Splitting the Moon in Half - Quran

I stumbled on this topic while watching Richard Dawkins debate a Muslim cleric


The splitting of the moon (Arabic: انشقاق القمر‎) is a miracle in Muslim tradition attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is derived from the Quran, Surah Al-Qamar verses 54:1–2, and mentioned by Muslim traditions such as the Asbab al-nuzul (context of revelation)

1-2 The moon shall be split as a sign of the judgment-day
3-6 Muhammad commanded to withdraw from the infidels
6-8 Infidels shall surely be overtaken suddenly by the judgment
9-14 Noah was charged with imposture by his enemies, who were destroyed by the flood
15-18 Noah’s Ark, like the Quran, a sign to unbelievers who will not be warned
19-22 The Ádites destroyed for calling their prophet an impostor
23-32 The Thamúdites destroyed for rejecting their prophet as an impostor
33-40 The Sodomites destroyed because they rejected Lot as an impostor
41-42 Pharaoh and his people destroyed for rejecting Moses as an impostor
43-48 The people of Makkah warned by these examples of coming judgment
49-51 God’s decree certain and irresistible—illustrated by destruction of former nations
52-53 All actions recorded in the Divine records
54-55 The pious shall dwell in the gardens of Paradise


Al-Qamar, meaning "moon" in Arabic, is an important title for surah 54. The first verse is traditionally thought to refer to a miracle performed by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Meccan phase of his career, in which he showed the moon split in two in response to a challenge from his opponents. The disbelieving response is then recorded in the second verse "But if they see a sign they turn away and say 'Continuous sorcery!'" Several reports concerning this incident are contained in canonical hadith books, traced back to various Companions. According to those who downplay the miraculous, on the other hand, it foreshadows the inevitable Day of Judgment that will divide those who believe from those who disbelieve—those who are destined to Paradise and those who are destined to Hell. Because this Meccan surah's primary theme centers around the fate of those who disbelieve, the symbolic use of the moon is meant to warn the disbelievers of their impending fate in the first verse, as “ the hour draws near; the moon is split ”

Early traditions supporting a literal interpretation are transmitted on the authority of companions of Muhammad such as Ibn Abbas, Anas bin Malik, Abdullah bin Masud and others. According to the Indian Muslim scholar Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the moon will split again when the day of judgment approaches. He says that the verses may also have an allegorical meaning, i.e. the matter has become clear as the Moon. The Qur'anic verses 54:1–2 were part of the debate between medieval Muslim theologians and Muslim philosophers over the issue of the inviolability of heavenly bodies.


In 2010, NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) staff scientist Brad Bailey said, " No current scientific evidence reports that the Moon was split into two (or more) parts and then reassembled at any point in the past "



Gee, what would we ever do without Richard Dawkins and those NASA scientists and wise Muslim clerics ?



We'd probably learn a little about real history

" splitting the moon in half " is common Babylonian omen phrasing found in texts like the Enuma Anu Enlil tablets

CCP 3.1.5.A - Enūma Anu Enlil 5 (?) A









There's no need to invoke fantastical stories to explain the statement in the Quran, no scientific scrutiny of the moon to see if it has a seam indicating it was split in two

All you need to do is to take a minute to learn some history