| Noah: (15) Have you not seen how...

Know that the Almighty sometimes begins with the signs within the self, and then moves to the signs in the horizons, as in this verse. This is because the human self is the closest thing to a person, so naturally, He began with the nearest. At other times, He begins with the signs in the horizons, then the signs within the self. This is either because the signs in the horizons are more dazzling and grand, so the beginning is made with them for this reason, or because the signs within the self are already present, and the rational person does not need to contemplate them. Rather, what requires contemplation are the signs in the horizons, as ambiguity is more prevalent there, so the beginning is made with them. Here are some questions:

The First Question: His statement: {Seven heavens, layered one upon another} (طباقا) implies that some of them are superimposed upon others. This necessitates that there are no gaps between them. So, how do the angels reside therein?

The Answer: The angels are spirits. Perhaps what is meant by them being layered (طباقا) is that they are parallel, not necessarily touching.

The Second Question: How can He say: {And placed the moon among them as a light} when the moon is not in all of them, but only in the lowest heaven?

The Answer: This is like saying, "The Sultan is in Iraq." It does not mean his essence is present in every part of Iraq, but rather that his essence is located in one region out of the total regions of Iraq. Similarly, it is here.

The Third Question: The light of a lamp is secondary (عرضي), and the light of the moon is also secondary and changeable. Therefore, comparing the moon to a lamp is more appropriate than comparing it to the sun.

The Answer: Night is the shadow of the Earth. Since the sun is the cause of the removal of the Earth's shadow, it is likened to a lamp. Furthermore, a lamp has Ḍiyā’ (intense light/radiance), and Ḍiyā’ is stronger than Nūr (light). Thus, the weaker quality (Nūr) is assigned to the moon, and the stronger quality (Ḍiyā’) is assigned to the sun. This is supported by His saying: {It is He who made the sun a radiance (ضياء) and the moon a light (نور)} (Jonah: 5).

The Third Proof: For the Oneness of God, His saying is: