Does the Quran Claim the Sun Sets in a Muddy Pool?

It has been argued by some non-Muslims that the Qur’an makes a scientific mistake by claiming that the sun sets in a muddy pool of water.

This argument is usually made by the most uneducated critics of Islam, as it is simply an unbelievably incorrect reading of the text. No serious academic considers this argument to have any real validity, which is why we will not spend much time refuting it. Rather, this will be a brief explanation of what the Qur’anic text is actually saying.

The Verse in Question

In Sūrat al-Kahf (18:86), Allah (swt) says:

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ

Which means:

“Until, when he (Dhul-Qarnayn) reached the place of the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring…”

The Explanation

The verse does not say that the sun literally enters or physically sets inside a muddy pool.

It simply says that Dhul-Qarnayn traveled until he reached a place where it appeared to him that the sun was setting in a muddy spring. The Arabic wording reflects perception — what he “found” or observed from his viewpoint.

The Qur’an is describing the scene as it appeared to the observer — not making an astronomical statement.

This is no different from how we say today that “the sun sets in the ocean.” When standing at the shore, it looks like the sun is sinking into the sea. No one understands this as a scientific claim that the sun physically enters the water. It is clearly a matter of perspective, not reality.

Here is an exemple of what the previous example looks like in real time:

Conclusion

The claim that this verse represents a scientific error is based on a superficial reading of the text. The Qur’an is describing what Dhul-Qarnayn witnessed from his perspective, just as we describe sunsets today in similar language.

The argument collapses once the verse is read carefully and understood within normal linguistic usage.

Wa al-ḥamdu liLlāh, and may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muḥammad and his purified family.

Wa al-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh.