The Motion of the Earth

Please refer to the following translations:

30:25 {Wamin ayatihi an taqooma alssamao waal-ardu bi-amrihi thumma itha daAAakum daAAwatan mina al-ardi itha antum takhrujoona}

030.025
YUSUFALI: And among His Signs is this, that heaven and earth stand by His Command: then when He calls you, by a single call, from the earth, behold, ye (straightway) come forth.
PICKTHAL: And of His signs is this: The heavens and the earth stand fast by His command, and afterward, when He calleth you, lo! from the earth ye will emerge.
SHAKIR: And one of His signs is that the heaven and the earth subsist by His command, then when He calls you with a (single) call from out of the earth, lo! you come forth.

From the above three translations, those of Pickthal and Yusaf Ali are not correct. Such translations are used by the propagandists against Quran that Quran is against science. Only the translation of Shakir Ali is correct when it comes to the arabic word "taqooma" in this verse. "taqooma" is a verb and is not a noun. If it were a noun, it could mean, "stationary" or "motionless", or "fixed" or "still". But it is a verb. It can only mean "to become still [obviously after motion]", or "to become fixed" or so on. The tense of the word is present indefinite or future indefinite [in arabic, this is called fil mazaria]. So to translate "taqooma" as a noun would be technically wrong. If we translate "taqooma" as "to stop [after motion]", it also does not make sense, since, the tense being present indefinite, it would imply alternate motion and standing, which also is obviosly incorrect.

"subsist" as translated by Shakir Ali is correct, which means, "to exist" or "to remain or continue in existence". In fact the word "qama", from which the word "taqooma" is made, also means, "to be", or "to exist", or "to be existant". The phrase, "qaama bizaatihi" means, "to exist by itself" [Please see Arabic-English Dictionary by Hans Wehr]. So the phrase "qaama bi-amrihi" would mean "to exist by His Command or Law or Decree"The verse actually indicates that the heaven and the earth do not exist by themselves but they exist by the Command or Law or Decree of Allah.

"And do not follow (blindly) any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception, you must verify it for yourself). In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning."[17:36]

All the articles in this website are based upon the best of our knowledge and intentions. Like all human endeavours, they may not be definitive or free from unintentional errors. While reading, please keep in mind the Advice from Allah given in the above verse.