Interpretation of Fortress 86 (The Goodness Star)
I seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan
In the Name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
1. “And (behold) the heaven and the night-comer (the star of goodness)!
2. “What enables you to perceive what the night-comer is?
3. “It is the piercing star.
4. “Is there not for every spirit a guardian (watching) over it?
5. “Let humanity reflect on what it is created from!
6. “It is created from an ejected fluid,
7. “And is issued from the backbone among dust (tiny particles).
8. “Surely He (Allah) has the power to bring it back to life!
9. “On the Day when secrets will be tested and laid bare,
10. “It will have no power and no helper.
11. “The heaven of recurrence,
12. “And the earth of respondence;
13. (Tell you that) It is a decisive Word (Al’lah’s),
14. “It is not (a word) in jest.
15. “They are making schemes,
16. “But I (too) am making schemes,
17. “So tell the disbelievers to act deliberately; deal with them gently.”
§§§§§
At the onset of this noble Fortress, the Almighty wants to draw our attention to heaven and the benefits that it brings. Therefore He says:
Verse no. 1
1. “And (behold) the heaven and the night-comer (the star of goodness)!
The “heaven” is the blue dome which we see above us, surrounding the earth on all sides. “And” is used to urge us to think of heaven, so that we will perceive its greatness. Let us ponder its illimitable extensiveness and its role in the regular and well-ordered motion of the sun and the moon, and on the stars’ uniformity and their correlation with one another. Let us consider its effect on the swimming of the clouds and the condensation which causes rainfall.
You can liken heaven to the shell of an egg, which preserves its contents and helps them to keep existing.
If it was not for the heaven, the stars would be scattered here and there and would lose their correlation with each other.
Because of the heaven, the sun remains in its present location in space so that the earth profits from its heat and light.
Without the heaven, the moon would not perform its rotation around the earth, and the earth would shake as it travels through space, so that its movement will be disturbed and irregular. Consequently there would be no night or day or the four seasons.
Without the heaven, no snow and no rain would ever have formed or fallen.
Thus, the perfect performance of their functions by these creations, which leads to the steadiness of our life, mainly depends on the existence of the heaven. Because of this heaven, your needs are fulfilled and your existence and life on this earth becomes possible.
This is only one aspect of what we understand by the word “heaven”, for nobody is able to count the signs that are included in the heaven.
Oh human! Contemplate this heaven and think of it once and once again, so that you will appreciate its Maker and glorify the Provider Who supplies it.
As for the phrase “that which percusses”, it draws our attention to the blessings that come from the heaven and which are continuously coming to humanity. The Arabic word for “night-comer” is ‘tariq’, which is derived from the verb ‘taraqa’, meaning ‘to strike’ or ‘to come’.
In this Verse it refers to the goodness that successively comes and reaches people, and means: “Behold the heaven, My obedient followers, and the continuous blessings which it brings to you.”
To make us observe this abundant goodness which comes from heaven, God says:
Verse no. 2
2. “What enables you to perceive what the night-comer is?
This tense is used to show the greatness of something and its high role.
This Verse means: “Oh human! You are unable to find any limit to the blessings that descend from the heaven, or to count the Godly Boons that overwhelm you by means of it.”
What are these blessings? God explains this with His Words:
Verse no. 3
3. “It is the piercing star.”
The Arabic word for “star” is ‘najm’. It is taken from the verb ‘najama’ which means ‘to appear’ or ‘to rise’.
According to this conception, we can say that the air can be considered a star in terms of how it comes into being. So is it with coldness and heat and the formation of the clouds, rain, and the like.
The word “star” therefore includes everything that comes into being.
Something “piercing” – from the verb to penetrate – is something effective and piercing. For example, you could talk about a penetrating mind, a piercing view, a piercing arrow, and so forth.
The phrase “piercing star” refers to the effective goodness which comes to us continuously in perfect order, free of any fault or shortcoming. For example, the air is piercing because it comes according to a certain order, abiding by firm rules so that it will stir up the clouds and joins them to one another. The rain also is piercing, because when it falls on land, it causes the soil to bring out the blessings that are hidden within it, because the rain is loaded with countless benefits. So is it with coldness. The cold is piercing (or effective), because when it affects plant life, it stirs up the qualities and powers that are folded within them, so they yield up their crops and lavish their fruits.
Thus we can see that everything God the Almighty brings into being is like a star in its appearance and how it rises, just as it is piercing in its plenitude and great benefit.
After these Verses, which attract us to the limitless heaven and manifest its great significance and some of the countless graces which it brings, God sent down the following Verse in order to caution humanity against debauchery and disobedience. This Verse tells us that for He Who has such Might, and Who precisely directs everything in this universe, it is not difficult to watch and record every action of every person. He says:
Verse no. 4
4. “Is there not for every spirit a guardian (watching) over it?”
Does this miraculous universe not prove that He Who created it is able to record all the deeds of every spirit?
Such a task is certainly extremely simple and easy for God to perform, for He, the Almighty, is protecting and watching over all spirits.
Next, God draws humanity’s attention to its own creation in order to recognize our origin, from which we were created. If a person thinks of this and makes some comparisons, they will know themselves and realize his powerlessness, and will recognize their Creator and His Grandeur. God says:
Verse no. 5
5. “Let humanity reflect on what it is created from!
That is you, human! Look at your origin and your physique, and think of what you were created from.
Verse no. 6
6. “It is created from an ejected fluid,”
You were created from this insignificant fluid! The Almighty made all of these systems and organs from that fluid! Blood, veins, muscles and bones of various forms, the eyes and the ears, and all the other sensory organs: all these were created from an ejected fluid!
Should not you, human, think of all of this, so that you can be guided to your Maker?
To detract from the pride of humanity, God says:
Verse no. 7
7. “And is issued from the backbone among dust (tiny particles).”
The word “dust” in this Verse means numerous and countless spirits, for they are like the dust in their number.
In fact, in the loins of our father, we existed together with millions of millions of the spirits which will come into this world.
Oh human! How weak and tiny you were on that day, and how Grand is this Creator, who formed you in such a faultless image and with such excellent construction!
You are absolutely unable to find any limit to His Favor and Tenderness for you.
Would it be difficult for He Who has such Potency and Might to resurrect you after death and rebuild your body once again, as He did the first time?
If you speculate and think deeply you will ascertain that resurrection is real, and will see that it is easy and simple for Allah. God says:
Verse no. 8
8. “Surely He (Allah) has the power to bring it back to life!”
We are talking about the One Who created heaven and all that it contains, and Who built you, human, from an ejected fluid and brought you out from between loins and dust: it is not hard for Him to rebuild your body even after you pass away and turn to dust. Indeed, it will be even easier than it was the first time.
To show the status of people on the Day when they return to their Provider, God says:
Verse no. 9
9. “On the Day when secrets will be tested and laid bare,”
‘To test’ is to examine and to uncover the truth. You can say: “the commander tested the soldiers, which means that he examined them to uncover the knowledge and ability of each of them. You can also say, “The teacher tested the students,” which means that the teacher examined them to discover what every student understood from the lesson.
In Arabic, a secret which we hide and keep in our inner self, and which we dislike anyone to know is called ‘sarirah’, with the plural form ‘sara’ir’. If we are to say about someone that they have a good ‘sarirah’, it would mean that their intentions are clear. This is the intended meaning of the word “secrets” as mentioned in these Verses.
On the day when God will rebuild our bodies once again, the reality of every spirit will be uncovered and the secret of every person will be visible to all creation.
At that time people shall witness the Godly Justice and know that He, the Almighty, does not wrong anyone by so much as the weight of an atom.
The intents and the secrets of every person will surely be disclosed, and then the doer of good will be rewarded for their actions, and the evil-doer will receive their recompense. Everyone is the hostage of their own deeds.
Verse no. 10
10. “It will have no power and no helper.”
When the When the sinner sees their defects and diseases on that Day, and these defects and diseases begin to cause pain for them, they will be unable to repulse their treatment. This treatment will act as medicine for their faults and diseases, and there will be nobody who can help them and relieve them of this treatment. They will realize their urgent need to this cure, and its necessity.
The state of the doer of evil on that day will be like the state of a butcher who needed to be very careful while cutting a piece of meat with a sharp knife, but who instead turned his face towards the road and cut his finger, losing much blood in the process.
I wonder! When the doctor sets to curing this butcher, will he try to run away? Will any of his family come forward to intervene with the doctor on his behalf, asking for an end to the treatment to save him?
That is the state of the sinner when they are in the Hands of their Provider on Doomsday. They shall have no power, and no helper shall stand by them.
The Godly Wisdom requires that they be treated with Fire so that they will be cured of their diseases. This takes place out of God’s Mercy and Clemency for them.
Glory to You, God of all! How Merciful and Generous You are! Woe to those who shun God and wrong themselves!
In the following Verses, God proves to us that the resurrection will surely occur and that there will certainly be an account for all of our deeds. He says:
Verse no. 11
11. “The heaven of recurrence,”
The recurrence of heaven is meant as the blessings which it always brings, yearly and periodically. For example, rainfall occurs as a reaction of heaven. We are told of the existence of a Steering Provider by the recurrence of rainfall at certain times, as well as the cycle of the seasons and atmospheric events and their reoccurrence at regular times. In fact, when you throw a stone up into the air, it would not return to earth again unless there was a force which brings it back.
What do you have to say about the seasons and the rains which have been coming back every year for many thousands of years, periodically and regularly, without change or modification?!
This also applies to the motion of the sun and the moon, and even to the motion of the earth.
All of the aforementioned facts about the heaven are contained in this Verse. Would it be possible for the earth to revolve by itself, for the seasons to recur regularly by themselves, and for the rain to fall every year at certain times by itself? Must there not be a great Hand that directs and moves them?
Verse no. 12
12. “And the earth of respondence;”
This Verse refers to how the earth responds to the heaven with germination.
When the rain – which is loaded with vitamins – falls on the land, the land responds by bringing forth crops and bearing fruit. Is this not an indication that there is a Wise Arranger and Estimating Creator?
If you were to contemplate and appreciate this discipline until you came to believe in this Mighty Creator, then you would know that everything that is said about the resurrection is true. God says:
Verse no. 13
13. (Tell you that) It is a decisive Word (Al’lah’s),”
The decisive word is the final judgment, which is indisputable and irrefutable.
Now we have learned that humanity will undoubtedly return to its Provider one day, when our secrets will be uncovered and we will be called to account. However, the Almighty wanted to inculcate this in our minds. Therefore He says:
”The heaven of recurrence, And the earth of respondence; (Tell you that) it is a decisive Word (Al’lah’s),”
That is, if you think of the heaven and its recurring cycles, and observe the earth and its response to it, this fact will settle in your mind and you will believe in the Day of Resurrection. You will know that the Glorious Creator can resurrect and recreate you. This will mean that your spirit will no longer have doubts about this, and thus you will realize that the Words of God are decisive.
Verse no. 14
14. “It is not (a word) in jest.”
A word in jest is a word which has no firm foundation.
Such being the case, these words are valueless and do not affirm any facts. Consequently, we have no need to pay attention to or take into consideration the warning in such words. On the other hand, if a serious warning is given, then we should listen carefully to it and take precautions to face the troubles of which we are cautioned.
Since God the Almighty has proved that the Day of Resurrection will truly come to pass, and has proved that He is able to bring the dead back to life, there is no doubt that any believer who knows this for certain will adopt steps to ensure their safety and to prepare themselves for that inevitable Day.
God then wanted to portend His Envoy’s victory and the imminent coming of the manifestation of truth. He says:
Verse no. 15-16
15. “They are making schemes,
16. “But I (too) am making schemes,”
A scheme is a plan that a contestant puts in place to overcome their opponent.
This Verse means: “they put plans in place to disprove this revelation, and to stand in the way of declaring the truth. However, I too make plans to forestall their purpose and frustrate their schemes, for you will be supported without fail, whereas your enemies will be defeated.”
In the following Verse, the Almighty bids His Envoy to exhort the disbelievers and to warn them of the acceleration of torture. He says:
Verse no. 17
17. “So tell the disbelievers to act deliberately; deal with them gently.”
”So tell the disbelievers to act deliberately: When the unbelievers heard God’s Warning of torture, they asked that it should be allowed to descend upon them without delay. They did that out of their ignorance of God’s Might and as a challenge to His Prophet (cpth).
However, the Merciful God ordered His Envoy to tell them to act in a leisurely way. That means that He bid him to caution them against their opposition and to plant fear in their hearts, so that they might repent from their error and refrain from hastening woe unto themselves.
Moreover, the Almighty told His Prophet to be gentle in his warnings. He says: “deal with them gently.”
That is, “let your explanations and admonitions be delivered with kindness and deliberateness.”
Indeed, if people think of this Guidance from Allah to His Prophet – and how it specifies the way he should adopt in leading His obedient followers, and how He bids him to be gentle and lenient with them – they will realize how Merciful and kindly Allah is towards all of His creatures. They will know that Allah, the Almighty, is indeed the Provider of all the worlds, and that He is the Most Merciful One.
Praise is to God, the Provider of all worlds.
Self-Activity:
Memorize Fortress Al-Tariq very well with your teacher in your school, cooperate with your classmates to memorize it very well, discuss its sublime interpretation with them and keep reciting it in your prayers.
Questions and Exercises:
1- What is the meaning of the word “the night-comer” which is mentioned in the holy God saying “And (behold) the heaven and the night-comer (the star of goodness)?
2- What does this Verse “It is the piercing star” indicate?
3- The Almighty God says: “(Tell you that) it is a decisive Word (Al’lah’s)”. What does this Verse want to draw human's attention to?
4- Explain the meaning of the Almighty God saying: “The heaven of recurrence, And the earth of respondence;”?
5- You were created from a humble fluid from the backbone among dust “tiny particles”, The Almighty Al'lah made all of your systems and organs from that fluid! He made Blood, veins, muscles and bones of various forms, the eyes and the ears, and all the other sensory organs: all of these were created from an ejected fluid, how Grand the Creator is! Who formed you in such a perfect being and with such an excellent construction! Should not you, human, think and speculate of all this, and remember the Godly wisdom behind your perfect creation and complete construction?