Allah instructs Muslims in the holy Qur’an saying: {contemplate the wonders of creation} (Surat Ali ‘Imran 3:191). Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge, explore the universe, and find the “Signs of Allah” in His creation.

Allah says: {Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of ships through the ocean, for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; here indeed are Signs for a people that are wise} (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:164).

Recent indication that water might be present in noteworthy quantities at the lunar poles has renewed interest in the Moon.

Polar colonies could also avoid the problem of long lunar nights, which can be a little more than two weeks, and take advantage of the Sun continuously, at least during the local summer since humans have no data for the winter yet.

Because of its proximity to Earth, the Moon has been seen as the most obvious natural expansion. There are also various projects in near future by space tourism startup companies for tourism on the Moon.

Placing a colony on a natural body would provide an ample source of material for construction and other uses in space, including shielding from cosmic radiation. The energy required to send objects from the Moon to space is much less than from Earth to space.

This could allow the Moon to serve as a source of construction materials within lunar space. Rockets launched from the Moon would require less locally produced propellant than rockets launched from Earth.