'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah An-Najm

It is a Makki surah by consensus of the interpreters. It is the first surah that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, announced and recited aloud in the Sacred Mosque while the polytheists were listening. In it, he prostrated, and the believers, polytheists, jinn, and humans prostrated with him, except for Abu Lahab, for he raised a handful of dust to his forehead and said: 'This is enough for me.' The reason for this surah is that the polytheists said that Muhammad is fabricating the Quran and inventing his words, so the surah was revealed regarding that.

Allah, the Exalted, says:

﴿By the star when it descends﴾ ﴿Your companion does not err, nor does he go astray﴾ ﴿Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination﴾ ﴿It is not but a revelation revealed﴾ ﴿Taught to him by one intense in strength﴾ ﴿One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form﴾ ﴿And he was in the higher [part of the] horizon﴾ ﴿Then he drew near and descended﴾ ﴿And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer﴾ ﴿And he revealed to His Servant what he revealed﴾ ﴿The heart did not lie [about] what it saw﴾

Allah, the Exalted, swore by this created being to honor it and to alert [the people] so that they may reflect upon it. Thus, the lesson therein is to know Allah, blessed and exalted is He. Al-Zahrawi said: The meaning is: 'By the Lord of the star.' In this, there is a concern with the wording of the verse. The interpreters disagreed on identifying the star by which the oath is made. Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Al-Farra' stated, clarified by Mundhir ibn Sa'id, that it refers to the entirety of the Quran when it was revealed. This is because it has been narrated that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, in portions, meaning: determined amounts at certain times. And 'descends' - according to this interpretation - means 'came down.' In this descent, there is also a reference to language. A similar verse is His saying, the Exalted: ﴿So I swear by the positions of the stars﴾ [Al-Waqi'a: 75]. The disagreement in this is like the disagreement in that.

Al-Hasan, Ma'mar ibn Al-Muthanna, and others said: The star here is a generic term, meaning the stars when they descend. The speakers of this statement disagreed on the meaning of 'descends.' The majority of the interpreters said: 'descends' refers to setting, and this is the common understanding from the speech of the Arabs. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan and Abu Hamza Al-Yamani said: 'descends' refers to the collapse on the Day of Resurrection, and it is similar to His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And when the stars fall, dispersing﴾ [Al-Infitar: 2]. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, in the book of Al-Thalabi, said: 'descends' refers to the falling in the wake of the demons, which are the stoning of the devils. This saying is supported by the language, and the interpretations of 'descends' are all strong possibilities. Among the evidence for the star that is a generic name is the saying of the shepherd:

'And she spent the night counting the stars in a pot, swift in the hands of the eaters, its contents solid.'

He describes a pure broth, and 'the pot' is the vessel in which it is cooked, as stated by Al-Zajjaj. Al-Rummani said: It is a pure fat when it has melted. Mujahid and Sufyan said: The star in the oath of the verse is Al-Thurayya, and its setting with dawn is its 'descent.' The Arabs do not refer to the star in general except for Al-Thurayya, and from this is the saying of the Arabs:

'The star rose at night, ∗∗∗ so the shepherd sought a covering, ∗∗∗ the star rose in the morning, ∗∗∗ so the shepherd sought a cloak.'

'And 'Hawa' - according to this saying - can mean both falling and declining. 'Hawa' in the language means: the breaking of the fall and its destination is downward, or its fate even if it is not intended. From this is the saying of the poet:

'My son fell from the edge of a mountain, So his foot slipped and his hand.'

And the saying of the poet:

'And indeed, the speech of a person in other than its essence, Is like an arrow that falls without its points.'

And the saying of Zuhayr:

'............... The bucket fell, the rope surrendered.'

And from this is their saying for the locust: 'the hawī,' and from it is the hawā of the eagle.

The oath is based on His saying, the Most High: 'Your companion has not gone astray nor has he erred.' And 'the misguidance' is never without intention from a person towards it, and 'the error' is something as if you earn it and desire it. So Allah, the Most High, negated from His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he had gone astray in this path which Allah, the Most High, guided him to, and Allah, the Most High, affirmed in Surah [Ad-Duha] that he had indeed been astray before prophethood in relation to his state of guidance afterwards.

And His saying, the Most High: 'And he does not speak from [his] desire,' means that Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, does not speak from his desire, that is, from his whims and passions. Some scholars said: the meaning is: and the Quran does not speak, which has been revealed, from desire and passion. And the speaking is attributed to Him in terms of understanding from it, as He, the Most High, said: 'This is Our Book that speaks against you with the truth.' [Al-Jathiya: 29] And the action is attributed to the Quran, and there has not preceded it any mention to indicate the meaning. And His saying, the Most High: 'It is nothing but a revelation that is revealed,' is intended by it the Quran, by consensus. And 'revelation' is the conveying of meaning in secrecy. This phrase encompasses the angel, inspiration, indication, and everything that is preserved from the meanings of revelation. The pronoun in His saying, the Most High: 'He taught him,' can be understood to refer to the Quran, but the more apparent meaning is that it refers to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. As for the teacher, Qatadah, Al-Rabi, and Ibn Abbas said: it is Gabriel, peace be upon him, meaning: he taught Muhammad the Quran. And Al-Hasan said: the teacher, the strong in power, is Allah, the Most High. And 'the strong' is the plural of strength, and this in Gabriel, peace be upon him, is established, and it is supported by His saying, the Most High: 'Possessor of strength, with the Owner of the Throne, secure.' [At-Takwir: 20] And 'possessor of might' means: possessor of strength, as said by Qatadah, Ibn Zayd, and Al-Rabi. And from this is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'Charity is not lawful for a rich person nor for one who is strong and able.' And the origin of 'might' is from the strands of the rope, which is its twisting and the firmness of its work. And from this is the saying of Imru' al-Qais:

'................ With every strand of the rope, it was tightened with a twist.'

And some of those who said that 'the one of might' is Gabriel said: the meaning of 'possessor of might' is one of good appearance. Others said: rather its meaning is one of a tall and handsome body. And all of this is weak.

'And "He rose" is ascribed to Allah, the Most High, in the saying of Al-Hasan, who said: Indeed, He is characterized by His saying, the Most High: "Strong in power," and likewise comes His saying, the Most High: ﴿And He is in the highest horizon﴾ as a description of Allah, the Most High, meaning: His greatness, power, and authority. We receive that He is in the highest horizon. The meaning is similar to His saying, the Most High: ﴿The Most Merciful rose over the Throne﴾ [Ta-Ha: 5]. And whoever says that the one characterized by His saying, the Most High: "Strong in power" is Jibril (Gabriel), peace be upon him, says: Indeed, "He rose" is ascribed to Jibril, peace be upon him, and they differed after that. Al-Rabi' and Al-Zajjaj said: The meaning is that Jibril, peace be upon him, rose in the atmosphere while he was then in the highest horizon. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, saw him at Hira, filling the horizon, with six hundred wings. At that time, he drew near to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, until he was two bow lengths away. Likewise, he is the seen - in this saying - in the "other descent" in his great description, having six hundred wings at the Sidrah. Al-Tabari and Al-Farra' said: The meaning is that Jibril, peace be upon him, rose, and His saying, the Most High: ﴿And He is in the highest horizon﴾ means Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and his mention has preceded in the pronoun in "His knowledge." In this interpretation, the conjunction is on the implied subject without being confirmed, and that is considered improper by the grammarians. Al-Farra' recited a proof for his saying: (p-109)

Did you not see that the spring's stem is firm ∗∗∗ and does not equal the withered plant?

And this arrangement may be reversed, so that "He rose" is for Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, while it is for Jibril, peace be upon him. As for "the highest," it is for me at the peak of the head and what occurs with it. Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: It is the horizon of the sunrise, and this specification has no evidence for it.

And the people differed regarding to whom His saying, the Most High: "Then he drew near and descended" is ascribed. The majority said: It is ascribed to Jibril, peace be upon him, meaning: he drew near to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, at Hira. Ibn Abbas and Anas, may Allah be pleased with them, in the Hadith of Isra, imply that he ascribes it to Allah, the Most High. Then the interpreters differed. Mujahid said: The drawing near was to Jibril, peace be upon him. Some said: It was to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and "he drew near and descended" in this saying has an omitted addition, meaning: His authority, revelation, and power drew near, and the transition and these attributes are negated in the right of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.

And the correct view for me is that all that is in these verses is with Jibril, peace be upon him, as evidenced by His saying, the Most High: ﴿And indeed, he saw him in another descent﴾ [An-Najm: 13]. For that necessitates a preceding descent, and it has never been narrated that Muhammad saw his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, before the Night of Isra. However, the vision of the heart is not prevented in any case.

'And 'dana' is more general than 'tadalla'. So, He, glorified and exalted is He, clarified by His saying: 'So he descended' the form of drawing near how it was. And 'qab' means: measure. Qatadah and others said: its meaning is: from one end of the bow to its other end. Al-Hasan and Mujahid said: from the string to the bow in the middle of the arc at the grip. Muhammad ibn al-Samif'ah al-Yamani read: 'And Qais was two bows', and the meaning is close to 'qab'. From this word is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'The measure of one of your bows in the way of Allah is better than the world and what is in it.' And in another hadith: 'The measure of one of your bows in Paradise.' And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'Or nearer' means: according to the perspective of humans, that is: if one of you saw it, he would say in that: two bows or nearer. Abu Razin said: It is not this bow, but the measure of two arms or nearer. Al-Zahrawi narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the bow in this verse is a measure by which lengths are measured, and Al-Thaalabi mentioned it and that it is from the language of Hijaz. His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'So He revealed to His servant what He revealed.' Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the bow in this verse is a measure by which lengths are measured, and Al-Thaalabi mentioned it and that it is from the language of Hijaz. His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'So He revealed to His servant what He revealed.' Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: the meaning is: So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed to His servant Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, what He revealed. Some scholars said: the meaning is: So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed to His servant Gabriel, peace be upon him, what He revealed. And in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'what He revealed' there is an ambiguity in the aspect of magnification and glorification, and what is known from that is the obligation of prayer. Al-Hasan said: the meaning is: So Gabriel revealed to the servant of Allah Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon them, what he revealed, as in the first regarding the ambiguity. Ibn Zayd said: the meaning is: So Gabriel revealed to the servant of Allah what Allah revealed to Gabriel, blessings and peace be upon them.

His saying, exalted is He: "The heart did not deny what it saw," the majority of the reciters read with a lightening of the dhāl, meaning: the heart of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, did not deny what it saw, but rather affirmed and confirmed it in sight. And "denied" is transitive. The people of interpretation, among them Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Abu Salih, said: Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, saw Allah, exalted and mighty is He, with his heart. Others among the interpreters said: what he saw with his eyes did not cause his heart to deny it, but rather it affirmed and confirmed it. It is possible that the intended meaning is: "in what he saw." Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that he narrated from him - and Ikrimah and Ka'b al-Ahbar: that Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, saw his Lord, exalted and mighty is He, with the eyes of his head. Al-Zahrawi elaborates on this statement from them. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, rejected this and said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, about these verses, and he said to me: 'It is Gabriel in all of it.'" Al-Hasan said: the meaning is: what he saw of the decrees of Allah, exalted is He, and His dominion. Abu Dharr asked the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Did you see your Lord?" He said: "Light, how could I see Him?" This is the opinion of the majority. The hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, about the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, is decisive against all interpretations of the wording; because the words of others are merely derived from the words of the Qur'an. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, read - as narrated by Hisham - "did not deny" with a strengthening of the dhāl, and this is the reading of Abu Rajaa, Abu Ja'far, Qatadah, al-Jahdari, Khalid, and its meaning is clear based on some of what we have said. Ka'b al-Ahbar said: Allah, exalted is He, divided the speech and the vision between Musa and Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon them; He spoke to Musa twice, and Muhammad saw Him twice. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "My hair stood on end upon hearing this," and I said: "No vision can grasp Him" [Al-An'am: 103]. She, Ibn Mas'ud, Qatadah, and the majority of scholars went to the view that the seen was Gabriel, peace be upon him, in both instances: on earth and at the Sidrat al-Muntaha on the night of the Isra. This has been previously mentioned in the Surah [Al-Isra], and it is well-known on earth and at the Sidrat al-Muntaha on the night of the Isra, and it is well-known in the authentic books.

Ibn Kathir, Asim, and Ibn Amer read this entire Surah with the opening of the endings of the verses in it. Asim inclined in the narration of Abu Bakr to "saw," and Nafi and Abu Amr read between the opening and the breaking. Hamzah and al-Kisai inclined all that is in the Surah, and Abu Amr inclined - as narrated by Abu Ubaid - "the Most High" and "he descended."