سورة يس

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ash'ath ibn Hatim said: Imam Rida (peace be upon him) said: "A man from the Children of Israel asked me in Madinah: 'Was the day created before the night, or the night before the day? What is your answer?'" He said: They went off the topic and had no answer. And Fadl said to Imam Rida (peace be upon him): "Inform us, may Allah set you aright." He said: "Very well, shall I tell you from the Qur'an or from calculation and mathematics?" Fadl said: "From calculation." He said: "O Fadl, you know that the ascendant of the world is Cancer, while the stars were in their positions of exaltation, so Saturn was in Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, the sun in Aries, and the moon in Taurus. This indicates that the sun was in Aries, in the tenth degree of the ascendant, in the middle of the sky, so the day was created before the night. As for the Qur'an, Allah has said: لَا الشَّمْسُ یَنْبَغِی لَها أَنْ تُدْرِکَ الْقَمَرَ وَ لَا اللَّیْلُ سابِقُ النَّهارِ [Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day] — meaning the day preceded it."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In the narration of Abu al-Jarud it is reported: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said concerning the words of Allah the Exalted: لَا الشَّمْسُ یَنْبَغِی لَها أَنْ تُدْرِکَ الْقَمَرَ وَ لَا اللَّیْلُ سابِقُ النَّهارِ وَ کُلٌّ فِی فَلَکٍ یَسْبَحُونَ [Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all float on in a sphere]: "The sun is the sovereign of the day and the moon is the sovereign of the night. It is not fitting for the sun to be present with the light of the moon at night. And the night does not outstrip the day — the night does not depart until the day overtakes it, as Allah the Exalted says: وَ کُلٌّ فِی فَلَکٍ یَسْبَحُونَ — they all move in circles behind the sphere."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Indeed Allah the Exalted created the earth before the sky, life before death, the sun before the moon, and light before darkness.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir ibn Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Follow the sun, and when the sun sets, follow the moon, and when the moon sets, follow al-Zuhara (Venus), and when al-Zuhara sets, follow al-Farqadan (the two bright stars)." One of those present asked: "What do you mean by the sun, the moon, al-Zuhara and al-Farqadan?" He replied: "I am the sun, Ali (peace be upon him) is the moon, Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is al-Zuhara, and al-Hasanayn (peace be upon them) are al-Farqadan."