(… فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا) (So when the night covered him [with darkness], he saw a star.…): When the night veiled him with its darkness, He saw a great shining planet.

The word used here is Kaukab (planet). The planet is a celestial body which gets its light from another body, whereas the Najm (star) shines by itself. Therefore, the moon is a Kaukab whereas the sun is a Najm. Light comes from the sun and the moon reflects this light.

The orientalists have said: ‘You claim that Abraham used to disapprove of their idol-worshipping, while he said regarding the Kaukab, this is my Lord, with this verse as the evidence. What is this inconsistency?’ The answer is that there is of course no inconsistency here, it is them who do not know the way phrases are used in the Arabic Language. To illustrate this, look at the expression in the following verse:

 ذُقْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْكَرِيمُ

((The wicked will be told,) “Taste this. You mighty, noble one!) (Ad-Dukhan: 49)

He is punishing this wicked person while saying to him: ‘You mighty, noble one’. Is this person who is being punished mighty and noble? The answer is, of course not. Likewise, Prophet Abraham (PBUH) is logically denouncing their saying: ‘This is our Lord’, as they were worshippers of the planets, sun and moon. So, when it set, he said, ‘I do not like things that set’, i.e., Is it logical that this is my Lord? This is what his statement means, according to the Arabic expression. For Prophet Abraham surely knew that the planet would set. Thus, his statement is in the form of logical discussion and is used as a proof against his people. It does not at all imply that he was doubtful concerning the issue.