PLANETS AND STARS IN THE QURAN

To a lay man it is not possible to easily distinguish between a planet and a star in the night sky, unless someone point it out. Viewed from the earth the planets are moving about and are changing their positions compared to earth and were designated as “ wandering “or “ roaming” “stars” in ancient times.

It is only after the present advancements in astronomy that the distinction is marked and more noticeable, and even a class VIII child can now tell the difference.

The Holy Quran, being a book Authored by the Creator of heavens and earth and the stars and planets, is very specific and has used the word “KAUKAB” for planets and “NAJAM” for stars. Due to the misunderstandings and their scanty knowledge of astronomy almost all the translators have translated the word “Kaukab” as star. This makes the matter complicated and confusing. Please consider the following:-

“ When the night covered him over, he saw a star: He said: “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “I love not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising in splendour , he said: “This is my Lord.” But when the moon set, he said: “Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.” When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord; this is the greatest {of all}.” But when the sun set, he said: “O my people! I am {now} free from your {guilt} of giving partners to Allah.” Sura No:6, Anam:76,77,78.

There is such a wealth of information in these Ayaats that the mind boggles and wobbles. However, I shall try to share my thoughts with you as briefly as I can . Here also almost all the translators have translated the word “Koukaba” in Ayaat No: 76 as star. This kills the essence of the Ayaat. Even a child of class iv knows nowadays that the brightest object in the sky is the sun. The second bright object is the moon and the third bright is the “planet Venus”.

Star’s brightness is measured in magnitude of 1 to 6,number one being the bright one .i.e., First magnitude and No: 6 being fainter. Below one is minus which makes them even more brighter. So, in the sky the brightest star is Sirius which has a brightness of minus (-) 1.5 magnitude. This is exceeded only by the planet Venus which has a brightness of minus (-) 4.4 magnitude. It is therefore logical that Hazrat Ibrahim (PBUH) saw the planet Venus and took it to be his rabb.

Moreover, whereas Ayaats 77 and 78 do not say that he saw the moon at night or the sun during the day, Ayaat 76 states specifically that he saw the planet when night covered him over i.e. when night began.

As every one knows Venus appears in the morning , part of the year and in the evening, part of the year because it is an inner planet nearer to the sun than the earth. If you ever happen to go to a dark place with clear skies you will see the beauty of this planet either just before sunrise or just after sunset.

It is therefore logical that Hazrat Ibrahim {PBUH} saw this “planet Venus” in the evening after sunset from the pollution-free horizon of Ur in Iraq. He was so thrilled that he took it to be his Rabb. But, of course, this was all his process of learning towards reaching his real goal.

Moreover ,what he saw was definitely not the star Sirius which is the brightest amongst the stars with a brightness of minus 1.5 magnitudes. Had it been Sirius the Quran would have said so because this star has been mentioned by name in a separate Ayat in Sura Najm (star) “That He is the Lord of Sirius”(53/49)

Furthermore, the word Kaukab is mentioned in Sura Yusuf {Sura No:12} in Ayat No:4, where Hazrat Yusuf {PBUH} tells his father that he dreamt of eleven Kaukaba {or planets}, the sun and moon prostrating to him. Sura Yusuf is full of mysticism and the entire story is allegorical. While the whole Quran is a ‘Qasas’ or a story, Sura Yusuf is a story ‘Par Excellence’ {Ahsan-al-Qasas}. And, when Allah, the creator of the heavens and earth and Author of His Own Book tells us so, we have no reason not to believe Him. And Allah says in Sura Yusuf in Ayat No: 7 that : “Verily in Yusuf and his brethren are signs (or symbols) for seekers (after truth) .” And again in the last Ayat No:111 of the same Sura it says:” There is, in their stories, instructions for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it-----A DETAILED EXPOSITION OF ALL THINGS, AND A GUIDE AND A MERCY TO ANY SUCH AS BELIEVE.”

In the light of the above it is to be concluded that the eleven “planets” prostrating to Hazrat Yusuff (PBUH) is a statement of the fact that the solar system in which we live consists of the earth plus eleven planets that is 12 planets in all. If we have discovered 11 (eleven) planets till now, including the earth ,it is our fault and not the Quran’s. Inshallah , health and life permitting shall write about Surah Yusuff in another article some other time.

Regarding “Najam” or star the Quran beautifully states in one of the Ayats : “And he has set up on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you ; and rivers and roads; that ye may guide yourselves; And marks and sign posts; And BY THE STARS (MEN) GUIDE
THEMSELVES.” {Nahal:16/15,16}. How nicely it states that on land you
are guided by the mountain passes, roads and rivers and in the sea and air you are guided by the stars. You cannot guide yourself with the help of planets because they are not fixed but roam about. Stars are fixed, relatively, and any navigator will tell you that taking reference from the north star and other constellations you guide yourself.

There are many other references in the Quran which alludes to the constellations ( Burooj ) ;the comets ; meteorites ; the formation of black holes and supernovas and white dwarfs and the expanding Universe, the Big Bang and the Big Crunch, which is not the subject matter here and may be taken up later on, Allah Willing.

The purpose of this article is to point out that correct translation makes a world of difference in understanding and comprehending the real message of this MIGHTY BOOK.

It is pertinent also to note here that even 900 years after the revelation of this Message we all know what the “Western Civilized Society” did to their Astronomer Copernicus (1473-1543) when he said that the sun is a small star and the planets, including the earth goes round it. Alas! If only they had heeded to this Message.

May Allah help us in getting to the depth of His Message without the interference, interruption and interpolation of other non-divine writings which has infiltrated the religion of Islam and deviated the Ummah from the Right Path. Aameen.
 

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