Is there One East and One West or More?
Brief description of the dubiety
In some verses of the Holy Quran such as: Surah al-Muzzammil, verse 9; Surah al-Shuara, verse 28; Surah al-Baqarah, verses 115 and 142; Surah al-Rahmaan, verse 17; Surah al-Maarij, verse 40; and Surah al-Saffat, verse 5, Allah has been described as the Lord of the East and West. However, there is a discrepancy in the number of Easts and Wests in these verses. In some verses, the East and the West have been mentioned as singular, in certain verses they are mentioned in their dual pronouns, and in other verses they are mentioned in their plural forms. Therefore, there appears to be a contradiction between these verses.
Detailed description of the dubiety
Contradictory Verses
Verses where the East and the West have been used in their singular form
In Surah al-Muzzammil, verse 9, Allah says: “Lord of the East and the West, there is no god except Him, so take Him for your trustee.” In this verse Allah has been described as the Lord of the East and the West and both terms are used in their singular forms.
Another verse which implies the same thing is Surah al-Shuara, verse 28 which says: “He said, ‘The Lord of the East and the West and whatever is between them - should you apply reason.’”
As well, in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 115 we read: “To Allah belong the East and the West: so whichever way you turn, there is the face of Allah! Allah is indeed All-Bounteous, All-Knowing.” Finally, in the same Surah, verse 142 it says: “The foolish among the people will say, ‘What has turned them away from the qiblah that they were following?’ Say, ‘To Allah belong the East and the West. He guides whomever He wishes to a straight path.’”
Verses where the East and the West have been used in their dual form
In Surah al-Rahmaan, verse 17 it says: “Lord of the two Easts, and Lord of the two Wests!” In this verse, it is very explicitly mentioned that Allah is the Lord of two Easts and two Wests.
Verses where the East and the West have been used in their plural form
In Surah al-Maarij, verse 40 it says: “So I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are able.” This very explicitly mentions that Allah is the Lord of the Easts and the Wests.
Another verse which mentions a similar thing is Surah al-Saffat, verse 5: “The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and the Lord of the Easts.”
Summary
In different verses of the Holy Quran, Allah has been described as the Lord of the East and the West. But in another place, Allah has been described as the Lord of two Easts and two Wests. Other verses, mention Allah as the Lord of the Easts and the Wests, implying this to be in the plural form. All of these verses put together appear to be in contradiction with one another, because in reality there can only be one East and West, or two Easts and two Wests, or many Easts and Wests. Otherwise, these cases are not reconcilable.
A summarized response
The East and West mentioned in “the Lord of the East and the West” is a reference to the actual genus of East and West, and not its instances. Likewise, the Easts and Wests mentioned in “the Lord of the Easts and Wests” is a reference to the East and the West of everyday, or in relation to every geographical area. In the phrase “Lord of the two Easts and two Wests,” they are in reference to the East and the West in the beginning of summer and winter, which are differentiated from the East and the West during the rest of the days.
A detailed response
History of this challenge
In the book Al-Ihtijaaj by Shaykh Tabrisi, it mentions that one day the Commander of the Faithful was on the pulpit in Kufa when he said: “O people, ask me a question because within me is great knowledge.” Ibn al-Kawwa stood up and asked the Imam a number of questions. One of the questions he asked was: “O Commander of the Faithful, I found the book of Allah in a condition where its verses were contradicting one another.”
The Imam said: “O son of al-Kawwa, the verses of the book of Allah all affirm one another, they do not contradict each other. Ask me what is problematic for you.”
Ibn al-Kawwa said: “I have heard Allah say, ‘Lord of the Easts and the Wests,’ but in another verse it says, ‘Lord of the two Easts and two Wests,’ and yet in another verse He says, ‘Lord of the East and the West.’
Imam Ali gave a detailed response to him. [1] As can be seen, this question existed in the early days of Islam as well, and is not a new question. After having dated its historical relevance, the response to the question will follow.
Difference between “the East and the West,” “the Easts and the Wests,” and “the two Easts and the two Wests”
East (al-mashriq) and West (al-maghrib) are generally used for the direction where the sun rises and sets from. In the Arabic language an ‘al’ in the beginning of a noun could mean many things. The al in al-mashriq and al-maghrib is to convey the general concept of East and West, not a specific east or west. For example, it is said that humans (al-insaan) are rational beings. The ‘al’ in the beginning of a noun is called the ‘al’ of genus. Therefore, verses where the word al-mashriq and al-maghrib are used, the actual concept and genus of the East and the West are implied, not a specific east or west.
The east and the west of each point on earth is different every day, and thus the plural form Easts and Wests have been used. In the books of grammar, the plural form of easts and wests has also been explained in the same manner. For example, in the book Majma al-Bahrain, it mentions that the words East and the West have been pluralized most definitely because of the different locations of the sunrise and sunset every day, and because every year there are 360 easts and 360 wests. Therefore, the sun rises from one location on a particular day, but it will not rise again from that location until the following year. [2] [3] Likewise, the east and west as perceived from any location on earth is different than the east and west perceived from any other location. Even based on this understanding, the plural form of east and west would be correct usages of the words.
As it was mentioned, the east and the west of every day of the year is different. Amongst these various easts and wests, there are two easts and wests which are distinct. These are the east and the west of the beginning of summer, and the east and the west of the beginning of winter. The distinction of the east and west of these two days from other days is that on these two days, the sun is in its closest and furthest position relative to the earth, and thus the longest and shortest days of the year are formed in these two days. Therefore, with respect to the distinct east and west of these two days - as opposed to rest of the days is referenced as ‘two easts’ and ‘two wests.’ In Arabic grammar books as well, the ‘two easts’ and the ‘two wests’ have been explained in the same manner. In the book al-Ayn, when explaining the ‘two wests,’ the author says that one of the two wests is the point where the sun sets on the last day of summer, and the other west is the point where the sun sets on the last day of winter. [4]
Given this explanation provided regarding the three different uses of East and West, it becomes clear that there is no contradiction between them. This is because in every one of its usages - be it singular, dual, or plural form, a specific reference to East and West is intended. In reality, these different usages demonstrate the greatness of the Holy Quran, since it alluded to these specific astronomical points during that period in time which was hundreds of years ago. [5]
Common example
In order to further understand this discussion, pay attention to the following example. Three different statements can be used regarding ‘the Earth’s motion’ and despite the apparent differences, they do not negate one another in any way whatsoever.
- The Earth has motion.
- The Earth has two types of motion.
- The Earth has various types of motion.
The first sentence means that the Earth generally speaking is in motion and is not static. The second statement is referring to the two well-known motions of the Earth - its rotation around its own axis and its orbit around the sun. The third declaration is referring to all of the motions that the Earth undergoes - including the movement of the earth within the solar system and its precession cycle where its orientation changes on the rotational axis. Just like the movements of the Earth can be divided into two or more types, similarly the East and the West can also be divided into more than one category depending on what perspective we are looking at it from.
Conclusion
Based on the above explanations and examples, we can deduce that there is no contradiction in the verses of the Holy Quran in regards to whether there is one East and West or multiple ones.