MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT

MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT

It was believed by earlier civilizations that the moon

emanates its own light. Science now tells us

that the light of the moon is reflected light. However

this fact was mentioned in the Qur’an 1,400 years

ago in the following verse:

“Blessed is He Who made

Constellations in the skies,

and placed therein a Lamp

and a Moon giving light.”

[Al-Qur’an 25:61]

The Arabic word for the sun in the Qur’an, is shams.

It is also referred to as siraaj which means a ‘torch’

or as wahhaaj meaning ‘a blazing lamp’ or as diya

which means ‘shining glory’. All three descriptions

are appropriate to the sun, since it generates

intense heat and light by its internal combustion.

The Arabic word for the moon is qamar and it

is described in the Qur’an as muneer which is a

body that gives noor i.e. reflected light.

Again, the

Qur’anic description matches perfectly with the true

nature of the moon which does not give off light by

itself and is an inactive body that reflects the light

of the sun. Not once in the Qur’an, is the moon

mentioned as siraaj, wahhaaj or diya nor the sun as

noor or muneer. This implies that the Qur’an

recognizes the difference between the nature of

sunlight and moonlight.

The following verses relate to the nature of light

from the sun and the moon:

“It is He who made the sun

to be a shining glory

and the moon to be a light

(of beauty).”

[Al-Qur’an 10:5]

“See ye not

how Allah has created

the seven heavens

one above another,

“And made the moon

a light in their midst,

and made the sun

as a (Glorious) Lamp?”

[Al-Qur’an 71:15-16]

The Glorious Qur'an and modern science, are thus

in perfect agreement about the differences in the

nature of sunlight and moonlight.