INTERPRETATION AND VIEWS OF QURANIC COMMENTARIES ON THE PLANET BASED ON AL-KAWKAB AND AL-KAWAKIB TERMS

Abstract

This paper examines the occurrence of the terms al-kawkab (plural,
al-kawakib) in the Qur’an and investigates the views of classical and
contemporary Quranic commentaries concerning the interpretation
of the meanings of these terms. In general, the Qur’an uses
al-kawkab as the singular term and al-kawakib as the plural term.
The argument among Quranic commentaries concerning the
interpretation of the meaning of al-kawkab (plural, al-kawakib) in
the Quran revolve around whether it refers to either a planet or a
star. Thus, this paper attempts to reconcile this contradiction in the
meaning of al-kawkab (plural, al-kawakib) among Quranic
commentaries by considering the Arabic lexical sources as well as
the various Quranic allusions. The data collections involved library
research based on the primary and secondary sources relating to the
planets in the solar system. After examining the views on the Quranic
commentaries, the authors conclude that the meaning of the term
al-kawkab (plural, al-kawakib) in the Quran refers to a planet.