Space travel: reaching the Moon

Question

Question: Can a human being reach the Moon and the Sun? Reaching the Sun would be contrary even to human reason, since it is impossible to remain alive in such intense heat. How then can the meaning of man’s reaching the Moon be derived from “He subjected the sun and the moon” (سخر الشمس والقمر)? (2) Is space travel included in wasteful spending? (3) Is the Moon a collection of mountains, caves and deep chasms? Is there any earth above our Earth, in space? (4)

Answer

Reaching the Moon and the Sun is neither prohibited by the Shari‘a nor impossible to reason. Neither of these is in the heaven; rather they are in the celestial sphere (falak). The falak is far below the heaven; it is the orbit of these heavenly bodies, in which they revolve: [ar]كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ[/ar] “Each is swimming in an orbit” (Surah Ya Sin, 36:40).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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