ARABIC - The Qur'anic Expression of the Sun's Movement in the Story of the People of the Cave: An Analytical Study in the Light of Exegeses and Modern Astronomical Knowledge

التعبير القرآني عن حركة الشمس في قصة أصحاب الكهف: دراسة تحليلية في ضوء التفاسیر و المعارف الفلكية الحديثة

Abstract

The Qur'ān 18:17 presents a remarkably vivid description of the apparent movement of the sun around the Cave of the Sleepers through the two distinctive verbs tazāwaru (تزاور) and taqrizuhum (تقرضهم). Although these expressions have received considerable attention in the classical exegetical tradition, previous studies have generally confined their analyses to lexical, theological, or rhetorical dimensions, with limited engagement with established findings in contemporary solar physics and astronomical science. This study seeks to bridge that gap by offering an interdisciplinary analysis that integrates classical Qur'anic exegesis, Arabic lexical semantics, Qur'anic rhetoric, and modern scientific knowledge concerning solar radiation and the apparent motion of the sun. Adopting an analytical-comparative methodology, the study first investigates the semantic development of the two Qur'anic expressions in the major Arabic lexicons before examining their interpretation in the exegetical works of al-Ṭabarī, al-Zamakhsharī, Ibn Kathīr, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, and Ibn ʿĀshūr. It then analyses the rhetorical function of these expressions within the Qur'anic discourse and evaluates them in light of established principles of solar geometry, atmospheric optics, solar radiation, and the interaction between sunlight and cave orientation. The findings demonstrate that the Qur'anic diction exhibits exceptional semantic precision. Rather than functioning as synonymous expressions, tazāwaru and taqrizuhum depict two distinct phases of solar interaction with the cave, each reflecting a specific spatial and kinetic relationship between sunlight and the cave's opening. The study further argues that contemporary solar physics provides a coherent explanatory model for the physical phenomenon described in the verse, particularly regarding solar incidence angles, atmospheric scattering, and the influence of cave orientation on the penetration of direct solar radiation. These scientific observations do not constitute an interpretation of the Qur'anic text; rather, they illuminate the physical mechanisms through which the Qur'anic description may be understood without subordinating revelation to scientific theory. The study concludes that the verse exemplifies an extraordinary convergence of linguistic precision, rhetorical eloquence, and observable natural order. Its principal contribution lies in proposing a methodologically balanced framework for interdisciplinary Qur'anic studies, one that preserves the epistemological autonomy of Qur'anic exegesis while critically engaging with verified scientific knowledge. This approach offers a constructive model for future research on Qur'anic cosmological expressions and their relationship to the natural sciences.