Naaji wrote:These ayat in surah eighteen are describing three events of a traveller. the one you are talking about is describing the traveller going to where the sun sets i.e. the west. or as far west as the traveller knew. When he got there "he found it set in a spring of muddy water" this doesnt say that the sun set in a spring of muddy water! Merely the traveller at the location found that where he saw the sun set (i.e. towards the west of the land) he had found springs and unclear water... this is understood by many interpreters to be Ochrida (west of macedonia), which is fed entirely by underground springs, and the water is never very clear in this region. it is clear to see that when we look at ayat 90, the quran is talking about location where the sun sets, and NOT where the sun actually sets:
In Herodotus Book I, 56 (page 53) it is mentioned about the Macedonia habitants.
"These races, Ionian and Dorian, were the foremost in ancient time, the first a Pelasgian and the second an Hellenic people. The Pelasgian stock has never yet left its habitation, the Hellenic has wandered often and afar.
A map of the Western parts of the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom
http://www.anemos.com/Diaspora/macedonia/Anc_Mac_MapW.html
Macedonia continued to be a Greek land under the Epigonoi (the successors of Alexander the Great) and for some two centuries was the core of larger state units ruled by Macedonian kings. It was only after the decine battle of Pydna in 168 B.C that Macedonia ceased to exist as an independent state and came under Roman domination. Its territories were divided into four semi-autonomous regions.
Despite Roman rule, the Macedonian provinces prospered, and attracted new colonists from the East and from Italy. For the first time, Jewish communities appeared.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1358/
Which explains where Muhammad got the story from.