Dahw al-Ard: Difference between revisions

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.<ref>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)</ref> Some interpretations specify "ard" as dry land in contrast to water and mountains, rather than the entire globe.<ref>Shaʾrānī, ''Nathr-i ṭūba'', vol. 1, p. 17, 253; Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, ''Durūs hayʾat'', vol. 1, p. 232.</ref> The phrase generally denotes the expansion of the land, specifically originating from beneath the Ka'ba, as described in Islamic narrations.<ref>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.</ref>

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.<ref>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.</ref>

 

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.<ref>Shahristānī, ''Islām wa hayʾat'', p. 141-161;  Ḥasanī, ''Zamīn wa āsimān dar qurʾān wa nahj al-balāgha'', p. 55.</ref>

 

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.<ref>Fakhr al-Rāzī, ''Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr'', vol. 31, P. 48;  Ibn Kathīr, ''Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm'', vol. 1, p. 123.</ref>

 

Given the earth's spherical shape, the concept of material expansion related to Dahw al-Ard is often rejected.<ref>Nasfī, ''Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-jalīl'', vol. 4, p. 315; Marāghī, ''Tafsīr al-Marāghī'', vol. 30, p. 31-32.</ref> Some scholars instead interpret this term as the enlargement of habitable land areas, as perceived by humans, rather than a global expansion.<ref>Shaʾrānī, ''Nathr-i ṭūba'', vol. 1, p. 253.</ref>

 

==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.<ref>Khāwnsārī,  ''Mashāriq al-shumūs'', vol. 2, p. 451; Mūsawī Iṣfahānī, ''Mikyāl al-makārim'', vol. 2, p. 35.</ref> These actions are considered highly recommended (mustahabb) and are believed to carry significant spiritual rewards.<ref>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.</ref>

 

== In the Divine Books ==

Dahw al-Ard is mentioned in In the divine books such as the Quran and 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.'<ref>Genesis: 1: 9-11; Hawkes, ''Persian Bible Dictionary'', p. 84.</ref>

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 "{{Ia|والارض بعد ذلک دحاها

}}" (and thereafter He spread the earth) to illustrate this concept.<ref>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.</ref>

 

Surah Al-Shams (91), verse 6, includes an oath by "the earth and its expander," using the phrase "{{Ia|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."<ref>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».</ref>

 

==Expansion of the Earth from Beneath the Ka'ba==

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 (the spreading of the earth).<ref>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.</ref>