BİRİNCİ FEN · ÜÇÜNCÜ BÂB · DOKUZUNCU FASIL · Üçüncü Madde
Third Article
Concerning the movement and rotation of the earth/world around the sun.
O esteemed one! Know that modern astronomers have said:
It has been observed that the globe of the Earth first moves along its orbit, traversing the circle of the mansions (burc) from west to east, drawing a round path and completing that great circle in one year. Secondly, besides this annual movement of the earth, it is calculated that it rotates on its own axis, also from west to east, completing its rotation every twenty-four hours. Indeed, it is known that the alternation of night and day is dependent upon this movement of the Earth. Since the Earth moves from west to east with its daily motion, to us it appears as though the sun and indeed all the stars move from east to west in their daily courses.
The example of these two movements of the Earth is like this: Imagine a spherical object being thrown onto a flat surface and rolling upon it. That rolling sphere would continue to rotate on its own axis with its particular motion until it completely traverses the aforementioned flat surface lengthwise; and while continuing this rotation, it has been observed that the earth also moves from west to east along its orbit and constantly revolves around its center, rotating on its axis until it passes through the entire zodiacal wheel. For it is known that the Earth lies between the sun and the zodiacal wheel.
When the Earth aligns with any of the signs (burc), it has been observed that at that time the sun also appears in the sign opposite to that sign. For example, when the Earth is positioned between the sign of Aries and the sun, when it precisely aligns with Aries, certainly the sun is located in the sign of Libra, which stands opposite Aries. Similarly, when the Earth is in the sign of Cancer, i.e., when it aligns with that sign, the sun is seen in Capricorn, which stands opposite Cancer.
In essence, whenever the Earth finds itself aligned with a northern sign (burc), it is certain that at that time the sun will be observed in one of the southern signs (burc) directly opposite to that northern sign. The reverse of this situation is also known by analogy. It has been accepted that the sun’s lingering for more than eight or nine days in the northern signs arises from its delay in the southern signs, because as the Earth moves through the signs of the south, it expands the path it traverses annually, so that it must necessarily pause longer in the southern hemisphere of its orbit.
The truest knowledge of this matter lies only with Allah Most High.