Did Muhammad Split the Moon?

Muslim sources say yes. Qur’an 54:1Qur’an 54:1 · Saheeh InternationalThe Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two].Qur’an 54:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says the Hour has come near and the moon has split. Sahih al-Bukhari 3637Sahih al-Bukhari 3637 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Anas: That the Meccan people requested Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon.Sahih al-Bukhari 3637 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source, 3868Sahih al-Bukhari 3868 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Anas bin Malik: The people of Mecca asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hira' mountain.Sahih al-Bukhari 3868 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source, and 4864Sahih al-Bukhari 4864 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Ibn Masud: During the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) the moon was split into two parts; one part remained over the mountain, and the other part went beyond the mountain. On that, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Witness this miracle."Sahih al-Bukhari 4864 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source, and Sahih Muslim 2800aSahih Muslim 2800a · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiAbu Ma'mar reported on the authority of Abdullah that the moon was split up during lifetime by Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in two parts and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Bear testimony to this.Sahih Muslim 2800a · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen the Source, say the moon was split in Muhammad’s lifetime in Mecca. Tafsir Ibn KathirIbn Kathir on Qur’an 54:1 · Abridged English on Quran.comthe scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him.Ibn Kathir on Qur’an 54:1 · Abridged English on Quran.comOpen the Source says the scholars agree it was cleft during his life. NASA’s caption for the rille called Rima Ariadaeus describes a fault about 300 kilometers long. It does not describe a moon split in two.

Key Points

• Saheeh International renders Qur’an 54:1Qur’an 54:1 · Saheeh InternationalThe Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two].Qur’an 54:1 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source, “The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two].” Qur’an 54:2Qur’an 54:2 · Saheeh InternationalAnd if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, "Passing magic."Qur’an 54:2 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says that if they see a sign they turn away and say, “Passing magic.”
• Ibn Kathir says the scholars agree the moon was cleft in the Prophet’s lifetime, and that it was among the clear miracles Allah gave him. He also ties the opening of the surah to the Hour.
• Bukhari 3637 says the people of Mecca asked for a miracle and he showed them the splitting of the moon. Bukhari 3868 says they saw the Hira mountain between the two halves. Bukhari 4864–4868 and Muslim 2800a say he told them to bear witness.
• NASA’s page on Rima AriadaeusRima Ariadaeus, a Linear Rille · NASA Science photojournal, 28 September 2009Most linear rilles are believed to represent tectonic faulting. Experts agree that Rima Ariadaeus, which extends for approximately 300 km, is a fault system exhibiting a well-developed graben typical of normal fault systems on Earth.Rima Ariadaeus, a Linear Rille · NASA Science photojournal, 28 September 2009Open the Source says most linear rilles are believed to represent tectonic faulting, and that experts agree this rille, about 300 kilometers long, is a fault system and a graben.
• Qur’an 17:59Qur’an 17:59 · Saheeh InternationalAnd nothing has prevented Us from sending signs [i.e., miracles] except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamūd the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning.Qur’an 17:59 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says nothing prevented God from sending signs except that former peoples denied them. Qur’an 6:109Qur’an 6:109 · Saheeh InternationalAnd they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe.Qur’an 6:109 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says that even if a sign came, they would not believe.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3–81 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James Version^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ^15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ^15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ^15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ^15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.1 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source names the people who saw the risen Christ. Who Was Muhammad? is the life. Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an? is the other science claim.

What the Qur’an and the Hadith Say

Qur’an 54:1–2Qur’an 54:1-2 · Saheeh InternationalThe Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, "Passing magic."Qur’an 54:1-2 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source, Saheeh International:

The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, “Passing magic.”

Qur’an 54:1–2 · Saheeh International

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

The brackets are Saheeh International’s. The verse joins two clauses: the Hour has come near, and the moon has split. Ibn Kathir on 54:1Ibn Kathir on Qur’an 54:1 · Abridged English on Quran.comthe scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him.Ibn Kathir on Qur’an 54:1 · Abridged English on Quran.comOpen the Source says “the scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him.” He records Anas, Ibn Abbas saying this was before the Hijrah and that they saw the moon in two parts, and Ibn Masud. He also records the Quraysh saying it was magic that would soon fade. The comment treats a past event in Mecca as the reading, and the surah’s first words still announce that the Hour has drawn near. A sign of the Hour and a miracle already performed are both in the material Ibn Kathir sets side by side. He does not leave the splitting only in the future.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3637Sahih al-Bukhari 3637 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Anas: That the Meccan people requested Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon.Sahih al-Bukhari 3637 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source says the Meccan people requested a miracle, “and so he showed them the splitting of the moon.” The chapter title on that page is “The miracle of the splitting of the moon.” Bukhari 3868Sahih al-Bukhari 3868 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Anas bin Malik: The people of Mecca asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hira' mountain.Sahih al-Bukhari 3868 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source says, “So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hira’ mountain.” Bukhari 4864Sahih al-Bukhari 4864 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanNarrated Ibn Masud: During the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) the moon was split into two parts; one part remained over the mountain, and the other part went beyond the mountain. On that, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Witness this miracle."Sahih al-Bukhari 4864 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source says that during the Messenger’s lifetime “the moon was split into two parts; one part remained over the mountain, and the other part went beyond the mountain,” and that he said, “Witness this miracle.” Bukhari 4865 through 4868 sit in the same chapter and repeat the split, the command to witness, and Anas’s report that Mecca asked for a sign. Sahih Muslim 2800aSahih Muslim 2800a · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiAbu Ma'mar reported on the authority of Abdullah that the moon was split up during lifetime by Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in two parts and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Bear testimony to this.Sahih Muslim 2800a · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen the Source says the moon was split in two parts during the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger, and that he said, “Bear testimony to this.” The reports agree on a split seen at Mecca, with a mountain between the parts, and on a command to witness it. They do not name a year, a second city, or a record outside Arabia.

The Rille NASA Describes

A photograph of a lunar valley is often offered as the scar of that night. NASA Science, “Rima Ariadaeus – A Linear Rille”Rima Ariadaeus, a Linear Rille · NASA Science photojournal, 28 September 2009Most linear rilles are believed to represent tectonic faulting. Experts agree that Rima Ariadaeus, which extends for approximately 300 km, is a fault system exhibiting a well-developed graben typical of normal fault systems on Earth.Rima Ariadaeus, a Linear Rille · NASA Science photojournal, 28 September 2009Open the Source, image added 28 September 2009, says the rille lies on the nearside between Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Vaporum. “Most linear rilles are believed to represent tectonic faulting.” The same caption says some rilles were formed by volcanic eruptions, and that Rima Ariadaeus is believed to be a fault from tectonic activity. “Experts agree that Rima Ariadaeus, which extends for approximately 300 km, is a fault system exhibiting a well-developed graben typical of normal fault systems on Earth.” A graben is a block of ground dropped between faults. NASA’s sentence is about how a valley of that kind forms. It is not a report that the Moon was once two pieces.

The hadith say the mountain of Hira stood between the halves, and that the Prophet told the people of Mecca to witness it. A fault 300 kilometers long on the nearside is a feature lunar cameras photograph now. It does not match a moon divided so that a mountain near Mecca sat in the gap, and it does not need a seventh-century event to explain it. Those hadith locate the split at Mecca. They do not quote a chronicle from another city. A missing foreign record would not, by itself, decide the report. What the caption does decide is the shape of the rille: a fault, beside a Meccan report of a moon split in two.

Qur’an 17:59Qur’an 17:59 · Saheeh InternationalAnd nothing has prevented Us from sending signs [i.e., miracles] except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamūd the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning.Qur’an 17:59 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says, “And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs except that the former peoples denied them,” and it names the she-camel of Thamud as a visible sign. Qur’an 6:109Qur’an 6:109 · Saheeh InternationalAnd they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe.Qur’an 6:109 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says they swear that if a sign came they would believe, and then, “what will make you perceive that even if it came, they would not believe.” The Qur’an both claims signs and says signs were withheld because earlier peoples denied them. The moon report asks the reader to accept a sign the same book says would not produce belief, witnessed in one city, and then to treat a tectonic rille as the scar.

A Sign People Could Inspect

1 Corinthians 15:3–81 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James Version^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ^15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ^15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ^15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ^15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.1 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Christ died, was buried, rose the third day, and was seen by Cephas, the twelve, more than five hundred brethren at once, James, all the apostles, and last of all Paul. The witnesses are named, and Paul says most of the five hundred were still alive when he wrote. That is a public claim about a body, open to the people who could still be asked. It is not a light in the sky reported in one town and then identified with a fault NASA dates to the Moon’s geology. The Resurrection of Jesus is that witness. Jesus is God.

Who Was Muhammad? quotes the biography for the years of his life. Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an? asks the same kind of question about embryo, heaven, and mountain verses, and stays with what Ibn Kathir said those words meant.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Qur’an 54:1 Mean?

Saheeh International joins two statements: the Hour has come near, and the moon has split. Ibn Kathir says the scholars agree the splitting happened in the Prophet’s lifetime and was one of his miracles. The Hour remains the surah’s opening subject.

Did NASA Photograph the Split?

NASA’s caption for Rima Ariadaeus calls it a linear rille and a fault system about 300 kilometers long, a graben like normal faults on Earth. The page does not say the Moon was divided in Muhammad’s lifetime.

Is the Moon Split Only a Sign of the Hour?

The first clause says the Hour has come near. Ibn Kathir still reads the splitting as a past miracle, and the hadith place it in Mecca before the Hijrah, in Ibn Abbas’s report as Ibn Kathir records it.

Why Did They Call It Magic?

Qur’an 54:2Qur’an 54:2 · Saheeh InternationalAnd if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, "Passing magic."Qur’an 54:2 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source says that when they see a sign they say, “Passing magic.” Ibn Kathir records the Quraysh saying the magic would soon fade.