How sound is the Hadith of Abu Dharr in "Sunan Abu Dawud": "I was with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on a donkey, and the sun was setting. He said: (Do you know where it goes?) I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: (Indeed, it sets in a muddy spring)"? And what is its meaning if it is sound, especially since some non-Muslims use it to cast doubt upon and slander Islam?

The hadith of Abu Dharr describing where the sun goes came in two versions: The first, which is the preponderant one, states that the sun goes until it prostrates beneath the Throne. This version was narrated by most trustworthy narrators and is found in the Two Sahihs. The second version, narrated uniquely by Al-Hakam ibn Utaybah, states that it sets in a spring of murky water. This wording is weak due to its narrator's uniqueness and his tadlis (concealment of defects in the chain of narration), and its contradiction of the more trustworthy wording. Furthermore, it conflicts with established cosmic realities and interprets the Quranic verse (وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ - "He found it setting in a spring of murky water") as a visual perception rather than a cosmic reality. In conclusion, impugning the Sunnah because of this wording stems from ignorance of the science of 'Ilal (hidden defects) which distinguishes between narrations, and the correct wording does not contradict the sphericity of the Earth and the celestial bodies.