Eleven Planets in the Solar System
In the Quran, Allah tells us the story where Joseph, in his childhood, saw that there were eleven planets in a dream. Some people have used the verse to prove that the Quran implies the existence of eleven planets in our solar system "instead of seven ones":
When Joseph said unto his father: "O my father! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me."
12:4
Seeing eleven planets in a dream doesn't mean there are eleven planets in our solar system (and the verse doesn't mention the "solar system" at all, to begin with). If an individual sees five moons in his dream, does this imply he's claiming that there's five moons revolving around planet Earth? No. The Quran here as well simply relays Joseph telling his father about his dream, and nobody is making the scientific claim of the existence or unexistence of eleven planets in our solar system. Further reading of the story explains the meaning of this dream:
And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Verily my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.
12:100
When we read this verse carefully, we'll conclude that the meaning of his past dream was that the eleven planets he saw were his eleven brothers, the moon and the sun were his parents, and their prostration refers to the one at this event.
Even that way, I'd like to point out that "seven planets" isn't a fixed number, and that it's prone to subjectivity depending on what scientists determine. This is common knowledge:
In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined the word "planet" and relegated Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet, along with Ceres and Eris. Naturally, National Geographic is there to map out this new view of our solar system. In 11 Planets, David Aguilar, an expert who works on the leading edge of this astounding shift, explains and explores our new galactic knowledge. Using spectacular computer artwork, exclusive to National Geographic, and simple engaging text, this colorful book profiles all 11 planets in our newly categorized solar system: terrestrial Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars; gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; and dwarf planets Pluto, Ceres, and Eris.
David Aguilar - 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System
David Aguilar's National Geographic book (for children) points out that even if our sun has hundreds of orbiting planets, it still doesn't take away that some scientists (such as those in the International Astronomical Union) have determined that our solar system consists of eleven main planets that can be classified into terrestrial planets, gas giants, and dwarfs. Those planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune; Pluto, Ceres, Eris.