Allah
is He Who … has subjected the
sun and the moon (to his Law)! Each one runs (its course) for a term
appointed. — (Qur’an 13:2 – Yusufali)

I am reminded of this ayat by yesterday’s Astronomy Photo of the Day, depicting the Autumnal Equinox:

The phot shows the path of the Sun in winter (bottom band), summer (upper band) and the Autumn Equinox (middle band), when the length of the day and the night are exactly the same. To a fasting muslim, the Autumn Equinox has special relevance – in a nutshell, the fasts get shorter from here on out 🙂 In two years most of Ramadan in the northern hemisphere will occur prior to the equinox. The Sun and the Moon follow their course, however, without regard to the inconveniences of the believers…