Is it possible to interpret the Almighty’s saying: (He found it setting in a spring of dark mud) to mean that Dhul-Qarnayn saw it from his perspective, and has the word (wajada - found) been used in Arabic with this meaning? And what is the authenticity of the Hadith of Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari with the wording: (Indeed, it sets in a spring of dark mud)? And did Al-Tabari interpret the verse to mean that the sun actually sets in a spring of dark mud?

The verse mentioned by the skeptics, "He found it setting in a muddy spring," does not mean that the sun falls into a spring. Rather, the expression "he found it" describes Dhul-Qarnayn's perception of it only, as he reached the ocean shore and saw it in that manner. This has been confirmed by exegetes, who clarified that the sun is much larger than the earth, so how could a spring contain it? Moreover, the word "found" (wajada) in the Quran is used to mean seeing or knowing, not necessarily physical contact or adherence. This is evident in the Almighty's saying: "He found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield," for the sun does not adhere to them.

As for the hadith (definition) of Abu Dharr, its meaning does not deviate from the meaning of the verse, which refers to what an observer sees on the horizon at the edge of the earth at sunset. Ibn al-Mulaqqin clarified that "setting in a muddy spring" does not mean its falling into it, but rather the end of one's visual perception of it at sunset, just as a seafarer sees the sun setting in the sea. Finally, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah advises that one should not make his heart like a sponge that absorbs doubts, but rather like a solid glass through which doubts pass over its surface without settling within it.