25:60-61
25:60
When it is said to them, “Prostrate to (Allah) Most Gracious!”, they say, “And what is (Allah)
Most Gracious? Shall we prostrate to that which thou commandest us?” And it increases their flight
(from the Truth).
25:61
Blessed is He Who made constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving
light;
The Moon a Reflected Light
The following excerpt is taken from “The Quran and Modern Science” by Zakir Naik pg. 11-12:
Some writers note that earlier civilizations commonly believed the moon produced its own light. Modern scientific understanding, however, demonstrates that the moon does not generate light independently but reflects the light of the sun. Proponents of this view argue that a distinction between the nature of sunlight and moonlight appears in the Qurʾān. For example, Qurʾān 25:61 describes God as the One who placed constellations in the heavens and established within them a lamp and a moon that gives light.
In Qurʾānic language, the sun (shams) is described using terms such as sirāj (lamp or torch), wahhāj (blazing lamp), and ḍiyāʾ (shining brilliance), expressions that are understood to reflect the sun’s role as a source of intense heat and light. By contrast, the moon (qamar) is described with the term munīr, meaning a body that gives light (nūr). Some interpreters argue that this linguistic distinction reflects the difference between the sun as a source of light and the moon as a body that reflects light. Notably, the Qurʾān does not refer to the moon using the same terms applied to the sun, nor does it describe the sun with the terms associated with the moon. This differentiation is cited by some commentators as evidence that the Qurʾānic description recognizes a distinction between the nature of sunlight and moonlight.
Additional verses reinforce this contrast. Qurʾān 10:5 states that God made the sun a shining brilliance and the moon a light, while Qurʾān 71:15–16 describes the creation of the seven heavens and notes that the moon was placed among them as a light and the sun as a radiant lamp. These verses are often interpreted as highlighting the differing characteristics of the sun and the moon in relation to light.
References:
Naik, Zakir. The Quran and Modern Science: Compatible or Incompatible. (p.11-12).