فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ٧٥
“I swear by the positions of the star”
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٌۭ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ ٧٦
“and this is indeed a mighty oath, if only you knew”
إِنَّهُۥ لَقُرْءَانٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ ٧٧
“Indeed, it is a noble Qur’an”
Swearing is common in the Quran, especially in the later Juz. Therefore, it’s important for us to understand why Allah swears in the first place. The basic idea of swearing is to grab one’s attention and as a means of convincing.
“Did you steal my money?”
“I swear by Allah!!! I didn’t”
And uniquely in the Quran, where we usually swear by Allah’s name, Allah SWT swears by His own creation (such as time, sun, moon, Dhuha, etc). These are what we call the objects of swearing. And the object of swearing acts as proof to support the message. Remember, swearing is not the main message. People don’t start a conversation with,
“I swear by Allah.” and then straight away left.
“Wait what? What were you about to say?”
Swearing is just the beginning of proving a point.
So here’s a simple example from the Al-Quran
وَٱلْعَصْرِ ١
By time,
When Allah swears by his creation ‘TIME’, time itself is not the main message. The message is,
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ٢
Indeed, mankind is in loss,
Now, why ‘time’? What does ‘time’ have anything to do with ‘mankind being lost’?
Cuz the single proof for mankind being in a state of loss is actually TIME. Where every second, minute, hour, and day that passed, we can never get it back. It’s gone for good. Gone forever. Therefore, like it nor not, we are constantly losing.
So the object of the swearing (eg; TIME) acts as the supporting evidence to convince us of the main message (Ie; Humans are in loss). In simple words, when we think of time, we are reminded that we are in a state of loss.
Coming back to Surah Waqiah, Ayat 75-77
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ٧٥
“I swear by the positions of the star”
The object of swearing @ supporting evidence = Star
So what’s the message? Before Allah continued with the message, He added something in between. Something that He had never done anywhere else in the Quran, which is, praising the swear,
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٌۭ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ ٧٦
“and this is indeed a mighty oath, if only you knew”
So strap up and get ready for what’s to come. Cuz it’s got to be something truly important right? Allah siap puji sumpah ni kot, mesti mesej ini bukan calang2, bukan main2, kena dgr betul2 ni.
What’s the message?
إِنَّهُۥ لَقُرْءَانٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ ٧٧ فِى كِتَـٰبٍۢ مَّكْنُونٍۢ ٧٨ لَّا يَمَسُّهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُطَهَّرُونَ ٧٩ تَنزِيلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٨٠
Indeed, it is a noble Qur’an. In a Register well-protected. None touch it except the purified.[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
The message is Al-Quran itself, the majestic and holy book sent from Allah SWT to humanity.
But here’s a question. What does the Al-Quran have anything to do with the stars? How does the star act as supporting evidence for the Al-Quran? When we think of the stars, are we somewhat reminded of the Al-Quran? The answer is YES, and here’s why.
To understand this relationship, we first need to understand the stars itself. Its properties and benefits. Then, we’ll try to connect the dots from there.
1st: Guidance for the travelers during the night
Imagine being in the desert at night, all alone. Lost and scared. You can’t remember how to get to your destination? Hesitate to move, cuz every step might take you further and further away. “What do I do?”.
You look up and you’ll find your way.
In the old days, before the invention of Google Maps and compass, travelers rely significantly on the stars for directions as they are the most reliable source of guidance. From the constellation itself, we can then determine which way is North, South, East and West. So for a lost traveler during the night, stars are not just a flickering of lights, but a savior. A way back home.
Speaking of flickering lights, here’s the 2nd benefit of the stars
2nd: Beautification for the skies
“Lampu Raya” @ “Chrismast Light”. Why do we put in extra effort and spend extra money for something that only occurs once a year? Which is decorating our house and trees with lights. Lots of it. Cuz we as humans, love beauty and therefore love to beautify things. Guess where we inspired that from? The stars. The first decorating light for humanity.
“And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars” (67:5)
3rd: Protection against the devils
“…and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils”(67:5)
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) explained this phenomenon:
“When Allah decrees a matter in the heaven, the angels beat their wings in submission to His words… then the devils listen stealthily, one above another. A flaming fire (meteor) may strike the eavesdropper before he can convey the message.”(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith 7495)
Thus, the stars protect the secrets of the heavens by acting as missiles against devils who try to steal them.
4th: Forecast of the future
In ancient civilizations, not only did stars act as a compass at night, but they also played an important role in determining the agricultural seasons. Certain appearance of stars would act as a sign, telling the people, “Hey guys, Summer@Winter is coming, you better get ready.”
The most common constellation seen by the Arabs was called Thurayya a.k.a Taurus. It is well known by the Arabs that, when Thurayya appeared at dawn, it marked the beginning of summer. When it disappeared from the sky, it signaled the arrival of winter. And if it disappears earlier than expected, then you better get ready. Cuz the upcoming winter will be harsher than usual.
Rasulullah SAW even commented on it,
“When the stars of Thurayya rise, the farmer is happy, and when they set, the farmer is sad.” (Ibn Majah, Hadith 4031)
Another famous star is Ash-Shi’ra aka Sirius which serves a similar purpose (the sign of coming of winter), known as the brightest star during the night. It’s also the only star mentioned by name in the Al-Quran.
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلشِّعْرَىٰ ٤٩
“And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius”
Amazing isn’t it? The stars would act as a reminder of something that is yet to come. Whether it could be something joyful such as harvesting season, or something frightening such as the harsh winter. Whichever it is, YOU BETTER BE WELL PREPARED.
5th: Constant & Everlasting
The only reason why stars can act as a compass and forecast the season is because they never deviate from their position. Despite existing for more than millions of years, the pattern of constellations never changes nor shifted, even a little. Their position is exactly the same as millions of years ago. Orion will always be Orion. How is it possible? Their positions are not only precise but also preserved.
These are the 5 things we know about the star. It’s attribute and functionality. And I hope by now you’ve realised something, that I’m not actually talking about the stars, am I? I’m talking about the Al-Quran.
Have you connected the dots?
To be Continue……