Page 43 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an
P. 43
Harun Yahya
We built seven firm layers above you. We installed a blazing lamp.
(Qur'an, 78:12-13)
As we know, the only source of light in the Solar System is the Sun.
With advances in technology, astronomers discovered that the Moon
was not a source of light but that it merely reflects the light reaching it
from the Sun. The expression "lamp" in the above verse is a translation
of the Arabic word "siraaj," which most perfectly describes the Sun, the
source of light and heat.
In the Qur'an Allah employs different words when referring to
such celestial bodies as the Moon, the Sun and the stars. This is how the
differences between the structures of the Sun and Moon are expressed
in the Qur'an:
Don't you see how He created seven heavens in layers, and placed the
Moon as a light in them and made the sun a blazing lamp? (Qur'an,
71:15-16)
In the above verse, the word "light" is used for the Moon ("noor" in
Arabic) and the word "lamp" for the Sun ("siraaj" in Arabic.) The word
used for the Moon refers to a light-reflecting, bright, motionless body.
The word used for the Sun refers to a celestial body which is always
burning, a constant source of heat and light.
On the other hand, the word "star" comes from the Arabic root
"najama," meaning "appearing, emerging, visible." As in the verse
below, stars are also referred to by the word "thaaqib," which is used for
that which shines and pierces the darkness with light: self-consuming
and burning:
It is the star that pierces through darkness! (Qur'an, 86:3)
We now know that the Moon does not emit its own light but
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