Lord of the Two Easts and Lord of the Two Wests (Quran 55:17): The Deferred Unveilings

Abstract

This paper offers a new philosophical-scientific hermeneutic of the Quranic verse, "Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests" (Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:17), moving beyond conventional seasonal interpretations toward a layered ontological reading. It introduces two frameworks: "Overlapping Worlds" (human and jinn) and "Replicated Worlds" (a hidden Prototypical First Genesis and its transcribed second manifestation), wherein human free will operates as a unique exception within a deterministic cosmic structure. The essay then draws upon contemporary astrophysics—specifically, interstellar visitors likely originating from binary star systems—as empirical correlates for the Quranic "two Easts."The paper concludes that the verse is inherently multi-layered, open to diverse readings shaped by each interpreter's knowledge and context. Rather than offering a final or exclusive meaning, modern science serves as one contemporary lens among many, reaffirming the dynamic and perpetually renewable nature of the Quranic text itself.