02/10/2026
The Sun Doesn’t Rise from the Same Place Every Day — So Why Does the Quran Say “Two Easts”?
Researched by: Dr. Rimsha Ashraf & Tariq Iqbal Sodhervi
We commonly say:
“The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.”
This is broadly correct. But if we carefully observe the horizon from the same location throughout the year, we notice something more subtle: the Sun does not rise from exactly the same point on the horizon every day.
Its rising position gradually shifts toward the north or south during the year, and its setting position changes in a corresponding way.
Interestingly, the Qur’an describes Allah as:
«﴿رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ﴾
“Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests.”
— Qur’an 55:17»
This raises an important question:
Why does the Qur’an speak of “two Easts” and “two Wests” when we normally speak of one east and one west?
To explore this properly, we need to distinguish between the Qur’anic wording, classical tafsir, and modern astronomy.
1. The Qur’anic Description
The Qur’an uses several forms when referring to the east and west.
Singular:
«﴿رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ﴾
“Lord of the East and the West.”
— Qur’an 73:9»
Dual:
«﴿رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ﴾
“Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests.”
— Qur’an 55:17»
Plural:
«﴿فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ﴾
“So I swear by the Lord of all the Easts and all the Wests.”
— Qur’an 70:40»
The three expressions occur in different Qur’anic contexts. Therefore, we should not automatically assume that they represent three levels of a modern astronomical model.
2. What Did the Classical Mufassirun Say?
An important point is that the interpretation of the “two Easts and two Wests” in relation to summer and winter is not a modern scientific invention.
Imam al-Tabari, in his commentary on Qur’an 55:17, explains al-mashriqayn as the eastern points associated with summer and winter, and al-maghribayn as their corresponding western points. He also transmits similar explanations from early authorities including Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd.
Ibn Kathir likewise explains the verse as referring to:
“the two Easts of summer and winter, and the two Wests of summer and winter.”
This is significant because it shows that classical tafsir already understood the verse in terms of the changing positions of sunrise and sunset during the year.
At the same time, classical tafsir should not simply be rewritten as if it were a modern astronomy textbook.
Tafsir explains the Qur’anic wording; astronomy explains the physical mechanism.
3. Why Does the Sunrise Position Change?
Modern astronomy provides a clear explanation.
Earth rotates on its axis, but its rotational axis is tilted by approximately 23.5° relative to the plane of its orbit around the Sun.
As Earth travels around the Sun during the year, this axial tilt causes the Sun’s apparent position in the sky to change seasonally.
This is one of the fundamental reasons for the changing seasons.
It also affects where an observer sees the Sun rise and set along the horizon.
From a fixed location, the sunrise point gradually moves northward and southward during the year.
Thus, the Sun does not rise from one permanently fixed point called “east.”
4. The Two Seasonal Extremes
The annual movement has two important extremes.
Around the June Solstice
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun reaches its most northerly apparent position of the year.
Depending on the observer’s latitude, sunrise occurs toward the northeastern part of the horizon and sunset toward the northwestern part.
Around the December Solstice
The pattern reverses.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun reaches its most southerly apparent position of the year, with sunrise shifting toward the southeastern part of the horizon and sunset toward the southwestern part.
These two seasonal extremes provide a useful astronomical framework for understanding the classical interpretation of the two Easts and two Wests.
However, the exact sunrise and sunset azimuths depend on the observer’s geographical latitude.
5. What About the Equinoxes?
Between the two seasonal extremes are the two equinoxes, occurring approximately in March and September.
At an equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator, and the illumination of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres becomes approximately balanced.
Geometrically, near the equinox the Sun rises close to true east and sets close to true west.
But an important scientific qualification is necessary:
It is not correct to say that every location experiences exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the equinox.
The actual observed duration is affected by factors such as the definition of sunrise and sunset, atmospheric refraction, and the apparent size of the Sun’s disk.
Scientific precision matters even when discussing a fascinating Qur’anic observation.
6. Does “365 Easts and 365 Wests” Appear in the Qur’an?
A popular claim sometimes says that because the Sun’s rising and setting position changes every day, the Qur’an’s plural “Easts and Wests” means exactly 365 different Easts and 365 different Wests.
This requires caution.
The Qur’an does use the plural:
«﴿رَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ﴾»
But it does not state the number 365.
Moreover, sunrise positions form a continuously changing astronomical pattern rather than simply a set of 365 fixed points.
Therefore, it is more academically responsible to say that the plural expression can naturally be understood as referring to the multiplicity of sunrise and sunset positions, while the specific claim of “365 Easts and 365 Wests” is an additional interpretation, not an explicit Qur’anic statement.
7. Three Different Levels of Evidence
It is important to keep three things separate.
What does the Qur’an say?
The Qur’an describes Allah as the Lord of the East and West, the Lord of the two Easts and two Wests, and the Lord of the many Easts and Wests.
What does classical tafsir say?
Classical commentators such as al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain the two Easts and two Wests in terms of the summer and winter positions of sunrise and sunset.
What does modern astronomy establish?
Modern astronomy establishes that Earth’s approximately 23.5° axial tilt, together with its annual orbit around the Sun, produces seasonal changes in the Sun’s apparent path and consequently changes the positions of sunrise and sunset throughout the year.
These three statements can correspond meaningfully, but they should not be treated as though they are all making the same type of claim.
Evidence Classification
A — Strong Correspondence
The Qur’an explicitly mentions two Easts and two Wests, and classical tafsir explicitly connects them with the summer and winter sunrise and sunset positions.
B — Reasonable Correspondence
Modern astronomy demonstrates that sunrise and sunset positions do change seasonally, providing a clear physical phenomenon corresponding to the classical interpretation.
C — Debated / Uncertain
The idea that the Qur’an’s singular, dual and plural forms directly represent three mathematical scales of the same astronomical model is an interpretation rather than an established scientific conclusion.
D — Speculative
Claims that the Qur’an explicitly encoded modern numerical astronomical parameters—such as the 23.5° axial tilt or exactly 365 distinct sunrise points—go beyond what the text itself states.
Intellectual Balance
The Qur’an is a book of guidance, not an astronomy textbook.
Reflecting upon natural phenomena is entirely compatible with Qur’anic contemplation. Modern science can help us understand the physical mechanisms behind those phenomena.
But we should not force modern scientific categories into Qur’anic expressions and then present the resulting interpretation as though it were explicitly stated in the Qur’an.
A useful principle is:
The strength of the language should match the strength of the evidence.
If the evidence demonstrates correspondence, we should speak of correspondence.
If something remains interpretive or speculative, it should be presented as such.
Conclusion
The statement:
«“Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests”»
has a particularly interesting relationship with the observable annual movement of sunrise and sunset.
Classical scholars such as al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir understood the two Easts and two Wests as the summer and winter extremes of sunrise and sunset.
Modern astronomy explains why these positions change: Earth’s approximately 23.5° axial tilt, combined with its annual revolution around the Sun, produces the seasonal variation in the Sun’s apparent path.
Thus, there is a meaningful Qur’anic, classical exegetical, and astronomical correspondence worth reflecting upon.
But intellectual honesty requires us to stop where the evidence stops.
We do not need to claim that the Qur’an explicitly states modern astronomical numbers in order to appreciate the depth of its invitation to observe, reflect, and recognize the order of creation.
The Qur’an directs our attention toward the heavens not merely to calculate their movements, but to contemplate the power, wisdom and Lordship of their Creator.
Researched by: Dr. Rimsha Ashraf & Tariq Iqbal Sodhervi
References.
Qur’an
- Surah Ar-Rahman 55:17
- Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:9
- Surah Al-Ma‘arij 70:40
Classical Tafsir
- Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Jami‘ al-Bayan, commentary on Qur’an 55:17.
- Isma‘il ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim, commentary on Qur’an 55:17 and 70:40.
- Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Q
