The Moon Acquires Light, It Is Not a Source
القمر مكتسب للنور وليس مصدره
Verse reference
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًاالفرقان 61
Interpretive reading
The Quran describes the sun as 'siraj' (a lamp, a source of light) and the moon as 'munir' (a light that reflects). This phrasing is sometimes read as a precise scientific distinction.
Was this helpful?
Ratings are stored locally until moderation storage is connected.
Related readings
Origin of the Universe from a Fused Mass (Big Bang)
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا
'Retq' denotes a single compressed mass. 'Fatq' is sometimes read as the Big Bang, which science identified in 1929.
نشأة الكون من الرتق (الانفجار العظيم)Expansion of the Universe
وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
In 1929 Hubble established the expansion of the universe. A Quranic verse, expressed in the present tense implying ongoing action, is sometimes read as referring to this expansion and is therefore considered by some to have mentioned it about 1,400 years earlier.
توسع الكونEarth's Sphericity and Rotation
يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ
The Quranic term “takwīr” is sometimes understood to apply only to a spherical body, and this is read by some as describing what occurs with the Earth's rotation.
الأرض كروية ودورانها