Continuation of the benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “He created the heavens and the earth in truth. He folds the night over the day and folds the day over the night, and He subjected the sun and the moon”

That the sun runs and the moon runs; at the very least, we say: this is the apparent meaning. And if we have an apparent meaning from the Book and the Sunnah, it is not permissible for us to go beyond this apparent meaning except with clear evidence that justifies us in contradicting this apparent meaning. This is because Allah addressed us with His speech in the Arabic language, so it is obligatory for us to follow the implications of this Arabic language unless there is evidence to the contrary. They say now: that the sun and the moon do not run, and that the moon orbits the sun, and that the earth also orbits the sun, and that the alternation of night and day occurs due to the rotation of the earth. All of this contradicts the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, so it is of no account unless we know something by which we can confront Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in taking His words away from their apparent meaning. Otherwise, the obligatory course is to keep it on its apparent meaning. Even if we assume that we have agreed that the earth rotates, it does not follow from that that the sun does not rotate around it. Because some people say: if you agree that the earth rotates, it necessitates that the difference between night and day is due to the rotation of the earth. We say: it does not necessitate that, because if the rotation of the earth differs from the rotation of the sun, the alternation occurs—the alternation of night and day—and there is no objection. In any case, the important thing is that it is obligatory for us to take the apparent meaning of Allah's speech, because Allah is the Creator and His report is the truth. And He addressed us with what we understand from our language, the language of the Arabs. So it is not permissible for us to deviate from the apparent meaning except with sensory evidence by which we can confront Allah (Mighty and Majestic) on the Day of Resurrection when He asks us: Why did you believe that the earth is the one that rotates and that night and day occur due to its rotation? We would have an argument to say: Because we touched this. Now, if it were to happen—and it is unlikely, as it appears to us—if it were to be established that night and day occur due to the rotation of the earth and not the rotation of the sun, how do we answer regarding the apparent meanings? We say: They run according to the human perspective. Because if a thing is stationary and it rotates, the one above it, who is stationary, is thought to be the one that moves and rotates. So if this is established, we say: They run according to the human view, even if they are fixed and the earth is the one that rotates. Yes.