Islam
Truth or Myth?
A Critical Examination of Moon Worship and Oath Swearing in the Qur'an
Introduction: A Contradiction at the Core
Islam presents itself as the final and pure revelation of the Abrahamic faith. It claims to correct the alleged corruption of the Bible and bring humanity back to the pristine monotheism of Abraham. Yet upon closer examination, the Qur’an reveals troubling residues of pre-Islamic paganism—particularly in its language, rituals, and oaths. One such glaring example is the Qur’an’s repeated practice of swearing by the moon and other celestial bodies. This practice not only contradicts biblical revelation, it also undermines Islam’s own condemnation of idolatry.
This article presents three lines of evidence that, when taken together, raise serious doubts about the Qur’an’s claim to be a divine revelation from the one true God.
A. The Qur’an Swears by the Moon—A Pagan Echo
Unlike the Bible, where God swears only by Himself (Hebrews 6:13), the Qur’an features Allah swearing by created objects, most notably the moon, the night, and the sun—objects that were central to Arab pagan worship before Islam.
Consider the following verses:
“I swear by the moon, and the night when it departs, and the daybreak when it shines—Surely it (hell) is one of the gravest (misfortunes).”
—Qur’an 74:32–35
“But no! I swear by the redness of sunset, and the night and what it envelops, and the moon when it becomes full...”
—Qur’an 84:16–18
This practice directly echoes the religious environment of pre-Islamic Arabia. The moon was not merely a natural phenomenon—it was a deity worshiped across the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, in southern Arabia, Al-ilah (Allah) was historically associated with a moon deity, and various temples and inscriptions affirm this connection.
Even Islamic translator Yusuf Ali acknowledges this uncomfortable reality. In his commentary on Surah 74:32, he writes:
“The moon was worshipped as a deity in times of darkness.”
—Yusuf Ali, Footnote 5798, Qur’an Commentary
So we must ask: If Allah truly despises idolatry, why would he swear by the very object of that idolatry?
Swearing by something assigns it honor and credibility. Thus, when Allah swears by the moon, He elevates it to a level of significance, making it part of His self-validation. This is not poetic flourish—this is theology. And in theology, meaning matters.
B. Jesus Condemns Swearing by Created Things
In direct contrast to the Qur’an, the Lord Jesus Christ condemned swearing by anything other than God Himself. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of religious leaders who twisted oaths for personal gain:
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’”
—Matthew 23:16
Jesus then expands the principle:
“But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool... Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
—Matthew 5:34–37
In other words, God alone is worthy of oaths, because only He is sovereign and eternal. To swear by anything created—whether sun, moon, stars, or even sacred places—is to misplace spiritual authority and flirt with idolatry.
By this standard, the Qur’an’s divine author fails the test of true monotheism. Not once, but repeatedly, Allah swears by created things, including:
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The sun (91:1)
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The moon (91:2, 74:32, 84:18)
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The stars (53:1)
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The night (92:1, 93:2, 84:17)
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The fig and olive (95:1)
This is not monotheism. This is mythology.
C. The Qur’an’s Contradiction: Condemns Moon Worship, Yet Swears by the Moon
To make matters worse, the Qur’an explicitly condemns the worship of the moon and other celestial bodies:
“And among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allah, who created them, if it is Him you worship.”
—Qur’an 41:37
This raises a devastating question:
If the Qur’an prohibits honoring the moon in worship, how can it then turn around and honor the moon in its very language of revelation?
The contradiction is blatant: The same Qur’an that forbids bowing to the moon still swears by it. If assigning divine weight to the moon is shirk (polytheism), then Allah has committed shirk in the act of revelation itself.
The Deeper Problem: Islam’s Pagan Roots
This isn’t an isolated issue. The moon features prominently in Islamic symbolism, including the crescent moon on mosque domes and national flags of Muslim countries. The Islamic calendar is lunar. Ramadan, Eid, and Hajj are based on moon phases. Islam’s holiest month begins and ends with moon sightings—not divine commands.
Moreover, Islamic sources admit that pre-Islamic Arab pagans practiced many of the same rituals Muhammad later adopted. The Kaaba, the Black Stone, circumambulation (tawaf), and even the fast of Ashura were all pagan practices rebranded under Islamic labels.
“The Arabs of the time of ignorance used to do things which the religion of Islam has adopted.”
—Abul Fida, as cited in Foundations of Islam, Benjamin Walker, p. 54
Rather than abolish these customs, Muhammad co-opted them, giving them a monotheistic spin. But their origins remain undeniably pagan.
Conclusion: Myth Masquerading as Monotheism
The Qur’an claims to be a clear, divine revelation, yet it:
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Swears by objects of pagan worship
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Contradicts its own condemnation of such objects
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Echoes the very rituals, calendar, and symbols of Arab polytheism
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Violates the biblical standard of swearing only by God
This isn’t merely a question of literary style. It is a theological crisis. For if the Qur’an is truly from God, then God has contradicted Himself, promoted the veneration of created things, and blurred the line between monotheism and mythology.
The evidence compels us to ask:
Is Islam a revelation from the one true God? Or is it a myth—wrapped in Arab culture, fueled by pagan rituals, and dressed in the language of monotheism?
In light of the contradictions, compromises, and pagan echoes—Islam fails the test. It is not the final truth. It is a powerful myth.
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