Tough Questions for Muslims #1: Where the Sun Sets

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As promised, here is the first in the Tough Questions for Muslims series. I've had some mixed reviews about this... Some Christians originally claimed that the fact I was only addressing Christianity proved it was true. Now that I'm addressing Islam as well... well... that argument kind of goes out the window. Unless you're willing to admit that Islam is equally as possible as Christianity.

The Muslims who heard I was going to start this series... I've gotten two different types of reactions. Some Muslims have been excited, because they wanted to have a chance to defend their faith and prove that their religion is in fact the true religion. Others have warned me against inciting Allah's wrath, and warned that he may attack my family or cause bad things to happen because I'm... disrespecting him I guess. (Who knew that asking questions could piss off God?)

So to start, most of the Islamic apologists focus on what they consider "scientific truths" in the Koran, where as most Christian apologists focus on "prophetic truths."

The first Tough Question for Muslims is regarding the most obvious scientific error in the Koran. Before I get to that particular verse, let me paraphrase it with a story. What I want you to do is pay attention to the imagery of the story and tell me what you visualize. What image do you get in your mind from hearing the story?

Let me tell you a story about Jack Smith. Jack Smith followed a road until he reached the sitting place of the giant goats. There he found a giant goat sitting in a rocking chair, and there were people gathered all around.

The end.

Easy enough, right? Short little story. Now what do you visualize?

My guess is you picture Jack following a road then he comes to a place where there are giant goats. In that particular location, he finds one giant goat sitting in a rocking chair with people gathered around that rocking chair. Would that be a fair assumption? My guess is, yes. For most people that probably exactly what they're going to hear, or what they're going to visualize.

So why did I tell that story?

Well, Muslims will probably recognize that as a paraphrase of 18:83-86. The story of (and I'm going to say the name really bad, so I apologize), the story of Dhu'l-Qarneyn (I believe that's how you say that).

They will ask thee of Dhu'l-Qarneyn. Say: I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him.
Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road. And he followed a road
Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout...
(18:83-86)

The verses are Allah talking about Dhu'l, and he says he followed a road until he reached the setting place of the sun. And there he found the sun setting in a muddy spring, and there were people gathered all about.

Again, the visual that I get from reading those verses is that the man follows a road until he reaches the place, on the earth, where the sun physically sets... and there were people gathered all about, and he watches the sun set in this muddy spring, right there, into the earth.

Obviously, that is completely and utterly scientifically false. We know that know. There is not a location on the planet where the sun sets. Not one. The planet is several million miles away from the sun, and the sun is always going to appear to be very far off on the horizon.

When I have brought this up to Muslims before they have an apologetic response, as would be expected. They say when it says he "reached the setting-place of the sun," he didn't really reach the "setting-place of the sun," he just reached a place where he could see the sun set... which is pretty much anywhere on the planet, so he didn't reach any location at all. (Makes you wonder where he was following the road to.)

And when he "found (the sun) setting in a muddy spring," it's just that's the way it appeared from way back where he was standing looking at the sun way out on the horizon. And they also claim that when it says he "found a people thereabout," it meant there were people thereabout THAT location (where Dhu'l watched the sun setting), not the actual setting-place where the sun was setting.

So in other words, the verse means absolutely NONE of what it says. When it says he followed a road to the setting place of the sun, it means he followed a road to anywhere on the planet, no particular location. And when he found the sun setting in a muddy spring, it means he didn't find the sun setting in a muddy spring at all, and when people where gathered thereabout, it means people were gathered about him, not about the sun.

I've read the verses over and over and over again, trying to find some sort of a way you can interpret it that way, but I don't see it. This is not taken from that particular person's viewpoint (Dhu'l-Qarneyn), it's Allah speaking from a third-person perspective.

So, my question for you, Muslims, is: In light of this particular verse (or several verses) that describe the physical location where the sun sets on the planet, can you please tell me where this location is?

TOUGH QUESTIONS FOR MUSLIMS #1
WHERE IS THE MUDDY SPRING WHERE THE SUN SETS?

If you can show me the muddy spring where the sun sets, I will convert to Islam immediately.