HALLEY’S COMET AND 76 YEARS

Halley's Comet

One of the greatest developments in modern astronomy is the discovery of Halley’s Comet. The 18th-century scientist Edmund Halley discovered that the comet comes around every 76 years. With that discovery, Halley established that comets have astronomical orbits. 

The name "Halley" by which the comet is known, appears in a most striking way in verse 76 of Surat al-An’am in the Qur’an:

When night covered him he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord!’ Then when it set he said, “I do not love what sets.” (Sura An’am, 76) 

The letters that make up the word "Halley" appear for the first time in the Qur’an in this verse. Furthermore, the reference to a “setting” star is highly significant. What is more, the Arabic word “kawkaban,” meaning “star,” appears right next to the letters comprising “Halley.”

  

76, the number of the related verse, on the other hand, may indicate 76 years, which is Halley’s orbital period. (Allah knows the truth.) The verse number 76 represents the Halley comet; because Halley becomes visible from the Earth every 76 years. That is to say, its orbital period is 76. For this reason, that Halley is mentioned for the first time in the Qur’an in the 76th verse is a miracle of Allah.