Dear members of IslamWeb. I would like to know what the scholarly opinion is concerning verse 88 of Surat Al-Naml about the mountains passing in the same manner as clouds while we think that they are stationary. I have read that this actually refers to the Earth orbitating around the Sun and spinning around its own axis as well as to the continental plates moving over its surface. Therefore, it is yet another miracle of the book of Allaah because it goes to underline how even mountains move while we do not feel it (a scientifically correct fact revealed 1400 years ago). However, in all translations, it has been translated as if its a fact that is going to take place on the Day of Judgement, do we have any proof from the sunnah that this verse actually refers to what is going to happen on the last day? Could it refer to both things at the same time? And what is the ruling in believing that? Please clarify? Thank you for your precious time and your wonderful Q/A service.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Allaah says (what means): {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allaah, Who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do.} [Quran 27:88]

Some interpreters of the Quran stated that what is meant by the verse is the movement of the mountains when they will be blown away with a blast on the Day of Resurrection. They provided the verse before the one above as evidence: {And [warn of] the Day the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will be terrified except whom Allaah wills. And all will come to Him humbled.} [Quran 27:87]; and the verse after it: {Whoever comes [at Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it, and they, from the terror of that Day, will be safe.} [Quran 27:89]

Ibn Katheer said, the saying of Allaah: {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds}; meaning, you see them as if they are fixed in place and as if they will remain as they are, but they will pass away as the passing away of the clouds, i.e. they will move away from their places. This is like the verses in which Allaah says (what means):

- {On the Day the heaven will sway with circular motion. And the mountains will pass on, departing.} [Quran 52:9-10]

- {And they ask you about the mountains, so say, "My Lord will blow them away with a blast. And He will leave the earth a level plain; You will not see therein a depression or an elevation."} [Quran 20:105-107]

- {And the day on which We will cause the mountains to pass away and you will see the earth a leveled plain} [Quran 18:47]”

In Fataawa Noorun ‘ala Ad-Darb of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen he was asked, “What is the meaning of the verse {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allaah, Who perfected all things.} Can this verse be used as evidence on the validity of saying that the Earth is revolving?"

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen replied:

“With regard to the woman's question about the saying of Allaah (which means): {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allaah, Who perfected all things.}; then this verse is about the Day of Judgment because Allaah mentioned it after mentioning the blowing of the trumpet, and said (what means): {And [warn of] the Day the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will be terrified except whom Allaah wills. And all will come to Him humbled. And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allaah, Who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do. Whoever comes [at Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it, and they, from the terror of that Day, will be safe.} [Quran 27:87-89] This verse is on the Day of Resurrection; the evidence is the verse before it and after it, and it is not in this worldly life. Allaah’s says {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid}, meaning (that they are) motionless and do not move, but they will pass like the clouds because they will be like scattered dust. As to using this verse to infer the validity of the revolving of the Earth, then this is not the case; this inference is incorrect because, as we have said, this will happen on the Day of Resurrection…”

Also, the Fatwa of Dar Al-Ifta’ of Egypt, reads:

“Among the wrong aspects of interpretation is that some researchers – and not interpreters of the Quran – want to prove that the Earth is moving and not static, and they mentioned the verse: {And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds.} [Quran 27:88] as supposed proof that the passing of the mountains as clouds is evidence that the Earth is moving, this is what they say. They forgot that the verses that came before and after this verse are talking about the blowing of the Trumpet and the people being accounted for their deeds, either good deeds or sins; the entire context is about the Day of Judgment, both in regard to the context and the order of the verses, and this is not about this worldly life. They also forgot that talking about the phenomenon of the passing of the mountains applies to the Day of Resurrection, and this was mentioned in other verses in the Quran; Allaah says (what means): {On the Day the heaven will sway with circular motion. And the mountains will pass on, departing. Then woe, that Day, to the deniers.} [Quran 52:9-11], and: {When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness], and when the stars fall, dispersing, and when the mountains are made to pass away.} [Quran 81:1-3] The entire context is about the Day of Resurrection.”

Based on this, it becomes known that the preponderant opinion is interpreting the verse to mean the events that will take place on the Day of Resurrection, and we have not come across any evidence in the Sunnah that states that what is meant by the verse is not the Day of Resurrection.

With regard to interpreting the verse to apply both to this worldly life and the Day of Judgment, then this is not correct according to the view of the majority of the scholars . Ibn Al-Qayyim said in Jalaa’ al-Afhaam, “Most scholars do not permit the use of a common word in two different meanings, neither literally nor metaphorically, and what was reported about Ash-Shaafi’i, that he permitted this, is not correct ...We have already mentioned that it is invalid to use a common word in its two different meanings, we mentioned more than a dozen pieces of evidence in the book at-Ta’leeq ‘ala al-Ahkaam.”

For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 116831.

Allaah knows best.