golden week gathering 08

brothers and sisters in japan.. come and join us!

where?

山梨県立少年自然の家こどもの国 (brothers)
Link: http://www9.plala.or.jp/atagoyama/

when?

3rd - 5th May 2008

register now!

http://gwg2008.amirnet.org/dansei/index.html

The BIG Questions (I): Who Made Us?

source: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/524/

by Laurence B. Brown.

At some point in our lives, everybody asks the big questions: “Who made us,” and “Why are we here?”

So who did make us? Atheists speak of the Big Bang and evolution, whereas all others speak of God. Those who answer “I don’t know” are atheist for all intents and purposes, not because they deny God’s existence, but because they fail to affirm it.

Now, the Big Bang may explain the origin of the universe, but it doesn’t explain the origin of the primordial dust cloud. This dust cloud (which, according to the theory, drew together, compacted and then exploded) had to come from somewhere. After all, it contained enough matter to form not just our galaxy, but the billion other galaxies in the known universe. So where did that come from? Who, or what, created the primordial dust cloud?

Similarly, evolution may explain the fossil record, but it falls far short of explaining the quintessential essence of human life—the soul. We all have one. We feel its presence, we speak of its existence and at times pray for its salvation. But only the religious can explain where it came from. The theory of natural selection can explain many of the material aspects of living things, but it fails to explain the human soul.

Furthermore, anyone who studies the complexities of life and the universe cannot help but witness the signature of the Creator.[1] Whether or not people recognize these signs is another matter—as the old saying goes, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. (Get it? Denial, spelled “de Nile” … the river Ni … oh, never mind.) The point is that if we see a painting, we know there is a painter. If we see a sculpture, we know there’s a sculptor; a pot, a potter. So when we view creation, shouldn’t we know there’s a Creator?

The concept that the universe exploded and then developed in balanced perfection through random events and natural selection is little different from the proposal that, by dropping bombs into a junkyard, sooner or later one of them will blow everything together into a perfect Mercedes. In the color and trim of our hearts’ desire, no less.

If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that without a controlling influence, all systems degenerate into chaos. The theories of the Big Bang and evolution propose the exact opposite, however—that chaos fostered perfection. Would it not be more reasonable to conclude that the Big Bang and evolution were controlled events? Controlled, that is, by the Creator?

The Arabs tell the tale of a nomad finding an exquisite palace at an oasis in the middle of an otherwise barren desert. When he asks how it was built, the owner tells him it was formed by the forces of nature. The wind shaped the rocks and blew them to the edge of this oasis, and then tumbled them together into the shape of the palace. Then it blew strands of sheep’s wool together into rugs and tapestries, stray wood together into furniture, doors, windowsills and trim, and positioned them in the palace at just the right locations. Lightning strikes melted sand into sheets of glass and blasted them into the window-frames, and smelted black sand into steel and shaped it into the fence and gate with perfect alignment and symmetry. The process took billions of years and only happened at this one place on earth—purely through coincidence.

When we finish rolling our eyes, we get the point. Obviously, the palace was built by design, not by happenstance. To what (or more to the point, to Whom), then, should we attribute the origin of items of infinitely greater complexity, such as our universe and our lives?

Another classic argument for atheism focuses upon what people perceive to be the imperfections of creation. These are the “How can there be a God if such-and-such happened?” arguments. The issue under discussion could be anything from a natural disaster to birth defects, from genocide to grandmother’s cancer. That’s not the point. The point is that denying God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes that a divine being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect, and would have established justice on Earth.

Hmm … is there no other option?

We can just as easily propose that God did not design life on Earth to be paradise, but rather a test, the punishment or rewards of which are to be had in the next life, which is where God establishes his ultimate justice. In support of this concept we can well ask who suffered more injustices in their worldly lives than God’s favorites, which is to say the prophets? And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if not those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity?

I would hope that, by this line of reasoning, we can agree upon the answer to the first “big question.” Who made us? Can we agree that if we are creation, God is the Creator?

If we can’t agree on this point, there probably isn’t much point in continuing. However, for those who do agree, let’s move on to “big question” number two—why are we here? What, in other words, is the purpose of life?

Questions & Answers

Why did you leave Christianity?

Is Jesus God?

Trinity?

What about Son of God?

So then who is Jesus?

Did Jesus died for our sins?

Advice for the truth seeker...



waLlaha'lam

Gerakan Kristianisasi

sumber:
http://www.darulkautsar.com/

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TA'RIF

Gerakan Kristianisasi adalah sebuah gerakan keagamaan yang bersifat ‘Politik Penjajahan’. Gerakan ini muncul selepas kekalahan pihak Kristian dalam Perang Salib sebagai usaha menyebarkan agama Kristian ke negara-negara dunia ketiga, terutamanya kepada ummat Islam. Objektifnya ialah untuk menguasai bangsa-bangsa tersebut.

SEJARAH PENUBUHAN DAN TOKOH-TOKOHNYA

Raymond Lull adalah orang Kristian pertama yang memperkenalkan konsep kristianisasi, selepas kegagalan pihak Kristian dalam Peperangan Salib. Dia bersungguh-sungguh belajar bahasa Arab, menjelajah negara-negara Syam sambil berdialog dengan ulama-ulama di sana.

Para mubaligh Kristian bermazhab Katholik telah memasuki benua Afrika sejak abad ke 15M ketika Portugal menjumpai negara-negara baru tersebut. Setelah itu mubaligh-mubaligh Kristian bermazhab Protestan pula dihantar oleh orang-orang Inggeris, Jerman dan Perancis.

Peter Heling sejak awal lagi sudah masuk ke dalam masyarakat lslam di pantai Negara-negara Afrika.

Sedangkan Baron du Betez, sejak tahun 1664, membangkitkan semangat orang-orang Kristian sehingga ia berjaya mendirikan sebuah akademi yang menjadi pusat latihan mubaligh Kristian.

Mr. Cary adalah tokoh yang unggul dalam gerakan Kristianisasi mengatasi mereka yang sebelumnya. la muncul menjelang akhir abad 18M dan awal abad 19M.

Paderi Henry Martin (meninggal tahun 1812) sangat besar peranannya dalam menyebarkan mubaligh-mubaligh Kristian ke negara-negara Asia Barat. Dia telah menterjemahkan Bibel ke dalam bahasa India, Parsi dan Armenia.

Dalam Tahun 1795 M Dewan Gereja Protestan bersatu dengan orang-orang Kopti di Mesir untuk menubuhkan sebuah Misi Kristian yang bertugas menyebarkan ajaran Injil di Afrika.

David Livingstone (1813 -1873), seorang pelancong lnggeris, telah menjelajah ke tengah-tengah benua Afrika. Sebelum menjelajah benua itu, dia dikenal sebagai seorang paderi.

Pada tahun 1849 M missi-missi Kristian mula dihantar ke negara-negara Syam. Perancangan yang intensif dilakukan untuk menguasai beberapa wilayah di kawasan negara-negara tersebut.

Tahun 1855 M Pertubuhan Pemuda Masehi ditubuhkan. Anggotanya terdiri dari pemuda-pemuda berbangsa lnggeris dan Amerika. Tugasnya terbatas pada usaha menanamkan keyakinan Ketuhanan Almasih pada diri mereka sendiri.

Tahun 1895 M Persatuan Mahasiswa Kristian Antarabangsa ditubuhkan. Persatuan ini berusaha menyelesaikan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi pelajar-pelajar sekolah di berbagai negara. Seiring dengan itu dilancarkan pula kempen 'cinta kasih' (ajaran Kristian) kepada mereka.

Samuel Zwemer, Ketua Misi Kristian untuk negara-negara Arab di Bahrain dan Ketua Persekutuan Kristian di Timur Tengah, bertanggungjawab menerbitkan majalah berbahasa lnggeris berjudul ‘Muslim World’. Majalah ini mula diterbitkan pada tahun 1911 dan masih lagi diterbitkan sehingga hari ini oleh Hartford.

Zwemer memasuki Bahrain dalam tahun 1890 M. Sejak tahun 1894 gereja-gereja reformasi Amerika menaja dan membiayainya sepenuhnya kegiatannya. Kejayaan dari aktiviti sosial dan kemanusiaan Zwemer yang paling menonjol antara lain ialah penubuhan misi-misi kedoktoran dan perubatan di negara-negara Teluk. Diikuti dengan pembukaan Pusat-pusat Kebajikan Masyarakat di Bahrain, Kuwait, Musqat dan Amman. Zwemer boleh dianggap sebagai salah seorang tokoh gerakan kristianisasi terbesar di abad moden ini.

Kenneth Cragg, pengganti Zwemer untuk mengetuai majalah Muslim World, pernah menjadi pensyarah Universiti Amerika di Kairo dan menjadi Dekan Jurusan Theologi Masehi di Lembaga Misi Kristian Hartford. Bukunya yang terkenal, Panggilan Menara Azan, diterbitkan pada tahun 1956.

Louis Massignon, penasihat gerakan kristianisasi di Mesir. Ia adalah salah seorang anggota Lembaga Bahasa Arab di Mesir dan pernah menjadi penasihat Departmen Kolonialisme Perancis untuk Urusan Afrika Selatan.

Daniel Bills berkata, "Institut Pengajian Tinggi Robert di lstanbul (sekarang Universiti Amerika) tidak lagi menjadi pusat pengajian tinggi yang ekslusif, baik di segi sukatan pelajaran ataupun fasiliti yang disediakannya. Sekarang telah menjadi institut pengajian tinggi Kristian yang benar-benar terbuka. Pengasasnya adalah seorang mubaligh Kristian. Malah sampai sekarang pimpinannya mestilah seorang pendakwah Kristian."

Paderi Syantor pada masa penjajahan Perancis menjadi Ketua Akademi Yesuit di Beirut dalam tempoh yang agak lama. Mr. Nibrouse, Rektor Universiti Beirut Amerika tahun 1948 M berkata: "Sejarah telah membuktikan bahawa pendidikan adalah alat paling berkesan kepada para mubaligh Amerika untuk mengkristiankan Syria dan Lebanon."

Don Huk Crey, tokoh terbesar dalam Persidangan Kristian Louzon tahun 1974 M, adalah seorang penganut Kristian bermazhab Protestan. Dia pernah menjadi mubaligh Kristian di Pakistan selama 20 tahun. Pernah menjadi mahasiswa Fuller School of International Mission. Selepas Persidangan Kristian di Colorado pada tahun. 1978 M, dia menjadi pengarah kepada Lembaga Samuel Zwemer. Lembaga ini aktif dalam bidang penerbitan untuk menyebarkan kajian-kajian khusus tentang cara-cara kristianisasi terhadap Ummat Islam. Ibupejabatnya terletak di California. Berbagai latihan dan rekrut dijalankan untuk melahirkan para pendakwah Kristian dalam segala bidang kepakaran.

Jesus Christ - Son of God? (part 1): The Meaning of “Son of God”

source: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/547/

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Son of God, son of David, or son of Man? Jesus is identified as “son of David” fourteen times in the New Testament, starting with the very first verse (Matthew 1:1). The Gospel of Luke documents forty-one generations between Jesus and David, while Matthew lists twenty-six. Jesus, a distant descendant, can only wear the “son of David” title metaphorically. But how then should we understand the title, “son of God?”

The “Trilemma,” a common proposal of Christian missionaries, states that “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God, as he claimed to be.” For the sake of argument, let’s agree that Jesus was neither a lunatic nor a liar. Let’s also agree he was precisely what he claimed to be. But what, exactly, was that? Jesus called himself “Son of Man” frequently, consistently, perhaps even emphatically, but where did he call himself “Son of God?”

Let’s back up. What does “Son of God” mean in the first place? No legitimate Christian sect suggests that God took a wife and had a child, and most certainly none conceive that God fathered a child through a human mother outside of marriage. Furthermore, to suggest that God physically mated with an element of His creation is so far beyond the limits of religious tolerance as to plummet down the sheer cliff of blasphemy, chasing the mythology of the Greeks.

With no rational explanation available within the tenets of Christian doctrine, the only avenue for closure is to claim yet one more doctrinal mystery. Here is where the Muslim recalls the question posed in the Quran:

“…How can He have a son when He has no consort?...” (Quran 6:101)

…while others shout, “But God can do anything!” The Islamic position, however, is that God doesn’t do inappropriate things, only Godly things. In the Islamic viewpoint, God’s character is integral with His being and consistent with His majesty.

So again, what does “Son of God” mean? And if Jesus Christ has exclusive rights to the term, why does the Bible record, “...for I (God) am a father to Israel, and Ephraim (i.e. Israel) is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9) and, “...Israel is My son, even my firstborn” (Exodus 4:22)? Taken in the context of Romans 8:14, which reads, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” many scholars conclude that “Son of God” is metaphorical and, as with christos, doesn’t imply exclusivity. After all, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion confirms that in Jewish idiom “Son of God” is clearly metaphorical. To quote, “Son of God, term occasionally found in Jewish literature, biblical and post-biblical, but nowhere implying physical descent from the Godhead.”[1]Hasting’s Bible Dictionary comments:

In Semitic usage “sonship” is a conception somewhat loosely employed to denote moral rather than physical or metaphysical relationship. Thus “sons of Belial” (Jg 19:22 etc.) are wicked men, not descendants of Belial; and in the NT the “children of the bridechamber” are wedding guests. So a “son of God” is a man, or even a people, who reflect the character of God. There is little evidence that the title was used in Jewish circles of the Messiah, and a sonship which implied more than a moral relationship would be contrary to Jewish monotheism.[2]

And in any case, the list of candidates for “son of God” begins with Adam, as per Luke 3:38: “...Adam, which was the son of God.”

Those who rebut by quoting Matthew 3:17 (“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased’”) have overlooked the point that the Bible describes many people, Israel and Adam included, as “sons of God.” Both II Samuel 7:13-14 and I Chronicles 22:10 read, “He (Solomon) shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.”

Entire nations are referred to as sons, or children of God. Examples include:

Genesis 6:2, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men…”

Genesis 6:4, “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men…”

Deuteronomy 14:1, “Ye are the children of the Lord your God.”

Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…”

Job 2:1, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…”

Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Philippians 2:15, “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…”

1 John 3:1-2, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! … Beloved, now we are children of God…”

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Later in

Matthew 5:45, Jesus prescribed to his followers the attainment of noble attributes, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Not exclusively his Father, but their Father …

Christ in Islam

brothers and sisters,
assalamualaikum wbt.

Yesterday, i was required to write a few chapel reports on three chapters in the bible. One of them was about the birth of Jesus Christ from a Christian's point of view. I've learned quite a lot about Christianity for the past 3 months. Now here's what WE think or believe in.


Christ in Islam
by: Ahmed Deedat


Chapter Two : Jesus in the Quran

Christians Unaware

The Christian does not know that the true spirit of charity which the Muslim displays, always, towards Jesus and his mother Mary spring from the fountainhead of his faith - the Holy Quran. He does not know that the Muslim does not take the holy name of Jesus, in his own language, without saying Eesa, alaihi assalam ("Jesus, peace be upon him")

The Christian does not know that in the Holy Quran Jesus is mentioned twenty five times. For example:

"We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit" (The Holy Quran 2:87)

"O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary..." (3:45)

"...Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of god..." (4:171)

"...And in their foot steps we sent Jesus the son of Mary..." (5:46)

"And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous." (6:85)

Jesus - His Titles

Though Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the Holy Quran, he is also addressed with respect as: Ibn Maryam, meaning "The son of Mary"; and as the Maseeh (in Hebrew it is the Messiah), which is translated as "Christ". He is also known as Abdullah, "The servant of Allah"; and as Rasul u Allah, the messenger of Allah.

He is spoken of as "The Word of God", as "The Spirit of God", as a "Sign of God", and numerous other epithets of honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quran honors this mighty messenger of God, and the Muslims have not fallen short over the past fourteen hundred years in doing the same. There is not a single disparaging remark in the entire Quran to which even the most jaundiced among the Christians can take exception.

Eesa Latinised to "Jesus"

The Holy Quran refers to Jesus as Eesa, and this name is used more times than any other title, because this was his "Christian" name. Actually, his proper name was Eesa (Arabic), or Esau (Hebrew); classical Yeheshua, which the Christian nations of the West latinized as Jesus. Neither the "J" nor the second "s" in the name Jesus is to be found in the original tongue - they are not found in the Semitic languages.

The word is very simply "E S A U" a very common Jewish name, used more than sixty times in the very first booklet alone of the Bible, in the part called "Genesis". There was at least one "Jesus" sitting on the "bench" at the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Josephus the Jewish historian mentions some twenty five Jesus' in his "Book of Antiquities". The New Testament speaks of "Bar-Jesus" a magician and a sorcerer, a false prophet (Acts 13:6); and also "Jesus-Justus" a Christian missionary, a contemporary of Paul (Colossians 4:11). These are distinct from Jesus the son of Mary. Transforming "Esau" to (J)esu(s) - Jesus - makes it unique. This unique (?) name has gone out of currency among the Jews and the Christians from the 2nd century after Christ. Among the Jews, because it came to be a name of ill - repute, the name of one who blasphemed in Jewry; and among the Christians because it came to be the proper name of their God. The Muslim will not hesitate to name his son Eesa because it is an honored name, the name of a righteous servant of the Lord.

Chapter Three : Mother And Son

Mary Honored

The birth of Jesus Christ is described in two places of the Quran - chapter 3 and chapter 19. Reading from the beginning of his birth, we come across the story of Mary, and the esteemed position which she occupies in the House of Islam, before the actual annunciation of the birth of Jesus is given:

"'Behold'! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee, and chosen thee above the women of all nations" (3:42)

"Chosen thee above the women of all nations." Such an honor is not to be found given to Mary even in the Christian Bible! The verse continues:

"O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down." (3:43)

Divine Revelation

What is the source of this beautiful and sublime recitation which, in its original Arabic, moves men to ecstasy and tears? verse 44 below explains:

"This is part of the tidings, of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Muhammad!) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point)." (3:44)

Mary's Birth

The story is that the maternal grandmother of Jesus, Hannah, had hitherto been barren. She poured out her heart to God: If only God will grant her a child, she would surely dedicate such a child for the service of God in the temple.

God granted her prayer and Mary was born. Hannah was disappointed. She was yearning for a son, but instead she delivered a daughter; and in no way is the female like the male, for what she had in mind. What was she to do? She had made a vow to God. She waited for Mary to be big enough to fend for herself.

When the time came, Hannah took her darling daughter to the temple, to hand over for temple services. Every priest wanted to be the god-father of this child. They cast lots with arrows for her - like the tossing of the coin - head or tail?
eventually she fell to the lot of Zakariya, but not without a dispute.

The Source of His Message

This was the story. But where did Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, get this knowledge from? He was an Ummi, Arabic for "unlettered". He did not low how to read or write. He is made by God Almighty to answer this very question in the verse above, by saying that it was all by divine inspiration. "No!", says the controversialist. "This is Muhammed's own concoction. He copied his revelations from the Jews and Christians. He plagiarized it. He forged it."

Knowing full-well, and believing as we do, that the whole Quran is the veritable Word of God, we will nevertheless agree, for the sake of argument, with the enemies of Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, for a moment, that he wrote it. We can now expect some cooperation from the unbelievers.

Ask him: "Have you any qualms in agreeing that Muhammed was an Arab?" Only an ignorant will hesitate to agree. In that case there is no sense in pursuing any discussion. Cut short the talk. Close the book!

With the man of reason, we proceed. "That this Arab, in the first instance, was addressing other Arabs. He was not talking to Indian Muslims, Chinese Muslims, or Nigerian Muslims. He was addressing his own people, the Arabs. Whether they agreed with him or not, he told them in the most sublime form, words that were seared into the hearts and minds of his listeners that Mary the mother of Jesus, a Jewess, was chosen above the women of all nations. Not his own mother, nor his wife nor his daughter, nor any other Arab woman, but a Jewess! Can one explain this? Because to everyone his own mother or wife, or daughters would come before other women.

Why would the prophet of Islam honor a woman from his opposition! and a Jewess at that! belonging to a race which had been looking down upon his people for three thousand years? Just as they still look down upon their Arab brethren today."

Sarah and Hagar

The Jews learn, from the Bible, that their father, Abraham, had two wives Sarah and Hagar. They say that they are the children of Abraham through Sarah his legitimate wife; that their Arab brethren have descended through Hagar, a "bondwoman", and that as such, the Arabs are an inferior breed.

Will anyone please explain the anomaly as to why Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, if he is the author, chose this Jewess for such high honor? The answer is simple, he had no choice he had no right to speak of his own desire. "It is no less than an inspiration sent down to him." (53:4)

The Chapter of Maryam

There is a Chapter in the Holy Quran, named Surat u Maryam "Chapter Mary", named in honor of Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; again, such an honor is not to be found given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Out of the 66 books of the Protestants and 73 of the Roman Catholics, not one is named after Mary or her son. You will find books named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul and two score more obscure names, but not a single one is that of Mary!

If Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, was the author of the Holy Quran, then he would not have failed to include in it with Mary, the mother of Jesus, his own mother Aamina, his dear wife Khadija, or his beloved daughter Fatima. But No! No! This can never be. The Quran is not his handiwork!.

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reference:

http://jamaat.net/cis/ChristInIslam.html

Allah a'lam

Sura Rahman

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
慈悲あまねく慈愛深きアッラーの御名において


"This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil)" (al-baqarah:2)

“それこそは、疑いの余地のない啓典である。その中には主を畏れる者たちへの導きがある”（baqarah:2)

Among Allah's Signs: the Sun, the Moon, the Sky and the Earth

Allah said,

[الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ ]

(The sun and the moon (run) on fixed courses.) They move in their orbit in perfect succession,
according to precise calculation that is never delayed nor disturbed,

[لاَ الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تدْرِكَ القَمَرَ وَلاَ الَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ ]

(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.)(36:40),

[فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَاناً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ]

((He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for calculating. Such is the measuring of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) (6:96), Allah said,

[وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ ]

(And the Najm and the trees prostrating.) Ibn Jarir commented, "Scholars of Tafsir disagreed over the meaning of Allah's statement, `And the Najm.' They agreed, however, that the trees mentioned here are those that stand on trunks.''`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "An-Najm refers to the plants that lay on the ground.'' Similar was said by Sa`id bin Jubayr, As-Suddi and Sufyan Ath-Thawri. This is what Ibn Jarir preferred, may Allah have mercy upon him. Mujahid said, "An-Najm (the star); the one that is in the sky.'' Al-Hasan and Qatadah said similarly. This is the saying that is the most obvious, and Allah knows best, for Allah the Exalted said,

[أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَآبُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ]

(See you not that whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the moving creatures, and many of mankind prostrate themselves to Allah.)(22:18) Allah's statement,

[وَالسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ ]

(And the heaven He has raised high, and He has set up the balance.) meaning the justice, as He said in another Ayah,

[لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ]

(Indeed, We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and sent down with them the Book and the balance that mankind may keep up equity.)(57:25) Allah said here,

[أَلاَّ تَطْغَوْاْ فِى الْمِيزَانِ ]

(In order that you may not transgress the balance.) meaning, He created the heavens and earth in justice and truth so that everything is founded on, and observing, justice and truth. Allah's statement,

[وَأَقِيمُواْ الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلاَ تُخْسِرُواْ الْمِيزَانَ ]

(And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient.) meaning, do not cheat in the weights and measures, but rather observe justice and fairness,

[وَزِنُواْ بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ ]

(And weigh with the true and straight balance.)(26:182) Allah said,

[وَالاٌّرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلاٌّنَامِ ]

(And the earth He has put down (laid) for Al-Ana'm.) Allah raised the heavens and put down, or laid, the earth and balanced it with firm mountains, so that it would be stable for its residents that live on it, i.e. the various types and kinds of creatures, different in species, shape, color and language. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said that Al-An'am means the creatures.

[فِيهَا فَـكِهَةٌ]

(Therein are fruits,) of various colors, taste and scent,

[وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الاٌّكْمَامِ]

(and date palms producing Akmam.) Allah mentioned the date tree here specifically because of its benefit, both fresh and dry. Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn `Abbas said said Al-Akmam, means sheathed fruit stalks. Similar was said by more than one of the scholars of Tafsir, it refers to the stalks that the seeds grow in to become a cluster of dates, unripe green dates then they ripen and ripen more. Allah said,

[وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ ]

(And also corn, with (its) `Asf, and Rayhan.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said that in,

[وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ]

(And also corn, with (its) `Asf), `Asf means straw.'' Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas, "`Asf is green leaves cut from the stem, so it is called `Asf when it dries out.'' Similarly, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Abu Malik said that `Asf means straw. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others said that Rayhan means leaves, while Al-Hasan said that it means sweet-scented plants. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that Rayhan means green leaves. The meanings here, and Allah knows best, are the various crops that produce straw, such as wheat and barley, and Rayhan are the leaves that grow on the stems.

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir)