There is a significant degree of frivolity among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. This frivolousness is found in those whose minds are devoid of knowledge. Since they are subconsciously aware of this emptiness, they engage in nonsensical behavior to prove themselves superior.
This situation has arisen because the passion for acquiring knowledge has vanished. The activities we see in our educational institutions are not for the sake of knowledge but for “bread and butter.” This is why the focus is on those fields of study that are linked to some form of livelihood. The higher the earning potential in a field, the higher the educational fees in that field at the university. The trend of acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge no longer exists.
As a result, those clowns who study subjects merely for a livelihood know nothing beyond that subject. Yet, the height of their folly is that they express opinions on every subject. Mention the topic of Tafseer, and they become commentators; bring up Hadith, and they turn into scholars of Hadith; discuss physics, and they claim to surpass Einstein. While they don’t even possess basic knowledge related to their own subject.
Now, just take the example of astronomy. A poster is currently circulating on social media. The person who designed this poster did an excellent job in terms of graphic design because they learned graphic designing to earn a livelihood. So, they know this job very well. However, the mocking statement made in the poster is something they know nothing about. But since they must comment on every topic, they couldn’t remain silent even on astrology.
When you speak without knowledge, you end up making blunders. This poster essentially mocks the idea that a planet named Jupiter, which orbits 675.7 million kilometers from Earth, has the duty of causing obstacles in the marriage of Razia and Jameel from Okara. The issue is not just this poster, but the absurdities related to astrology and other occult sciences are perpetuated by those associated with both religious and material sciences.
We all agree that nothing in this universe is created without purpose. Everything has a purpose and plays its role in the universe. Keeping this in mind, the Quran repeatedly mentions not only stars but also constellations.
The question is, why does the Quran, which only mentions extremely important matters, repeatedly mention constellations? For example, the Quran gives the command and mention of prayer but does not mention the method and the five times of prayer. The method and times were left to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to explain and teach. And he did explain and teach. So, why does the Quran, which talks about only the most essential matters, repeatedly mention constellations? Stars can be seen without a telescope, but constellations cannot even be seen from Earth. Consider this verse:
وَ لَقَد جَعَلنَا فِی السَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًا وَّ زَیَّنّٰہَا لِلنّٰظِرِینَ
(Surah Al-Hijr, Ayah 16)
“And We have placed constellations in the sky and beautified it for the observers.”
If you study Urdu Tafaseer (exegeses), you will find so-called commentators who have plainly written that constellations refer to stars. This claim proves two things: First, that the commentator has not studied astronomy even at the most basic level, and second, that they didn’t bother to study the works of prominent commentators like Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA), who clearly stated that constellations are the positions of stars. You often hear astrologers on TV saying that a particular star is in a particular “house.” A “house” refers to a residence, and you may have seen many buildings in Karachi named in this manner, such as Saeed Manzil, Aisha Manzil, and Karim Manzil.
So, the question arises, what is the role of these stars and constellations? Just as a physician answers questions related to health and an engineer answers questions about creations, astrologers (those knowledgeable about stars) answer questions related to stars and constellations. Unfortunately, astrologers are mistakenly thought to be fortune-tellers. Seeing that the people are so ignorant, some fraudsters decided to exploit this misconception and started posing as fortune-tellers. Hence, the term astrologer became synonymous with fortune-telling. However, an astrologer is actually someone who studies the stars.
Astrologers say that all the movements on Earth, big or small, involve the central role of stars and constellations. Just as rain is a system involving low air pressure and clouds, stars and constellations also have a similar role. Just as rain can be a blessing or a calamity, the movements of stars can also bring blessings or calamities.
In other words, these stars perform their assigned duties just like air, water, fire, land, and sea. Everything on this Earth plays its role.
If you want to observe the influence of stars on earthly matters, we can provide you with an easy way to do so. You can see it with your own eyes. On the first day of the lunar month, go to the seashore. Measure the distance from the concrete wall to the point where the waves are breaking on the sand. Note this distance.
Then, measure the same distance on the fifth day of the lunar month. The distance will have decreased. Measure it again on the tenth day of the lunar month, and the distance will have significantly decreased. But the real surprise will come when you measure the distance on the fourteenth day of the lunar month. You will find the waves very close to the concrete wall, and their intensity will have increased. After the full moon, as the moon starts to wane, the waves will gradually move away from the concrete wall again.
The influence of the moon on the human body is so profound that heart and kidney surgeons avoid performing operations during the full moon unless it is an emergency. If they do, they will demand much more blood than usual because, just as the sea is agitated during the full moon, human blood also becomes agitated. During surgery, the body loses more blood, requiring more blood transfusions.
One of humanity’s major problems is that the things closest to it are often the least visible. The closer something is, the more it remains in the dark. This is why the movement of the moon’s effects can only be observed by those living in coastal cities. It is possible that someone from Gilgit might dismiss this as nonsense because they haven’t observed it. But the movement of the sun is visible to everyone.
Does the Earth get cold because the sun reduces its heat like a microwave oven during the winter months? No, these seasonal changes are related to the movement and position of the sun. Haven’t you noticed that the position of sunrise and sunset changes with the months?
The level of ignorance is such that our modern clowns don’t even know that the ripening of crops and their sweetness are also related to the sun and moon. Why is European fruit the most tasteless? Because Europe is often covered with clouds, and crops don’t get enough sunlight. In contrast, fruit from Pakistan and India is the most expensive abroad because the weather is perfect. Crops receive full sunlight and moonlight. But no one will print a poster saying that the distance from Earth to the sun is 150 million kilometers and its duty is to ripen Allah Ditta’s crops in Toba Tek Singh. (Continued).
