Why We See One Side of The Moon?

By: Khalid Alkhaja

In the last 300 years, modern science has discovered that the moon spins on its axis once in precisely the same amount of time that it takes it to orbit the earth once. That’s why, one side of the moon is always dark (night) while the other side is always bright (day). We on Earth only get to see the side of the moon that is always bright. Glory to Allah the almighty.

Thanks to Allah the almighty, the planet Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours (a cycle of equal 12 hours of half night and half day). But if the Earth slows down turning and instead spins on its axis once every 365 days (which is the same amount of time that it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun once), then one side of the Earth will be always dark (night) while the other side will be always bright (day).

Glory to Allah the almighty who recorded the above phenomena in the holy Quran 1400 years ago. Recite if you wish chapter 28 (Al-Qasas), verses 71 and 72:

"قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَآءٍ ۖ أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ. قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلنَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ"

Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “Imagine if Allah were to make the night perpetual for you until the Day of Judgment, which god other than Allah could bring you sunlight? Will you not then listen?”
Ask ˹them also˺, “Imagine if Allah were to make the day perpetual for you until the Day of Judgment, which god other than Allah could bring you night to rest in? Will you not then see?”

Glory to Allah the creator who reassures the believers in different times and in modern ways.