The Benefits of the Lunar Phases in Three Verses of the Qur’an

If a servant were described a black, round celestial body, great in size, in which light appears like a glowing thread, then increases every night until its light becomes complete, becoming the brightest, most beautiful, and most perfect, then gradually decreases until it returns to its original state, this would enable the knowledge of months and years, the calculation of the world’s durations—from the times of Hajj, prayers, rental periods, debts, and transactions upon which worldly and religious interests depend. Indeed, the interests of this world and the religion are linked to the lunar phases.

Allah Almighty mentioned this in three verses of His Book:

1. “They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are times for the people and for Hajj.” [Al-Baqarah: 189]
2. “It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases that you may know the number of years and the account.” [Yunus: 5]
3. “And We made the night and the day two signs. We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible, that you may seek bounty from your Lord and that you may know the number of years and the account.” [Al-Isra: 12]

If it were not for what Allah creates in the night sign—the increase and decrease of its light—knowledge of the times of Hajj, fasting, numbers, breastfeeding duration, pregnancy duration, rental periods, and the durations of transactions would not have been known.

It may be asked: Could this knowledge not have been obtained through the movement of the sun and the days, observed from sunrise and sunset, as the People of the Scriptures determine the times of their fasting and festivals by the sun?

It is said: Although this is possible, its precision is difficult and only a few people could achieve it. Undoubtedly, knowing the beginnings, middles, and ends of months by the moon is shared among people, easier than determining them by the sun, less prone to disagreement and disturbance, requiring no complex calculation or imitation of specialists. The profound wisdom in determining years and months by the moon’s movement is clearer, more useful, more appropriate, and less disputable than by the sun’s movement.

Thus, the Lord, Glory be to Him, arranged the lunar phases in this amazing manner for the benefits of His creation, for their worldly and religious interests, while also serving as a sign of His oneness, perfect wisdom, knowledge, and planning. The changing celestial bodies testify to the truth, establishing evidence for creation. These are verses speaking clearly, refuting the eternity claimed by materialists, heretical philosophers, and atheists, who claim these bodies are eternal, unchanging, and indestructible.

Al-Tibyan fi Ayat al-Qur’an (pp. 251–253)