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Refutations

Does the Moon Light Up All Seven Heavens? — Surah Nuh 71:15–16 Explained with Tafsir & Arabic Grammar

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The Moon as a Light for the Seven Heavens — Apologetics & Response

Table of Contents

First — Presenting the Doubt

The Doubt “Have you not seen how Allah created seven heavens one above the other, and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp?” — Noah: 71:15–16
  • Does the moon really light up the seven heavens?
  • Does the moon illuminate the galaxy and the dark universe with its light?
  • And what about the sun, which is connected to it? Does it also light up the seven layers?

Second — The Context of the Verses

Context — Speech of Prophet Noah, Not a Universal Fact Statement The verses are from the speech of our master Noah, peace be upon him, to his people, as mentioned in Surah Nuh:

“Have you not seen how Allah created seven heavens in layers? (15) And made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp? (16)”

Therefore, it is not from the facts that the Holy Qur’an has explained, but rather it was mentioned as a story. However, this story is true, and does not conflict with logical facts and correct science, as will become clear.

Third — The Linguistic Meaning Contradicts the Objector’s Understanding

The Objector’s Linguistic Ignorance It seems that the one raising the doubt is illiterate and ignorant of the meanings of the Arabic language, or at best he is a foreigner. But his ignorance of the language does not excuse him from criticizing a book that is its foundation and pillar. Knowledge is achieved by learning. If the one who raises doubts had referred to the books of language, dictionaries and the interpretation of the Qur’an, he would have known the correct answer and would not have gotten himself into this confusion.

Mentioning the Whole and Meaning the Part

A Well-Known Form of Arabic Eloquence Mentioning the whole and meaning the part is a well-known form of eloquence in the Arabic language and is a form of extended metaphor. Such as when you say: “I lived in the city of Damascus,” while you only lived in a small part of it that is incomparable to its size.

Scholars on “Therein” Meaning the Lowest Heaven

Al-Baghawi — Tafsir al-Baghawi 8/231 Al-Baghawi said in his interpretation, quoting Al-Hasan Al-Basri:

“He made the moon therein a light” — meaning: in the lowest heaven, just as it is said: “I came to Banu Tamim,” but he only came to some of them.

Al-Alusi — Ruh al-Ma’ani 21/319 “The face illuminates the earth in the darkness of the night and He made it there even though it is in one of them, which is the lowest heaven, just as it is said: Zaid is in Baghdad while he is in a part of it.”
Al-Razi — Mafatih al-Ghayb 16/57 Al-Razi mentioned this question in his interpretation, saying:

“How did He say: ‘And He made the moon a light therein’ when the moon is not in all of them, but in the lowest heaven?

The answer is: This is like saying ‘the sultan is in Iraq.’ It does not mean that his essence is present in all of the regions of Iraq, but rather that his essence is in a region among the regions of Iraq, and so it is here.”

The Preposition “Fi” and Its Alternate Meanings

First Alternate Meaning — “Fi” as “With” The Arabic language knows what is called alternating meanings of prepositions, so (fi) may come with the meaning of (with).

Qatrib said: “fihinna means with them, meaning: He created the moon and the sun with the creation of the heavens and the earth,” as in the saying of Imru’ al-Qais: “And does he enjoy whose last period is thirty months in three states?” — Fath al-Qadir, Al-Shawkani 7/324

Second Alternate Meaning — “Fi” as Membership in a Group The well-known linguistic interpreter Al-Tahir ibn Ashur sees another meaning for (fi) that the Arabic language accepts, saying:

“Considering the moon from the heavens — meaning the planets according to the old terminology based on observation — because the circumstance of (fi) is for the occurrence of the contained in its container such as a vessel, and it is for the occurrence of something among its group, as in the hadith of intercession: ‘And this nation will remain among its hypocrites,’ and the saying of Al-Numayri: ‘The scent of musk spread from the belly of Nu’man when Zainab walked with it among the women who were modest.’

And (the moon) is in the sky that is in contact with the earth and it is called the lowest sky, and God knows best its dimensions.”

The Indefiniteness of “Light” and What It Implies

“Light” Is Indefinite — Signaling One of Many Lights “Light” in the verse came indefinite, as evidenced by the deletion of the definite article and evidenced by the tanween at the end of it. The indefiniteness of (light) indicates that the moon is a light among many lights in the heavens (the universe) and it is not the only light.
The Pen Analogy — Definite vs. Indefinite Indefinite: “a pen” Definite: “the pen”

If you say: “I entered the room and found a pen, then I wrote with a pen, then I gave you a pen.” → The meaning that comes to mind would be three different pens.

If you said: “I entered the room and found the pen, then I wrote with the pen, then I gave you the pen.” → The meaning that comes to mind would be that there is only one pen familiar to your mind.

Applied to the Noble Verse This is how we understand the noble verse:
  • The moon: a light for the heavens and the earth.
  • Sirius: a light for the heavens and the earth.
  • Canopus: a light for the heavens and the earth.
  • Venus: a light for the heavens and the earth.

None of them is the only or greatest light for the heavens and the earth.

Fourth — The Scientific Answer

Does Light Die? If you emit a ray of light from a light source, will the light fade or remain? If the light of that ray is reflected from a mirror, will that light fade or remain forever?

There is a disagreement among physicists about this. Most of them say that light does not die, but is scattered due to the particles present in the air. As for space, they also differ in it, and the reason for their disagreement is their failure to decide on the limit of the universe: Is the universe open or closed, and is the black hole the only one that absorbs light or something else?

The Islamic Position on the Universe’s Limit In Islam, we believe that the universe is limited because it is a created and nurtured being. The only one who has no limit is Allah, the Almighty.
The Contribution of the Moon’s Light In any case, if you were walking at night under the light of the stars, then every star and every planet — no matter how small its light or the light reflected from it — contributes to the light that guides you at night.

The same applies to the reflection of light from the moon for us, as it contributes to illuminating the lowest heaven, which is part of the seven heavens as the scholars said.

And Allah knows best.

References

Sources
  1. Tafsir al-Baghawi 8/231
  2. Ruh al-Ma’ani 21/319
  3. Mafatih al-Ghayb 16/57
  4. Fath al-Qadir, Al-Shawkani 7/324
  5. http://quran-m.com/container.php?fun=artview&id=836