And the Exalted also says:
“ We built the heaven with Our might, and We are indeed expanding it. ” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:47)

He says:
“ We made the sky a secure canopy, yet they turn away from its signs. And He is the One who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; each one floats along in its own orbit. ” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:32–33)

He says:
“ A sign for them is the night: We strip from it the daylight and—behold—they are in darkness. And the sun runs on toward its appointed resting-place; that is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. And for the moon We have determined phases until it returns like an old, withered date stalk. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor for the night to outstrip the day; each glides on in its own orbit. ” (Yā Sīn 36:37–40)

He says:
“ He is the Cleaver of the dawn; He has made the night for rest and the sun and the moon for reckoning—such is the ordained measure of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. And it is He who made for you the stars so that you may be guided by them in the darkness of land and sea; We have indeed set forth the signs for a people who know. ” (al-Anʿām 6:96–97)

He says:
“ Indeed, your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then rose over the Throne. He covers the day with the night, which pursues it swiftly, and the sun, the moon, and the stars are subjected by His command. His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of all realms. ” (al-Aʿrāf 7:54)

There are very many verses on this theme, each of which we have discussed in detail in the Tafsīr. What matters here is that Allah—exalted be He—tells us about the creation of the heavens, their vast expanse and lofty elevation, and that they possess the utmost beauty, brilliance, perfection, and majesty,
just as He says:
“ By the heaven with its perfectly woven paths. ” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:7)
—that is, with exquisite workmanship.

And He says:
“ He who created seven layered heavens—you will not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any disparity. So turn your gaze: do you see any rift? Then turn your gaze yet again and again; your gaze will return to you humbled and wearied. ” (al-Mulk 67:3–4)
Meaning: it will come back frustrated at finding any deficiency or flaw, worn out and enfeebled. Even if one kept looking until exhaustion set in, he would never discover the slightest defect, for Allah has perfected their creation and embellished their horizons with the stars,
just as He says:
“ By the heaven with its constellations. ” (al-Burūj 85:1)
—that is, the stars themselves. Others have said that it refers to the stations of the heavenly sentinels from which meteors are hurled at those who eavesdrop; there is no contradiction between the two explanations.

He also says:
“ Indeed We have placed constellations in the heaven and beautified it for the onlookers, and We have guarded it from every accursed devil. ” (al-Ḥijr 15:16–17)
Thus He states that He has adorned its appearance with the fixed and moving celestial bodies—the sun, the moon, and the radiant stars—and has protected its domain from the intrusion of devils; such is the meaning of its adornment.

Accordingly He says:
“ And We have guarded it from every accursed devil, ” just as He also says:
“ Indeed We have adorned the lowest heaven with the adornment of the stars, and as a safeguard against every rebellious devil; they cannot eavesdrop on the exalted assembly and are pelted from every side. ” (al-Ṣāffāt 37:6–8)

Al-Bukhārī relates in the Book of the Beginning of Creation that Qatādah commented on the verse, “ Indeed We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps ” (al-Mulk 67:5): Allah created these stars for three purposes—He made them an adornment for the sky, missiles against the devils, and markers by which people are guided. Whoever interprets