Science in the Glorious Quran: Radiating Sun and Inert Moon

“هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا” (يونس:5).

“It is He who made the sun a radiant lamp and the moon a light” (Qur’an, 10:5).

“تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًا” (الفرقان:61).

“Blessed is He Who made constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp (the Sun) and a Moon giving light.” (Qur’an, 25:61)

It is well-known today that the moon is an inert body that does not give off light by itself and rather reflects the light of the sun. Conversely, the sun is a bright, burning star which generates intense heat and light by its internal nuclear fusion. The light-reflecting moon and the radiating sun are described in the above two verses of the Holy Qur’an.

Nuclear reaction at the core of the sun releases vast amounts of energy in the form of light and heat (left). Hot tubes of plasma (magnetic loops) extend thousands of miles above the sun (right)

The Moon casts no light of its own. It only shines as it reflects the light of the sun