Volume 10 Surah 12 - 15 - Enjoy Islam

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Al-Ĥijr | GREAT UNIVERSAL EXPANSE
It is We who give life and cause death, and
it is We who are the inheritors [of all
things]. (23)
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Well do We know those who lived before
you and those who will come after you.
(24)
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Your Lord will gather them all together.
He is indeed Wise, All- Knowing. (25)
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Endless Wonders
The sūrah now moves on to an exhibition of universal signs. It starts with a scene
in heaven followed by one on earth, then an image of winds fully loaded with water,
before we have pictures of life and death, resurrection and gathering. All these
scenes are denied by those who, when a gateway to heaven is opened for them and
they ascend through it higher and higher, surely say: “It is only our eyes that are
spellbound! Indeed, we must have been bewitched.” (Verse 15)
“We have indeed set up in the heavens constellations, and endowed them with beauty for
all to behold, and We have guarded them from every cursed devil, so that anyone who tries to
eavesdrop is pursued by a flame clear to see.” (Verses 16-18) This is the first line in the
great universal scene which tells of God’s creative power. It delivers a more telling
testimony to the inimitability of God’s creation than any coming down of angels. It
reflects God’s elaborate planning and His limitless power that puts into place this
great piece of creation, the universe. The ‘constellations’ may refer to the stars and
planets themselves with their huge entities, or it may refer to their positions which
define their orbits. In both cases, they testify to the great power behind their creation
and to the accuracy and beauty that they reflect. “We have indeed set up in the heavens
constellations, and endowed them with beauty for all to behold.” (Verse 16)
The reference here to the beauty of the universe, particularly the type seen in the
sky, suggests that beauty is an intended purpose behind such creation. It is not
merely size or accuracy that are intended, but beauty which is clearly seen in all its
aspects. A quick glance at the sky in a dark moonless night, with so many stars and
planets sending their faint light our way, gives us a sense of that unique beauty. The
same feeling will be aroused by a similar look at the sky in a night with a full moon,
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