His other question asks: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And the Moon, We have appointed for it mansions, until it returns like the old date-palm fiber”?
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The questioner : His other question asks: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Ya-Sin 36:39]?
The Shaykh : Its meaning is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) makes clear the perfection of His power, His majesty, His wisdom, and His mercy toward His servants, in that He has appointed for this Moon mansions, each day having a mansion different from the other, so that it returns at the end of the month as it was at the beginning, like the old date-palm fiber. The date-palm fiber is a branch of the date palm, for when it becomes old, it twists and weakens. And so it is with the Moon: it appears at the beginning of the month as a weak crescent, then it grows little by little until it is full of light in the middle of the month, then it returns to waning little by little until it becomes like the old date-palm fiber, twisted and weak. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has appointed these mansions for us so that by them we may know the number of years and the reckoning, and so that the matter becomes clear to us, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:[At-Tawbah 9:36] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:189] Therefore, there is no doubt or ambiguity that the universal timekeeping is by these new moons, because Allah says: [Al-Baqarah 2:189] generally. Yes.
And the moon - We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk.
والقمر قدرناه منازل حتى عاد كالعرجون القديمThe Shaykh : Its meaning is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) makes clear the perfection of His power, His majesty, His wisdom, and His mercy toward His servants, in that He has appointed for this Moon mansions, each day having a mansion different from the other, so that it returns at the end of the month as it was at the beginning, like the old date-palm fiber. The date-palm fiber is a branch of the date palm, for when it becomes old, it twists and weakens. And so it is with the Moon: it appears at the beginning of the month as a weak crescent, then it grows little by little until it is full of light in the middle of the month, then it returns to waning little by little until it becomes like the old date-palm fiber, twisted and weak. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has appointed these mansions for us so that by them we may know the number of years and the reckoning, and so that the matter becomes clear to us, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: