THE RADIANT COSMOGRAPHY
Containing
the cosmograpi& of tradition By the Master Galdi ad-Din
as-Suyuti
The list of its chapters:
1.
The Throne and the
Footstool
2.
The Tablet and the Stylus
3.
The Heavens and the Earths
4.
The Sun, the Moon, and the
Stars
5.
The Night, the Day, and
the Hours
6.
The Water and the Winds
7.
The Clouds and the Rain
8.
The Thunder, the
Lightning, and the Thunderbolt
9.
The Milky Way and the
Rainbow
10.
The Earthquake
11.
The Mountains
12.
The Seas
13.
The Nile
In the name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate!
Praise be to God, Who taught us what
we did not know!
And God’s blessing and peace on our
lord Muhammad, on his family, and on his Companions.
And then: This is a book on
cosmography, which I have compiled from the traditions and executed on the
basis of the old narrations. It was my goal that those with intelligence might
rejoice and those with eyes take heed.
I gave it the title: “The Radiant
Cosmography containing the cosmography of tradition”.
And I ask God for a good intention
and a pleasing conclusion!
The First Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the throne and the footstool
1.
Words of God Most High:
“And He is the Lord of the great throne”.
2.
And again: “His footstool
extends over the heavens and the earth”.
3.
Ibn Abi Hatim, in his Tafsir,
and Abu s-Sayh, in his Kitab al-^azama (Book of Greatness), produce the
following tradition on the authority of Wahb b. Munabbih: “God Most High
created the throne from His light. The footstool is attached to the throne. And
all the water is inside the footstool, and it rests on the wind. — Around the
throne there are four rivers: A river of glittering light, a river of blazing
fire, a river of snow so white that the eyes become radiant under its
influence, and a river of water. The angels are standing in these rivers,
praising God Most High. — And the throne has as many tongues as there are tongues
in all creatures. With those tongues it praises God and repeats His name.”
4.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh, on the authority of Sacid at-Ta’i, cite this tradition: “The
throne is a red hyacinth.”
5.
Further, Sa'id b. Mansur,
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu s-Sayh, on the authority of Mugahid, quote the following
tradition: “The heavens and the earth contain only as much of the throne as a
circle holds of the ground of the wide desert.”
6.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Ibn ‘Amr
as saying:
“God created four things with His
hand: Adam, the throne, the stylus and the garden of 'Aden. And He said to the
other creatures: ‘Be!’ — And they came into existence.”
7.
And, on the authority of
Ibn 'Abbas (may God be pleased with them both!), Abu s-Sayh and Ibn Abi Hatim
produce the following tradition: “No one can correctly assess the magnitude of
the throne except He who created it. As for the heavens, they are, when
compared with the creation of the Merciful, like a dome in relation to a wide
desert.”
8.
At-Tabaram and Abu s-Sayh,
on the soundly established authority of ‘Abdallah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, quote the
saying that the throne is encircled by a snake, and that revelation descends as
along the links of a chain.
9.
Abu s-Sayh relates on the
authority of as-Sa'bi that God’s messenger
(God’s blessing and peace be with
him!) said: “The throne is of a red hyacinth. One of the angels looked at it
and its magnitude. Then God revealed to him: ‘Truly, I have placed in you the
power of seventy thousand angels, each having seventy thousand wings, so fly!’
— And the angel flew with the power given to him and the wings, just as God
wanted him to fly. He stopped, looked at his place, and he had not budged at
all.” 10. And he quotes Mugahid as saying that the footstool, in relation to
the throne, occupies only as much space as a circle on the ground of the wide
desert.
11.
From ar-RabT‘ b. Anas he
takes the following statement concerning the word of the Most High ‘And the
roof raised high’: “This is the throne. ‘And the overflowing ocean’: This is
the upper water which is under the throne.”
12.
Concerning God’s word ‘And
the overflowing ocean’, Said b. Mansur, cAbd ar-Razzaq, and Ibn Abi
Hatim mention thatcAU b. Abi Talib (may God be pleased with him!)
said: “An ocean under the throne.” 13. Ibn Abi Hatim quotes Kacb as
saying: “Truly, the heavens are in relation to the throne like a lamp suspended
between heaven and earth.” 14. As Ibn Abi Hatim reports on the authority of
‘Umar b. Yazid al- Basri, it is mentioned in the prophecies of the prophet
Harun (blessings and peace be on him!) that this ocean of ours is a bay
belonging to the Nitas, and the Nitas is behind it and surrounding the earth.
The earth and its seas are in comparison with the Nitas like a spring to the
surface of the ocean. Behind the Nitas there is the Qaynas, surrounding the
earth. The Nitas and whatever is below it stand in the same relation to this
Qaynas as a spring to the surface of the ocean. Behind the Qaynas there is
al-Asamm, surrounding the earth. Compared with it the Qaynas, and whatever is
below it, are like a spring to the surface of the ocean. Then, behind al-Asamm,
there is al-Muzlim, surrounding the earth. Compared with it al-Asamm and
whatever is below it are like a spring to the surface of the ocean. Further,
behind al-Muzlim, there is a mountain of diamond, surrounding the earth.
Compared with it al-Muzlim and whatever is below it are like a spring to the
surface of the ocean. Behind that diamond, there is al-Baki, which is sweet
water; it surrounds the earth. God gave the command that one half of it should
be beneath the throne. But it itself had the will to stay united. So God chided
it, and it was weeping, begging God for pardon. The diamond and whatever is
below it stand to it in the same relation as a spring to the surface of the
ocean. Then, behind it, there is the throne, surrounding the
earth. Compared with it al-Baki and
whatever is below it are like a spring to the surface of the ocean.
15.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Hammad
as saying: “God created the throne from a green emerald; and He added four
pillars of red saphire. Then God created a thousand tongues for it. And on
earth He created a thousand nations. Every nation praises God with one of the
tongues belonging to the throne.”
16.
Abu s-Sayh and Abu Nu'aym
in his al-Hilya, with a weak chain of transmission, quote the following
tradition from 'Ali (may God honour him!): “God’s messenger (may God grant him
blessings and peace!) said: ‘The footstool is a pearl, and also the stylus is a
pearl. The length of the stylus is seven hundred years, whereas the magnitude
of the footstool is such that the people of knowledge do not know it.’ ”
17.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh refer to ar-RabF b. Anas concerning God’s word: “And His throne rests on
water.” His explanation was: “When God created the heavens and the earth, He
divided that water on which His throne rests into two parts: He placed one half
under the throne, namely the overflowing ocean. Not a drop falls from it until
the trumpet is being blown (i.e. Day of Resurrection). A kind of dew descends
from it, and the bodies grow from that. God placed the other half below the
lowest earth.”
18.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh, through the intermediary of as- Suddi, quote the saying of Abu Malik
that the footstool is under the throne.
19.
Ibn Garir, Ibn Mardawayh
and Abu s-Sayh report on the authority of Abu Darr (may God be pleased with
him!) that God’s messenger (peace and blessings on him!) said: “Oh, Abu Darr,
the seven heavens are in comparison with the footstool nothing but a circle
placed on the ground of a wide desert. And the excess of the throne over the
footstool is like the excess of the wide desert over that circle.”
20.
Ibn Garir quotes a saying
of ad-Dahhak to the efiect that His footstool which is placed beneath the
throne is of that kind on which the kings put their feet.
21.
On the authority of Ibn
'Abbas (may God be pleased with both of them!) al-Firyabi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn
al-Mundir, at-Tabarani and al- Hakim in his al-Mustadrak —
authenticating it in accordance with the stipulation of the masters — quote the
following tradition: “The footstool is the place of the two feet, and the
throne is such that no one can determine its measure.”
22.
Ibn Garir and Ibn
al-Mundir cite Abu Musa al-Ascari’s saying that the footstool is the
place of the two feet, and that it makes a creaking sound like that of a
camel’s saddle. — I say, his expression ‘the place of the two feet’ is a
metaphor, an analogy with the kings of this world, as the report of ad-Dahhak
clearly indicates.
23.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn
al-Mundir, through the intermediary of ad- Dahhak, quote Ibn 'Abbas (may God be
pleased with them both!) as declaring: “If the seven heavens and the seven
earths were spread out and then one connected with the other, still, with
regard to the width of the footstool they would only be like the circle in
relation to the deserts.” 24. Ibn Garir, Ibn Abi Hatiin and Ibn al-Mundir cite
a saying on the authority of as-Suddi that the heavens and the earth are in the
cavity of the footstool, and that the footstool is in front of the throne.
25.
Ibn Garir, on the
authority of ad-Dahhak, reports that al-Hasan (may God be pleased with him!)
used to say: “The footstool is (that part of) the throne that is between the
throne and the seventh heaven.”
26.
Relying on the
transmission of Mugahid from Ibn cAmr (may God be pleased with both
of them!), and also through the intermediary of someone else than Mugahid, Abu
s-Sayh quotes the following tradition: “Truly, between the throne and the
angels there are 90 veils: One of light, another one of darkness, then one of fire,
and then another one of darkness.”
27.
And he quotes Mugahid as
saying: “Between the throne and the angels there are 70,000 veils of light.”
28.
Furthermore, Abu s-Sayh
mentions that according to Zurara b. Abi Aufi the Prophet (may God’s peace and
blessing rest upon him!) asked Gibril (peace be on him!) whether he had seen
his Lord. But he shuddered and replied: “As it is, between me and Him there are
seventy veils of light. If I ever came close to the one nearest to me I would
get burnt.”
29.
And in connection with a hadit
of Anas he brings a similar tradition.
30.
Through the intermediary
of cAmr b. Su'ayb, who had it from his father, and he, in turn, from
his grandfather, Abu s-Sayh cites the following tradition: “God conceals
Himself from His entire creation through four things: Through fire and through
darkness, then through light and through darkness, above the seven heavens and
the highest ocean above all, below the throne.”
31.
Abu s-Say|i and Ibn
Mardawayh, on the authority of Sahl b. Sa‘d,
quote the following saying of God’s
messenger (God’s peace and blessing be with him!): “Below God there are 70,000
veils of light and darkness. No one has heard anything about the beauty of
those veils but his soul departed.”
32.
And from al-Qurtubi Abu
s-Sayh derives this tradition: “It reached us that between the Almighty and the
nearest of His creatures there are four veils, and the distance between every
two veils is like that between heaven and earth: A veil of darkness, a veil of
light, a veil of water and a veil of white fire.”
33.
Further, Abu s-Sayh cites
the following tradition from Wahb: “Between the angels who carry the footstool
and the angels of the throne there are seventy veils of darkness, seventy veils
of coldness, seventy veils of ice and seventy veils of light. The thickness of
each of these veils is the distance of five hundred years. And from veil to
veil the distance is five hundred years.”
34.
And Abu s-Sayji quotes Ibn
c Abbas as stating: “The heavens and the earth, in relation to the
abysses behind them, where there is no heaven and no earth any more, are like a
tent in relation to a desert. What would that tent amount to for someone from
this earth?”
35.
Based on a weak chain of
transmission, Abu s-Say|i cites the following saying of Ibn cAbbas
(may God be pleased with them both)!: “From the seven heavens up to the throne
there is a distance of 36,000 years.”
36.
cAbd
b. Hamid, in his Tafsir, and Abu s-Say^ quote cIkrima as
saying: “The Sun is one seventieth of the light belonging to the footstool. And
the footstool is one seventieth of the light belonging to the throne. The
throne is one seventieth of the light belonging to the veil.”
The Second Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the tablet and the stylus
1.
God said: “. . . on a
guarded tablet.”
2.
And again He said: “By the
fish and by the stylus.”
3.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
^s-Sayh, relying on a blameless chain of transmission, quote Ibn 'Abbas (may
God be pleased with them both!) as saying: “God created the guarded tablet with
a length of a hundred years. As He was sitting on the throne, God spoke to the
stylus, before He began with creation: ‘Write!’ — The stylus replied: ‘And what
shall I write, my Lord?’ — He said: ‘Write down my knowledge that is in my
creation, until the day when the hour arises!’ — And the stylus moved with what
exists in God’s knowledge until the day of resurrection.”
4.
Abu s-Sayh, through the intermediary
of Malik b. Dinar, cites the following tradition from Anas: “God’s messenger
(God’s peace and blessing be upon him!) said that God has a tablet of which one
side is made of a red hyacinth, and the other side of a green smaragd. His
stylus is light; with it He creates, with it He provides the means of
subsistence, with it He gives life and with it He causes death, with it He
gives a high position and with it He brings low, and with it He does whatever
He wants every day and night.”
5.
Relying on the
transmission of Sacid b. Gubayr, Abu s-Sayh and at- Tabarani relate
the following saying of Ibn 'Abbas (may God be pleased with both of them!):
“God created a tablet from a white pearl, the two sides being made of a ruby
and a green chrysolite. Its stylus is light, and its writing is light. And its
width is the distance between heaven and earth. Every day He looks at it 360
times, while He creates and provides, gives life and takes it, gives a high
position and brings low, and does whatever He wants.”
6.
And, through the
intermediary of ad-Dahhak, Abu s-Sayh cites the following tradition from Ibn
'Abbas (may God be pleased with both of them!): “God’s messenger (God grant him
blessings and peace!) said that God created a tablet from a white pearl, the
two sides of which are made of a green chrysolite, and the writing on it is
light. Every day He looks at it 360
times And He gives life and takes it,
He creates and gives the means of subsistence, and He does whatever He wants.”
7.
Relying on the
transmission of Abu Zalal al-Gasli, Ibn Abi d-Dunya in his Makdrim
al-ahlaq, Abu s-Sayh in his Kitab al-cazama and al-
Bayhaqi in his Kitab su’-ab al-iman quote the following statement of
Anas (may God be pleased with him!): “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace
be on him!) said that God has a tablet, made of a green chrysolite, under the
throne. On it He writes: ‘Verily, I am God; there is no divinity beside me! I
am merciful, and I am asked for mercy. I brought into existence some 300
creatures and a few tens. Whichever of them is about to come into being with an
act of profession (Truly, there is no divinity except God!), this one enters
Paradise.”
8.
Abu s-Sayh, in his Kitab
al-‘azama, and al-Bayhaqi, in his Kitab sucab al-iman,
hand down the following tradition from Abu Sacid al- Hudri (may God
be pleased with him!): “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!)
declared that in front of God there is a tablet: on it 315 codes of law are set
down. The Merciful says: ‘By my might and glory, no one of my servants will
come to me as long as he is not attached to one of them, unless I myself bring
him into Paradise.’ ” 9. Ibn Garir and Abu s-Sayh, in his Tafsir,
quote Gubayr b. Nufayr as stating: “Truly, God’s throne was standing on the
water. Then He created the stylus; and with it He wrote down what He was
creating and what of His creation came into being. Thereafter that writing
praised God Most High and exalted Him for a thousand years, before He
created a thing of creation.”
10.
Based on a sound chain of
transmission, Abu Ya'la cites the following tradition from Ibn 'Abbas (may God
be pleased with them both!): “According to a statement of God’s messenger
(God’s blessing and peace be with him!), the first thing which God Most High
created was the stylus. And He gave it the command to write down everything.” 11.
Also with a sound chain of transmission going back to Ibn 'Abbas (may God
be pleased with them both!), at-Tabararu relates the following saying from the
Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!): “When God created the stylus
He said to it: ‘Write!’ — And it kept running with whatever comes into being up
to the Last Day.”
12.
At-Tabararu quotes Ibn
'Abbas (may God be pleased with them both!) as saying: “Verily, God created the
throne, and He sat down on it. Then He created the stylus, and He gave it the
command to keep running with His permission. The stylus is as big as the
distance between heaven
and earth. This stylus said: ‘With
what shall I be running, Lord?’ — He replied: ‘With that which I am creating
and which comes into being within My creation, namely rain, plants, souls and
good action’. That is, through it there is action, subsistence and fixed time.
And the stylus kept running with that which comes into being, until the day of
Resurrection. God has recorded it in the hidden book which He keeps with
Himself under the throne.”
13.
Relying on the
transmission of Ibn cAmr (may God be pleased with them both!) Abu
s-Sayh relates the following statement of the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace
be with him!): “Verily, as the first thing God Most High created, He created
the stylus. It consists of light, extending over a distance of 500 years. Then
He gave it His command. And it kept running with whatever comes into being
until the Day of Resurrection. So accept as true whatever comes to you from God
through His power.”
14.
And he quotes Mugahid as
saying: “God created the reed as the first thing He created (al-yarac
is another word for al-qasab). Thereafter He created the stylus from
that reed. Then He said: ‘Write down what will come into being until the Day of
Resurrection!’ ”
15.
But, on the basis of a
weak chain of transmission going back to Ibn c Abbas (may God be
pleased with them both!), he also cites the following tradition: “The first
thing God Most High created was the throne, consisting of light. Then came the
footstool; then the guarded tablet from a white pearl, with its two sides being
made of a ruby. Its stylus is light, and its writing is light. Every day God
looks at it 360 times; and with every look He creates, He gives life and takes
it, He elevates and puts down, He raises nations and He brings nations low. He
created a stylus from light, the length of which is 500 years, and also its
width is 500 years. And He addressed it thus: ‘Write!’ — Itreplied: ‘What shall
I write ?’ - So He said: ‘Write down my knowledge in my creation until the Hour
comes up!’—The tip of the stylus is split, the ink is dripping from it.”
The Third Chapter
What is mentioned concerning the seven heavens
and the seven earths
1.
A word of God Most High:
“It is God Who created seven heavens, and of earths their like.”
2.
Ibn Rahuya, in his Musnad,
Abu s-Sayh and al-Bazzar, on the basis of a sound chain of transmission that
goes back to Abu Darr, report that God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be
with him!) presented the following teaching: “The interval between heaven and
earth is the distance of 500 years. The diameter of every heaven is also as
much as 500 years. And the interval between this heaven and the one that comes
after it is also as big as 500 years. Thus up to the seventh heaven, and with
the earths it is similar. And the distance between the seventh heaven and the
throne corresponds to all that.”
3.
Abu s-Sayb cites the
following tradition from Abu d-Darda’ (may God be pleased with him!): “God’s
messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said: ‘The diameter of
the earth is the distance of 500 years, that of the second is similar to that,
and the interval between every two earths is also like that.’ Then he expounded
the meaning of this.”
4.
Ahmad b.
Hanbal (may God be pleased with him!), in his Musnad, Abu Da’ud,
at-Tirmidi, who declares it to be of good quality, Ibn Maga, Ibn Abi cAsamm,
in his Sunna, Abu Yacla, Ibn Huzayma, at-Tabarani, al- Hakim,
and — giving it a sound derivation — Abu s-Sayh have the following tradition
from al-c Abbas b.c Abd al-Muttalib: “We were with the
Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) when he said: ‘Do you know what
the distance is between heaven and earth?’ — We answered: ‘God and His
messenger know better!’—He said: ‘Between them there is a distance
of 500 years; and from every heaven to another heaven there is a distance of
500 years. The diameter of every heaven, too, is 500 years. Above the seventh
heaven there is a sea between the surface of which and the greatest depth the
distance is as big as that between heaven and earth. Then, above that, there
are eight mountain goats; from their knees doWn to their hoofs, the distance
equals that between heaven and earth. Still higher up there is the throne;
between its lowest and its uppermost part the
extension is as great as that between
heaven and earth. Finally, above that, there is God, the Praised and Exalted!”
5.
At-Tirmidl, Ibn Mardawayh
and Abu s-Sayh quote the following tradition from Abu Hurayra (may God be
pleased with him!): “We were sitting with God’s messenger (God’s blessing and
peace be with him!) when a cloud passed over us. He said: ‘Do you know what
this is?’ — They responded: ‘God and His messenger know better!’ — He
explained: ‘This is the one that covers, this is the one that waters the earth.
God leads it to the people of a land who do not worship Him and who do not
return thanks to Him. Do you know what is above that?’ — They replied: ‘God and
His messenger know better!’ — He said: ‘Above that there is an enclosed wave
and a secured roof. And do you know what is above that?’ — They answered: ‘God
and His messenger know better!’ — He said: ‘Above that there is a heaven. Do
you know what is above that?’ — They replied: ‘God and His messenger know
better!’ — He said: ‘Above that there is another heaven. Do you know what is
between the two?’ They responded: ‘God and His messenger know better!’ — He
said: ‘Well, between the two there is a distance of 500 years.’ (And so he
continued) until he had enumerated seven heavens, the distance between each two
heavens being that of 500 years. Then he asked: ‘Do you know what is above
that?’ — They replied: ‘God and His messenger know better!’ — So he said:
‘Above that there is the throne. And do you know what the distance is between
the two?’ — They said: ‘God and His messenger know better!’ He explained:
‘Well, that interval is like the one between two heavens,’ or as he had said.
Then he continued: ‘Do you know what this is, this earth? Do you know what is
b^low it?’ — They responded: ‘God and His messenger know better!’ — He said:
‘Another earth; and the distance between the two is 500 years.’ And so on,
until he had enumerated seven earths, the interval between every two earths
being 500 years.”
6.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh quote Kacb as stating: “Verily, God created seven heavens,
and of earths the like of them. He made the distance between every two heavens
like that between the lowest heaven and the earth. And He made their thickness
like that. He also made the distance between every two earths like that between
the lowest heaven and the earth, and the thickness of every earth like that.
The throne was above the water. And He raised the water, until He placed the
throne on it. Then He took the water to give it a place under the seventh
earth.” 7. Ibn al-Mundir, in his Tafsir, ‘Utman b. SaTd
ad-Dariml, in the book Rudd cald l-Gahmiya, and Abu s-Sayh
cite the following tradition from
Ibn Mascud (may God show
him His pleasure!): “Between heaven and earth there is a distance of 500 years.
And the distance between every two heavens is 500 years. The diameter of every
heaven and earth, namely the thickness, is also as much as 500 years. Then, the
interval between the seventh heaven and the footstool measures 500 years, as
does that between the footstool and the water: 500 years. The throne stands on
the water, and God is on the throne. He knows what you are on.”
8.
Ibn Garir and Ibn
al-Mundir quote the following tradition from Ibn Mascud and some of
the Companions: “Verily, God’s throne stood on the water. He had not yet
created anything except what He created before the water. So, when He decided
on the work of creation, He caused steam to come forth from the water, and it
rose over the water and was high above it. He named it ‘heaven’. Thereafter He
desiccated the water, and thus established it as one earth. Then He split it up
and in the course of two days, Sunday and Monday, He formed it into seven
earths. He created the earth on top of a fish, the one He mentions in His
exalted word: ‘By the fish and the stylus’. The fish is in the water, and the
water rests on top of stones. The stones are placed on the back of an angel,
the angel on a rock, the rock on the wind. This is the rock of which Luqman
(peace be with him!) says: ‘It is neither in heaven nor on earth’. The fish
moves and stirs, and there is an earthquake. He established the mountains on
earth, and it became stable. And He created the mountains on it,
varieties of food for its inhabitants, its trees and whatever it needs, (all
this) in the course of two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. — Thereafter He turned
towards heaven, which consisted of steam. That steam originated from the
breathing of the water, while it was breathing. He established it as one
heaven. Then He split it up and in the course of two days, Thursday and Friday,
He formed it into seven heavens. Indeed, He named that day the day of union,
for on that day He united the creation of the heavens and the earth. In every
heaven He revealed its peculiarity.” — He said: “Then He created the angelic
creatures belonging to every heaven, and also their seas and icebergs, and what
remains unknown. Thereafter He adorned the lowest heaven with stars; He created
them as ornaments and a protection from the devils.” 9. Abu s-Sayh quotes the
following tradition from Sacid b. Gubayr concerning God’s word ‘The
two (i.e. the heavens and the earth) were sewn together, so We took the two
apart’: “The heavens and the earths,” he said, “were clinging together. So He
raised the heaven, beginning from earth. And He kept taking them apart.”
10.
Abu s-Sayh cites the
following tradition from Mugahid concerning
God’s word ‘The two (i.e. the heavens
and the earths) were sewn together, so We took the two apart’: “Of earths: six
— and that makes seven; and of heavens: six — and that makes seven.”
11.
From lyas b. Mucawiya
he relates this saying: “This heaven is vaulted over the earth like a dome.”
12.
cAbd
b. Hamid and Abu s-Sayh quote Wahb as saying: “Some parts of heaven encircle
the earths and the oceans like the ropes of a tent.”
13.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes the
following saying of the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) from
Gubayr b. Matcam: “God is seated on His throne, His throne stands on
His heavens, and His heavens are on His earth like this! And he indicated with
his finger the likeness of a dome.” *
14.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes
as-Suddi as giving the following explanation of God’s word ‘Heaven an edifice’:
“The edifice of heaven spans over the earth like a dome-structure; it is a roof
over the earth.”
15.
Also concerning God’s word
‘Heaven an edifice’, Ibn Garir cites the following tradition from Ibn Mascud
and some of the Companions: “A roof over the earth like a dome-structure.”
16.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes
al-Qasim b. Abi Bazza as saying: “Heaven is not quadrangular, but it is
vaulted. To the humans it appears green.”
17.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following tradition from Ibn c Abbas: “A certain man
said: ‘Oh messenger of God! What is this heaven?’ — He answered: ‘This is a
wave held off from you.”
18.
Rahuya, in his Musnad,
at-Tabarani, in al-Ausat, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu s-Sayh, and Ibn al-Mundir
quote the following statement of ar-Rabic b. Anas: “The lowest
heaven consists of a wave that is held back. The second consists of white
marble; the third of iron; the fourth of copper; the fifth of silver; the sixth
of gold; and the seventh of rubies.” Ibn Abi Hatim adds: “And what is above
that are deserts of light. No one knows what is above that except God Most High
and the angel in charge of the veils, called Mitafarus.”
19.
Abu s-Sayh, based on a
very weak chain of transmission, relates the following tradition from Salman
al-Farisi (may God he pleased with him!): “As regards heaven, the lowest one
consists of green smaragds; its name is RaqFd. The second is of white
silver; its name is Araqliin. The third is of rubies; its name is Qaydiim.
The fourth is of white pearls; its name is Mdcund. The fifth
is of red gold; its name is DFa. The sixth is of green hyacinths; its
name is Daqua. The seventh is of light; its name is cAriba.”
20.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes as-Sacbi
as narrating that Ibn 'Abbas (may God be pleased with them both!) wrote to Abu
1-Gald, asking him about the sky, namely of what substance it is. In reply he
wrote to him (i.e. Ibn cAbbas): “Verily, the sky consists of an
enclosed wave.”
21.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites the
following tradition from Haba al-cUrani: “One day I heard cAli
(may God be pleased with him!) swear: ‘By the one who created the sky from
steam and water!’ ”
22.
Ibn Abi Hatim and the Sayh
quote Ka'b as stating: “Heaven is whiter than milk.”
23.
cAbd
ar-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Hatim quote Sufyan at-Tauri as saying: “There is a rock
under the earths. We have been told that it is that rock from which the
greenness of the sky originates.”
24.
Abu s-Say^ quotes the
following explanation of Ibn 'Abbas concerning God’s word ‘By heaven with all
its tracks’: “With beauty and splendour,” he said. “Indeed, its meaning is:
Like the garment that is (well) knotted.”
25.
And again concerning this
verse, he quotes al-Hasan as saying: “With its beautiful creation, firmly
joined together through the stars.” 26. Concerning this verse, too, he mentions
the explanation of Abu Salih: “With its hard disposition.”
27.
From Ibn cAmr
(may God be pleased with them both!) he cites the following interpretation: “
‘By heaven with all its tracks’ is (said of) the seventh heaven.”
28.
From 'Afi b. Abi Talib
(may God grant him honour!) he quotes the following tradition: “The name of the
lowest heaven is Raq^-, and the name of the seventh heaven is as-Surdh.”
29.
He cites the following tradition
from ‘Utman b. Sacid ad-Darimi, quoted in the book Radd cald
l-Gahmiya from 'Abdallah b. 'Amr: “When God Most High wanted to create
things, while His throne stood on the water and no earth nor heaven were in
existence, He created the wind. He gave it power over the water, with the
result that its waves became agitated and its accumulations were stirred up.
From the water He brought forth steam, clay and sediments. He gave His command
to the steam; so it rose, took a high position and expanded upwards. Then He
created the heavens from it. And from the clay He formed the earths; and the
mountains from the sediments.”
30.
Abu s-Sayh quotes
'Abdallah b. Salam as saying: “God created the
heavens on Thursday and Friday. To
every heaven He revealed its peculiarity.”
31.
cAbd
ar-Razzaq, cAbd b. Hamid, Ibn Garir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu s-Sayh
cite the following saying of Mugahid: “God created the earth before the sky.
When it was created a steam was stirred up from it. — This is God’s word: ‘Then
He directed Himself to the sky’, which was still steam. And He formed seven
heavens, one above the other; and seven earths, one below the other.”
32.
Abu s-Sayfr quotes this
tradition from Hassan b. cAtTya: “As to the earth which is under
this one, it contains the stones of the people in hellfire. The following
(earth) — it is the place of the sterile wind. The one that comes after that—it
carries the scorpions of the people in hell-fire. The next one — it is the
habitat of the vipers for the people in hell-fire. And the one that follows —
it accommodates the devil of the devils.”
33.
And from ad-Daynari he
cites the following saying: “The sterile wind is on the second earth. As to the
third, it carries the stones of hell-fire. The fourth has the scorpions of
hell-fire, the fifth the vipers of hell-fire, the sixth the brimstone of
hell-fire, and the seventh earth is the place of the devil.”
34.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Mugahid
as saying: “Siggin is a rock under the seventh earth in hell. It was
turned around, and the book of the adulterer was placed underneath.”
35.
In the Mustadrak
al-Hakim cites the following tradition from Ibn cAmr, going back to
the Prophet (marfiFan): “On the fourth earth there is the sulphur of
hell; on the fifth there are the vipers of hell; and on the sixth there are the
scorpions of hell.”
36.
Ibn Abi Hatim and al-Hakim
cite the following tradition from cUbaydallah b. cUmar
(may God be pleased with them both!): “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and
peace be with him!) stated, concerning the earths, that between every earth and
the one next to it there is a distance of 500 years. The uppermost is on the
back of a fish the two extremities of which meet in heaven. The fish is on a
rock, and the rock is in the hand of the angel. — The second (earth) is the
prison of the wind. On the third there are the stones of hell, on the fourth
the sulphur of hell, on the fifth the vipers of hell, on the sixth the
scorpions of hell. And on the seventh there is hell (saqar), and in it
the devil (Iblis), put in iron: One hand in front, and the other behind
him. Whenever God wants him freed, he is freed as long as He wants it.”
37.
Abu s-Sayh quotes the
following saying of Ibn cAmr: “On the fourth
earth, and under the third earth,
there are Ginn. If they became visible to you, you could not see the light of the
Sun together with them. On every corner there is one of the seals of God, the
Exalted and High. And for every seal there is one of the angels. Every day God
sends one of the angels in His presence to it in order to take care of what
there is with you.”
38.
According to al-Bazzar,
Ibn 'Adi and Abu s-Sayh Ibn cAmr (may God grant His pleasure to both
of them!) related that the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) was
asked about the earth, namely what it rests on. He answered: “On water.” Then
someone said: “Did you see the water, what does it rest on?” — He replied: “On
a green rock.” — And the matter was pursued: “Did you see the rock, what is it
on?” — He said: “On the back of a fish the two ends of which come together at
the throne.” — It was inquired further: “Did you see the fish, what is it on?”
— He answered: “On the shoulder of an angel who has his two feet in the air.”
39.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Kacb
as saying: “The seven earths rest on a rock, the rock in the hand of an angel.
The angel stands on the wing of the fish. The fish is in the water. The water
is placed on the wind. And the wind is over the abysses, a sterile wind which
does not cause any fertility; its horns are suspended at the throne.”
40.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites the
following explanation of as-Suddi concerning God’s word ‘... on a rock...’:
“This rock is neither in the heavens nor on earth. It is under seven earths;
and an angel stands on it.”
41.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh, through the intermediary of as- Suddi, cite this tradition from Abu
Malik: “The rock which is under the earth is the final portion of creation;
four angels stand on its sides, and • their heads are under the throne.”
42.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Abu
Malik as stating: “Verily, the earths are placed on a fish, and the chain is in
the ear of the fish.”
43.
Ibn Abi Hatim relates of
Kacb that he was questioned about what is under this earth. He said:
“Water.” — Again: “And what is under the water?” — He replied: “Earth.” — “And
what is under the earth?”, it was asked. — He said: “Water.” — Further: “And
what is under the water?” — He answered: “Earth.” Then: “And what is under the
earth?” — He said: “Water.” — It was asked: “And what is under the water?” — He
replied: “Earth.” — Again: “And what is under the earth?” — He said: “A rock.”
— Then: “And what is under the rock?” —Hereplied: “An angel.”—“And what is
under the angel?”, itwas asked. — He said: “A fish whose two extremities are
suspended at the throne.” —
Finally: “And what is under the
fish?” — He said: “The abysses and darkness; and knowledge is at its end.”
44.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites the
following explanation of cAtiya al-cAufT concerning God’s
word4... and though it be in a rock...’: “This is a green, square
rock under the earth. The question was raised: And what is on it? — He said:
Water. — Again it was asked: And what is on the water? He said: The fish. — And
again: And what is on the fish? — He replied: The earths. — Further: The rock,
on what does it rest? — He answered: On the horns of the bull. — Again:
Concerning the bull, on what does it stand? — He replied: On the (humid)
ground.”
45.
Again concerning God’s
word ‘... and though it be in a rock’, Ibn Abi Hatim quotes ar-Rabic
o. Anas as stating: “This is the rock which is placed under the lowest earths.”
46.
Ibn Garir and Ibn Abi
Hatim cite the following statement from "Abdallah b. al-Harit: “The rock
is a green rock on the back of the fish.” 47. Concerning God’s word ‘...
in a day whose measure is 50,000 years’, Abu s-Sayh quotes Wahb as explaining:
“This is the interval between the lowest part of the earth and the throne.”
48.
And from "Abda Ibn
Abi Lubaba Abu s-§ayh cites the following saying: “The world has seven regions.
The Gog and Magog live in six regions, and the rest of mankind in one
region.”
49.
In his book Radd ^ald
l-Gahmiya "Utman b. Sa'id ad-Darimi quotes this saying of Ibn cAbbas
(may God grant His pleasure to both of them!): “The chief heaven is the heaven
in which the throne is located. And the chief earth is the one on which we
live.”
50.
Ibn al-Mundir quotes the
following saying from Ibn 'Abbas (may God grant His pleasure to them both!):
“The best heaven is the heaven in which the throne is located; and the best
earth is that earth on which you live. And truly, the best shrub is the thorn
(Lycium europaeum or arabicum); for the staff of Moses (on him be peace!) was
made from it.”
The Fourth Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars
1.
God the Exalted said: “And
He set the Moon therein for a light and the Sun for a lamp.”
2.
Moreover, He said: “And He
subjected to you the Sun and the Moon, constant upon their courses.”
3.
The Most High also said:
“It is He who has set the stars for you, that you might find your way by them
in whatever darkness there is on land and sea.”
4.
And the Mighty and Great
said: “Verily, We adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars, and
as a protection against every rebellious satan.”
5.
At-Tabarani, in the Ausat,
Abu s-Sayh and Ibn Mardawayh quote Anas as saying: “God’s messenger (God’s
blessing and peace be with him!) told me: ‘The Sun, the Moon, and the
stars are made of the light of the throne.’ ”
6.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following tradition from Kacb: “God created the Moon
from the light of the earth. Indeed, He said: ‘And He set the Moon into them
for a light.’ Furthermore, He created the Sun from the fire of the earth.
Truly, He said: ‘And He set the Sun for a lamp.’ For the lamp can only be (a
lamp) by fire.”
7.
Abu s-Sayh relates from Mucawiya
b. Salih that he received this instruction: “There are four fires: A fire that
eats and drinks — this is the fire of hell. Then, a fire that does not eat nor
drink — this is the fire of this world. Further, a fire that eats, but does not
drink — this is the fire from which the angels are created. Finally, a fire
that drinks, but does not eat — this is the fire of which the Sim and the
devils are made.”
8.
Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn cAsakir
and Abu s-Say^ quote Ibn cAmr as saying: “The Sun and the Moon have
their faces towards heaven and their backs towards earth. They illuminate
whatever is in heaven, just as they illuminate whatever is on earth.”
9.
Relying on a trustworthy
chain of transmission, Abu s-Say^ cites the following explanation of Ibn cAbbas
concerning God’s word ‘And He set
the Moon therein for a light’: “Its
back is towards what is close to the earth, and its face is towards what is
close to the celestial sphere.”
10.
Ad-Daylaml quotes Ibn cAmr
as narrating: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) stated
that the Sun and the Moon have their faces towards the throne, and their backs
towards mankind.”
11.
Abu s-Say^ quotes Ibn
Sudab as saying: “The Sun is just one 3000th of the light beneath the throne.”
12.
And from Salman al-Farisi
he cites the following statement: “God created the Sun from the light of His
throne, and He inscribed on his face: ‘Truly, I am God; there is no deity
except 1.1 made the Sun by my power and set him going by my command.’ —
And He inscribed on its belly: ‘Verily, I am God; there is no deity except I.
My approval is a word, my wrath is a word, my mercy is a word, and my
punishment is a word! — Moreover, He created the Moon from the light of the
veil which is next to Him. On its face He inscribed: ‘Verily, I am God; there
is no deity except I. I made the Moon and created the various kinds of darkness
and the light. The various kinds of darkness are what I lead astray with; and
the light is my guidance. I lead astray whom I want, and I guide whom I want.’
— On its belly He inscribed: ‘Verily, I am God; there is no deity except I. I
created the good and the evil by my power and might; with the two I test
whatever being in my creation I want.” 13. With al-Kalbi as the
intermediary, Abu s-Say^ cites the following tradition from Ibn Salih, who
related it from Ibn c Abbas (may God grant His favour to both of
them!): “A man addressed him: ‘How much is the length of the Sun, and how much
is its width?’ — He replied: ‘900 Farsahs by 900 Farsahs. And the length of the
stars is twelve Farsahs, by twelve Farsahs.’ ”
14.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Say^ cite this statement of Qatada: “The length of the Sun is 80 Farsahs, by
80 Farsahs.”
15.
Moreover, Ibn Abi Hatim
and Abu s-Sayh quote cIkrima as saying: “The Sun is proportionate to
the world, the plus is a third. Also the Moon is proportionate to the world.”
16.
They have this tradition
from yet another authority with the words ‘extension of the earth’ instead of
‘proportionate to the world’ in the two passages.
17.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
§-Sayh derive the following saying from Ibn c Abbas (may God grant
His pleasure to them both!): “The Sun is like a wheel, by day running on the
sky in its sphere. And when it has set, it
continues its course in its sphere
under the earth by night, until it rises in its eastern position. Similarly the
Moon.”
18.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Ibn cAbbas
concerning God’s word ‘And everyone is swimming in a sphere’: “It revolves in
the doors of heaven as the whorl revolves on the spindle.”-
19.
Abu s-Sayh cites the
following tradition from al-Hasan al-Basri (God’s mercy be with him!): “When
the Sun has set, it revolves in the celestial sphere towards the region
opposite the Qibla, until it is back in the East where it rises. And it
pursues its path in the sky from its rising to its setting. Then it returns to
the region towards the opposite of the Qibla, up to its rising. Thus it
is subjugated in its sphere, and similarly the Moon.”
20.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayfe cite the following statement from Hassan b. cAtiya: “The
Sun, the Moon, and the stars are subjugated in a sphere between the sky and the
earth, revolving.”
21.
Al-Buhari, in his Ta‘rift,
Abu s-Sayh and Ibn cAsakir quote Kacb as saying: “When
God wants the Sun to rise from the place of its setting, He turns it around
with its axis. Thus He makes its East its West, and its West its East.”
22.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
§-Say^ cite the following tradition from Ibn cAmr (may God grant
both of them His favour!): “If the Sun pursued a single course, no one of the
people on earth would derive a benefit from it. But it changes in Summer, and
it is obstructed in Winter. If it rose in Summer, where and when it rises in
Winter, the heat would not bring them to ripeness (i.e. God’s creatures). And
if it rose in Winter where and when it rises in Summer, the cold would cut them
down.”
23.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
§-Say^ cite the following statement of cIkrima: “When the Sun sets,
it enters a sea under the throne. Then it praises God the Exalted until, in the
morning, it starts entreating its Lord to be freed from coming forth. He says:
‘Why?’ — It replies: ‘Truly, when I go out, I am worshipped instead of you, my
Lord!’ — So He says: ‘Go out! For nothing of this is your responsibility. Their
reward will be hell!’ ”
24.
cAbd
ar-Razzaq and Abu s-Sayh quote Ibn cAmr as saying: “The Sun rises,
but the evil deeds of Adam’s descendants are repelling for it. When it sets, it
gives its greeting and bows down in worship. It asks for permission (to leave).
And He will give it this permission until the time of its setting; it gives its
greeting and bows down in worship. And then it will not be given permission,
but made to sit down as long as God wants. Then it will be told: ‘Rise where
you set!’ ”
25.
Ibn Abi Sayba, Ibn
al-Mundir and Abu s-Sayh, through two intermediaries, derive the following
saying from Sa'id b. al-Musayyib (may God grant His favour to them!): “The Sun
does not rise until 360 angels are goading it on; for it is disgusted of being
worshipped instead of God.”
26.
Ibn al-Mundir quotes cIkrima
as saying: “The Sun does not rise until a stress is put on it, as it is put on
the bow.”
27.
At-Tabarani, Abu s-Sayh
and Ibn Mardawayh cite the following tradition from Abu Umama al-Bahali (may
God grant him His favour!): “God’s messenger (may God’s blessing and peace rest
on him!) gave us this instruction: ‘Seven angels^are given charge of the Sun;
they throw ice at it every day. If that were not done, it would not reach
anything without setting it afire.’ ”
28.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following tradition from cAli b. Abi Talib (may God
grant him His favour!): “He said: ‘When the Sun rises, the two who are given
charge over it rejoice with it. They follow it on its course until, at its
pole, it comes in front of the foundation of the throne; and it prostrates in
adoration. Then it is told: ‘Go forth!’ And it proceeds by the power of God,
the Mighty and Glorious. When it rises its face spreads light over the seven
heavens, and its backside over the people of the earth. — In the celestial
sphere there are 360 towers; every tower among them is bigger than the Arabian
Peninsula. The Sun has a station in every tower among them in which it stays,
until it comes to its pole. — An angel is standing in the East; he calls out:
‘Oh God, give an exhausted one a successor!’ And there is another angel
standing in the West, who calls out: ‘Oh God, give a detainer ruin!’ ”
29.
Ibn al-Mundir cites the
following statement of ‘Tkrima: “The Sun does not rise until 70,000 angels call
to it: ‘Rise!’ — But it responds: ‘How can I rise when I am worshipped instead
of God?’ — And two angels urge it on until it moves upward. If the water of
heaven did not cool it, the inhabitants of this earth would be burned by the
heat of the Sun. And if it were not for the noises of the Byzantians or Rome,
people would hear. So the Sun runs its course, when it is obliged to do so.”
30.
Abu s-Sayh and Ibn cAsakir
quote Ibn cAbbas as teaching: “The Sun has 360 small windows; every
day it rises in one window. Then it does not return to that window until the
same day in the following year. But it only rises in disgust, saying: ‘Oh God,
do not make me rise over Your creatures! For I see them rebelling against You.’
”
31.
Abu s-Sayh cites the
following explanation of Sa'id b. cAbd ar-
Ragman b. Unban, concerning God’s
word ‘The Lord of the Easts and Wests’: “The Sun has 360 towers in the East and
360 towers in the West. In two days it does not rise from one tower, and in two
days it does not set in one tower.”
32.
And Abu s-Sayh quotes
Yahya b. Adam as stating: “The Sun stays in every tower for a month. And the
tower has thirty risings; between every two risings there is one barley-corn,
until it has completed thirty days. Then it transfers to the next tower.”
33.
Ibn 'Asakir cites this
tradition from Ibn cAbbas: “By the One in whose hand my soul is! The
Sun does not rise until 70,000 angels goad it on, calling to it; ‘Rise! Rise!’
It responds: T will not rise over a people that worships me instead of God!’ —
So an angel approaches it, moving it on for the illumination of Adam’s
descendants. And Satan approaches it, intending to detain it from rising. It
then rises between his two horns, and God Most High burns him under it. — And
this is the saying of God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!):
‘The Sun does not rise except in between Satan’s two horns.’ — Furthermore, the
Sim does not set except it prostrates itself in adoration of God. Satan
approaches it, intending to detain it from its prostration. So it sets in
between his two horns, and God burns him under it. — God’s messenger (God’s
blessing and peace be with him!) said: ‘And it does not set except in between
Satan’s two horns.’ ”
34.
Ibn al-Bu|iari, in his Ta’rih,
mentions the following tradition from Anas, who derives it from the Prophet
(God’s blessing and peace be with him!): “When the Sun and the Moon, either one
of them, see some of the greatness of God Most High, they deviate from their
courses and are eclipsed.”
35.
Abu s-Sayh and Ibn
Mardawayh in the TafsTr, through the intermediary of Abu cIsma
Nuh b. Abi Maryam, cite the following tradition from Muqatil b. Hayyan, from
'Ikrima, from Ibn c Abbas (may God grant both of them His favour!):
“God created a sea below the sky, extending over threeFarsahs.This is an
enclosed wave, standing in the air by God’s command. Not a drop is dripping
from it, as it drags along in the speed of the arrow. On it sail the Sun, the
Moon, and the stars. As God’s word has it: ‘Each is afloat in a sphere.’ ‘Al-falak'
is the revolution of the wheel in the depth of that sea’s flood. — When God
wishes that the eclipse occurs, the Sun falls down from the wheel; and it falls
into the flood of that sea. When God wants to magnify the miracle, it falls
down completely; and no part of it remains on the wheel. But when God wants
less than that, half of it, or a
third, or two thirds, fall into the water; and the rest stays on the wheel. And
the angels in charge of it split into two groups: One group concentrates on the
Sun and pulls it towards the wheel; and the other group concentrates on the
wheel and pulls it towards the Sun. — When it sets, it is lifted up to the
seventh heaven in the swiftness of the angels’ flight. But it is
detained below the throne. So it asks permission to enter where it was told to
rise. Then it is sent over the distance between the seventh heaven and the
lowest steps of paradise in the swiftness of the angels’ flight. So it
descends opposite the rising-point, from heaven to heaven; and when it arrives
at this heaven, just then dawn sets in. And when it is carried to this surface
of the sky, just then the Sun rises.” — *
He continued: “And God
Most High created a veil of darkness in the East. He placed it on the
seventh sea. Its measure is the number of nights in this world from its
creation by God up to the day of Resurrection. When it is around the setting of
the Sun, an angel, who is in charge of the night, approaches and takes hold of
the darkness of that veil. Then he turns towards the West, and ever so
slightly, bit by bit, he lets that darkness pass through his fingers. He
watches over the sunset glow. When the sunset glow has disappeared, he sends
out all the darkness. Then he spreads out his two wings; they extend to the two
extremities of the earth and the two sides of the sky. So the darkness of night
rises through his two wings. — When dawn comes up, he puts his two wings
together. Then he collects the whole darkness, bit by bit, with his two hands,
starting in the East. And he puts it on the seventh sea in the West.”
36.
Abu s-Say^ quotes Maysara
as saying: “We received the instruction that the Sun emits a sound when it
sets. And so does the Moon, the stars, the night, the day, and the angels.”
37.
And according to him as-Suddi
said: “As to the mountain behind which the Sun rises, its height is eighty
Farsahs in the sky.”
38.
Also according to Abu
s-Say^, al-Hasan said: “The Moon spoke to its Lord: ‘Oh God, You have given
preference to the Sun over me, made me smaller and given me the second rank; do
not show what you have taken away from me.’ As a result, the Moon is never seen
except as full moon on the side that faces the Sim.”
39.
cAbd
b. Hamid and Abu s-Say^ cite the following statement of Qatada, concerning
God’s word ‘And the Moon — We have determined
it by stations...’: “God has set
stations for it. And He made it decrease until it is like the raceme of the
palm-tree.”
40.
And concerning God’s word
‘No, I swear by the slinkers, the runners, the sinkers’, Abu s-Sayh quotes a
saying of Ibn 'Abbas: “ 'Al- Hunnas’( = ‘the slinkers’) are stars which
pass through the Milky Way like the running horse.”
41.
Again he quotes Ibn 'Abbas
(may God grant them both His favour!) as saying: “In Canopus the stars were
given the commands, and he applied the command. But he rebelled, and through
him there was rebellion.”
42.
Through the intermediary
of Abu t-Tufayl he derives the following statement from 'All b. Abi Talib (may
God give him honour!): “Canopus was a tithe-collector in the Yemen; he defiled
himself in his dealings with people by injustice. So God transformed him into a
star.” 43. He quotes a similar tradition from another authority based on Abu
t-Tufayl (may God grant him His favour!), that one going back to the Prophet,
but having an incomplete chain of transmission.
44.
And through the
intermediary of Ibn 'Adi, based on a weak chain of transmission, he cites this
tradition going back to the Prophet from Ibn 'Amr: “Canopus was a
tithe-collector who was very injust. So God transformed him into a star.”
45.
Abu s-Say|j quotes
al-Hakam as saying: “Suhayl (Canopus) did not rise except in Islam; for
he is the transformed.”
46.
And Abu s-Say^ cites the
following statement from al-Qurtubi: “By God, not a single inhabitant of the
earth has a star in the sky; but people follow the fortunetellers and take the
stars for a cause.”
47.
Ibn Garir, Ibn Abi Hatim
and Abu s-Sayh cite the following statement from 'Abd ar-Rahman, who has it
from Ibn Zayd b. Aslam, concerning God’s word ‘And from the evil of the night
when it becomes dark’: “The Arabs used to say: ‘Al-Gasiq (= the night)
is the setting of the Pleiades. For the illnesses and epidemics become frequent
at its setting and disappear at its rising.”
48.
Abu s-Say|i quotes Abu
Hurayra as saying: “The star of the early morning does not rise except it takes
away every epidemic and disease, or they decrease in intensity.”
49.
Ahmad, at-Tabarani in the Sagir,
Ibn as-Sunni in the Tibb an-nabawi, Abil s-Sayh and al-Hatib in the Kitab
an-nugiim quote the following saying of Abu Hurayra: “God’s messenger
(God’s blessing and peace be
with him!) said: ‘When the star rises
it takes away disease from every land? ”
50.
Al-Hakim, in the Mustadrak,
cites the following tradition from Ibn Abi Malayka, through the intermediary of
Ibn Gang, and he makes it authentic according to the stipulation of the
masters: “Early in the morning I went to Ibn c Abbas. He told me: ‘I
did not sleep yesterday? — I asked: ‘Why not?’ — He replied: ‘They said the
comet has appeared, so I was afraid that the smoke was already coming in? ”
The Fifth Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning night and day and the hours
1.
Abu s-§ayh, through the
intermediary of cAbd al-Muncim b. Idris, who had it from
his father, who had it from Wahb, who had it from Salman, cites this tradition:
“As to the night, an angel is in charge of it, who is called Sarahil. When
night-time approaches, he takes a black pearl and suspends it in front where
the Sun will set. When the Sun catches a glimpse of it, it is overcome by fear
in the quickest instant. The Sun has been given orders not to set until it has
seen the pearl. So, when it has set, the night comes. And the pearl remains
suspended, until another angel, who is called Harahll, comes with a white pearl
and suspends it in front where the Sun is rising. When Sarahil sees it he
displays his pearl towards him. Then, the Sun catches a glimpse of the white
pearl; and it rises.,For it has received orders not to rise until it has seen
the white pearl. When the Sun has risen the day comes up.”
2.
Al-Hakim cites the
following tradition from Abu Hurayra, and he makes it authentic: “A man came to
the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) and said: ‘Oh Muhammad, did
you see a garden the extension of which is as great as the heavens and the
earth? — And where is the fire (= hell)? Did you see the night which enwraps
everything? — And where is the day located?’ — He responded: ‘God knows better!
Thus God does whatever He wants!’, said he.”
3.
Abu s-Sayh relates from
Ibn c Abbas that he was asked: “Which one was earlier, the night or
the day?” — He replied reciting: “Or have not those, who disbelieve, seen that
the heavens and the earth were sewn together in one piece; so We ripped the two
apart.” — Then he said: “Was there anything but darkness between the two? And
this is that you know that the night was there before the day.”
4.
And he mentions that Ibn c
Abbas (may God show them both His favour!) said: “God created a day, and He
called it ‘Sunday’. Then He created a second, and He called it ‘Monday’. Then
He created a third, and He called it ‘Tuesday’. Then He created a fourth, and
He called it ‘Wednesday’. Then He created a fifth, and He called it ‘Thursday’.
He created the earth on Sunday and Monday. And He created the mountains
on Tuesday. Therefore people say that
it is a heavy day. He created the day and the trees on Wednesday. And He
created the birds, the wild animals, the animals of prey, the reptiles and the
epidemics on Thursday. He created man on Friday. And He had terminated the work
of creation on Saturday.” 5. Al-Buhan (may God grant him mercy!), in his Al-Adab
al-mufrad, cites a saying of Abu Hurayra (may God grant him His favour!),
who transmitted it from the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!):
“No one among you shall say: ‘Oh, you failure of time!’ God said: ‘I am the
time! I send the night and the day. And when I want I hold them both back!’ ”
The Sixth Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the water and the winds
1.
Abu s-Sayh, through the
intermediary of Abu 'Isma Nuh b. Abi Maryam, who was a liar and inventor of
traditions, cites the following statement from Muqatil b. Hayyan, who had it
from ad-Dahhak, who had it from Ibn 'Abbas, and going back to the Prophet (= marf&ari):
“When God Most High wanted to create the water, He created a green hyacinth
from light; the thickness of it was like the thickness of the seven heavens,
the seven earths, and what is between them. Then He called it; and when it
heard God’s speech it dissolved in terror to the point of becoming water. And
it is trembling from fear of God Most High until the day of Resurrection. Then
He created the wind, and He. placed the water on the back of the wind. Then He
created the throne, and He gave it its place on top of the water.”
2.
Al-Firyabi, Ibn Garir, Ibn
Abi Hatim, Abff s-Sayh and al-Hakim in the Mustadrak, even giving it the
qualification of an authentic one, mention the following tradition from Ibn
'Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “He was asked: ‘Since the throne
stands on the water, on what does the water rest?’ — He replied: ‘On the back
of the wind.’ ”
3.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Wahb as
saying: “Then God created the wind, and He spread it out over the water. It
beat the water, so that it turned into waves and foam.”
4.
He quotes Ibn 'Abbas as
saying: “The water and the wind are two of God’s armies. The wind is God’s
greatest army.”
5.
And Mugahid, according to
him, said: “The wind has two wings and a tail.”
6.
Further, Abu s-Sayh cites
this tradition from Ibn 'Amr: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be
with him!) said: ‘God let out only as much wind against the people of 'Ad as
can be compared with the place of the ring.’ ”
7.
He quotes a similar
statement from the Hadit of Ibn 'Abbas, as going back to the Prophet (= marfiFari).
8.
And he cites the following
saying from Ka'b: “The inhabitant of the
second earth is the sterile wind.
When God wanted to destroy the people of cAd, He revealed to its
keepers that they should open a gate for it. They said: ‘Oh, our Lord! Like the
nostril of the bull?’ — He replied: ‘If it is sufficient for the earth, as far
as its inhabitants are concerned, open as much as the circle of the ring for
it!’ ”
9.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes the
following tradition from cAbdallah b. cAmr (may God grant
them both His favour!): “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with
him!) said: ‘The wind is locked in on the second earth. When God wanted to
destroy the people of cAd, He ordered the keeper of the wind to send
a wind against them, so as to destroy the people of cAd. He said: Oh
Lord, I will send as much wind as is measured by the nostril of the bull. — The
Almighty told him: No! Because it would suffice for the (whole) earth and
whatever is on it. Rather, send as much against them as is measured by a ring!’
”
10.
Abu cUbayd, Ibn
Abi Hatim, Ibn al-Mundir, Ibn Abi d-Dunya and Abu §-Sayh mention the following
statement of Ibn cAmr: “There are eight winds; four of them are a
boon, and four of them are a punishment. As to the boon, they are: An-Ndsirdt,
Al-Mubassirdt, Al-Mursaldt and Ad-Ddriyat. And as to the punishment,
they are Al-zAqim and As-Sarsar — these two being on
the mainland — Al-^Asif and Al-Qdsif — these two being on the
ocean.”
11.
Abu S-Sayji cites a
similar tradition from Ibn cAbbas, except that he says Ar-Ruhd’,
instead of Ad-Ddriydt.
12.
Abu §-Sayh quotes this
saying from cIsa b. Yahya al-Hayyat: “We were instructed that there
are seven winds: As-Sabd, Ad-Dabiir, Al- Ganiib, As-Samdl, An-Nakbd’,
Al-Hariiq and the wind Al-Qd’im. As to As-Sabd, it blows from
the East; Ad-Dabiir from the West; Al-Ganub from the left side of
the Qibla; As-Samdl from the right side of the Qibla; An-Nakbd’
is between As-Sabd and Al-Ganub; Al-Hariiq is between As-
Samdl and Ad-Dabur, and the wind Al-Qd’im is the breathing of
creation.”
13.
And he quotes this saying
from al-Hasan: “The winds are determined in relation to the Ka'ba. So, when
you want to ascertain this, lean your back against the door of the Kacba:
Then As-Samdl will blow from your left side, namely the side on which
the stone is. Al-Ganiib will blow from your right side, where the black
stone is. As-Sabd will be opposite you, in front of the door of the Kacba.
And Ad-Dabiir will blow from behind the Kacba.”
14.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes
Husayn b. cAll al-Gacfi as narrating: “Isra’il
b. Yunus was asked after which thing
the wind was named. He replied: ‘After the Qibla: The one from its North
is As-Samal, and the one from its South is Al-Ganub. As-Saba is
the one blowing from the region facing its front side, and Ad-Dabiir is
the one blowing from the region that is behind it.”
15.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite this statement of Hamza b. Habib: “Ad-Dabiir is the west
wind, Al-Qabul is the east wind, As-Samdl blows towards the
South, Al-Yamdn is the south wind, and An-Nakba’ blows from the
four directions.”
16.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Ibn
'Abbas as saying: "As-Gamal blows from the area between the
pole-star and the place where the Sun rises. Al-Ganiib blows from the
area between the place where the Sun rises and where Canopus rises. As-Sabd
blows from the area between the place where the Sun rises towards the
pole-star. And Ad-Dabiir blows from the area between the place where the
Sun sets towards Canopus.”
17.
Abu s-Sayh mentions that
according to Anas God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said:
"Al-Ganiib belongs to the wind of paradise.”
18.
Ibn Garir and Ibn
Mardawayh in their respective Tafslrs, Ibn Abi d- Dunya in the book As-Sahdb
and Abu s-Sayh in the book Al-^Azama cite this saying of Abu Hurayra: “I
heard God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) say: ‘The wind Al-Ganiib
comes from paradise. So it is the gift of pollens; and in it are benefits for
mankind. As-Samdl comes from hell and passes through paradise. So the
breeze of paradise encounters it, and it cools down because of that.’ ”
19.
Ibn Rahuya and Ibn Abi
Sayba in their respective Musnads, al- Buhari in his Ta’rih,
al-Bazzar and Abu s-Sayh mention that according to Abu Darr (may God grant him
His favour!) the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said: “During
seven years God created wind after wind in paradise in front of which there is
a closed door. However, the spirit came to you through a cleft of that door. If
that door were opened, whatever there is between heaven and earth would be
dispersed. For God this is Al-Azyab, and for you it is Al-Ganub."
20.
Abu s-Say^ quotes Ibn
'Abbas as saying: "Al-Ganub is the master of the winds; its name
with God is Al-Azyab. In front of it there are seven doors. However,
whatever came to you, came to you through a cleft in them (i.e. the doors). If
one of those doors were opened, whatever there is between heaven and earth
would be dispersed.”
21.
And again, he quotes this
saying of Ibn 'Abbas: "Ganiib never goes
away, unless a river-bed carries
water. Did you see it or did you not see it?”
22.
He mentions this statement
from Qays b. cAbbad: ‘‘As-Samdl is the salt of the earth. If
there were no As-Samdl the earth would putrefy.” 23. cAbdallah
b. Ahmad, in the Zawd’id az-zuhd, and Abu s-Sayh cite this saying of
Ka'b: “If the wind were withheld from mankind for three days, whatever there is
between heaven and earth would putrefy.”
24.
Abu s-Sayh quotes cUtman
al-Acrag as stating: “The abodes of the winds are under the wings of
the Cherubim, the bearers of the throne. Then they are set in motion, they
throw themselves on the wheel of the Sun, and the angels are charged with its
movement. Thereafter, they are moved away from the wheel of the Sun, and they
throw themselves on the sea. Then they lift themselves off the sea and settle
down on the peaks of the mountains. And then they move away from the peaks of
the mountains and drop on the mainland. As to As-Samdl, it passes
through the garden of cAden; so it acquires some of its fragrant
scent. Then As- Samdl proceeds towards its destination between the
footstool of Ursa maior and the place where the Sun sets. Ad-Dabiir
blows towards its destination between the place where the Sun sets and that
where Canopus rises. AlSanub blows towards its destination between the
place where Canopus rises and that where the Sun rises. And As-Sabd
blows towards its destination between the place where the Sun rises and the
footstool of Ursa maior. So the one does not enter the destination of the other
one; and that one does not enter the destination of the other one.”
25.
Ibn Garir, Ibn Abi Hatim,
Ibn al-Mundir and Abu s-Sayh cite this statement of cUbayd b. cAmir:
“God sends (the wind) Al-Mubassira, and it sweeps the earth. Then He
sends Al-MutTra, and it stirs up the clouds. Then He sends Al-Mu’allifa,
and it brings them together. Then He sends the pollens, and they fructify the
fruits.” — Thereafter he recited: “And We send the winds as seeds.”
26.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes
'Abdallah b. al-Mubarak as saying: “Verily, the wind has a wing. And the Moon
retreats into a covering of water.”
The Seventh Chapter
What is mentioned concerning
the clouds and the rain
1.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Say^ quote 'Ata’ as saying: “The clouds come forth from the earth.” Then he
recited: “He sends the winds, so that they stir up clouds.”
2.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following statement of Ibn c Abbas (may God grant
His favour to both of them!): “Truly, God sends the wind that carries the water
from heaven. Then He casts it at the clouds, pouring it out as the seeds are
poured out.”
3.
At-Tabarani, in the Ausat,
cites the following tradition from 'All (may God honour him!), relying on a
good chain of transmission: “The strongest part of your Lord’s creation are the
ten mountains. But iron hews the mountains. Fire consumes iron; water
extinguishes fire. The clouds are made to serve between heaven and earth,
namely to carry the water; and the wind moves the clouds. Man protects himself
from the wind with his hand (only) and travels in it for the sake of his
business. But intoxication overcomes man, and sleep conquers intoxication. Yet,
grief prevents sleep. So, the strongest part of your Lord’s creation is grief.”
4.
Abu s-Sayh mentions this
explanation of Mugahid concerning God’s words ‘And the burden-bearers’: “The
clouds carry the rain.”
5.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh quote Kacb as stating: “The clouds are the sieve of the rain.
If there were no clouds when the water comes down from heaven, it would ruin
that part of the earth on which it falls. With it also the seeds come down from
heaven.”
6.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following saying of Halid b. Macdan: “In paradise
there is a tree that produces the clouds as fruits; the black ones are the
fruits that are already ripe, those that carry the rain. The white ones are the
fruits that have not yet ripened, those which do not carry the rain.”
7.
The Imam Ahmad, Ibn Abi
d-Dunya in the book Al-matar and Abu s-Sayh mention the following
tradition from al-Gifari: “I heard God’s
messenger (God’s blessing and peace
be with him!) say: ‘God makes soar up the clouds, He produces the best speech,
and He causes the best laughter.’ — Ibrahim b. Sacd explained: ‘The
speech is the thunder, and the laughter is the lightning.’”
8.
Abu s-Sayh relates that
according to Abu 1-Mutanna the earth said: “Oh Lord, saturate me with water!
But do not pour it down in an overflow, as you did pour it down on the people
of the Flood!” — He responded: “I will make the clouds a sieve for you.”
9.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Ibn cAbbas
as teaching: “In the black cloud there is the rain, and in the white one there
is the dew; and that is what ripens the fruits.” *
10.
Abu s-Sayh mentions that cA’isa
(may God grant her His favour!) said: “I heard God’s messenger (God’s blessing
and peace be with him!) teaching: ‘When Bahriya rises, consider it as an
omen: Namely springs or a year abundant with water, which means plenty of
rain.”
11.
Abu s-Sayh mentions that
according to al-Hasan the following inquiry was made: “Is the rain from heaven
or from the clouds?” — He said: “From heaven! The clouds are only signs on
which the water from heaven descends.”
12.
And he quotes Wahb as
stating: “I do not know whether the rain is brought down in drops from heaven
into the clouds, or whether it is created in the clouds and then poured down as
rain.”
13.
Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu s-Sayh
and al-Hara’iti, in Makdrim al-ahldq, cite the following statement from
Halid b. Macdan: “The rain is water that comes forth from under the
throne. Then it runs down from heaven to heaven, until it gathers in the lowest
heaven. And it gathers in a place that is called ‘Al-Abzam’. Then the
black clouds come along, and it enters into them. And they suck it up as the
sponge does. Then God directs them wherever He wishes.”
14.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
§-Sayh quote cIkrima as saying: “The water comes down from the
seventh heaven; and the drops of it fall on the cloud like the dung.”
15.
Abu s-Say^ cites the
following explanation of a§-Sacbi concerning God’s word ‘And He has
inserted springs into the earth’: “All the water on earth comes down from
heaven.”
16.
And Abu s-Sayh cites this
statement of Ibn 'Abbas: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with
him!) declared: ‘He does not send the proper amount of water down from heaven
except with a
measure; and not the proper amount of
wind except with a measure. But not so on the day of Noah; for the water flowed
over the dam.’ — God Most High said: ‘Verily, when the water overflowed, We
bore you in the floating vessel.’ — And on the day of cAd the
wind pressed with indomitable force against the dam. God Most High said: ‘By a
wind roaring, violent.’ ”
17.
Abu s-Sayh quotes SaTd b.
Gubayr as stating: “God does not send a drop down from heaven except with the
knowledge of the keepers; but this was not so when the water overflowed. For it
was furious because of God’s wrath. So it overflowed the dam, and it came out
of what people do not know what it is.”
18.
Abu s-Sayh also hands down
this saying of Kacb: “Rain is the consort of the earth.”
19.
Relying on the
intermediary of SaTd b. Gubayr, Abu s-Sayh cites the following statement of Ibn
c Abbas: “God creates the pearls in the pearl- oysters from the
rain. The pearl-oysters open their mouths during the rain. So the big pearl is
made from the big drop of rain; and the small pearl is made from the small drop
of rain.”
20.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-§ay{i quote this saying from cIkrima: “God does not send a drop
from heaven except that by it He lets grow a plant on earth or a pearl in the
sea.”
21.
Abu s-Sayh cites the
following statement from cUbayd b. ‘Amir- “God sends a wind,
and it sweeps the earth. Then He sends the second one, and it stirs up the
clouds. And He causes them to be darkness. Then He sends the third one, and
that brings them together and forms them into a cumulus cloud. Thereafter the
fourth one, and that brings the rain,”
22.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh quote as-Suddi as stating: “God sends the wind, and it drives the clouds
from East and West, the edge of heaven and earth, where the two meet; and He
pushes them out. Then He spreads them out and unfolds them in the sky, as He
wishes. Thereafter He opens the gates of heaven, and He lets the water flow on
the clouds. Then, after that, He lets the clouds pour down the rain.”
23.
Abu s-Sayh hands down this
tradition from Abu Umama: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with
him!) said: ‘No people receives rain except with a boon; and they are not left
without rain except through a sin.’ ”
24.
And Abu s-Sayh mentions
the following tradition from al-Hasan: It was as he looked at the clouds that
he said: “By God, in them is your sustenance, but you are deprived of it
through your faults.”
25.
As-Safici in Al-umm,
Ibn Abi d-Dunya in Al-matar, and Abu s-Sayh cite this tradition from
al-Mutallib b. Hantab: “The Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!)
said: ‘There is no hour of night or day in which heaven does not bring rain,
God directing it wheresoever He wishes.’ ”
26.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes Ibn
Mascud (may God grant him His favour!) as saying: “There is no year
more abounding in rain than another year; but God sends or directs it wheresoever
He wishes.”
27.
And according to Abu
§-Sayh al-Hasan said: “There is no year more abounding in rain than another
year; but God directs it wherever He wishes. And with the rain Hf sends down
such and such of the angels in order to note down where that rain falls, whom
it provides with sustenance, and what results from it with every drop.”
28.
Ibn Abi d-Dunya, in Al-mafar,
and Abu s-Sayh quote Ibn c Abbas as stating: “No rain falls from
heaven, unless the seeds come down with it. So, if you spread out a mat of
leather you would see it.”
29.
Ibn Abi d-Dunya and Abu
s-Sayh mention this saying of Ibn ‘Abbas: “The rain receives its nature in
paradise: So, when its nature is higher its blessing is greater, even though
there may be less rain. And when its nature is lower its blessing is smaller,
even though there may be plenty of rain.”
30.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes this
statement of Halid b. Yazid: “The rain is partly from heaven, and partly it is
drawn from the sea by the clouds and made sweet by thunder and lightning. But
that which comes from the sea does not produce vegetation. As for vegetation,
it is produced by that (rain) which comes from heaven.”
31.
Abu s-Sayh cites this
saying from Kacb, from Ibn c Abbas: “There is no spring
flowing unless its origin is in ice.”
32.
Abu s-Say^ quotes Kacb
as saying: “If the ice did not come down from the fourth heaven, it would not
pass anything without destroying it.”
33.
Again, according to Abu
s-Sayh, Abu Malik al-Gifari narrated: “I asked Ibn c Abbas and said:
‘One camps on desert land. Rain falls on it at night. And the following day
morning comes up on that land — with green frogs!’ — Ibn ‘Abbas replied:
‘Indeed, this lowest heaven up to the one that is next to it, and the interval
between the two, is altogether water. In it there swim the animals the like of
which live in this your sea.’”
34.
In the Usiil as-sunna
Ibn Abi Zamil cites the following tradition, with a chain of authorities, from
Salman al-Farisi: “Under this heaven there is an ocean of water teeming with
the animals the like of which are found in this your sea. With that ocean God
flooded the people of Noah; and it is that which God has prepared as dwelling
for the sake of punishment. He will bring it down before the Day of
Resurrection; and God will flood with it whomsoever He wants.”
35.
Note. — According to Abu
s-Sayh Qatada said: “Adam (on him be peace!) used to drink from the clouds.”
The Eighth Chapter
What is mentioned concerning
thunder, lightning, and thunderbolts
1.
God Most High said: “In it
there is darkness, thunder, and lightning; they put their fingers into their
ears against the thunderclaps,”
2.
Again, He said: “It is
He^who shows you the lightning.”
3.
Ahmad, at-Tirmidi,
an-Nasal—declaring it sound — and Abu s-Sayh mention the following tradition
from Ibn c Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “The Jews
said: ‘Oh messenger of God, inform us about the thunder! What is it?’ — He
replied: ‘One of the angels who is in charge of the clouds. With him he
has lances of fire; with them he drives the clouds wherever God wants!’ — They
further inquired: ‘So what is the voice which one can hear in it?’ — He
responded: ‘The urging of the clouds, when he urges them on, so that they
finally go where he tells them to go.’ — They said: ‘You have spoken the
truth!’ ”
4.
Ibn al-Mundir and Abu
s-Sayfe, through the intermediary of Sahr b. Hausab, cite this tradition from
Ibn c Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “Thunder is an
angel that drives the clouds with the praiseformula; just as the camel drover
drives the camels with his song.”
5.
And through the
intermediary of Abu Malik, Abu s-Sayh relates this saying of Ibn c
Abbas: “Thunder is an angel that urges on the clouds with the formula of praise
and exaltation.”
6.
According to Abu s-Say^,
Sahr b. Hausab said: “Thunder is an angel who is in charge of the clouds; he
drives them, just as the camel drover drives his camels. So, when a cloud
disobeys, he shouts at it. And when his anger grows more intense, some of the
fire-brands in him are scattered around. Those are the thunderbolts which you
see.”
7.
And he quotes as-Suddi as
saying: “Thunder is an angel that drives the clouds and tells them how much
rain he wants them to drop.”
8.
Ibn al-Mundir and Abu
s-Sayh cite this statement of ad-Dahhak: “Thunder is an angel called Ar-Racd.
His voice, one hears, is his act of praise.”
9.
Ibn Garir, Ibn Abi Hatim,
Abu s-Sayh and al-Bayhaqi, in his Musnad,
mention this saying of'All b. Abi Talib
(may God grant him His favour!): “Lightning consists of lances of fire in the
hands of the angels of the clouds; with them they urge on the clouds.”
10.
Ibn Abi d-Dunya and Abu
s-Sayh, through the intermediary of Gubayr, cite the following saying from
ad-Dahhak, from Ibn 'Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “Thunder is
an angel that makes its appearance in that way.”
11.
Ibn Mardawayh quotes the
following tradition from c Amr b. Bugad al-As‘ari: “God’s messenger
(God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said: ‘With God the name of the clouds
is Al-(Anan. Thunder is an angel that urges on the clouds;
and lightning is a glance of an angel who is called Rufa’il.’”
12.
Again, Ibn Mardawayh
quotes Gabir b. 'Abdallah: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace be with
him!) was asked about the origin of the clouds. So he said: ‘Truly, an angel
who is in charge of the clouds accumulates those that are far away and keeps
together those that are extending. In his hand there is a lance. When it is
raised, there is lightning; when he urges on, there is thunder; and when he
deals out strokes, there are thunderbolts.’”
13.
Al-Buhari in Al-adab,
Ibn Abi d-Dunya in Al-mafar and Ibn Garir, through the intermediary of
'Ikrima, cite the following saying of Ibn 'Abbas: “Thunder is an angel who
calls the clouds, as the shepherd calls his sheep.”
14.
Ibn Garir and Ibn
Mardawayh, through the intermediary of ad- Dahhak, hand down this saying from
Ibn 'Abbas: “Thunder is one of the angels whose name is Ar-Rtfd. It is
his voice that you hear. And lightning is a whip of light with which that angel
urges on the clouds.”
15.
Ibn al-Mundir and Ibn
Mardawayh, through the intermediary of Mugahid, transmit the following
statement from Ibn 'Abbas: “Thunder is an angel whose name is Ar-Rtfd,
and this his voice is his act of praising God. When his urging of them becomes more
intense, the clouds press against each other and collide for fear of him. Then
thunderbolts issue from them.”
16.
Ibn Garir quotes Mugahid
as saying: “Lightning is the agitation of an angel.”
17.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites the
following tradition from Muhammad b. Salama: “We were instructed that lightning
is an angel who has four faces: The face of a man, the face of a bull, the face
of an eagle, and the face of a lion. And when it flicks its tail, then that is
lightning.”
18.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes Abu
Hurayra as stating: “Lightning is the colliding of hailstones.”
19.
According to Abu s-Sayh,
Abu 1-Gald said: “The sky consists of an enclosed wave. Lightning is the
glitter of the water; and the thunderbolts are the lances with which the clouds
are urged on.”
20.
The Imam Ahmad, in Az-zuhd,
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu s-Sayh quote Abu cImran al-Habunl as saying:
“We were instructed that under the throne there are oceans of fire from which
the thunderbolts are falling down.”
21.
According to Abu s-Say^,
as-Suddi said: “The thunderbolts are fire.” *
22.
And according to Ibn cAsakir,
Ka‘b al-Ahbar stated: “Thunder and lightning are about to emigrate to Syria, so
that there will be no thunder nor lightning except between Al-cArish
and the Euphrates.”
The Ninth Chapter
What is mentioned concerning
the Milky Way and the Rainbow
1.
At-Tabarani and Abu
s-Sayh, through an intermediary, mention the following tradition from Mucad
b. Gabal, from the Prophet (God’s blessing and peace be with him!): “The Milky
Way, which is in the sky, comes from the sweat of the viper which is under the
throne.”
2.
At-Tabarani quotes Gabir
b. cAbdallah as saying: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing and peace
be with him!) said: ‘Oh Mucad, I am sending you to some of the
People of the Book. So, when you are asked about the Milky Way, which is in the
sky, say that it is the saliva of the snake under the throne.’ ”
3.
Abu s-Sayh quotes Halid b.
Ma‘dan as saying: “The Milky Way, which is in the sky, comes from the sweat of
the reptiles which support the throne.”
4.
Al-Buhari (may God grant
him mercy!) in Al-adab al-mufrad and Abu §-Sayh, through intermediaries,
cite the following saying of c All b. Abi Talib (may God grant him
honour!): “The Milky Way, which is in the sky, is the same as the gates of
heaven, through which God poured out the water gushing forth over the people of
Noah (peace be with him!).”
5.
On the basis of a sound
chain of transmission, Abu 8-Say^ hands down the following saying of Ibn c
Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “The Milky Way is the same as the
gate of heaven through which it breathes.”
6.
And relying on another
authority, he quotes Ibn c Abbas as stating: “The Milky Way is the
gate of heaven; its extremity is from here in the direction of Ad-Dabiir
(i.e., the west wind), and from right to left.”
7.
Al-Buhari (may God grant
him mercy!), in Al-adab al-mufrad, cites the following saying of Ibn c
Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “The Milky Way is one of the gates
of heaven. As to the rainbow, it is the security against drowning after the
people of Noah (on him be peace!).”
8.
Sacid b.
Mansur, in his Sunna, and al-Buhari, in ■ Al-adab al-mufrad and
with a sound chain of transmission, relate on the authority of Sa^id b. Gubayr
that Harqal wrote to Mucawiya b. Sufyan Ibn Harb. He inquired about
the Milky Way, the rainbow and the place where the Sun rose: It did not rise
there before and not after that event. Mucawiya replied: “Whom do I
have for this?” — And he was told: “IbncAbbas!” — So Mu'awiya wrote
to him for these questions. Ibn cAbbas (may God grant them both His
favour!) wrote back to him: “As for the Milky Way, it is the gate of heaven
through which it breathes. As for the rainbow, it is a security for the people
of this world against drowning. And as for the place where the Sun rose, it is
a place in the sea, at the time it was divided for the Israelites.” t
9.
In Al-hilya, Abu
Nu'aym cites the following tradition from Ibn c Abbas: “The Prophet
(God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said: ‘Do not say Qausu Quzaha
(= rainbow); for Quzah is Satan. Rather say: Qaus Allah. It is a
security for the people of this world.”
10.
In Al-mustadrak
al-Hakim mentions this tradition from Ibn cAbbas, as going back to
the Prophet (= marfiFan): “The rainbow is a security for the people of
this earth against drowning.”
11.
Ishaq, from Bi§r, Ibn cAsakir,
through the intermediary of Gubayr, and Muqatil, from ad-Dahhak, from Ibn c
Abbas (may God show them all His pleasure!) mention this tradition concerning
God’s word: ‘And it was said: Oh Earth, swallow your water! Oh Heaven,
desist!’: “And the earth swallowed its water, and the water of heaven rose till
it reached the clouds of heaven, in the hope of returning to its place. Then
God revealed to it that it should retreat: ‘For you are dirty and furious.’ —
So the water retreated, it became salty, smelling bad and fluctuating. And
mankind suffered damage because of that. So God sent the wind; He gathered it
in the places of the seas. Then it became clamorous and salty, and it could be
used. — Noah (peace be on him!) looked out: And lo, the Sun had already risen
and it appeared to him the hand from heaven. That was a certain sign between
him and his Lord, a security against drowning. The hand was the bow which is
called Qausu Quzaha. But it is prohibited to call it Qausu Quzaha
because Quzah is Satan, and this is God’s bow. People believe that
formerly there was a string and an arrow on it in the sky. But when God
established it as security against drowning for the people of this earth, God
removed string and arrow. And God knows better.”
The Tenth Chapter
What is mentioned concerning
the earthquake
1.
Abu s-Sayh and Ibn Abi
d-Dunya, in the book Al-‘uqubat, cite the following tradition from Ibn c
Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “God created a mountain called Qaf;
it surrounds the earth, and its roots reach down to the rock on which the earth
is (established). When God Exalted and Most High wishes that a town has an
earthquake, He gives His command to that mountain. As a consequence, it sets in
motion the region around this town; that causes it to quake and to move. Then
the town moves, but not the town (itself).”
2.
Abu s-Sayh has a similar
tradition from Wahb (may God grant him His favour!).
The Eleventh Chapter
What is mentioned concerning
the mountains
1.
Abu s-Sayh quotes cAbdallah
b. Yazid as saying: “Qa/is a mountain surrounding the earth; it consists of an
emerald on which the sides of heaven rest.”
2.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Say|i cite this explanation of Kacb concerning God’s word ‘Until
it (i.e. the Sun) had disappeared behind the veil’: “The veil is a green
mountain consisting of a hyacinth; it surrounds the creatures, and from it
originates the green colour of the sky, which is called ATHadra’ (= the
Green). The green colour of the sea comes from the sky; therefore it is called Al-Bahr
al-Ahdar (= the green sea).”
3.
According to Abu s-Sayh,
Ibn c Abbas stated: “The sea is placed on a green rock. So, what you
see of the green colour of the sky, that comes from the greenness of that
rock.”
4.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu
s-Sayh cite the following tradition from Anas: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing
and peace be with him!) said: When God created the earth it was made plane.
Then He created the mountains and placed them on it; as a result, it became
stable. The angels marvelled at the creation of the mountains and said: “Oh
Lord, in your creation, is there anything stronger than the mountains?”
— He responded: “Iron!” — They asked further: “Oh Lord, and is there anything
in your creation stronger than iron?” — He replied: “Yes, fire!” — They went
on: “And is there anything in your creation stronger than fire?” — He said:
“Yes, water!” — And again: “Oh Lord, and is there anything in your creation
stronger than water?” — He answered: “Yes, the wind!” — Finally, they inquired:
“Oh Lord, and is there anything in your creation stronger than the wind?” — He
said: “Yes, man — giving alms with his right hand while it is hidden from his
left.””
5.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotesc
Ata’ as saying: “The first mountain that was set on earth was Abu Qubays.”
6.
And, according to Abu
s-Sayh, Ibn cAbbas said: “Truly, the mountains are quite proud on
earth because it is firmly established through them.”
The Twelfth Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the seas
1.
Abu s-Sayh cites the
following tradition from Ibn 'Abbas (may God grant them both His favour!): “As
to this creation, it is surrounded by a sea.” — Someone asked: “And what is
behind the sea?” — He said: “Air.” — Again: “And what is behind the air?” — He
replied: “A sea that surrounds this air, and the sea that enters into seven
seas, and the eighth.” — Finally, the question was raised: “And what is behind
the eighth?” — He responded: “There the matter comes to an end.”
2.
From Wahb he has this
saying: “There are seven seas and seven earths. And the earth rests on the back
of the fish. The name of the fish is Bahamut."
3.
And he quotes Hassan b.
'Aflya as saying: “I was instructed that the extension of the earth is 500
years. Of that its seas cover a distance of 300 years, the deserted area
extends over 100 years, and the cultivated lands measure 100 years.”
4.
Abu s-Sayh hands down the
following tradition from Ibn 'Abbas: “Someone inquired about the flow and the
ebb. He said: ‘Truly, God has an angel who is in charge of the ocean. When he
puts in his foot, it overflows; and when he raises it, it goes down. That is
the flow and the ebb.’”
5.
According to Abu s-Say|i,
Abu 'Amr stated: “Under this your sea there is a sea of fire. Under that sea
there is a sea of water. And under that sea there is a sea of fire; (and so
forth) until he had numbered seven seas of fire and seven seas of water.”
6.
Ibn Abi Hatim quotes
Sufyan as saying: “I was instructed that the sea comes forth from a
water-skin.”
7.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites this
statement of 'Abdallah b. 'Amr (may God grant them both His favour!): “I was
instructed that the sea is a waterskin in the hand of an angel. If the angel
were to treat it carelessly, it would clash against the earth.”
8.
And Ibn Abi Hatim mentions
this saying of Ka'b al-Ahbar (may God grant him His favour!): “The sea exceeds
the earth only by the holding rope of a bull.”
9.
In Al-musannaf, Ibn
Abi Sayba transmits the following tradition from 'Abdallah b. 'Amr (may God
grant them both His favour!): “The water of the sea does not run at the ritual
washing nor the (bath of the) great impurity. — Verily, under the earth there
is fire, then water, then fire.”
The Thirteenth Chapter
What is mentioned
concerning the Nile
1.
The Imam Ahmad and
al-Hakim, who qualifies it as sound, cite the following tradition from Anas:
“God’s messenger (may God’s blessing and peace be with him!) said: T was lifted
up to the lotus-tree in the seventh heaven. And I saw that from its stem issued
forth two exterior and two hidden streams. I said: Oh GibraTl, what is this? He
replied: As for the two hidden ones, they are in paradise; and as for the
exterior ones, they are the Nile and the Euphrates.’”
2.
Muslim quotes Abu Hurayra
(may God show him His pleasure!) as narrating: “God’s messenger (God’s blessing
and peace be with him!) said: ‘The Say han, the Gayhan, the Euphrates, and the
Nile, they all belong to the rivers of paradise.”
3.
Al-Harit b. AbT Usama, in
his Musnad, and al-Bayhaql, in Al-ba^t, mention the following
statement of Kacb: “The river Nile is the river of honey in
paradise; the river Tigris corresponds to the river of milk in paradise; the
river Euphrates to the river of wine in paradise; and the river Sayhan is the
river of water in paradise.”
4.
Abu s-Sayh, in Al-Cazama,
cites the following tradition from al-Layt b. Sacd: “I was told that
there was a man from the Banu l-‘Ays whose name was Ha’id b. Abu Salum b. al-cAys
b. Ishaq b. Ibrahim (on him be peace!). He fled from one of their kings and
finally entered the land of Egypt; and he made his abode in it. When he saw the
wonders of its Nile, God determined for him not to leave its bank, until he
would reach its farthest point, whether he would come out (alive) or die. So he
travelled on it, as some have it, for thirty years among human beings and for
yet another thirty years among non-humans. As others say, fifteen of this or
that and fifteen of this or that, until he finally came to a green sea. He
looked at the Nile that was dividing as it came nearer.
And lo, there was a man standing
(there), praying under an apple tree. When he saw him he became friendly to
him, he greeted him and said: ‘Who are you?’ — He replied: T am Ha’id b. Abi
Salum b. al-cAys. But who are you?’ — He answered: T am ‘Imran, son
of so and so, Ibn al- cAys. So, what brings you here, Ha’id?’ — He
said: T came for the sake
of this Nile.’ — He replied: ‘I, too,
was led here by the same (goal) as you, until I finally reached this place.
Then God revealed to me that I should stay here till His command would bring
you (here).’
Ha’id asked him: ‘Tell me, what
ultimately did you come to know in the matter of this Nile? And did it ever
become evident to you from the books that someone of Adam’s descendants would
reach it?’ — He responded: ‘Yes! I came to know that a man from the Banu l-cAys
would reach it. And I do not believe him to be another than you.’ — He said:
‘How is the way to it?’ — He replied: ‘Travel, as you have done, on this sea.
Then you will come to an animal the front part of which you can see, but not
the back side. But as far as that is concerned, it should not terrify you. This
animal is a foe of the Sun: When he rises, it pounces upon him to devour
him. And when he sets, it pounces upon him in the same fashion.’
‘Mount on it; it will carry you to
the (other) side of the sea. Travel on there, and you will come to a land of
iron. If you traverse it you arrive in a land of copper. If you traverse that
you come to a land of silver. And if you traverse that you arrive in a land of
gold. In that land, finally, you will obtain the knowledge of the Nile.’ So he
travelled until he reached the land of gold. And he travelled in it until he
came to a wall of gold. Its pinnacle was of gold and its cupola was of gold. It
had four doors. He looked at water coming down from the top of that wall until
it would settle in the cupola. Then it was flowing off into the four doors:
Three were discharging it into the earth, while one was emitting it on the
surface of the earth. That was the Nile. He drank from it and rested. And he
rushed towards the wall to climb up. But an angel came to him and told him: ‘Oh
Ha’id, stop where you are! You already have obtained the knowledge of this Nile
and this paradise; for, indeed, it flows down from paradise.’”
5.
Ibn Abi Hatim cites the
following tradition from 'Abdallah b. cAmr (may God grant them both
His favour!): “The Nile of Egypt is the lord of the rivers. God has made every
river subservient to it, from the East to the West. When God, the Exalted,
wishes that the Nile of Egypt flows, He orders every river to enlarge it. Then
the rivers enlarge it with their water. And for its sake God causes the earth
to stream, namely through its sources. — When its flowing has reached as far as
God wanted it to reach, He communicates His inspiration to every water. So it
returns to its origin.”
A|-Tabarani quotes Muslim al-Higri as
narrating: “I addressed 'Abdallah b. 'Amr thus: ‘From what is creation made?’
He replied: ‘From water, wind, light, and darkness.’ — Then I came to Ibn 'Abbas
(may God grant them both His favour!) and I asked him about that matter. He
answered: Tn this matter it is as 'Abdallah b. 'Amr has said (may God grant
them His favour!). And God knows better!”’
This is what has come down to us of The
Radiant Cosmography containing the cosmography of tradition.
PART C
AL-HAY’A AS-SANIYA
0,1: Hay’a, in
the title, obviously has a double meaning: First, it denotes this particular
treatise (Al-hay’a as-saniya), and then it describes its subject matter (al-hay’a
as-sunniya). As title hay’a is not unusual at this time, other
contemporary authors employ it, too, e.g. Mu’ayyid ad- Din al-cUrdi,
who worked with Nasir ad-Din at-Tusi (d. 672 H./1274 A.D.) in Maraga,
al-Guzgani (d. 681 H./1282.3 A.D.) and al-Gagmini (d. 745 H./1344.5 A.D.). But
in view of the contents of this treatise, its preference for traditional
teachings, it strikes a peculiar note.
Hay’a, in
the unspecified meaning of “form”, already occurs in the Qur’an (Sura 3,49 and
5,11). In scientific circles the term acquired the technical meaning of
“astronomy”, perhaps through assimilation to the Greek term kosmos in
the vogue of the translation literature. The terminology seems to have
developed by the intermediate stages of cilm hay’at al-cdlam
(= the science of the form of the world) and cilm hay’at al-afldk
(= the science of the form of the spheres) to zilm al-hay’a
(= the science of astronomy). Cf. C.A. Naluno:
Raccolta V, 103.—zIlm al-Falak 19. According to
D. Pingree’s article on zIlm
al-Hay‘a, in EI2, the term would seem to be used for:
that
branch of knowledge which deals with the geometrical structure of the universe,
which determines the laws governing the periodic motions of the celestial
bodies, which devises cinematic models to describe these motions, which reduces
them to tabular form so that a computer can, with as much precision and ease as
possible, determine the positions of the heavenly bodies as seen from any
particular locality on the surface of the earth, and which invents and employs
the instruments necessary to guarantee the utmost accuracy in observations, (p.
1135).
Hence the term hay’a appears
to cover the purely scientific and mathematical side of the astronomer’s work.
explicitly the exterior rivers,
clearly distinguishing them from the two hidden rivers of Paradise.
Nevertheless, in this text all four issue from the stem of the lotus-tree.
As far as the Nile alone
is concerned, it is the result of a mystified journey of discovery to its
source that “it flows down from Paradise”, but is (i.e. at least a fourth part
of it) a river on the surface of the earth. A man, said to have come to Egypt
fleeing from the anger of his king, was so fascinated by the wonders of the
Nile that he spent nearly sixty years travelling along its banks in search of
its source. Then he reached “a green sea”; he was instructed to cross it on the
back of a giant animal, apparently the arch-enemy of the Sun whom it tries to
devour at its rising and setting. After having crossed to the other side of the
“green sea”, he had to traverse the lands of iron, copper, silver, and finally
gold.
Finally he came to a “wall
of gold”, with four doors. Water was flowing down from the top of that wall
into the four doors: Three parts were running into the earth, and the fourth
part flowed along the surface of the earth. This part turned out to be the
Nile. About to climb that wall, he was stopped by an angel and informed that
the Nile “flows down from Paradise” (XIII,4). — Here, of course, human
knowledge comes to an end. But even though the “discoverer” reaches Paradise,
the story must have stirred human curiosity and the will to repeat such a
journey. And that is probably the only scientific part of it.
A more down-to-earth text
is quoted in the last fragment of this chapter. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr suggests an
“explanation” of the periodic flooding of the Nile; but that event, too, is
ultimately of Allah’s own doing. For it is He who made all rivers, from East to
West, subservient to the Nile, “the lord of the rivers” (XIII,5). Thus it is
He, too, who commands every river to sufficiently enlarge the Nile and finally
to return when He wants it to subside. However, Allah’s use of the subordinate
rivers seems to be a step towards a secondary causality — and a new invitation
to man to verify this theory.
To sum up: The harvest of
scientific elements in Al-hay’a as-saniya is doubtless rather meager.
But the many loose ends and the numerous pieces of diverse, often contradictory
theories and explanations of the cosmic, meteorological, natural and
geographical phenomena make it a store-house of ideas and scientific stimuli.
It is to these elements that as- Suyuti wants contemporary science to revert —
that is the historical significance of his treatise Al-hay’a as-saniya.
PARTS
I. The Arabic text of as-Suyufl’s
Al-hay’a as-saniya ft
l-hay’a as-sunniya
The manuscripts
The number of hand-written
copies of a medieval treatise testifies to its popularity and influence among
its contemporary readers. At the outset of my research on the hay’a as-sunniya
it therefore came as a surprise to me that of as-Suyuti’s Al-hay’a as-sanlya
such a great number of copies is still available in the various manuscript
libraries of the world. My list of over sixty extant copies is probably not
even complete; it necessarily depends on access to libraries and catalogues,
and most probably more copies will be added in the future. Even so, it
illustrates the place this treatise must have had in contemporary intellectual
life.
The great number of extant
copies makes it impossible to use all of them for an edition of the text.
Perfectionism, moreover, is quite out of place. It could only obstruct the work
the sole goal of which is to establish the correct, unaltered text intended by
the author. This goal, I am confident, has been reached with the nine
manuscripts I have collated. The oldest ones were copied only some fifty to
seventy years after the author’s death. And none of them reveals grave textual
problems, such as the presence of different versions of the treatise or major
alterations. It is, therefore, quite unlikely that an examination of more
manuscripts, and even the discovery of older ones, would change the text, in
essential points, which is presented in the following edition. As it is a
compilation from a number of earlier books used also by other authors no real
surprises are to be feared.
The four or five oldest manuscripts
would have sufficed to establish the text. But the younger ones proved useful,
too: They often helped to decipher illegible words in the oldest ones; but more
importantly, their
brief interpretations of difficult
passages, marginal notes and sometimes selections of what their copyists
considered important, presented clues concerning the reception of this treatise
by contemporary scholars. It has not been attempted to conjecture the stem of
the manuscripts because the copies examined were too widely divergent. For such
traditional materials, compiled at a late date, a conjectured stem does not
promise to be beneficial any way, since the copyists may have been influenced
by versions of traditions they had memorized from other sources. — In what follows
I first describe the manuscripts I have used for my text edition; then I list
those I have examined but excluded as less useful, and finally additional ones
which I found mentioned in various catalogues and bibliographies. With the
exception of the two Princeton manuscripts I have been able to collate the
manuscripts themselves, not only their copies.
S: The oldest and one of
the most reliable manuscript copies of the Hay’a as-saniya used for my
edition, is kept in the Sehid Ali Pasa collection of Suleymaniye Library in
Istanbul. It bears the catalogue number 2731/1, which means that it is the
first treatise bound together with others in the volume 2731. Its measures are
178 x 132 and 121 x 76 mm. The copy was made in the year 963 H./1556
A.D., i.e. 52 years after as-SuyutT’s death, by Muhammad b. cUmar.
It is written in a clear Nash!, imitating the old Arab style of writing, and
has 32 folios with 19 lines to the page. — It is obvious that the copyist
applied great care in the execution of his work. Thus the diacritical points,
and often also the vowel-signs, are diligently inserted. But there is an
omission of five lines at the end of chapter seven and in the beginning of
chapter eight, which is probably due to oversight. However, the book-binder was
not equally diligent: After the text VII, 10 about four pages of as-SuyutTs Al-hay’a
as-saniya are left out and twelve pages from a different treatise are
inserted. — The chapter headings are carefully marked off from the rest of the
text. Characteristic of this copy is the ending of each chapter with a formula
granting Allah the fullest knowledge (wa Allah aclam), which
may indicate some reservation about the preceding teachings. — Because this
copy proved to be not only the oldest, but also the most trustworthy, I 'have
generally given preference to its readings.
Ai: This manuscript was
copied 25 years after S, namely in the year 988 H./1580 A.D.. It is part of the
Aya Sofya collection of Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul. It is the first
treatise in the volume bearing the number K. 2681. The copyist was a certain
Muhammad b. cAbd Qadr CA1I al-Barlassi. He wrote it in a
very neat Nashi, on 31 folios with 19
lines to the page. The copy was
probably made for a bibliophile because it is manifest that much attention was
given to the aesthetic appearance of the book. Thus the head-lines are
beautifully displayed in colours, and the volume has an expensive binding. —
Fortunately the copyist was equally careful with the text. Hardly any
omissions, skipping of words and lines, can be pointed out. The variant readings
indicate that the copyist paid attention to the meaning of the texr and its
grammatical correctness, too. For he occasionally makes minor corrections.
Judged as a whole, this is the most valuable copy of the Hay’a as-sariiya.
A2: This is the longest
copy of the treatise I have seen. It fills 88 folios, with 9 lines to the page,
and is bound as a separate volume, which has the appearance of a bhok of piety
or meditations (perhaps it was used as such). Catalogued as the number K. 2680,
it is included in the Aya Sofya collection of Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul.
— Neither the name of the copyist nor the date of his work is mentioned. The
copy is written in a clear Nashl. Since it is written broadly, without
economizing on space or paper, it is the most legible copy I have seen. In
addition, the chapter headings, displayed in red and blue, give the treatise a
pleasant arrangement. Unfortunately, the copy is less trustworthy in details
than agreeable in appearance. The reason is probably that it was made from an
original that was not nearly as legible and, moreover, faulty. This copy,
therefore, was handy in the preparation of the edition, but its variants were
treated cautiously.
?!: This is the oldest of
three copies of as-SuyutFs Al-Hay’a as-sanTya kept in the manuscript
library of Princeton University (Garret Collection); its catalogue number is
993. Previously it belonged to the collection of Brill, Leiden, from which it
was acquired in 1904. The copy is written in a clear, but occasionally careless
Nashl. It is generally pointed. Its date is given as 1012 H./1603 A.D., but the
name of the copyist is unknown. The treatise covers 18 folios, with 21 lines to
the page. Catchwords are employed, and the headings are displayed in red
colour. Nevertheless, as many omissions of words and short parts of the
sentences indicate, the copyist cannot be said to have applied great care. But
his original must have been good, since his copy is nearly always in agreement
with the best manuscripts described above. A table of contents is attached, but
it probably is of a later date and written without care. The measurements of
the manuscript are: 210 x 156 mm, and writing covers 140 x 100 mm.
P2: This is
another copy of as-SuyutFs treatise now kept in the Garret Collection of Princeton
University. Its catalogue number is 991.
This copy, too, was acquired from
Brill, Leiden, in 1900. It was made by the copyist Nur ad-Din b. Nuh in the
year 1088 H./1678 A.D., i.e. rather late. It is written in a rather careless
Nashl, which sometimes makes reading difficult. The pointing is fairly common,
but often not trustworthy. Inspite of the use of catchwords and coloured
entries, the arrangement is rather poor. The manuscript measures 203 x 145 mm,
the writing covering 155 x 93 mm; it has 20 folios with 21 lines to the page.
Since this copy employs the eulogies after names with the greatest consistency,
I have generally followed its practice. In addition, I have used its table of
contents. But its variant readings were almost always relegated to the
apparatus; for they appeared to stem from a faulty original, associations or
mistaken interpretations or corrections of the copyist. Occasional marginal
notes and the variant in text XI, 6 proved useful, however, as they shed some
light on the contemporary interests of the readers. Moreover, the fact that
this dopy regularly adds wa caga’ib (= and the wonders...) to
the head-lines shows that by that time the Hay’a as-saniya had become
embodied in the caga'ib al-mahliiqat- literature. Hence the
intention of the author of restoring sunni cosmology was no longer
understood or thwarted.
U: This is one of four
manuscript copies in the library of Istanbul University. Its catalogue number
is A. 1476, 11; it is the eleventh treatise in one volume, in which it covers
the folios 38 r—55 r, with 25 lines to the page. It is written in a fairly
clear Nashl. The name of the copyist is not mentioned; and no date is given in
the treatise itself. But since it was bound together with another treatise
which appears to be in the same hand and which was copied in the year 1037
H./1627 A.D., it may be conjectured that the copy of Al-hay’a as-saniya
was made around that time, too. It was obviously made with care and attention,
especially to the correct forms of the names. However, this concern for
correctness appears to have resulted in occasional changes of the original.
Thus the manuscript was used only for confirmation of variants in the older
ones, but with caution.
Bj! This is the best copy
of Al-hay’a as-saniya among four others kept in the Bagdath Vehbi Efendi
Collection of Siileymaniye Library in Istanbul. It bears the catalogue number
849. This volume measures 205 x 149 mm, and the text of the treatise covers 25
folios, with 23 lines to the page. It is written in a Nashl of the Arab style
by an unknown copyist. The date is given as the year 1059 H./1649 A.D. This
copy appears to be fairly trustworthy; generally it agrees with the older
manuscripts S and A]. The variants it offers indicate that the copyist had
a good original, but tried occasional
corrections when he saw fit. This copy, therefore, was used mainly to
corroborate the readings of the older manuscripts and to check the history of
the text.
82: This is another, partial, copy of as-SuyutTs treatise in the
Bagdath Vehbi Efendi Collection. Its catalogue number is 2102/3, i.e. it is the
third treatise in a volume containing several others. It measures 212 x 152 mm,
and the written surface covers 158 x 96 mm. The copy is limited to the
folios 20-26, having 28 lines to the page. The writing style is an easily
readable Nashi. The copy was made by Yusuf b. Sulayman an- Naqqas al-Hanafi
as-Sami in the year 1077 H./1666 A.D. This is not a complete copy of as-Suyutfs
treatise: The whole section from III, 11 to IV, 45 is left out; and, moreover,
many individual paragraphs have been omitted, apparently by way of selecting
the preferred traditions. Such omissions have not been specifically marked in
the apparatus, since this serves the fixation of the original text, not the
characterisation of individual manuscripts. This particular copy has been used
for the present edition principally as an aid in deciphering difficult
passages; and occasionally its corrections or suggested interpretations have
been considered for a better understanding of the text.
83: This is the third copy in the Bagdath Vehbi Efendi Collection
which was used for the present edition. Its catalogue number is 656/3, i.e. it
is the third treatise contained in this volume; it measures 202 x 139 mm and
the written surface covers 145 x 97 mm. The copy fills the folios 99 to 118,
having 21 lines on a page. The writing style is Tacliq; neither the
name of the copyist nor the date is mentioned. Though it appears to be somewhat
younger, it generally agrees with the oldest copies. Its variants often appear
to be the products of a copyist’s attempt to improve the text with his own
corrections. This copy, therefore, has been used cautiously; on the whole, it only
has served as confirmation of other manuscripts.
The following manuscripts
were examined briefly, but not selected for this edition because they proved to
be late copies or so carelessly executed that nothing new could be expected
from them: Istanbul, Bagdath Vehbi Ef. 2103/14.
Istanbul, Esad Ef. 3545/10.
Istanbul, Haci Begir Aga 655/5.
Istanbul, Lala Ismail 678/11.
Istanbul, Laleli 3736/2.
Istanbul, Laleli 3767/3^
Istanbul, M. Hafid Ef. 191.
Istanbul, Mihrisah S. 335/3.
Istanbul, Reisulkiittab 1157/43.
Istanbul, Siileymaniye 708/21.
Istanbul, Siileymaniye 1030/23 (in very bad condition).
Istanbul, S. Esad Ef. Medresesi 182/4.
Istanbul, Haci Mahmud Ef. 778/5.
Istanbul, Halet Ef. 822/3.
Istanbul, Aya Sofya K. 2682.
Istanbul, Aya Sofya K. 2683.
Istanbul, Antalya-Tekelioglu 897/2.
Istanbul, Pertev Pasa 608/2.
Istanbul, Rsd. 988/18.
Istanbul, Rsd. 1004/16.
Istanbul, University A. 1634.
Istanbul, University A. 2952.
Istanbul, University A. 6136.
Bursa, Hara??ioglu nr. II — 1213/3.
Konya, Yusuf Aga 7250/1.
Additional manuscripts of Al-hay’a
as-saniya mentioned in the catalogues and bibliographies:
Istanbul, Selim Aga Mjm. 161/4.
Istanbul, Asaf III., 250, 852.
Kiitahya, Zeytinoglu 5193.
Kiitahya, Vahit Pasa II Halk Kth. 933.
Manisa, II Halk Kth. 1241; 297,2 = 927.
Princeton, University 992.
Vienna, National-Bibl. 2368.
Berlin, 5697/8.
Gotha, 52,4; 1383.
Ind. Office, 1037.
British Mus. Suppl., 1226,3.
Alger, 1556.
Cairo, I, 337; I, 448; VII, 146; 21, 160.
Hamburg, Orient. Seminar, 15,1.
Alex. Fun., 41,3.
Patna II, 392, 25791; II, 492, 26521.
Paris, 4253,3.
Stockholm, 77 b.
Brill — H., 615.
Beirut, 200.
Rampur, I, 125, 433; II, 114, 436.
The manuscript Munchen
133, which is mentioned in GAL II, 148 nr. 66, is actually a compilation by
Ibrahim al-Qaramani al-Amidi, whose works were discussed in the beginning of
the present study.
Some remarks
on technical details of the edition
The manuscripts usually do
not number the chapters, and never the paragraphs. Such numbers have been
inserted for easy reference in the commentary. They cannot disturb the flow of
the text since it consists of individual fragments collected from widely
separate sources. Moreover, the chapter headings including the formula ma
warada Ji do not occur in all manuscripts examined and are, therefore, not
part of the original text. For the sake of uniformity they have been used
throughout in the same fashion. Similarly I have employed the eulogies after
names, which also differ quite often, uniformly and consistently by following
the practice of manuscript P2. It is most consistent itself.
To
facilitate the printing of the Arabic text, and especially the apparatus, the
manuscripts used for the edition were denoted with Arabic letters. They
correspond to the letters used above as follows: Ai = Aya Sofya K. 2681 11
(dated 988 H./1580 A.D.)
A2
= Aya Sofya K. 2680 ->1
(not dated)
B, =
Bagdath Vehbi Ef. 849 I
(dated 1059 H./1649 A.D.)
B2
= Bagdath Vehbi Ef. 2102/3 ^
(dated 1077 H./1666 A.D.)
B3
= Bagdath Vehbi Ef. 656/3 ^
(not dated)
Pi = Princeton Univ.,
Garret Coll. 993 ^
(dated 1012 H./1603 A.D.)
P2 = Princeton Univ.,
Garret Coll. 991 ^-
(dated 1088 H./1678 A.D.)
S = Sehid Ali Pasa 2731/1
(dated 963 H./1556 A.D.)
U = Istanbul University A.
1476/11 ?
(dated 1037 H./1627 A.D.,
but uncertain)
The manuscripts vary
greatly in orthography; without saying so in every case, I have employed the
modern practice throughout. Thus I have
inserted hamzas wherever they
would be used in modern writing and have treated the wdws and yds
accordingly. Only when the meaning of the word could be affected, as in the
case of hawd’ (= air) and huwan (= abysses), have I expressed my
hesitation in the apparatus or more explicitly in the commentary.
The following signs were used:
+ An addition in the manuscript (s)
mentioned.
— An
omission in the manuscript(s) mentioned. A single word omitted is repeated
after the (—) sign to assure clarity. If more words or whole lines are omitted,
the limits are indicated with the same numbers, e.g. 4 .... 4.
(hdkadd): If
agreement of the manuscripts has to be explicitly indicated.
2 x : A word is repeated unnecessarily.
(fi l-hdsiya): A marginal note.
THE RADIANT COSMOGRAPHY
Containing the cosmograAiy of
tradition By the Master Galdi ad-Din as-Suyuti
The list of its chapters:
1.
The Throne and the
Footstool
2.
The Tablet and the Stylus
3.
The Heavens and the Earths
4.
The Sun, the Moon, and the
Stars
5.
The Night, the Day, and
the Hours
6.
The Water and the Winds
7.
The Clouds and the Rain
8.
The Thunder, the
Lightning, and the Thunderbolt
9.
The Milky Way and the
Rainbow
10.
The Earthquake
11.
The Mountains
12.
The Seas
13.
The Nile
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!
Praise be to God, Who taught us what we did not know!
And God’s blessing and peace on our lord
Muhammad, on his family, and on his Companions.
And then: This is a book on
cosmography, which I have compiled from the traditions and executed on the
basis of the old narrations. It was my goal that those with intelligence might
rejoice and those with eyes take heed.
I gave it the title: “The Radiant
Cosmography containing the cosmography of tradition”.
And I ask God for a good intention
and a pleasing conclusion!
129