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987
of the New Moon. The Arabs, among other superstitions, had one which made them enter their houses by the back
door during or after the Pilgrimage. This is disapproved, for there is no virtue in any such artificial restrictions. All
virtue proceeds from the love and fear of God. (2.189)
203 This is a Muslim proverb now, and much might be written about its manifold meanings. A few may be notes here. (1)
If you enter a society, respect its manners and customs. (2) If you want to achieve an object honourably, go about it
openly and not "by a backdoor". (3) Do not beat about the bush. (4) If you wish success in an undertaking, provide all
the necessary instruments for it. (2.189)
6:96 - He it is that cleaveth the daybreak (from the dark): He makes the night for rest and
tranquillity and the sun and moon for the reckoning (of time): such is the judgment and
ordering of (Him) the Exalted in Power the Omniscient. 921
921 The night, the day, the sun, the moon, -the great astronomical universe of God. How far, and yet how near to us!
God's universe is boundless, and we can barely comprehend even its relations to us. But this last we must try to do if
we want to be numbered with "the people who know". Taqdir: Cf. vi. 91 and n. 909, and iv. 149 and n. 655. (6.96)
12:4 - Behold Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the
moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!" 16321633
16:12 - He has made subject to you the Night and the Day; the Sun and the Moon; and the Stars
are in subjection by His Command: verily in this are Signs for men who are wise. 2031
2031 The Night and the Day are caused by astronomical rotations. What is important for man to note is how Allah has given
intelligence to man to make use of this alternation for work and rest; how man can, as soon as he rises from the
primitive stage, get over their inequalities by artificial illuminants, such as vegetable or mineral oils, coal, gas, or
electricity, which ultimately are derived from the stored-up energy of the sun; how the sun's heat can be tempered by
various artificial means and can be stored up for use by man as required, how man can be independent of the tides
caused by the moon and the sun, which formerly controlled navigation, but which no longer stand in man's way, with
his artificial harbours and great sea-going ships, how navigation was formerly subject to direct observation of the Polar
Star and other stars, but how the magnetic needle and charts have now completely altered the position, and man can
calculate and to a certain extent control magnetic variations, etc. In such ways the sun, the moon, and the stars
themselves become useful servants to him, all by Allah's gift and His Command, without which there would have been
no laws governing them and no intelligence to make use of them. (16.12)
25:61 - Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies and placed therein a Lamp and a
Moon giving light; 3121
3121 The glorious Lamp of the skies is the Sun; and next to him is the Moon, which gives borrowed light. The
Constellations of course include the Signs of the Zodiac, which mark the path of the planets in the heavens. (25.61)
36:39 - And the Moon We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old
(and withered) lower part of date-stalk. 39843985
3984 The lunar stations are the 28 divisons of the Zodiac, which are supposed to mark the daily course of the moon in the
heavens from the time of the new moon to the time when the moon fades away in her "inter-lunar swoon", an
expressive phrase coined by the poet Shelley. (36.39)
3985 'Urjun: a raceme of dates or of a date-palm; or the base or lower part of the raceme. When it becomes old, it becomes
yellow, dry, and withered, and curves up like a sickle. Hence the comparison with the sickle-like appearance of the
new moon. The moon runs through all her phases, increasing and decreasing, until she disappears, and then
reappears as a little thin curve. (36.39)
36:40 - It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon nor can the Night outstrip the Day: each
(just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law). 39863987
3986 Though the sun and the moon both traverse the belt of the Zodiac, and their motions are different, they never catch up
each other. When the sun and the moon are on the same side and on a line with the earth there is a solar eclipse, and
when on opposite side in a line, there is a lunar eclipse, but there is no clash. Their Laws are fixed by Allah, and form
the subject of study in astronomy. Similarly Night and Day follow each other, but being opposites cannot coincide, a fit
emblem of the opposition of Good and Evil, Truth and Falsehood: see also n. 3982 above. (36.40)
3987 Cf. xxi. 33, and n. 2695. How beautifully the rounded courses of the planets and heavenly bodies are described,
"swimming" through space, with perfectly smooth motion! As Shakespeare expresses it, each "in his motion like an
angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims!" (36.40)
41:37 - Among His Signs are the Night and the Day and the sun and moon. Adore not the Sun and
the Moon but adore Allah Who created them if it is Him ye wish to serve. 4508
4508 Night and Day are opposites, and yet, by the alchemy of Allah, they can both subserve the purpose of human good,
because the Night can give rest while the Day can promote activity. The Sun and the Moon are similarly
complementary. So, in moral and spiritual affairs, seeming opposites may by Allah's alchemy be made to subserve
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987