As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

I was talking with one of my friends (a physics student) when she showed this…

What do you notice about the following verse:

“Neither is it allowed for the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all are floating within an orbit.” [Ya-Sin: 40] 

Paying close attention to where it says كل في فلك (each is in an orbit) you can see that there is a very clear symmetry between the words. In other words, the sentence reads the same forwards as it does backwards!

Try it: Write out this part of the ayah backwards spreading out the letters – it reads the same.

I had previously came across this fantastic composition in some Arabic poetry a couple of months back, and the poets/those excelling in literacy would often use this to display their skill and profiency.

However, the more you read and understand the verse, the more this ties in so well with the actual context of the ayah. Allaah `azza wa jall has so perfectly laid out the systematic functions of the universe such that the sun and moon are both on a course, never superceding one another and neither does day or night. Each runs its course and the orbit no matter which direction its viewed from (like the sentence), remains the same for these celestial bodies, and one event leads onto the other, just like the letters lead one onto the other from both directions of the sentence.

Ok, so I love my physics and science but one thing to note is that Allaah `azza wa jall describes this orbit saying that these bodies are يسبحون (literally meaning ‘swimming’).

Why?!

Well, the aerodynamics and if you like, the ‘maths’ for the movement of these celestial bodies and all bodies underwater is actually the same!

I know, this might be a tad bit boring for some of you, but really it’s fantastic – especially since it was only recently that I discovered poetry that could be read fowards as well as backwards. I think in one funny piece, a poet was seemingly praising someone but when his poem was read backwards it actually was an insult! 😀