Islamicfinder

The Concisive proofs for Flat earth in islam
Abdullah Ibn Abbas (619-687):
The sayings of Sahabi Abdullah Ibn Abbas are regular citations by me and other individuals in the area of Islamic criticism for a few reasons, but the main one being the prayers that Muhammad made for Ibn Abbas regarding Quranic knowledge. For instance, in Ibn Majah 166 Muhammad said: “O Allah, teach him wisdom and the interpretation of the book”. In Bukhari 75 he said: “O Allah! Bestow on him the knowledge of the Book.” So for him to believe the earth is flat is a fairly big deal. His sayings regarding this issue are numerous, for example:

Abd Al-Razzaq told us, on the authority of Ma’mar bin Rashid, and Sufyan Al-Thawri, on the authority of Al-Amash, on the authority of Abu Zubyan, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said: The first thing that Allah created was the Pen. He said, “Write.” It said, “O Lord, what shall I write?” He said, “Write the divine decree.” And it wrote all that shall be from that day until the onset of the Hour. Then the Book was folded up and the Pen lifted. The water vapor rose and the heavens split off from it. He then created the whale (Nun), then the earth was spread over it*. When the whale stirred, the earth shook. He created the mountains to secure it, for indeed, they prevail over the earth. Then Ibn Abbas recited the verse, “Nun. by the Pen and what they write,” (Al-Qalam 68:1) through the saying of the Exalted, “You are not, by the favor of your Lord, a madman.” (Al-Qalam 68:2)*

This particular hadith was narrated by ‘Abd al-Razaaq in his tafsir for the verse. Suyuti in his tafsir Manthur also cites it from Bayhaqi, Tabari, Abd Humayd, Fayrabi, Ibn Shaybah and al-Mustadrak as well as the lost tafsirs of Ibn Hatim, Ibn Mundhir and Ibn Mardawayh among others.
This is an authentic narration traced back to Ibn Abbas. Al-Hakim after commenting on the whale narration in Al-Mustadrak said it is Sahih “according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim”. Dhahabi agreed with Al-Hakims assessment and deemed it Sahih. Imam Tabari after recording three narrations on the issue declared it a “sound tradition”. Islamqa said “this is a Sahih Isnad” and quotes Hakim and Dhahabi. For more information regarding the authenticity, origins, meaning and implications of the whale theory, see this article.
Another Hadith traced to Ibn Abbas says that the sun runs in the sky in its rounded course during the day, and when it sets it runs at night in its falak beneath the Earth. From Ibn Kathirs tafsir (who also grades the narration):

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn Abbas said: “The sun is like flowing water, running in its course in the sky during the day. When it sets it runs during the night in its course beneath the earth until it rises from its rising place.” He said “the same is true of the moon.” Its chain of narration is Sahih

Notice how he says it travels under the earth and rises in the east. This can only happen in the flat earth model. This hadith also strongly indicates his belief that the sun sets in a muddy spring as per Quran 18:86-90.
Remember Ibn Abbas is regarded by Muhammad to be the Best scholar of the Qur'an, also the cousin of Muhammad
https://www.islamweb.net/en/article/192955/the-learned-master-of-the-ummah-abdullah-ibn-abbas
https://www.islamicfinder.org/knowledge/biography/story-of-abdullah-ibn-abbas/
It was narrated that Abdullah Ibn Abbas said:

"The Messenger of Allah embraced me and said: 'O Allah, teach him wisdom and the (correct) interpretation of the Book." (Ibn Majah: 166)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Abbas
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Imam Al-Sousi (789-874):

So we say: if you mean by the earth being a sphere that is surrounded by the galaxy like the aura is surrounding the moon, we don’t deny it . Except to say that it is flat and stretched out with a width and length like it is said in the quran ” and we spread the earth ” and after that he widened it like it’s said in other verses. And if you meant they it’s round like a grenadine or a watermelon that its angles are uniform in width and length until the east meets the west and the right meets the north. This is a matter we do not tolerate

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Ibn Mujahid (859-936):
Ibn Mujahid was a scholar of Islamic studies. He was most notable for establishing the seven canonical Quranic readings (Qira’at). Ibn Mujahid doesn’t have his own tafsir, but his opinion that the earth is flat is mentioned in Ibn Attiyah’s tafsir Al Muharar Al Wajeez:
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\"If the Earth were round then the water would not lie still.\"

if the Earth were round then the water would not lie still.
Tafsir Ibn Attiyah 71:19

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Al-Thalabi (unk-1035)
Thalabi was most certainly one of the greatest scholars of his time, and is very well renowned even today. He is most famous today for his 10 volume tafsir work, a work which includes a statement supporting flat earth belief:

set up and installed in the sky and it is apparent in the ayah that the earth is flat*, not round.*
Tafsir Thalabi 88:20

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‘Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (980-1037):
Qahir Al-Baghdādī was an Imam in fundamentals of Islam, heresiologist and mathematician. He wrote several books including Usul al-Din, a systematic treatise, beginning with the nature of knowledge, creation, how the Creator is known, His attributes, etc. It was in this book on page 124 that he said the earth was flat:

“Al Basit (one of the names of Allah) is indicative of the plentiful bounty given to those He wishes and that he spread the Earth flat, which is why He called it bisatan (that which is spread flat; a carpet) contrary to the allegations of those philosopher and astrologers who say that the Earth is spherical and not flat.”

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Al-Mawardi (972-1058):
Al-Mawardi was an Islamic jurist of the Shafi’i school most remembered for his works on religion, government, the caliphate, and public and constitutional law during a time of political turmoil. He also had his own Tafsir book, in which he used the Quran to refute the idea that the earth was round.

“Allah said: “And it is He who spread the Earth” which means that he spread it so that things may lie flat on it, which is a counter argument against those who claim that it is round like a ball.”Tafsir Mawardi 13:3

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Ibn Attiyah (1088-1146):
Ibn Attiyah was accomplished in the fields of fiqh, hadith, tafsir, and the Arabic language. He was appointed as a judge of Grenada. He authored a Tafsir named Al-Muharrar al-Wajeez fee Tafsir al-Kitaab al-‘Azeez, which was praised by Ibn Taymiyyah, Abu Hayyan and Thalabi:

The opinion that the Earth is round is a false one, but believing that it is flat is the obvious meaning taken from the book of Allah, of which there is no falsehood.Tafsir Ibn Attiyah 71:19

Abdullah Al-Qurtubi (1214-1273):
Al-Qurtubi was a famous mufassir, and faqih scholar from Cordoba of Maliki origin. The hadith scholar Dhahabi said of him: “..he was an imam versed in numerous branches of scholarship, an ocean of learning whose works testify to the wealth of his knowledge, the width of his intelligence and his superior worth”. His tafsir is one of the most important in Islamic history, and in it he espoused flat earth belief multiple times. For instance here:
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Allah said “And the earth We have spread out, and excellent is the preparer” and this is a rebuttal to those who claim that the Earth is a ball*.*Tafsir Qurtubi 15:19

Abu Hayyan (1256-1344)
Abu Hayyan was a celebrated commentator on the Quran and foremost Arabic grammarian of his era. His magnum opus Tafsir of the Ocean is the most important reference on Quranic expressions and the issues of grammar, vocabulary, etymology and the transcriber-copyists of the Quran. It was in this Tafsir that he stated his belief that the earth is flat:
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Regarding the meaning of the word bisatan in Quran 71:19: “the obvious meaning is that the Earth is not spherical, but flat.”Tafsir Abu Hayyan 71:19

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Al-Khazin (12th century):
Al-Khazin Al-Baghdadi was a 12th century Islamic scholar most notable for writing a detailed 5 volume tafsir. In this tafsir, after commenting on the Quran verse 13:3 he said:

Allah said ‘And it is He who spread the earth’ meaning that he spread it over the water … according to astronomers the Earth is a ball and it can be said that if the ball is large enough then every piece of it can be seen as a large flat expanse… Even so Allah has told us that He expanded the Earth and that He spread it and flattened it, which all indicate that the Earth is flat*, and Allah is more truthful and has better evidence than astronomers.”*

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Al-Kirmani (1317-1384):

His saying, (and the land, we extended it). Al-kirmani said: it indicates that the earth is flat and not round

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Al-Maḥalli (1389-1459) and Al-Suyuti (1445–1505):
Al-Suyūtī was an Egyptian of Persian origin. As an historian, biographer, jurist, teacher and scholar of Islamic theology, he was one of the most prolific writers of the Middle Ages. Al-Suyuti was named the mujaddid of the 9th century and he claimed to be a mujtahid.
Al-Mahalli was an Egyptian scholar known above all as co-author of the famous commentary called the Tafsir Jalalayn because it was completed by another al-Suyūtī, who had been his pupil for some time, the Tafsir in which these men reported flat earth belief:
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And at the earth – how it is spread out? (88:20)’ meaning it was laid flat.Tafsir Jalalayn 88:20

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Al-Khatib Al-Sherbini (unk-1570)
Sherbani was a Shafi’i scholar from Egypt, who wrote many works on exegesis, fiqh, the Arabic language, and other Islamic disciplines. He also authored a Tafsir work named al-Sirāj al-Munīr, in which he said the following:
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(and he is the one from ( or of ) the earth) I.e: expanded it in length and width for the pillars to be fixed on it and if he wants he will make it like a thick wall. It cannot be decided on it if we say that earth is flat and not round and the scholars said that it’s a ball, so how can they say that and the expansion of the earth contradicts it being a ball as it has been proved by evidence? I answer: that the earth is enormous, and as for the ball: if it was about length, then every piece of it can be seen as a surface. Also, the almighty made the mountains pegs, even though people settle on them, (and even so, god the almighty has said that He extended, flattened and spread the earth, and all this indicates flatness and God the almighty is the most truthful than the people of the Authority (scholars). This is the first evidence of earthly evidence.)

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Ash-Shawkani (1759-1839):
Ash-Shawkani was a jurist and reformer and called for a return to the textual sources of the Quran and hadith. He is credited with developing a series of syllabi for attaining various ranks of scholarship and used a strict system of legal analysis based on Sunni thought. He was also the author of the prominent Tafsir Fath Al-Qadir, in which he stated the following:
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Regarding 15:19: “Meaning that Allah spread (the Earth) and laid it flat on the face of the water like He said in ‘And after that He spread the earth (79:30)’ and ‘And the earth We have spread out, and excellent is the preparer (51:48)’ and that is a counter argument to those who claim that it is like a ball.”Tafsir Shawkani 15:19

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Heaven is like a Dome over the Earth
At Tabari

Musa ibn Harun narrated and said that Amru ibn Hammad narrated and said that Asbath narrated from al-Suddi in the report mentioned, from Abu Malik, and from Abu Salih, from ibn ‘Abbas and from Murrah, from ibn Masud and from people of the companions of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
“…and the sky a building…” The canopy of the sky over the earth is in the form of a dome, and it is a roof over the earth. *And Bishr bin Mu’az narrated and said from Yazid from Sa’id from Qatada in the words of Allah “…*and the sky a building…” He says he makes the sky your roof.Tafsir Tabari 2:22

Ibn Katheer

Allah said next, (..without any pillars that you can see.) meaning, `there are pillars, but you cannot see them,’ according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and several other scholars. Iyas bin Mu`awiyah said, “The heaven is like a dome over the earth,” meaning, without pillars. Similar was reported from Qatadah, and this meaning is better for this part of the Ayah, especially since Allah said in another Ayah, (He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His permission.) 22:65 Therefore, Allah’s statement, (..that you can see), affirms that there are no pillars. Rather, the heaven is elevated (above the earth) without pillars, as you see. This meaning best affirms Allah’s ability and power.Tafsir Ibn Kathir 13:2
(And We have made the heaven a roof, safe and well-guarded.) means, covering the earth like a dome above it […] Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it) (50:6). The building and making described here refers to the raising of the dome*, as when the Messenger of Allah said, (Islam is built on five.) i.e., five pillars, which can only refer to a tent as familiar among the Arabs.*
Tafsir Ibn Kathir 21:32

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Ibn Kathir also makes an interesting point about how in his view, the earths and heavens are like a building, with the earth(s) being the floofoundation for the heaven. Floors are obviously, not round.

These Ayat indicate that Allah started creation by creating earth, then He made heaven into seven heavens. This is how building usually starts, with the lower floors first and then the top floorsTafsir Ibn Kathir 2:29
Allah says that He created the earth first, because it is the foundation, and the foundation should be built first*, then the roof.*
Tafsir Ibn Kathir 41:9-12

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Dhahaak Al-Balkhi (Unk-723):
al-Dhahaak was a Tafsir scholar who probably born in Kufa where he grew up and obtained education. It is thought that he learned the Quranic interpretations of Ibn Abbas when he was in Ray.
In Shawkanis Fath al-Qadeer, he gives the opinion of Dhahaak regarding 65:12 (7 earths verse). Dhahaak concludes that the 7 earths are on top of each other.

They are in layers, one above another, with no gap in between, unlike the heavens.Tafsir Shawkani 65:12Translation by Islamqa

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Part 1d: The early muslims and the setting of the sun
In the tafsir of al-Tabari (839-923) for Quran 18:86, we see the following remarks about the nature of the spring into which the sun sets. The similar sounding words hami’ah (muddy) and hamiyah (hot) seem to have become confused at some point:

The meaning of the Almighty’s saying, ‘Until he reached the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,’ is as follows: When the Almighty says, ‘Until he reached,’ He is addressing Zul-Qarnain. Concerning the verse, ‘the place of the setting of the sun he found it set in a spring of murky water,’ the people differed on how to pronounce that verse. Some of the people of Madina and Basra read it as ‘Hami’a spring,’ meaning that the sun sets in a spring that contains mud. While a group of the people of Medina and the majority of the people of Kufa read it as, ‘Hamiya spring’ meaning that the sun sets in a spring of warm water. The people of commentary have differed on the meaning of this depending on the way they read the verse.

So he says of the Basra version:

Meaning: that it sets in a spring of muddy water.

And of the people of Kufa reading hot spring:

It means that it sets in a spring of hot water

He goes on to quote various opinions such as Ibn ‘Abbas, that the sun sets in black mud:

Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-A’laa narrated and said: Marwan ibn Mu’awiya narrated from Warqa, he said: I heard Sa’id ibn Jubayr say: ibn ‘Abbas read this letter “in a muddy spring”and he said: the sun sets in black mud.Others said: it disappears in a hot springTafsir Tabari 18:86

From these comments and narrations in al-Tabari’s tafsir, we can reasonably conclude that many, and perhaps all, of the earliest Muslims took verse 18:86 to mean that the sun actually sets in a spring and thus that the Earth is flat.
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Part 1e: Mount Qaf and the Tabi’un
In the Quran, there is a verse that says the following:

Qaf. By the Glorious Qur’an,Quran 50:1

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Qaf? What is a Qaf? What does it mean? Well, no one really knows. Quran scholars give different opinions, and can be read in the links below. But the most interesting of them, and the most prominent is the mountain that surrounds the earth from the scholars of the first and second century.
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Mujahid, Al-Dhahaak, Ibn Zayd, and Ikrimah: Qaf is the name of the mountain surrounding the world.Tafsir Shawkani 50:1

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Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, Abu al-Sheikh and al-Hakim reported on the authority of Abdullah bin Buraida in his saying {Qaf} He said: A mountain of emerald surrounds the world, with the sky on its shoulder.Tafsir Manthur 50:1

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Abd Al-Razzaq told us, on the authority of Ibn Jureij, I only know him on the authority of Mujahid, in his saying: {Qaf}: [Verse: 1], he said, it is a mountain surrounding the earth.Tafsir Abd Al-Razzaq 50:1

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{Q and the Glorious Qur’an} [Verse: 1] And a mountain of green emeralds surrounded the worldTafsir Muqatil Sulayman 50:1

The immediate take away from this for me is that the mountains are surrounding a flat object. Ibn Abbas as recorded in the tafsir Manthur above also had narrations about Mount Qaf which when incorporated into the narrations we have already seen from him, paint a picture of a world flat on a whale, with a dome held up by pillars, the sun and the moon following each other through the setting and rising places with mountains at the edge of the flat earth.
Part 2: Scholarly consensus for a flat earth.
I would like to disclaim quickly that I personally do not believe there was ever any real consensus on this issue, however if Muslims dishonestly promote the false idea of a consensus of a round earth among scholars by quoting scholarly writings which say that, then surely I should be free to do the same? So I shall now quote scholars who believed in a consensus for a flat earth.
Al-Maḥalli (1389-1459) and Al-Suyuti (1445–1505)
Before i give the quote of these two men, I would like to point out that the widely circulated English translation found for example on the AlTafsir website mistranslate the Tafsir by saying “most of” the scholars supported a flat earth. However these words do not appear in the arabic original.

And at the earth – how it is spread out? (88:20)’ meaning it was laid flat, and from that the power of Allah is inferred. This was linked to camels (in 88:17) because they are the animal most connected to Earth. And His usage of the ‘spread out’ literally suggests that the Earth is flat, and such is the opinion of the scholars of Islam*,* not a ball like astronomers claim, though claiming so is not a grave sin.”Tafsir Jalalayn 88:20

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Ibn Attiyah (1088-1146):
Ibn Attiyah had multiple statements of flat earth belief in his tafsir. In one statement, commenting on Quran 88:20 he said:
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“And the literal meaning of this verse (88:20) is that the Earth is flat not a sphere, which is the opinion of scholars. And the claim that it is a sphere – while it doesn’t violate any pillars of Islam – is a claim that scholars do not subscribe to.Tafsir Ibn Attiyah 88:20

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Abdullah Al-Qurtubi (1214-1273):
As mentioned previously, Qurtubi espoused multiple statements about the flat earth. Here he endorses the idea and reports scholarly consensus:

“And this verse (13:3) is a counter argument against those who claim that the Earth is like a sphere …. And this is my opinion and the opinion of the scholars of Islam and the People of the Book, that the Earth is static, unmoving and spread out.”Tafsir Al-Qurtubi 13:3

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Shihab al-Din al-Khafaji (1569-1659)
Khafiji was an Egyptian Hanafi-Maturidi scholar and poet who spent some time in Istanbul and while there was appointed Qadi al-Qudah (chief judge) of Egypt. Among his works is the Hashiya commentary on the tafsir of al-Baydawi, titled: ‘Inayat al-Qadi wa-Kifayat al-Radi where he said:

Spread: either by denying it’s sphere like shape as it’s claimed by people of the sharia***,*** or as we see: it’s greatness

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Al-Thalabi (unk-1035)
Thalabi, like Al-Maḥalli and As-Suyuti also gave a consensus among the scholars that the earth is flat after his statement supporting the flat earth model:

{} set up and installed in the sky and it is apparent in the ayah that the earth is flat, not round. This is what the scholars are about*, and this is how the speech was presented.*Tafsir Thalabi 88:20

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Is there a Scholarly Consus for a round earth amoung classical islamic scholars as Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyyah and others have pointed out?
Answer: NO, as we have shown above and also,
Sheikh Abi Abd al-Rahman Muqbel bin Hadi al-Wadaei (1933-2001)
Wadaei was an Islamic scholar and considered to be the reviver of Salafism in Yemen. He was the founder of a Madrasa in Dammaj which was known as a centre for Salafist ideology and its multi-national student population. In one of his fatwas he said the following:
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The scholars disagreed*.* The majority of scholars say It is flat, and Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm, and Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and the hafiz Ibn Kathir and a group of them say: it is spherical and there is no clear evidence from the quran and Sunnah that it is spherical nor does it say that it is round. As for flat, it is possible that in our perspective it is flat and not It is forbidden that its limbs rotate and rise up, so there is no clear evidence to prove that, and it refers back to reality. What appears to be the case is that Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm and Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and those who followed their course were broad minded and that they knew that the edges of the world are round and god is our helper. And there is nothing in the verse that contradict that. I mean, the Almighty said: “And to the earth, how shall it was flattened“
Source

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Taken from: https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/