Dahw al-Ard

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Daḥw al-Arḍ (Arabic: دحو الأرض), means the expansion or spreading out of the earth. Interpretations vary, with some suggesting the emergence of land from water and others proposing the earth's physical movement.

Surah An-Nazi'at (79), verses 27-33, reference the earth's expansion following the creation of the heavens (وَ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا). Some Islamic narrations pinpoint the starting point of this expansion to Mecca or specifically beneath the Ka'ba.

Some narrations associate Dahw al-Ard with the 25th of Dhu l-Qa'da, a day recommended for ablution and fasting due to its reported spiritual rewards.

Terminology

Dahw al-Ard is a compound Arabic term composed of "dahw," meaning to spread or expand, and "al-ard," signifying land or earth, in contrast to the sky or heavens.[1] Some interpretations specify "ard" as dry land in contrast to water and mountains, rather than the entire globe.[2] The phrase generally denotes the expansion of the land, specifically originating from beneath the Ka'ba, as described in Islamic narrations.[3]

Alternatively, some scholars propose that Dahw al-Ard signifies the emergence of dry land from an initially water-covered earth. According to this view, water gradually receded, forming valleys and lowlands, ultimately revealing the earth's surface.[4]

Contemporary Shia scholar, Shahristani offers an alternative interpretation of "Dahw al-Ard." Unlike traditional views of expansion or spreading, he posits that the term refers to the earth's positional and translational movement. Shahristani considers the notion of physical expansion derived from "dahw" to be a misinterpretation.[5]

A further interpretation of Dahw al-Ard suggests the earth's preparation for life. This process, according to these scholars, entailed the emergence of subterranean waters, enabling plant growth and establishing stable mountain ranges to overcome environmental challenges.[6]

Given the earth's spherical shape, the concept of material expansion related to Dahw al-Ard is often rejected.[7] Some scholars instead interpret this term as the enlargement of habitable land areas, as perceived by humans, rather than a global expansion.[8]

Day of Dahw al-Ard and Its Practices

Some accounts link Dahw al-Ard to the 25th day of Dhu al-Qa'da. Religious practices associated with this date include performing ablution (ghusl) and fasting.[9] These actions are considered highly recommended (mustahabb) and are believed to carry significant spiritual rewards.[10]

In the Divine Books

Dahw al-Ard is mentioned in In the divine books such as the Quran and the Torah.

In the Torah

In the Torah, there is a reference to Dahw al-Ard: '9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.'[11]

In the Quran

In the Quran, there is a reference to the expansion of the earth (Dahw al-Ard دحو الأرض). [12]

The Quranic verses 27-33 in Sura al-Nazi'at (79) describe the expansion of the earth following the creation of the heavens. Verse 30 specifically employs the phrase "والارض بعد ذلک دحاها " (and thereafter He spread the earth) to illustrate this concept.[13]

Surah Al-Shams (91), verse 6, includes an oath by "the earth and its expander," using the phrase "وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا ." Some scholars propose that the root of "taha" is "daha," with a linguistic transformation from "dal" to "ta." They interpret "taha" in this context as meaning "expanding," "spreading," or "extending."[14]

Expansion of the Earth from Beneath the Ka'ba

Certain interpretations, referencing Quranic verse 96 of Sura Al Imran (3) which describes the Ka'ba as the first house built on Earth, propose that the earth's expansion originated beneath the Ka'ba. These scholars equate this notion with the concept of "Dahw al-Ard."


Some interpreters, relying on verse 96 of Sura Al Imran, where the Ka'ba is described as the first house established on earth, argue that the expansion of the earth has originated from beneath the Ka'ba. They interpret the verse as a reference to Dahw al-Ard.[15] Some narrations posit that the Ka'ba's creation predates the earth's expansion by 2000 years.[16] A prevailing perspective suggests that the "Dahw al-Ard," or the earth's expansion, originated from Mecca, specifically beneath the Ka'ba.[17]

Umm al-Qura

Quranic verses 92 of Sura al-An'am (6) and 7 of Surah Al-Shura (42) refer to Mecca as "Umm al-Qura" (Mother of Cities). Some interpretations suggest that in the beginning, Mecca stood as a solitary dry land amidst a water-covered world. This dry expanse gradually expanded, forming the land as we know it today.[18] In a narration from Imam Ali, the same concept is mentioned.[19] In a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the reason for naming Mecca as Umm al-Qura has been understood to be the spreading of the earth (dahw al-Ard) from Mecca.[20]

A potential contradiction arises from the notion of the Ka'ba as the initial point of land emergence, suggesting it should be the highest point on Earth. To reconcile this, some explain that the Earth's dramatic transformation over millions of years, including the conversion of mountains into ocean floors and vice versa, has altered the planet's topography.[21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, Mufradāt alfāẓ al-Qurʾān, p. 73; Dehkhodā, Lughatnāma, vol. 6, p. 1571, word, (أرض); Ṭabībīyān, Farhang-I farzān, p. 507, word, (زمین)
  2. ↑ Shaʾrānī, Nathr-i ṭūba, vol. 1, p. 17, 253; Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, Durūs hayʾat, vol. 1, p. 232.
  3. ↑ Shahīd al-Thānī, Masālik al-ifhām ilā tanqīh sharāyiʿ al-Islām, vol. 2, P. 77, Sabziwārī, Dhakhīrat al-maʿād fī sharḥ al-Irshād, vol. 1, P. 519; Mūsawī ʿĀmilī, Madārik al-aḥkām fī sharḥ Sharāʾiʿ al-Islām, vol. 6, P. 265.
  4. ↑ Shaʾrānī, Nathr-i ṭūba, vol. 1, p. 17; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 26, P. 110; vol. 27, P. 43; Ḥasanī, Zamīn wa āsimān dar qurʾān wa nahj al-balāgha, p. 51-53.
  5. ↑ Shahristānī, Islām wa hayʾat, p. 141-161; Ḥasanī, Zamīn wa āsimān dar qurʾān wa nahj al-balāgha, p. 55.
  6. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 31, P. 48; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 1, p. 123.
  7. ↑ Nasfī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-jalīl, vol. 4, p. 315; Marāghī, Tafsīr al-Marāghī, vol. 30, p. 31-32.
  8. ↑ Shaʾrānī, Nathr-i ṭūba, vol. 1, p. 253.
  9. ↑ Khāwnsārī, Mashāriq al-shumūs, vol. 2, p. 451; Mūsawī Iṣfahānī, Mikyāl al-makārim, vol. 2, p. 35.
  10. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 149; Kafʿamī, Al-Miṣbāḥ, p. 514; Baḥrānī, Al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira fī aḥkām al-ʿitrat al-ṭāhira, vol. 4; p. 235.
  11. ↑ Genesis: 1: 9-11; Hawkes, Persian Bible Dictionary, p. 84.
  12. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʾ al-bayān fi tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 30, p. 29; Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 10, p. 260; Thaʿlabī, Al-Kashf wa l-bayān ʿan tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 10, p. 127.
  13. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 10, p. 660; Samarqandī, Tafsīr al-samarqandī, vol. 3, p. 522; Baghawī, Tafsir al-Baghawī, vol. 4, p. 444.
  14. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 10, p. 358; Fakhr al-Rāzī,Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 31, p. 192; Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, vol. 15, p. 4; word «طحا».
  15. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 797; Abū Ḥayyān Andulusī,Al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ fī al-tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 583.
  16. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 190; Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 2, p. 241; Ṣadūq, Al-Amālī, p. 715.
  17. ↑ Suyūṭī, Al-Durr al-manthūr fī tafsīr al-maʾthūr, vol. 8, p. 412; Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 10, p. 449-451; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 54, p. 64; Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 189; Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 2, p. 241.
  18. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 4, p. 201; Baghawī, Tafsir al-Baghawī, vol. 1, p. 115; Samarqandī, Tafsīr al-samarqandī al-musammā baḥr al-ʿulūm, vol. 1, p. 486.
  19. ↑ Al-Tafsīr al-mansūb ilā al-Imām al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī al-ʿAskarī vol. 7, p. 145; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 54, p. 88.
  20. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 131; Suyūṭī, Al-Durr al-manthūr fī tafsīr al-maʾthūr, vol. 3, p. 29.
  21. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 5, p. 345.

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