular and must follow set mathematical paths. It is a rolling device that illustrates methods of measuring planetary motion and circumference.

If one circle rolls around inside another circle that has twice the radius of the first, any point on the periphery of the first circle describes a diameter of the second.

Expanding on this theory, El-Tusi created a chart of the earth with a vector that periodically expanded and contracted to correspond with the epicycle’s rotation around the earth.

El-Tusi’s diagram was successful in explaining the monthly rotation of the moon around the earth. Many of his theories were later expanded on and developed by Copernicus into a new system.

For Muslim astronomers, a recognition of Allah’s wisdom and the knowledge that He has given to us in the Qur’an have remained the most important factors in studying the universe and interpreting astronomical discoveries.

As time has passed, Qur’anic passages concerning astronomy have become more evident in meaning and even more valuable as a guide for future study in the area.

This article was first published in 2004 and is currently republished for its importance.