Page 48 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

And We have decreed set phases for the Moon, until it ends up looking
like an old date branch. It is not for the Sun to overtake the Moon nor
for the night to outstrip the day; each one is swimming in a sphere.
(Qur'an, 36:39-40)

The Moon does not follow a regular orbit like the satellites of other
planets. As it orbits the Earth, it sometimes moves behind it and some-
times in front. As it also moves with the Earth around the Sun, it actu-
ally follows a constant pattern resembling the letter "S" in space. This
route, traced by the Moon in space, is described in the Qur'an as resem-
bling an old date branch and does indeed resemble the twisted form of
the date tree branch. Indeed, the word "urjoon" employed in the Qur'an
refers to a thin and twisted date branch and is used to describe that part
left after the fruit has been picked. The way that this branch is
described as "old" is also most appropriate since old date branches are

thinner and more twisted.

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