Is It True That Islam Says That the Earth Is on the Back of a Whale?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have seen many hadiths about the earth being flat on the back of “noon” or a whale, and the whale is on a rock. The rock is on water, etc., and many other variations, including one with a huge bull holding the earth, and that earthquakes happen because that whale moves, or the bull moves, and “noon” at the beginning of Surat al-Qalam is the whale on which the earth is on. Some Shi‘a believe in this, and some tried to explain it using science. Is all of this true or false? Should I believe in those hadith?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
This report that mentions that the earth is flat and on the back of a whale is a halted report (mawquf). A halted report is a statement or an action attributed to a companion. This report was narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him). Thus, this is not a hadith; however, a correct report is attributed to him.
He may have taken it from Ka‘b al-Ahbar (Allah be pleased with him), a Yemeni Jewish scholar who embraced Islam. He was considered the earliest authority on Israelite reports (Isra’iliyyat). Thus, it can be said that this is an Israelite report taken by Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him).
Halted Report (Mawquf) of Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him)
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that he said Allah first created the Pen, and it wrote all that is to happen. Then water vapor was raised, from which the heavens were created. Then the Noon – i.e., the whale – was created, the earth was spread out on the back of the Noon, and the earth moved and shook. Then it was made steady with the mountains, so the mountains boast to the earth. And he recited (interpretation of the meaning):
“Noon. (These letters (Noon, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Quran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings). By the pen and what the (angels) write (in the Records of men).” [Quran, 68:1] [Abd al-Razzaq, Tafsir Abd al-Razzaq; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Tabari, Jami al-Bayan]
Ruling of Israelite Reports
The scholars have mentioned that there are three main categories for Israelite reports (Israʼiliyyat) regarding its use in Muslim scholarship, which are:
- Consistent with the Quran and Sunna (Muwafiq);
- Contrary to the Quran and Sunna (Mukhalif);
- Silent and unknown status of neither accepted nor refuted (Maskut ‘Anhu).
From this categorization, it is clear that in Muslim scholarship, neither all narrations from the People of the Book are to be rejected nor are they to be considered authentic from the viewpoint of Islamic ruling. In sum, Muslims’ understanding of the narrations from the People of the Book is determined by the Quran and the Prophetic hadiths.
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the people of the Scripture (Jews) used to recite the Torah in Hebrew, and they used to explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. On that, Allah’s Messenger said, “Do not believe the people of the Scripture or disbelieve them, but say – ‘We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us.’” [Quran, 2.136] [Bukhari; Husain al-Dhahabi, al-Isra’iliyyat fi al-Tafsir wa al-Ḥadith]
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
