Surah Al-An'am 6:96

Recognizing Allah Through Some of His Ayat

Allah states that He causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout in the ground, producing various types, colors, shapes, and tastes of grains and produce. The Ayah,

(Who causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout.) is explained by the next statement,

(He brings forth the living from the dead, and it is He Who brings forth the deed from the living.) meaning, He brings the living plant from the seed grain and the fruit stone, which is a lifless and inanimate object. Allah said,

(And a sign for them is the dead land. We gave it life, and We brought forth from it grains, so that they eat thereof.) 36:33 until,

(as well as of their own (human) kind (male and female), and of that which they know not.) 36:36 Allah's statement,

(and it is He Who brings forth the dead from the living. ) There are similar expressions in meaning such as, He brings the egg from the chicken, and the opposite. Others said that it means, He brings the wicked offspring from the righteous parent and the opposite, and there are other possible meanings for the Ayah. Allah said,

(Such is Allah,) meaning, He Who does all this, is Allah, the One and Only without partners,

(then how are you deluded away from the truth) meaning, look how you are deluded from Truth to the falsehood of worshipping others besides Allah. Allah's statement,

((He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting,) means, He is the Creator of light and darkness. Allah said in the beginning of the Surah,

(And originated the darkness and the light.) Indeed, Allah causes the darkness of the night to disappear and brings forth the day, thus bringing brighteness to the world and light to the horizon, while dissipating darkness and ending the night with its depth of darkness and starting the day with its brightness and light. Allah said,

(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly.) 7:54 In this Ayah, Allah reminds of His ability to create diversified things in opposites, testifying to His perfect greatness and supreme power. Allah states that He is the Cleaver of the daybreak and mentioned its opposite, when He said,

(He has appointed the night for resting,) meaning, created darkness, in order for the creation to become halt and rest during it. Allah said in other Ayat,

(By the forenoon. And by the night when it is still.) 93:1-2,

(By the night as it envelops. And by the day as it appears in brightness.) 92:1,2 and,

(And by the day as it shows up (the sun's) brightness. And by the night as it conceals it.) 91:3-4 Allah's statement,

(...And the sun and the moon for reckoning.) means, the sun and the moon have specific orbits, according to a term appointed with magnificent precision that never changes or alters. Both the sun and the moon have distinct positions that they assume in summer and winter, effecting changes in the length of night and day. Allah said in other Ayat,

(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the Moon as a light and measured out stages for it.) 10:5,

(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.) 36:40, And,

(The sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected by His command.) 16:12 Allah's statement,

(Such is the measuring of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) means, all of this occurs according to the decree and due measurement of the Almighty Who is never resisted or contradicted. He is the Knower of all things and nothing ever escapes His knowledge, not even the weight of an atom on earth or in heavens. Allah often mentions the creation of the night, the day, the sun and the moon and then ends His Speech by mentioning His attributes of power and knowledge, as in this Ayah above 6:96, and in His statement,

(And a sign for them is the night, We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness. And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) 36:37-38 In the beginning of Surat Ha-Mim As-Sajdah, after mentioning the creation of the heavens and earth and all that is in them, Allah said:

(And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the decree of Him, the Almighty, the All-Knower.) 41:12 Allah said next,

(It is He Who has set the stars for you, so that you may guide your course with their help through the darkness of the land and the sea.) Some of the Salaf said; Whoever believes in other than three things about these stars, then he has made a mistake, and lied against Allah. Indeed Allah made them as decorations for the heavens, and to shoot at the Shayatin, and for directions in the dark recesses of the land and sea. Then, Allah said,

(We have explained in detail Our Ayat.) meaning, We made them clear and plain,

(for people who know. ) who have sound minds and are able to recognize the truth and avoid falsehood.

Allah menyuruh manusia agar memperhatikan perputaran waktu yang disebabkan oleh peredaran benda-benda langit yang berlaku menurut hukum sebab dan akibat. Allah mengajak manusia memperhatikan alam terbuka yang dapat dilihat sehari-hari. Allah menyingsingkan cahaya pagi yang menghapus kegelapan malam. Cahaya itu tampak di ufuk langit bagian timur sesudah terbitnya matahari sehingga dunia tampak bercahaya terang. Keadaan ini mereka alami di saat-saat mereka melakukan segala macam kegiatan untuk keperluan hidup mereka. Sebagai kebalikan dari suasana tersebut, Allah mengajak manusia untuk memperhatikan keadaan malam yang gelap. Allah menciptakan malam untuk beristirahat setelah mereka penat karena bekerja di siang hari. Keadaan ini digambarkan sebagai suasana ketenangan. Suasana yang silih berganti antara siang dan malam seperti keadaan yang mempunyai persamaan dengan perputaran hidup, agar mereka mempunyai pandangan hidup yang lebih luas. Uraian ilmiahnya sebagai berikut:

Kata husbana (perhitungan) dalam ayat ini dimaksudkan sebagai perhitungan kalender (penanggalan). Dalam sejarah peradaban manusia, telah terbukti bahwa matahari dan bulan digunakan untuk perhitungan penanggalan. Penanggalan berbasis pada 'gerak dan posisi matahari di langit bumi, atau yang dikenal dengan Solar Calendar, telah dilakukan oleh peradaban Barat (berasal dari Romawi dan Yunani), India; sedang peradaban Yahudi, Arab, Cina, juga India menggunakan Lunar Calendar, yaitu perhitungan berbasiskan kepada 'gerak dan posisi bulan di langit bumi. Dalam bahasa astronomi, Solar Calendar berbasiskan pada lintasan-orbit bumi terhadap posisi matahari, sedang Lunar Calendar berbasis pada lintasan-orbit bulan terhadap posisi bumi dan matahari.

Dalam dunia astronomi-astrofisika, bulan juga digunakan dalam perhitungan penentuan kestabilan dinamika rotasi (rotational dynamic stability) bumi. Hal ini membuktikan bahwa keberadaan bulan sangat diperlukan agar precession (perkitaran) bumi pada sumbunya stabil. Bulan memberikan kestabilan dalam dimensi waktu 10-100 tahun, sedang Venus dan Mars memberikan kestabilan dalam dimensi waktu 100-500 tahun. Sedang planet Yupiter dan Saturnus, juga ikut memberikan rotational dynamic stability terhadap bumi kita ini, juga bertindak sebagai shield (perisai) bagi bumi terhadap hamburan meteor yang akan membentur bumi.

Allah menyebutkan sebab-sebab yang mengubah suasana siang menjadi malam yaitu matahari yang beredar menurut waktu-waktu yang telah ditentukan. Sebagai bandingannya disebutkan, bahwa bulan tampak cemerlang di waktu malam. Baik matahari maupun bulan beredar di angkasa raya menurut garis edarnya secara teratur dan tertentu.

Allah menyebutkan matahari dan bulan karena kedua benda langit itulah yang paling menonjol di antara benda-benda langit yang lain, yang secara umum manusia dapat memahami secara mudah kapan matahari dan bulan itu terbit dan kapan benda langit itu terbenam, dengan maksud agar manusia dapat memahami bahwa tiap-tiap kehidupan didahului oleh tiada dan akan kembali kepada tiada pula. Mengenai manfaat peredaran matahari dan bulan ini Allah menjelaskan selanjutnya dengan firman-Nya:

Dialah yang menjadikan matahari bersinar dan bulan bercahaya dan Dialah yang menetapkan tempat-tempat orbitnya, agar kamu mengetahui bilangan tahun, dan perhitungan (waktu). (Yunus/10: 5)

Dalam ayat ini, Allah menyebutkan tiga macam nikmat-Nya yang dapat dinikmati secara langsung oleh manusia yaitu nikmat yang diperoleh mereka tanpa usaha; nikmat cahaya pagi, nikmat ketenangan malam dan nikmat sinar matahari dan bulan agar manusia secara menyeluruh dapat memahami rahmat Allah yang menyeluruh bagi semua makhluk-Nya. Pada akhir ayat Allah menegaskan bahwa penciptaan yang sangat tinggi nilainya itu, adalah ketentuan Allah sesuai dengan keluasan ilmu-Nya, kebesaran kekuasaan dan ketinggian hikmah-Nya.

Allah berfirman:

Sungguh, Kami menciptakan segala sesuatu menurut ukuran. (al-Qamar/54: 49)