وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـٰبِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَـٰطِينِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلسَّعِيرِ
And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze. (Surah al Mulk: 5)
Allah has created stars with three purposes:
- To adorn the night sky. Allah has not just provided man with physical and spiritual sustenance, but He has also adorned the sky with stars so that it is pleasing to look at.
And We have placed within the heaven great stars and have beautified it for the observers. [al-Hijr:16]
2. Protection.
Indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment of stars And as protection against every rebellious devil. [So] they may not listen to the exalted assembly [of angels] and are pelted from every side, Repelled; and for them is a constant punishment, Except one who snatches [some words] by theft, but they are pursued by a burning flame, piercing [in brightness]. [al-Saffat:6-10]
3. Direction. Allah has placed stars in the sky as a means of navigation.
And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know. [al-An’am:97]
So the purpose of stars is beauty, protection and navigation. One creation, with multiple benefits. A lesson we can extract from this is that , as humans, we need to ask ourselves how useful and beneficial we are to others. The more a person benefits others (with ihsan), the more value he has.
It is also important to note here that stars don’t determine your fate.
Qatadah (ra) said, “These stars were only created for three purposes; as adornment for the sky, what is thrown at the devils, and signs by which are guided. Therefore, whoever seeks to interpret any other meanings for them other than these, he has erred, he has lost his portion and burdened himself with that which he has no knowledge of.” [al-Bukhari]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He who acquires a branch of the knowledge of astrology, learns a branch of magic (of which he acquires more as long as) he continues to do so.” [Abu Dawud]
