Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars: What al-Qur'an says about Stars

Assalamualaikum...

Twinkle twinkle little stars, the verse that we all grew up singing as children. For astronomers, twinkling stars mean bad seeing and turbulent air. Its mean, astronomer does't happy to see twinkling stars images.

Do yo know, as Muslim astronomer and doing the research in islamic astronomy, we must know that stars also mentioned in our Holy al-Qur'an.

For this post i would like to show you the terminology of stars in the al-Qur'an.

No	Terminology of Stars in Holy al-Qur’an	Total	Surah  and Verses
1	i-                    al-Najm ii-                  al-Nujum	4 9	al-Nahl (16): 16, al-Najm (53) :1 al-Rahman(55):6 al-Tariq(86):3 al-An`am(6):97, al-A`raf (7):54, al-Nahl (16):12 al-Hajj(22):18, al-Saffat(37):88, al-Thur (52) :49, al-Waqi`ah(56) :75, al-Mursalat (77):8, al-Takwir(81):2,
2	i-                    al-Kawkab ii-                  al-Kawakib	3 2	al-An`am(6):76, Yusuf:4, al-Nur: 20, al-Saffat (37):6 dan al-Infitar(82) :2
3	al-Buruj	3	al-Hijr(22):16, al-Furqan(25):61 dan al-Buruj(85):1
4	al-Masobih	2	Fussilat (41):12 al-Mulk(67): 5
5	al-Khunnas	1	al-Takwir(81):15
6	al-Shi’ra	1	al-Najm (53): 49
7	Al-Tariq	1	Al-Tariq (86):1

According to Table shown above, there are al-Najm words or term in the Qur'an of 13 verses. Four verses of the Qur'an that contain words al-Najm in singular  and 9 verses that contain the word al-Nujum of plural words. For term al-kawkab/al-Kawakib five verses, three verses that describe the al-buruj (Constellation), two verses of al-Masobih, while  term al-Khunnas,al-Shi'ra and al-Tariq each found in only one verse in the Holy al-Qur'an.  

Thera are some conclusions that i might to show you:

Firstly, the term Al-najm generally broughts the meaning of star while the term Al-buruj is more referred as constellation of stars in the skies. Constellations as it’s mostly known as meant group of stars that configures a pattern in the sky such as Orion and Leo, or any areas in the definite celestial sphere that is marked with arbitrary boundary lines. According to Mufassireen, concluded that there are four views concerning the term ‘al-buruj’. Firstly, star(s) in a group means constellations or zodiac.  Second, al-buruj brought the meaning as guard the skies (al-qusur).  Thirdly, al-buruj brought the meaning of ‘an interesting creation. Fourthly, clusters of stars

Secondly, the term al-Kawkab mentioned in al-Quran to describe as a star that decorates the skies while the term Al-Khunnas is understood as a star that is moving and is not stationary.  Some of them added by saying that al-Khunnas is a moving star.

Thirdly, the term Al-Masabih or lamp basically means shining. Stars are named as lamp because it shines.

Fourthly, There is only one Quranic verse that mentions al-Shi’ra that is in the verse 49 of Sura al-Najm. According to the astronomy today, al-Shi’ra means star named Sirius. Astronomy found that Sirius is a binary star.  A binary star is a pair of stars that revolves around each other because of the gravitational force that exists between them.

Fifthly, the term al-Tariq means Piercing Stars. In modern astronomy nowadays brought to means pulsar stars. 

Finally, simple conclusion from this review is verses from al-Quran show that stars in several terms:  al-Najm means stars physically as celestial’s bodies. Al-Kawkab, al-Kawakib, al-Khunnas, al-Masobih that referred to the properties of a star itself that is shining and moving because a star is a celestial body that radiates its own light and heat also moving in their own motions according to modern astronomy today.

I hope this article may be beneficial to others....

Regards,

Raihana