In the Name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
We have adorned the skies nearest to the Earth with stars, and have made them secure against every rebellious devil.
Thus, they cannot eavesdrop on the ones on high, but shall be repelled from all sides, driven away, with lasting suffering in store for them. If any of them stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.
Now ask those [unbelievers]: Are they more difficult to create, or the other beings We have created? Them have We created out of a sticky clay.
Whereas you marvel, they scoff; and when they are reminded of the truth, they pay no heed; and when they see a sign, they resort to ridicule; and say: “This is nothing but plain sorcery. What! After we have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we be raised back to life? And perhaps our forefathers?” (Ranged in Rank, Al-Saffat: 37: 6-17)
We touched last week on one function of the stars, which is to adorn the sky and give it an ever-fascinating sight. Another function of the stars and their satellites is also mentioned in the Surah, demonstrating how some of them are shooting stars and piercing flames that target the jinn, preventing them from getting close to those on high: We “have made them secure against every rebellious devil. Thus, they cannot eavesdrop on the ones on high, but shall be repelled from all sides, driven away, with lasting suffering in store for them. If any of them stealthily snatches away a fragment, he will be pursued by a piercing flame.” This means that some of the shooting stars we see guard the skies against rebellious devils to prevent them from eavesdropping on those on high. Such devils on the Day of Judgment will be punished further. However, a rebellious devil might stealthily snatch something of what goes on among the angels on high, but as this devil descends, a piercing flame pursues and burns him.
We have no idea how the rebellious devil tries to eavesdrop, how he snatches a fragment, or how he is pursued by the piercing flame. All these are beyond the limits of our human nature and its power of imagination. The only way open to us is to believe what we are told by God and accept it as it is stated. We should remember that our knowledge of the universe is only superficial. What is important to understand here is that those devils who are prevented from eavesdropping on what takes place on high are the ones whom the idolaters alleged to be related to God. Had anything of the sort been true, the whole story would have been totally different. Such alleged relatives would not have suffered the burning fate that pursues them.
The Prophet is then instructed to question them about whether they considered their own creation to be more difficult or the creation of the heavens, Earth and all creation in the universe? If they agree that man’s creation is less difficult, why should they then disbelieve in resurrection, meeting it with derision and considering it impossible, when it is nothing compared to creating the universe?
“Now ask those [unbelievers]: Are they more difficult to create, or the other beings We have created? Them have We created out of a sticky clay. Whereas you marvel, they scoff; and when they are reminded of the truth, they pay no heed.”
The other created beings in this respect include the angels, heavens, the Earth and all between them, the jinn, stars, planets and piercing flames. They acknowledge that these are created by God. No answer, however, is expected to the question. This is simply a rhetorical device inviting amazement at their lack of understanding of what is around them. It derides the way they look at things. Leaving the question unanswered, the Surah shows them the substance from which they were created in the first place: it is soft, sticky clay made of material from this Earth, which is itself one of God’s creatures: “Them have We created out of a sticky clay.” (Verse 11) It is abundantly clear then that they are not the more difficult to create. Hence, their making fun of God’s signs and His promise to bring them back to life is nothing less than absurd.
Their attitude makes the Prophet wonder: “Whereas you marvel, they scoff; and when they are reminded of the truth, they pay no heed; and when they see a sign, they resort to ridicule.” It is only right that the Prophet should wonder at them. A believer who recognizes God with all his faculties as Muhammad (peace be upon him) did, and who sees in full clarity the numerous signs in the universe pointing to Him, is bound to wonder and marvel at how people can remain oblivious to them. In short, how can they adopt such an attitude?
As the Prophet looked at them with amazement, they continued ridiculing the truth he presented to them, speaking of God’s oneness and their own resurrection. They preferred to remain blind, with their hearts sealed. Hence, they scoffed at God’s revelations and signs, wondered at the Prophet who presented these to them and made that the material for further ridicule. Part of this was how they described the Qur’an: “This is nothing but plain sorcery. What! After we have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we be raised back to life? And perhaps our forefathers?” They are oblivious to everything around them that reminds them of God’s power and ability, claiming that He would not return them to life after they and their forefathers had died and perished. Yet such return is nothing to marvel at, if we would only look at the universe around us and see what God has created.