Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:16

These are landmarks by which travelers find their way, such as mountains, watering holes, and the scent of soil. It is reported that some people can smell the soil and, by its scent, know the path and whether it is frequently traveled or not. For this reason, a distance (musafah) is called musafah, derived from sawf, meaning to smell.

Ibn Jarir and others reported from Ibn Abbas that they are the landmarks of paths during the day; according to Al-Kalbi, they are the mountains; and according to Qatadah, they are the stars. Ibn Isa said: It refers to matters by which one learns what is intended, whether by a line, a word, a gesture, or a condition. The most apparent interpretation is that which was mentioned first.

The strangest and most far-fetched interpretation offered is that they are long, thin fish, like snakes in their colors and movements, found in the Indian Sea, to which one travels from Yemen. They are named as such because their appearance is a sign of arrival in the lands of India and an omen of safety.

By night, in the wilderness and the sea. "The star" (al-najm) here refers to the genus, thus including the Pleiades, the guards, and others by which one is guided. Al-Suddi attributed this specifically to the Pleiades, the two guards (al-Farqadan), the Great Bear, and the Pole Star. Al-Farra' specified it as the Pole Star and the two guards. Some stated it is the Pleiades, for it is the star known by antonomasia (al-'alam). In the hadith: "When the star rises, the blight is lifted." The poet said: "Until the star settled in the darkness, and the plants were left entangled and confined."

It is reported from Ibn Abbas that he asked the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about this, and he replied: "It is the Pole Star." If this is authentic, no other opinion should be preferred over it. The Pole Star is the star of the guards, and according to Al-Maghrib, it is spelled with a fatha on the jim and a sukūn on the dal. Astronomers use a diminutive form to distinguish it from the constellation. It is said that it is also that way in linguistics.

Evidence that it is meant in a general sense is found in Al-Lawami', where it is noted that Al-Hasan read it as al-nujum (with two dammahs), and Ibn Wathab read it with a dammah followed by a sukūn. These two readings represent a plural, like saqf and suquf, rahn and ruhun. The sukūn is said to be for lightening [the pronunciation] or a variant dialect. The opinion that this is a plural form of fu'l is better than the opinion that its root was al-nujūm and the waw was dropped. Ibn Asfur claimed that the usage "al-nujm" is a poetic necessity, citing: "Indeed, he who decreed this is a judge, who ruled that the water must be returned when the star sets." This is parallel to the saying: “Until the throats of the throat were moistened.”

The pronoun [in "they are guided"] may be general, referring to every traveler in the wilderness and the sea among those previously addressed; the change in expression is for the sake of a shift in style (iltifat), the fronting of the prepositional phrase is for the sake of the cadence, and the independent pronoun is for emphasis. It is also possible that the pronoun refers to the Quraish, as they were frequent travelers for trade and famous for finding their way by the stars during their journeys. The discourse thus departs from the standard mode of address, and the fronting of the preposition and the pronoun is for specification, as if it were said: "And by the star, specifically, these people, specifically, are guided." Thus, reflection upon this and gratitude for it through monotheism is more binding and obligatory upon them.

Some have made this verse a basis for observing the stars to know times, the qibla, and paths; there is no harm in learning what provides such knowledge. However, determining the precise direction of the qibla using the stars is difficult, or rather impossible, as clarified by the profound scholar Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Banna. This is because if one considers the stars that align with the zenith of the people of Makkah, the vertical line dropped from that star onto the surface of Makkah is not the same vertical line that would fall upon the surface of another city. If one considers the Pole Star, it does not follow that because it is over the shoulder for someone in Makkah, it must be the same for someone elsewhere, except for one who is on the circle of the meridian passing through the zenith of the people of Makkah and the other city. That is unknown and cannot be reached except by knowing the difference in longitudes and latitudes, which is a matter in which the measurement is disputed and the correct standard has not been established.

As for the one who says it is known by the prayer-seeker placing the sun, for example, between their eyes when it is at the meridian of the sky on the longest day of the year—that this implies facing the House—if they mean by "meridian of the sky" the meridian of their own city's sky, it is incorrect because the sun does not reach the meridian of the sky at the same time in two widely separated cities. If they mean the meridian of Makkah's sky, this cannot be known in another city without knowing the difference in longitudes between the two cities, and you have heard of the disagreement regarding that. The same is said regarding similar claims. In fact, he [Ibn al-Banna] (may his secret be sanctified) stated that knowing this with precision by what they mention, such as the Indian Circle and the like, is also impossible because all of that is based on knowing longitudes and latitudes, and verifying that is like "trying to peel a thorn bush." Therefore, the duty of the one praying should be nothing more than striving to determine the direction. Determining the direction is achieved through the stars, and likewise through other means mentioned in their proper places.