Did the Sun set in a Muddy pool according to the Quran

The ayaat concerned with this matter are those of Surah Al-Kahf, ayaat 83-90. Here, Dhulqarnain is described as a righteous ruler who travelled to spread the message of God. Please read these ayaat before reading the following. The particular ayah says:

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Translation: "Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water...".

What does the Quran actually say, does it state the sun enters the murky spring? No, it is clear from the ayah in Arabic that this is incorrect. The passage describes in a picturesque manner how Dhulqarnain travelled as far as from where he saw the sun set to where he saw the sun rise. The word used to describe the setting of the sun 'in the murky spring' is [stemming from the word - meaning to leave, be absent, be hidden]. The word doesn't mean to enter [] , neither to sink in/be swallowed up [ [ ] is literally meaning something that is doing

)]. The word "maghrib" , or loosely (but commonly): "west" or

"sunset". In fact Almu'jam Alwaseet ( Arabic dictionary published by Academy_of_the_Arabic_Language ) defines maghrib as the following: place of sunset, time of sunset, point of sunset, countries located in North Africa in the west of Egypt ( Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), and the Kingdom of Morocco ( Called Maghrib in Arabic). And in various ayaat in the Quran, the word does indeed mean "west", such as { } in 26:28 meaning "Lord of the east and the west". Now of course, the sun doesn't literally fall into or sink into the west. It sets in the west, as per relative perception from earth. We say 'sunset' in English, yet we are fully aware that the sun doesn't do anything (relative to the earth). So to claim that the Arabic is flawed here, why do we not say 'earthset' in English, or something along those lines? The answer is that there is no need to do so. The ayah clearly says Dhulqarnain travelled to the end of the land (i.e. until he reached the sea), as far west as he could travel. When he travelled west and reached the coast, there was no more land in this direction (on is route to travel westward), there was only the ocean, and the sun was setting. And as he looked across the murky body of water, and saw the sun setting at the horizon, yet he saw no more land in that direction. This is the extent of the journey that he made across the land. Now does the Quran say "the sun sets in murky water"? No, it says - meaning to find/discover/perceive - i.e. he (Dhulqarnain) found/perceived the sun setting in murky water. Does tafseer and the opinion of classical scholars support this? Yes, please see the following: Tafseer al-Jalalayn until, when he reached the setting of the sun, the place where it sets, he found it setting in a muddy spring (ayn hamia: [a spring] containing hama, which is black clay): its setting in a spring is [described as seen] from the perspective of the eye, for otherwise it is far larger [in size] than this world; and he found by it, that is, [by] the spring, a folk, of disbelievers. We said, O Dhl-Qarnayn by [means of] inspiration either chastise, the folk, by slaying [them], or treat them kindly, by [merely] taking them captive. Tafseer ibn Katheer:

(Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun,) means, he followed a route until he reached the furthest point that could be reached in the direction of the sun's setting, which is the west of the earth. As for the idea of his reaching the place in the sky where the sun sets, this is something impossible, and the tales told by storytellers that he travelled so far to the west that the sun set behind him are not true at all. Most of these stories come from the myths of the People of the Book and the fabrications and lies of their heretics. (he found it setting in a spring of Hami'ah) meaning, he saw the sun as if it were setting in the ocean. This is something which everyone who goes to the coast can see: it looks as if the sun is setting into the sea but in fact it never leaves its path in which it is fixed... Imam Al-Baidawi: He probably reached shore of the ocean and saw it like that because there was but water at the furthest of his sight that's why He says "he found it set" and does not say "it sets". (Al-Baidawi, Anwarut-Tanzil wa Asrar-ut-Taw'il, Volume 3, page 394. Published by Dar-ul-Ashraf, Cairo, Egypt) Imam Al-Qurtubi: Al-Qaffal said: It is not meant by reaching the rising or setting of the sun that he reached its body and touched it because it runs in the sky around the earth without touching it and it is too great to enter any spring on earth. It is so much larger than earth. But it is meant that he reached the end of populated land east and west, so he found it - according to his vision - setting in a spring of a murky water like we watch it in smooth land as if it enters inside the land. That is why He said, "he found it rising on a people for whom we had provided no covering protection against the sun." (Holy Qur'n 18:90) and did not mean that it touches or adheres to them; but they are the first to rise on. (AlQurtubi, Al-Game' le Ahkam-el-Qur'an, Volume 16, page 47. Published by Dar-ul-Hadith, Cairo, Egypt.) Imam Fakhr-ud-Deen Ar-Razi (in At-Tafsir-ul-Kabir), When Zul-Qarnain reached the furthest west and no populated land was left, he found the sun as if it sets in a dark spring, but it is not in reality. The same when sea traveller sees the sun as if it sets in the sea if he cannot see the shore while in reality it sets behind the sea. (Ar-Razi, At-Tafsir-ul-Kabir, Volume 21, page 166)

So what are the benefits of describing it as Dhulqarnain saw it? The description here of how he observed things at this point causes one to greater reflect upon how he felt, on how great (in extent) his journey was and how determined he was.

Summary In summary the verse in question doesnt state the sun goes into a body of water, there are no implications of this at all. What the verse states is that Dhul-Qarnayn found/saw/perceived the sun setting in a body of water, which would obviously be the case when he travelled as far west as possible until there was no more land to travel on. Just as one can easily do if they visit the sea-side and watch the sunset. acknowledgements (in alphabetical order), stating all those that contributed to the above collaboration: ahmed, Ankabout, ash92, ThatMuslimGuy, tsr1269