Surah Al-Hijr (15) — Ayah 16

(Ayah16) ➊ {وَ لَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَآءِ بُرُوْجًا: ’’ بُرُوْجًا ‘‘ ’’ بُرْجٌ ‘‘} is the plural of {وَ لَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَآءِ بُرُوْجًا: ’’ بُرُوْجًا ‘‘ ’’ بُرْجٌ ‘‘}, which originally refers to a lofty, elevated, and adorned fortress or palace. Allah Almighty said: «{ اَيْنَ مَا تَكُوْنُوْا يُدْرِكْكُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِيْ بُرُوْجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ }» [ النساء : ۷۸ ] "Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in strong fortresses." Its original meaning is to be prominent and manifest, as Allah Almighty said to the pure wives, may Allah be pleased with them: «{ وَ لَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْاُوْلٰى }» [ الأحزاب : ۳۳ ] "And do not display yourselves with the display of the former times of ignorance." See also the first verse of Surah Al-Buruj. After the previous verses about messengership, now the discourse on monotheism begins. For the evidences of Allah Almighty's oneness, first the mention of the higher world is made, then the earth, then what is between them, and after that the mention of Adam and Iblis. Thus, it is said: We have made in the sky great and prominent towers, that is, the prominent clusters of stars, the stations of the sun and the moon, by which cool light is obtained at night and intense light and heat during the day, as well as the determination of time, days, months, and years. The growth of humans, animals, and plants, their survival, and the arrangement of countless needs are managed, the ebb and flow of the sea and countless benefits that you cannot even imagine are obtained from these. Who, other than Allah Almighty, is the creator and operator of all these? If anyone claims so, bring him forth. Some scholars have also identified {’’ بُرُوْجًا ‘‘} as those places where the guardian angels of the sky reside.

➋ { وَ زَيَّنّٰهَا لِلنّٰظِرِيْنَ:} Among the great evidences of Allah Almighty's power and oneness is also that He has adorned the sky with the moon, stars, and sun. The spectacle of the sky's adornment with stars and the moon at night is truly seen where there are no artificial lights. This is not limited to just one sky; the One with limitless power has created everything beautifully and has especially arranged for adornment in it. From the smallest insect to the largest creature, everything has been made perfectly beautiful. He said: «{ الَّذِيْۤ اَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهٗ وَ بَدَاَ خَلْقَ الْاِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِيْنٍ }» [ السجدۃ : ۷ ] "Who made good everything that He created, and He began the creation of man from clay." That is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, liked to remain clean and well-groomed. He said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ جَمِيْلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب تحریم الکبر و بیانہ : ۹۱ ] "Indeed, Allah is beautiful and loves beauty." He does not like to live dirty and unsightly like ascetics, yogis, monks, or foolish Sufis. The ten things which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, declared as part of the natural disposition, such as rinsing the mouth, using the miswak, cleaning below the navel, etc., all maintain this cleanliness and beauty perfectly.

16. 1. Burooj is the plural of burj, which means manifestation. From this comes tabarruj, which is used in the sense of a woman displaying her adornment. Here, the stars of the sky are called burooj because they are elevated and apparent. Some say that by burooj is meant the stations of the sun, moon, and other planets, which are fixed for them and are twelve in number: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. The Arabs used to determine the seasons through the stations of these planets. There is nothing wrong with this, but to claim knowledge of changing events and incidents through them, as is still common among the ignorant today, and to look at and understand people's destinies through them, has no connection with the events and incidents that occur in the world. Whatever happens, happens only by the will of Allah. Allah Almighty has mentioned these burooj or stars here as a sign of His power and unparalleled craftsmanship. In addition, it has been clarified that these are also the adornment of the sky.

16. Indeed, We have set constellations in the sky [8] and adorned them for those who look.

[8]
The Towers of the Heavens:

In this verse, if someone takes the word "burooj" to mean only those twelve constellations which the ancient astronomers placed on the eighth sphere, it is up to them; otherwise, the context of the verse does not support this, because most of the shapes of these constellations have nothing to do with beauty. After all, how can Cancer (the Crab), Scorpio (the Scorpion), Libra (the Scales), and Aquarius (the Water Bearer), etc., create any beauty? This is why most scholars have interpreted "burooj" here as stars and planets which adorn the sky at night.

Linguistically, we can call anything that appears prominently a "burj," whether it is a building, a dome, or a fortress. The meaning is that Allah making the sky so beautifully adorned is in itself a great sign of His power. Then, after this, what other sign do they require from Him?