"The seven heavens (all creation pertaining to the seven states of consciousness), the earth (the body) and everything within them exalts Him (tasbih; fulfill their functions by constantly manifesting in different ways to express His Names)! There is nothing that does not exalt (tasbih) Him with hamd (evaluation of the corporeal worlds created with His Names, as He wills)! But you do not perceive their functions! Indeed, He is the Halim, the Ghafur."[1]
It is evident by this verse that the stars and planets are conscious living entities with specific functions.
The enlightened ones in the past referred to the same truth as ‘angels’ that abide on the stars - in fact they are the same thing. Some tried to describe it as the spirit of the stars, which is again the same thing.
The verse says:
"And much more signs! And He leads to the reality by the (Names comprising the essence of the) stars (the people of the reality, the Hadith: ‘My Companions are like the stars; whoever among them you follow, you will reach the truth’) ...!"[2]
This is such an open and clear indication ‘for those who think’. Yet because man is so eager to deify and worship, or to give power to external entities, this truth has been disguised and hidden. The verse “…leads to the reality by the stars” clearly points to this truth but those who are conditioned to take only its literal meaning will attempt to deny this.
The fact that cosmic rays permeated by the stars reach the brain and activate certain circuitry, which then enable what is commonly referred to as “enlightenment” should not be regarded as strange at all!
Just like when you say, “It is Allah who feeds me” you don’t mean to deny that when you eat, the nutrition is absorbed into your body via certain biological processes and thus converted into energy. It is the same thing.
The most important thing to understand here is the effects that reach the brain from the stars are just like the effects that the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe have on the body. Just as we don’t deify food for nourishing us and would regard this to be primitiveness, deifying the stars is also, if not more, an extremely primitive and unevolved way of looking at this.
Allah is the Absolute Ruler and Administrator!
He brings everything into existence through a cause.
If we use our intellect and try to conceive the magnificent mechanism by which the universe operates, in a holistic way, we will be fulfilling our servitude to Allah much more comprehensively. And if we don’t have the magnitude for this, then indeed nobody is responsible for which they do not have the capacity.
"And He subjects for you the night, the day, the Sun (source of energy) and the Moon (which stimulates your hormones and senses with its gravitational force) ... And the stars are subjected by and in service to His command (the stars are also a manifestation of the meanings of the Names comprising their essence) ... Indeed, there is a sign in this for a people who can use their intellect!"[3]
Allah willed to create man as the vicegerent of earth. He willed to display his own qualities on him. And thus, He created the magnificent cosmic factory we call the universe. Then with His Power He created man and made him a mirror to Himself that man may display and reflect the countless qualities of Allah.
Allah created his creation in darkness then spread his light (Nur) upon them. Whoever is touched by this light is guided, and who ever is missed by it will remain in darkness (astray). [Tirmidhi]
And He leads to the reality by the (Names comprising the essence of the) stars (the people of the reality, the Hadith: ‘My Companions are like the stars; whoever among them you follow, you will reach the truth’) ...!
If we search with this understanding there are many more verses that we can find in the Quran pointing to the reality of astrology.
Indeed, “He leads to the reality by the stars”. Who does He lead? Everyone who seeks the truth!
There is no limiting rule or precept in this verse. Yet sadly, many take it extremely literal and even reduce its meaning to ‘those who lose their way in the desert can find their way by looking at the stars’ (!)
Yes, Allah is al-Hadi (The guide to the truth, the One who allows individuals to live according to their reality).
He guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills. He makes His Light touch whom He wills and makes easier their enlightenment, and makes His Light miss whom He wills and leaves them in the darkness of ignorance.
The verse, “And the stars are subjected by and in service to His command” is also a clear indication that the stars exist with His command for a purpose and that they are not inanimate, pointless structures for the purpose of adorning the sky.
But one must be an intellectual to evaluate such things, to comprehend the topic comprehensively and discern the magnificence of the system to perhaps get a little closer to understanding the grandeur and greatness of Allah.
How can the intellectual get closer and share knowledge with one another?
How can all humans become closer to each other?
What attracts or repels the spirits?
Underlying all sympathy and antipathy people feel for one another is the phenomenon of the stars and their compatibility. This is why we often hear phrases like ‘our stars are in tune” or “our signs aren’t compatible” in reference to the compatibility or incompatibility of the zodiacal star signs.
Abu Huraira (ra) narrates this mystery with the following Muslim hadith:
The Rasul of Allah (saw) said;
“The spirits are like groups (categories) gathered together (in the hereafter). Those who know each other are fond of each other and get along. Those who don’t know each other are in conflict with one another and do not get along.”
So, let us now explore what this “spirit” means…