Deconstruction of the History of Astronomy between the Claims of the Prophet Idris and Unusy in Islamic Astronomical Historiography

Abstract

This study examines the historiographical construction of the origin of astronomy in the Islamic tradition through the comparison of the narratives of the Prophet Idris AS and Unusy. The research problem departs from the dominance of claims that place the Prophet Idris AS as the initial figure or founder of astronomy, while certain literature associates Unusy with knowledge of writing, calculations, and the hisab of the month and year. This study aims to analyze the process of formation, transmission, and legitimacy of the two narratives and explain the factors that cause the narrative of Idris to be more dominant in the historiography of astronomy. The research uses historical methods with the perspective of historiography, intellectual history, and historiographic deconstruction. Data were obtained through literature and documentation studies of religious literature, history books, astronomical and astronomical works, as well as previous research. The analysis was carried out through criticism of external and internal sources, textual comparison, and tracing of narrative transmission. The results show that Idris's attribution as the discoverer of astronomy is not explicitly stated in the Qur'an, but develops through intellectual and religious traditions, including Idris' association with Hermes. Meanwhile, the Unusy narrative has a textual basis, but its transmission is more limited. Thus, both narratives are more appropriately understood as historiographic constructions in the history of the transmission and accumulation of astronomical knowledge than as evidence of a single discoverer.

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