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To what extent is the narration attributed to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) authentic: "The sun is like a waterwheel, it runs by day in the sky in its orbit. And when it sets, it runs by night in its orbit beneath the earth, until it rises from its rising place, and likewise the moon"? And are the narrators of this tradition trustworthy?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Abu al-Sheikh Al-Asbahani mentioned in Kitab Al-Azhamah, on the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the sun runs during the day in the sky in its orbit, and when it sets, it runs at night in its orbit under the earth until it rises from its rising place, and similarly for the moon. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir authenticated its chain of narration. However, there is disagreement concerning the men in the chain of narration; Abu Salih is considered weak and makes many errors, Yahya ibn Ayyub is disputed, and Ibn Jurayj used to practice tadlis (concealing defects in narration) and irsal (transmitting without mentioning the direct source).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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