Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Is the world round like science says or is it flat meaning all the countries are leveled
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. May His blessings and peace be on His Beloved Prophet, the best of creation, and his family, companions, and followers
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
This is an example of fact versus fiqh. Whether the world is round of flat (or turtle-shaped) is a matter of ‘fact’ and not a matter of fiqh. Fiqh deals with established facts—namely, reality as it really is—and then details the commands of Allah relating to it, as soundly deduced from the Qur’an and Sunna.
Facts clearly establish that the world is basically round. For an excellent discussion of fact versus fiqh, please read Shaykh Nuh Keller’s work, Port in a Storm. See: http://www.sunnipath.com/bookstore/
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani