The Holy Quran refers to the splitting of the moon incident as an “āyah.” God Almighty says:
The term “āyah” is a very common Arabic word. It implies a symbol and a sign. The term is used to mean physical manifestations indicating a hidden object or reality, or incident. For example, signposts direct routes to take, archaeological remains remind us of ruined towns, and artifacts and products tell us about their creators and manufacturers.
The interrelation between such things and the facts they lead to is that of a sign and the signified, both of which are correlative and reciprocal.
At some instances, the Holy Quran uses the term “āyah ” in this literal sense as well. Surah Yunus (10) mentions the divine decree of retaining the Pharaoh’s body to keep it as a sign of the event of divine retribution for future generations.
“The hour which they are being warned of has drawn nigh and the moon is cleft asunder. [But they will not accept the hereafter] and whatever sign they see, they will only evade it and remark: ‘This is a magic that is being handed down from the past.'” (Q 54:1-2)
God Almighty says: “Thus, today We shall preserve your body so that you can become a sign [of God’s punishment] for those who come after you. In reality, many people only remain heedless to Our signs.”
In Surah al-Shurᶜarāᵓ (26), Allah Almighty declares that ‘Ād’s feat to erect high buildings, as a sign of their grandeur, was a fruitless activity. The verse reads: “[What is the matter with you?] Will you keep building useless memorials in this way on every high ground? And keep constructing large palaces in this manner as if you have to live forever?”
Going beyond using the word “āyah” for a sign, symbol, and relic, the Holy Quran has also used the term as its own coinage. From that perspective, the term has been used for the arguments derived from the human self and the external universe (anfus-o-āfāq) that bring to light the attributes of the sustainer of the world.
If man applies this ability correctly, he can set foot on the path of knowing Allah. Human capabilities that guide him in this regard include deliberation, reason & understanding, and remembrance & The Holy Quran describes these capabilities as yata fakkarūna (deliberate/reflect), ya‘qilūna (use their intellect), and yadh dhakkarūna (get warned).
These divine attributes comprise of greatness, creation, authority, mercy, lordship (rabūbiyyat), justice, knowledge, and wisdom. Human reason and nature are endowed with the ability to know these attributes.
It is He Who has sent down water from the skies which you drink and also through which that pasturage sprouts in which you graze animals.
It reads: “[If you want to come close to Him, then know that] the straight path reaches God, whereas there are deviant paths as well. And had He wanted, He would have guided all of you to that one path.
God has granted man some portion of His knowledge, power, providence, wisdom, and mercy. Man can thus analogously have some idea of the attributes of God. However, it is essential for this that a person keeps his intellect alive and that he, under the guidance of divine revelation, keeps reflecting on the signs of God within him and in the world around him.
From it, He grows for you crops, olives, dates, grapes and fruits of all types. Surely, in it, there is a great sign for those who reflect.
It is He Who has put the night, the day, the sun and the moon into your service, and it is at His behest that the stars also serve you. Surely, in it are many signs for those who use their intellect.
And these things of various types that He has scattered for you in the earth, also undoubtedly have a great sign for those who can be reminded.” (Q 16:9-13)
These verses clearly demonstrate that God’s signs play a crucial role as a source of guidance in recognizing God’s Being and attributes. The relationship between divine attributes and divine signs can be likened to an ‘illah (cause) and ma‘lūl (effect). Attributes manifest themselves through signs, and signs can help recognize these attributes. Mr. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi has not only elucidated the Quranic stance regarding the Being and attributes of God but has also explained the interrelation between attributes and signs.
Below are some relevant excerpts from his explanation: The Qur’an has explicitly stated that no mind can comprehend the being of God. The reason for this is that the being who has created these means of comprehension can certainly comprehend human beings, however, these means can in no way comprehend Him who comprehends these means.
Contrary to the person of God, His attributes can be comprehended to some extent by a human being. The reason is that man himself finds some of these attributes within him, though at a very small scale.
The above details explicitly establish that when the word “āyah” is attributed to God, it implies the signs within the human nafs (anfus, self/being) and the external universe (āfāq) that point towards the different attributes of God. These “āyah’s” i.e. signs, testify that God is the creator of the universe, the owner of the heavens and the earth, and the lord of the east and the west.
For this very reason, the Qur’an has repeatedly called upon its addressees to exercise ta‘aqqul, tafakkur, and tadhakkur. If one deliberates on one’s surroundings and on the world within him, everything bears testimony that God is not merely the first cause and an eternal entity; He is, in fact, a being who has intention and knowledge and has all noble attributes (Mīzān p. 96-99).
However, if they still cannot comprehend them, Allah Almighty has further explained them in detail in His book to remove any chance of ambiguity or misconception. He says:
Explaining the above verse of Surah 13, Mr. Ghamidi writes:
“He makes the signs clear for people of knowledge.” (Q 10:5). “He makes the signs clear so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.” (Q 13:2).
These signs of God found in the human nafs and the external universe (anfus-o-āfāq) are evident and obvious from all aspects. Eyes can see them, rational minds can understand them, insightful hearts can recognize the Lord through them and learn about their eventual outcome.
Allah is Most Subtle, All-Aware, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Gracious, Merciful, Almighty, All-Wise, Most Capable of everything, and has perfect knowledge of all things.
Therefore, when the Holy Quran seeks to direct human attention to these divine attributes, it employs these obvious signs as evidence. This is how it provides them with a reminder and encouragement, a cause of fear and a threat, and a warning and retribution.
According to this use of “āyah ” as a term, four applications of the word can be defined:
“[It] provides their details in His Book so that the facts which it presents are understood by its addressees. The consequence of this understanding should be that the Being Who has created this world with His immeasurable power and perfect wisdom will not let it end without any meaningful culmination; on the contrary, He will necessarily make it reach the fate which has been prescribed for it.” (al-Bayan, 2:573). To sum up the above detail, the literal meaning of the word “āyah” is a sign or symbol. It implies something that is obvious and identifies some hidden reality or an object. For example, a creation points to its creator, an artifact leads to its maker, and an image indicates the artist. In the terminology of the Quran, “āyah” refers to those arguments and evidences from within individuals nafs and throughout the universe (anfus-o-āfāq) that play the role of signposts in the path to recognize God’s being and attributes and forewarn humans about their fate in the hereafter.
Let us try to understand these applications of the word “āyah ” in the light of the Holy Quran in detail. It will help us understand to which application the event of splitting of the moon corresponds to.