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The question

Is the Qur'an mistaken in describing the moon as "ضياء" when science has proven that it only reflects the sun's light?

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Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Oct 24, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

God Almighty in the Holy Qur’an differentiated between the sun and the moon. He called the sun's rays "ḍiyāʾ" and described the sun as a "sirāj" (lamp), while He called the moon's rays "nūr" (light). This aligns with scientific facts that divide light sources into direct (producing light themselves, like the sun) and indirect (reflecting light from another source, like the moon). Modern foreign languages lack this precise distinction, which has led to linguistic confusion in our understanding of these terms.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
36017
Added here
. This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
Text
Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Read the full answer on Ftawy