Every sunrise brings light and warmth from a star 150 million kilometres away. The Sun is our nearest star, and without it Earth would be a frozen, lifeless rock. Understanding it helps us understand almost every other star in the sky.
A star of our own
The Sun is a star, just like the ones we see at night, but so close that it lights up our whole daytime sky. It is a giant ball of hot gas held together by its own gravity.
How the Sun shines
The Sun produces energy by nuclear fusion: in its core, hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing huge amounts of light and heat. Unlike the Moon, the Sun makes its own light.
- Core — the centre, where fusion happens at millions of degrees.
- Surface — the bright layer (the photosphere) we see.
- Corona — the faint outer atmosphere, visible during a total eclipse.
Source of nearly all energy
Plants use sunlight to grow, animals eat plants, and we eat both. Sunlight drives the weather and the water cycle too. Almost every source of energy on Earth begins with the Sun.
🌙 In the Qur'an & Sunnah
The Qur'an describes the Sun in a way many Muslims reflect on today. It is called a sirāj (a burning lamp):
"…and placed therein a [burning] lamp (sirāj)…" (Qur'an 25:61)
"…and made the sun a burning lamp (sirāj)?" (Qur'an 71:16)A lamp gives out its own light — and, as we now know, the Sun does exactly that through fusion. It is also called a shining light, ḍiyāʾ:
"It is He who made the sun a shining light (ḍiyāʾ)…" (Qur'an 10:5)Many reflect on how this differs from the word used for the Moon, which we will meet in the next chapter. The Qur'an also says:
"And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping place. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing." (Qur'an 36:38)The Prophet ﷺ taught, in a narration of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), that the sun "goes and prostrates beneath the Throne, and seeks permission to rise" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3199, Sahih Muslim 159). This reminds us that even the mighty Sun is in constant submission to Allah.
The Sun at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the Sun? | A star — our nearest one |
| How far away is it? | About 150 million kilometres |
| How does it shine? | By nuclear fusion: in the core, hydrogen joins together to form helium, releasing enormous light and heat |
| Does it make its own light? | Yes — and that is exactly what separates it from the Moon |
Nearly all the energy we use traces back to it: our food, the wind, even the fuel in a car.
Sun or Moon?
- Makes its own light
- Is a star
- Releases energy by nuclear fusion
- Shines only by reflecting sunlight
- Makes no light of its own