hadith about sun?

[arzafar]

:salam2:

I have a confusion with the following hadith which is repeated several times in bukhari and muslim

Muslim :: Book 1 : Hadith 297
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one day said: Do you know where the sun goes? They replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Verily it (the sun) glides till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it falls prostrate and remains there until it is asked: Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out from its rising place and then glides till it reaches its place of rest under the Throne and falls prostrate and remains in that state until it is asked: Rise up and return to the place whence you came, and it returns and emerges out from it rising place and the it glides (in such a normal way) that the people do not discern anything ( unusual in it) till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it would be said to it: Rise up and emerge out from the place of your setting, and it will rise from the place of its setting. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. Do you know when it would happen? It would happen at the time when faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed or has derived no good from the faith.

explain the above please.

 

[arzafar]

so anyone?

 

[weakslave]

Your actual question is: how do we reconcile between this hadith and what we know now? We know the sun is forever rising and forever setting.

I just want to briefly point out that a verse of the Quran or an authentic hadith must be accepted first, understood second. Understanding every word of it is not important, accepting it and believing in it is. With this mentality and the help of Allaah the meanings become apparent.

The prophet was addressing the people in terms they understood, therefore, back then they did not know what we know now about the earth the sun. What we can extract from the hadith is: The sun rests below the Throne. The sun prostrates to Allaah. The sun obeys Allaah's command in its rising and setting. The sun will one day rise from where it sets, and when that happens the doors of forgiveness will be shut.

The last point is the the crucial one, the one point that we need to understand and pass on. As for the rest it does not have anything to do with our 'Aqeedah nor day to day worship. If we understand it Alhamdulilah. Otherwise we say as the companions of the messenger said: Allaah and His messenger know best.