Surah Al-Hijr 15:16

The Power of Allah and His Signs in the Heavens and on Earth

To those who ponder, and look repeatedly at the dazzling signs and wonders that are to be seen in the creation, Allah mentions His creation of the heavens, with their immense height, and both the fixed and moving heavenly bodies with which He has adorned it. Here, Mujahid and Qatadah said that Buruj big stars refers to the heavenly bodies. (I say): This is like the Ayah :

(Blessed be He Who has placed the big stars in the heavens.) 25:61 `Atiyah Al-`Awfi said: "Buruj here refers to sentinel fortresses." He made the "shooting stars" to guard it against the evil devils who try to listen to information conveyed at the highest heights. If any devil breaches it and advances hoping to listen, a clear "shooting star" comes to him and destroys him. He may already have passed on whatever he heard before the fire hit him, to another devil below him; the latter will then take it to his friends among humans, as is stated in the Sahih. Explaining this Ayah, Al-Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said:

(When Allah decrees any matter in heaven, the angels beat their wings in submission to His Word, with a sound like a chain beating on a smooth rock.") (`Ali and other subnarrators said, "The sound reaches them.") "When the fright leaves their (angels') hearts, they (angels) are asked: `What did your Lord say' They respond: "The truth. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.' So those who hope to hear something listen, and they are standing one above the other." Sufyan the narrator described them with a gesture, spreading the fingers of his right hand and holding it in such a way that the fingers were above one another. "Sometimes the flaming fire hits one of these listeners before he is able to convey what he has heard to the one who is beneath him, and he is burned up, or sometimes the fire does not hit him until he has pit on to the one beneath him, so he brings it to the earth." Perhaps Sufyan said: "...until it reaches the earth and he puts it into the mouth of the sorcerer or fortune-teller, so that after telling a hundred lies he gets something right, and the people say, `Did he not tell us that on such and such a day such and such would happen, and we found it to be the truth among the statements which were heard from heaven."' Then Allah mentions His creation of the earth and how He spread it out, and the firm mountains, valleys, lands and sands that he has placed in it, and the plants and fruits that He causes to grow in their appropriate locations.

(all kinds of things in due proportion.) Ibn `Abbas said that this means with their predetermined proportions. This was also the opinion of Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Abu Malik, Mujahid, Al-Hakim bin `Utaybah, Al-Hasan bin Muhammad, Abu Salih and Qatadah.

(And We have provided therein means of living, for you) Here Allah mentions that He created the earth with different means of provisions and livelihood of all kinds.

(and for those whom you provide not.) Mujahid said, "This refers to the riding animals and the cattle." Ibn Jarir said, "They are slaves, men and women, as well as the animals and the cattle. The meaning is that Allah, may He be exalted, is reminding them of the ways of earning provision that He has made easy for them, and of the animals that He has subjugated for them to ride and to eat, and the slaves from whom they benefit, but the provision of all of these comes from Allah alone."

Ayat ini menerangkan bahwa Allah swt menciptakan berbagai benda angkasa berupa planet yang tidak terhitung banyaknya, bulan, dan bintang yang kesemuanya menghiasi langit, sehingga menarik hati orang-orang yang memandangnya. Semua itu menjadi bahan pemikiran bagi orang-orang yang mau berpikir, terutama dalam mencari manfaatnya bagi manusia dan kemanusiaan, sebagaimana firman Allah swt dalam ayat yang lain:

Mahasuci Allah yang menjadikan di langit gugusan bintang-bintang dan Dia juga menjadikan padanya matahari dan bulan yang bersinar. Dan Dia (pula) yang menjadikan malam dan siang silih berganti bagi orang yang ingin mengambil pelajaran atau yang ingin bersyukur. (al-Furqan/25: 61-62)

Pada ayat yang lain, Allah swt menerangkan pula:

Dan sungguh, telah Kami hiasi langit yang dekat, dengan bintang-bintang. (al-Mulk/67: 5)

Bintang-bintang yang diciptakan Allah itu ada yang tidak bercahaya dan ada pula yang bercahaya, berkelap-kelip di malam hari, sebagaimana firman Allah swt:

Lalu diciptakan-Nya tujuh langit dalam dua masa dan pada setiap langit Dia mewahyukan urusan masing-masing. Kemudian langit yang dekat (dengan bumi), Kami hiasi dengan bintang-bintang, dan (Kami ciptakan itu) untuk memelihara. Demikianlah ketentuan (Allah) Yang Mahaperkasa, Maha Mengetahui. (Fussilat/41: 12)

Dan firman Allah swt:

Dan sungguh, telah Kami hiasi langit yang dekat, dengan bintang-bintang dan Kami menjadikannya (bintang-bintang itu) sebagai alat-alat pelempar setan, dan Kami sediakan bagi mereka azab neraka yang menyala-nyala. (al-Mulk/67: 5)

Benda-benda angkasa itu merupakan petunjuk bagi para musafir yang berjalan di tengah-tengah padang pasir di malam hari, kapal-kapal yang berlayar di tengah lautan, serta kapal terbang dan kapal ruang angkasa yang terbang menuju tempat tujuannya. Peredaran matahari, bulan, dan bintang dapat pula dijadikan dasar untuk mengetahui bilangan hari, bilangan tahun, dan perhitungan waktu, sebagaimana firman Allah swt:

Dialah yang menjadikan matahari bersinar dan bulan bercahaya dan Dialah yang menetapkan tempat-tempat orbitnya, agar kamu mengetahui bilangan tahun, dan perhitungan (waktu). Allah tidak menciptakan demikian itu melainkan dengan benar. Dia menjelaskan tanda-tanda (kebesaran-Nya) kepada orang-orang yang mengetahui. (Yunus/10: 5)

Suasana malam di saat langit cerah tidak berawan, bintang-bintang bertaburan di angkasa raya dan cahayanya yang hilang-hilang timbul, dan cahaya bulan purnama menimbulkan ketenteraman dalam hati bagi orang-orang yang telah beriman kepada Allah. Semua itu menambah kuat imannya, sehingga tanpa disadari mulutnya mengucapkan kata-kata yang mengagung-kan Allah.