The point to be drawn here is that Allah, exalted is He, has mentioned the moon’s splitting in the very same breath as the nearness of the Hour. The event serves as proof that the celestial spheres can indeed be rent apart and burst—a reality that will mark the advent of the Greater Resurrection. It is likewise a sign confirming the prophethood of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, who himself is among the portents of the Hour. Throughout His Book Allah couples the Greater Resurrection with the lesser one: in Surah al-Wāqiʿah, for example, the opening verses speak of the Greater Resurrection, while the close of the surah refers to the lesser; the same pattern appears in many other surahs—Qāf, al-Qiyāmah, at-Takāthur, al-Fajr, and so forth.

The hadith reports affirming the moon’s splitting are mass-transmitted. In the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections it is narrated from Ibn Masʿūd that he said: “During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, the moon split into two parts—one part above the mountain and the other below it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Bear witness.’” In another wording: “We were with him at Minā.” The disbelievers of Quraysh exclaimed, “The son of Abū Kabshah has bewitched you!” One of them remarked, “If Muhammad has bewitched the moon, his magic cannot extend to the whole earth. Ask those who come to you from other towns whether they saw this.” They questioned arriving travelers, and were told that they too had witnessed the same thing.