THE TWO STARS

Introduction
This and the previous poem, named “ Star” are complementary to each other. Stars are the units or building blocks of the universe. They are marvels of the creation of God. The history of  astronomy shows that the marvels and mysteries of the universe have always  baffled mankind. The greatest marvel of the universe is it’s organization and the coherence of the celestial bodies which constitute it. This is created by the mutual attraction of stars or gravity divinely conferred upon them. ‘All«mah Iqb«l has frequently alluded to this phenomenon in his works, often as a lesson to the Muslim Ummah to acquire the virtue of mutual love among it’s constituents to create and maintain the coherence and continuity of the Islamic society.

Just as the universe is a coherent and well-organized entity the Holy Qur’«n , which is another marvel of the creation of God, is also a masterpiece of logical order of it’s constituents. Though the Holy Qur’«n was revealed to the Holy Prophet S.A.W. over a period of 23 years, it’s compilation and organization in the present form was done by the Holy Prophet S.A.W. himself  under Divine guidance. Comprehensive overview of the Holy Qur’«n shows that its sërahs (chapters) and «y«t (verses) within the sërahs are not haphazardly arranged as alleged by Islam’s enemies due to ignorance or prejudice. Indeed these parts follow a distinct logical order, which is more helpful to it’s study than chronological order, which is often suggested by western scholars.

‘All«mah ‘Abd Allah Yësuf ‘Alâ (Appendix III, No.8) has very ably shown this orderly arrangement as well as it’s logic in his Introduction  to the relevant sërahs. He has recognized 14 groups of sërahs and has shown how these groups are arranged in a logical sequence and how the sërahs in each group are similarly arranged. These groups are ; Sërahs 1-7; 8-16; 17-21; 22-25; 26-28; 29-32; 33; 34-39; 40-46; 47-49; 50-56; 57-66; 67-94; and 95-114. Perusal of Introductions to the first sërah of each group clarifies the above assertion. In addition to these groups certain sërahs are arranged in pairs. In such sërahs the continuation of the subject matter is shown or suggested by a cue-word, e.g. sërahs 33-34, 45-46, 52-53.

The poem under study alludes to the last of the three pairs referred to above. In these sërahs the continuity is shown by the word “star” in the last verse of sërah 52 corresponding to “stars” in the first verse of sërah 53. Consequently, this pair of sërahs is called “Zahrawatain” or “The Two Bright  Ones”. The central theme of sërah 52 (Al-ñër or The Mount) is that the Revelation of the Holy  Qur’«n, as that of the previous scriptures, is in accord with all the signs of God, and that the here-after is irresistible and we must prepare for it. The theme of Sërah 53 (Al-Najm or The Star) is that as God is the source of  all things, including Revelation, the latter is not an illusion. Illusion is in the minds of those with weak or no ¥m«n. The central theme of these two sërahs is expressed in the poem’s last verse, i.e. the destruction of the universe in it’s present form is inevitable and that all those existing in this universe in company will separate and will be severally  responsible for their deeds. It will also be noticed that the subject matter of this poem and the previous one is continuous.

In a later edition of  B«ng-i-Dar«  the first hemistich of the first verse is written with the vowel sign, kasrah or zer, in the third word, reading it as “qir«n”, meaning “conjunction of stars”. If this reading is adopted the meaning and message of the poem still remains as related above, with emphasis on the last paragraph of the same. There will be a little change in the translation of the first verse which should read  as follows:

As two stars appeared in the Qir«n together
One started saying to the other

However, in this case the stated meaning is far-fetched and indirect, for which reason I would prefer the first version, i.e. “Qur’«n”.

Translation
As two stars came together in the Holy Qur’«n
One started saying this to the other

“How excellent if this union together be permanent
How excellent if the end be walking together

                If the sky ¹  becomes slightly favorable
                We two will be with similar glow”

But this longing for the union proved
Completely a message  of the end of the  union

Revolution is the destiny of the stars
For each its special orbit is fixed

                The permanence of union is a mere dream
                The rule of the universe is separation ! ²

Explanatory Notes
1. Under the influence of Greek thought the sky was considered to influence the happenings on the earth as well as the destinies of it’s denizens. Though after the advent of  Islam , this is no longer believed it continues to be so expressed in Urdu and Persian literature.

2. Allusion to the fact that stars  do not occur in pairs but all of them cohere together as components of the universe. Similarly, the sërahs of the Holy Qur’«n constitute a coherent whole and so should the Muslim Ummah be.