Islamic evidences in their apparent meanings confirm that it is
the sun which revolves around the earth, and by its revolving the alternation of night and day takes place on the surface of the earth. It
is not for us to surpass the apparent meanings of these evidences without some stronger evidence which permits us to interpret them
differently from their apparent meaning.
Some of the evidences that show that the sun revolves around the
earth in a manner that causes the alternation of the night and day are
as follows:
1- Allah, the Most High mentioned that Ibrahim said to the one
who argued with him concerning his Lord:
"Verily, Allah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you
from the west!" [Al-Baqarah: ٢٥٨]
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِى رَبِّهِۦٓ أَنْ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّىَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا۠ أُحْىِۦ وَأُمِيتُ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِٱلشَّمْسِ مِنَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ ٱلْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ ٱلَّذِى كَفَرَ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
The sun being brought from the east is a proof that it is the sun which
revolves around the earth.
2- Allah also tells us that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: "When he saw the sun rising up, he said: 'This is my lord
(for) this is greater!' But when it faded away (i.e. set),he
said: O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as
partners (in worship with Allah).
" [Al-An'am: ٧٨]
فَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّى هَٰذَآ أَكْبَرُ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ إِنِّى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
So, He has mentioned the fading away as an attribute of the sun
and not that the earth fades away from it, for if it were the earth that
revolved, He would have said: 'but when he (i.e Ibrahim) faded away
from it'.
3- Allah, the Most High says:
"And you would have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to
the right from their cave, and when it set, turning away
from them to the left." [Al-Kahf]
وَتَرَى ٱلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَٰوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِى فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
described the declining and turning away as being by the
sun, and that is a proof that the movement was by the sun. If it was by
the earth, He would have said: "Their cave declined from it".
Likewise, attributing the "rising" and "setting" to the sun proves
that it is the sun which revolves, even though the indication of this
may be less than the indication in His Words:
"declining"
and: a "turning away from them"
4- Allah, the Most High says:
"And it is He who has created the night and the day, and the
sun and the moon, each swimming in an orbit."[Al-Anbiya: ٣٣]
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: They revolve in
an orbit, like the whorl of a spindle.
This narration has been widely reported from him.
5- And Allah, the Most High says:
"He brings the night as a cover over the day, pursuing it rapidly."[Al-A'raf: ٥٤]
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
He described the night as pursuing the day, and the pursuer rushes
and overtakes, and it is well known that the night and the day are
subsequent to the sun.
6- Allah, the Most High says:
"He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. He
rolls the night over the day, and rolls the day over the night,
and He has made the sun and the moon subservient. Each
runs (on a fixed course) for an appointed term. Verily, He is
the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving." [Az-Zumar: ٥]
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ عَلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ ٱلنَّهَارَ عَلَى ٱلَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى أَلَا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفَّٰرُ
and His Words:
"He rolls the night over the day."
i.e. it makes it go around it, as a turban is wrapped around, which
proves that it is the night and the day which go around the earth. If it
were the earth which revolved around them, He would have said: "He
causes the earth to revolve around the night and day"
And in His saying:
"the sun and the moon, each runs (on a fixed course)."
In these words is a clarification of the afore mentioned (day and
night); and it is a proof that the sun and the moon move in a perceptible orbit, because making a moving body subservient is more apparent (in meaning) than making a stationary one subservient.
7- Allah, the Most High says;
"By the sun and its brightness; By the moon as it follows it
(the sun)."[Ash-Sham: ١-٢]
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
👇
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا
The meaning of: is that 'it (i.e. the moon) comes after it'.
This proves that both of them are moving and revolving around the
earth, for if it were the earth that revolved around them, the moon
would not be following the sun; rather it would sometimes be
following it and sometimes be preceded by it, because the sun is at a
greater height than the moon. This inference from the verse requires contemplation.
8- Allah, the Most High says:
"And the sun moves on its fixed course for a term
(appointed). That is the Decree of the ally mighty, the AllKnowing. And the moon, We have ordained for it stages till
it returns like the old dried curved date stalk. It is not for
the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the
day. They all float, each in an orbit.”[Ya-Sin: ٣٨-٤٠]
وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ 1
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ 2
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
3
So, attributing the movement to the sun and describing it as being
decreed by the Almighty, the Most Wise, proves that the movement
(by the sun) is real and precisely decreed in way which results in the
alternation of the night and day and the seasons.
The ordaining of the moon's stages is a proof that it traverses them,
for if it were the earth that revolved, the ordaining of the stages would
have been for the earth's movement around the moon rather than the
moon's movement around it.
Moreover, negating the sun's ability to overtake the moon and the
night's ability to outstrip the day are evidence of the rushing movement being made by the sun and the moon, and the night and the
day.
9- The Prophet said to Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with
him, when the sun had just set:
"Do you know where it goes?"
He said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said:
"Verily, it goes and prostrates beneath the Throne and seeks
permission (to rise), and permission is granted to it. Then (a
time will come when) it will ask permission (to go on its
course) but it will not be permitted, rather it will be said:
Return from where you came! And so it will rise from the
west."
So and it is quite clear from his words: "Return from where you
came!" that it is the Sun that revolves around the earth, and it is due to
its revolution that the sunrise and sunset occur.
10- The Ahadith which attribute rising, setting, and declining from
its zenith to the sun, are clear evidence that it is the sun which does so
and not the earth.
There are most probably other proofs that I cannot recall now, but
what I have mentioned is a summary of the subject, and it is sufficient
for my purpose.
And Allah is the onewho grants accomplishment.
Fataawa arkaanul Islam ibn uthaymeen.