وَجَعَلَ القَمَرَ فيهِنَّ نورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمسَ سِراجًا
And has made therein the moon for a light, and the sun for a lamp?
EXEGESIS
The verse is prefixed with the particle wa (and), suggesting it is a continuation from the previous verse, and this will continue until verse 19, every verse bringing to man’s attention a sample of God’s unlimited blessings and kindness to him.
The sun is referred to as lamp (sirāj) here and radiant lamp (sirājan wahhāja) in 78:13. And in 10:5 it is simply called a radiance (ḍiyāʾ). The moon is referred to as light (nūr), here, as in 10:5, but in 25:61 it is described as shining moon (qamaran munīra). Both nūr and munīr are from the same root except munīr is an adjective to describe that which gives or possesses nūr, meaning shining or radiant.
EXPOSITION
In showcasing God’s favours, the intent of these verses is to make people realise that God alone is their benefactor and they should worship none but Him.
The sun and the moon, as bounties of God made subservient for the benefit of man, are mentioned in numerous verses of the Quran. While other stars may be even brighter than the sun and more luminous than the moon, these are mentioned because they benefit man directly and can be witnessed by him easily. They cater to the needs of all creation on the earth, giving light and heat to all at once, humans, animals, and plants.
The sun’s comparison to a lamp is a perfect metaphor, because as soon as it starts rising, its rays disperse darkness all around, just like a lamp does when it is lit.
The Quran also uses light and darkness as metaphors for guidance and misguidance. For example, Allah is the guardian of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light. As for the faithless, their patrons are the rebels, who drive them out of light into darkness (2:257), He will give you a light to walk by (57:28), and Is he who was lifeless, then We gave him life and provided him with a light by which he walks among the people, like one who dwells in manifold darkness which he cannot leave? (6:122).
Both the terms that are used for the sun and the moon are used simultaneously to describe Prophet Muhammad (s), as radiant lamp (sirājan munīr), in 33:46. In the understanding of Ḥāʾirī, this is because the Holy Prophet removed the darkness of faithlessness (kufr), as a lamp (sirāj), and thereafter he illuminated creation with the light (nūr) of God’s unicity (tawḥīd). In other words, the Holy Prophet is seen as doing both: lighting the way for others (as sirāj), and also reflecting God’s love and mercy (as munīr). This is because he is both a guide (hādī) for others, as well as one who is guided by God (mahdī).
Man is therefore being asked: if your Lord cares so much for your corporeal needs, and He has made therein the moon for a light, and the sun for a lamp, how much more then has He cared for your spiritual guidance and provided you a light for it? Certainly, there has come to you a light from Allah, and a manifest book (5:15), So have faith in Allah and His Apostle and the light which We have sent down (64:8).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
As mentioned in the Exegesis, the moon is typically referred to as nūr (or munīr, from the same root) (10:5, 25:61, 71:16) but the sun is described as a lamp (71:16, 78:13) and at times simply a radiance (ḍiyāʾ) (10:5).
Both the words ḍiyāʾ and nūr suggest glowing and light, and many lexicographers take these as synonyms. Zamakhsharī and others have said, however, that though the sense of light is common to both words, ḍiyāʾ is stronger than nūr, meaning nūr is more general and may suggest light that is strong or weak, dim or clear, whereas ḍawʾ and ḍiyāʾ only refer to light that is strong and clear. In other words, every light is referred to as nūr, but ḍawʾ and ḍiyāʾ are specific examples of it for bright light.
Others regard the two terms as being no different, and simply the eloquence of the Quran, just like shirʿah (code of law) and minhāj (path) mentioned together in 5:48, which they believe to be synonyms to express the same matter. Yet others argue that ḍiyāʾ gives light and heat whereas nūr gives light only.
But none of these definitions will fit every context and every verse. So the need to categorise their meanings seems unnecessary. Fire (nār), for example, shares a root with nūr yet it produces heat. And the Torah given to Prophet Moses (a) is described as both ḍiyāʾ (21:48) and nūr (5:44, 6:91). In 6:1 nūr is defined as a separate creation of God in contrast to ẓulumāt (darknesses – note the plural).
Another common misconception is that sirāj (lamp) and ḍiyāʾ (radiance) are used to describe the sun and never the moon because these terms refer to intrinsic light, not borrowed from elsewhere, whereas nūr (used for the moon) is extrinsic light, derived or reflected from another source. This semantic distinction, however, appears to be influenced by Greek thought and the Copernicus theory, and what is established in science and astronomy of how light is produced by the sun versus the moon; otherwise, it has no lexical basis or Quranic proof.
What can be established is that nūr is the more common, and most widely used term in the Quran for general light, either literal or metaphorical, and it is the term most often used to contrast light with darkness(es) (cf. 2:257, 13:16, 35:20).
Rāghib defines nūr as a radiance (ḍawʾ) that spreads out and aids in vision but then notes that it (nūr) has a different connotation in this world compared to the hereafter. In this realm, it can have a literal meaning – the sensible, visible light from the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial objects (10:5, 71:16, and others) (and even fire or man-made sources) – or it can have a metaphorical meaning such as guidance from God (2:257, 6:122, 24:35, 39:22, 57:28) or a reference to the Quran (5:15, 42:52, 64:8).
This metaphorical use is found even in common language, such as when we speak of something ‘not seeing the light of day’ to mean not being produced or coming into existence; or, for example, of someone being ‘in the dark’ meaning being unaware, uninformed, or ignorant of some truth or reality.
In the hereafter, however, these two meanings – literal and metaphorical – come together, because one’s faith and spirituality take on physicality and manifest as a perceptible reality (57:19). The faithful rush to paradise as their light (nūruhum) will move swiftly before them and on their right. They will say: ‘Our Lord! Perfect our light (nūranā) for us’ (66:8). And as the faithful men and women will be seen with their light (nūruhum) moving swiftly before them and on their right (57:12), the hypocrites … will say to the faithful: ‘Please let up on us, that we may glean something from your light (nūrikum)!’ They will be told: ‘Go back and grope for light (nūr)!’ (57:13).
God calls Himself nūr in 24:35 but Rāghib sees this merely as a hyperbole of His action, to denote that He is the source who lights (al-munawwir) all existents. And there are other interpretations for this which are explained under the verse 24:35.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
[1] Raghib, n-w-r.
[2] Hairi, 11/257.
[3] Zamakhshari, 2/329, and 4/618.
[4] Maarif, 4/517.
[5] Raghib, n-w-r.
[6] Raghib, n-w-r.
[7] Psalm 74:16.