Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:89

(Then he said), that is, to them, (Indeed, I am sick). He intended that he would become sick, and he spoke the truth—peace be upon him—for every human must inevitably become sick, and it is sufficient that a disturbance of the temperament or the creeping of death into the body constitutes sickness. It has been said that he meant he was "prepared for sickness" at that time, or that his temperament had departed from equilibrium, a state from which few are free. Or, it could mean "sick of heart" due to your disbelief.

As for the statement, they imagined he meant he was near to being afflicted by a sickness that would prevent him from going out with them to their festival. And it was—as is reported from Sufyan and Ibn Jubayr—the sickness of the plague, for they interpreted (sick) as "afflicted by the plague," which was, as they said, the most common sickness among them, and they were in great fear of it due to their belief in its contagion.

This, and likewise his statement—peace be upon him—(Rather, this great one among them did it), and his statement regarding his wife Sarah, "She is my sister," are of the nature of Ma’areed (evasive or ambiguous speech). It is like the statement of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to the man who asked him on the road during the Migration, "From where is the man?" He replied, "From water," intending the origin of his creation, while the questioner understood it as a statement of his tribe. It is also like the statement of his companion, the Siddiq (Abu Bakr), when he was asked about him—peace be upon him—in that same situation: "He is a guide who guides me," where he intended one meaning, and the questioner understood another. This is not considered lying in reality.

His naming it as such in some authentic hadiths is with regard to what the other party understood from it, not with regard to what the speaker intended. That it is counted as a sin in the hadith of Intercession is said to be because it is revealed to Ibrahim—peace be upon him—that it was among the lapses, not that every Ta’reed (ambiguity) is likewise; for it may be necessary. The Imam (Al-Razi), due to the narrowness of his niche and field, rejects the hadith related to this—which is in the two Sahihs—and says: "Attributing lying to its narrator is lighter than attributing it to the Khalil (Ibrahim), peace be upon him." The discussion on this has already passed.

It has been said: He—peace be upon him—had a fever that had a specific turn at certain hours of the night, so he looked to see if it was that hour, and when it had arrived, he said to them, "Indeed, I am sick." None of this belongs to the Ma’areed. Similar to this is what Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Zayd ibn Aslam, who said: Their king sent for him—peace be upon him—and said, "Tomorrow is our feast, so come out with us." He looked at a star and said, "Indeed, this star has never risen except that it rose with sickness."

You know that the "looking" (in the verse) suggests the meaning of contemplation and reflection, and the looking referred to does not require reflection. According to Abu Muslim, the meaning is that he looked and reflected on the stars to deduce from their states their created nature, and that they are not worthy of being gods, so he said, "Indeed, I am sick," meaning "sick in my looking," as he had not attained perfect certainty. End quote. This, I swear, strips Abu Muslim of Islam in my view, and it contains such ignorance of the station of the prophets, especially the Khalil—peace and blessings be upon him and them—that it indicates the sickness of his own looking. We seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, from His abandonment and guile.

Ibn Abi Hatim also recorded from Qatadah that "He looked a look at the stars" is a common expression among the Arabs, who say when a person is reflecting: "He looked into the stars." According to this, it is not of the Ma’areed, but rather only his statement (Indeed, I am sick) is among them. This is supported by very sound narrations from the philologists.

It is also said: The meaning is that he looked into the conditions of the stars, or their science, or their books and rulings, to deduce what would happen to him. Looking into them to deduce certain matters is not forbidden by the Sharia if it is done with the belief that Allah, the Exalted, has made them signs for it. What is forbidden is deducing with the belief that they are influencers by themselves and being certain about all their rulings.

(The author then enters into a lengthy, detailed, and critical analysis of astrology, the influence of celestial bodies, the varying opinions of philosophers and astronomers, the futility of their calculations, and a refutation of the arguments used by those who believe in astrological influence, ultimately affirming that while Allah may place effects in the natural world through celestial signs, the claims of astrologers regarding destiny, fortune, and individual affairs are baseless and contradictory.)

...And I say: Indeed, the total encirclement of the secrets deposited in the heavenly bodies may be granted to some of the elite who possess sanctified souls, but through the way of Kashf (unveiling) or the like, rather than through intellectual deduction and observational works. This is what the words of the Great Sheikh (Ibn Arabi), may his secret be sanctified, require...

I do not add more than the statement that the celestial bodies—their stars and spheres—have secrets, wisdoms, and influences that are not intrinsic, but rather emanated upon them from the side of the Truth, the Absolute Bestower, may His majesty be exalted and His authority magnified. Among them are those which are signs for what Allah, the Exalted, wills. No proof can be established to negate what was mentioned, nor is the quantity or quality of that known, nor is it known whether the effect of such-and-such a star, or a star being a sign for such-and-such, is so in reality, except to Allah, the Knowing, the Seeing. (Does He not know what He created? And He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.) However, He, the Exalted, may reveal some of that to some of His elite servants, among humans and angels.

It is not unlikely that our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had knowledge of the subtleties of the secrets of the celestial bodies and the wisdoms and what Allah, the Exalted, intended by them, which he did not reveal to the people, just as the science of the Sharia was revealed, because it is something that cannot be constrained by a rule, and the details of it are not easily achievable... It is also possible that he knew that such knowledge is among the "gifted" sciences which Allah, the Exalted, bestows upon whom He wills of His servants...

But he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—forbade plunging into the science of stars to seek knowledge of future events through the positions which, according to the astrologers' claim, depend on knowledge of temperaments, to block the door of evil and falling into falsehood, because knowledge of that, upon investigation, is not "acquired" (rational) knowledge like the knowledge of the properties of plants and the like. The acquired knowledge that the astrologers claim is not knowledge at all; rather, it is conjecture for which they have no proof...

This is the conclusion of what I have gathered for you in this station. Improve your reflection upon what it contains of refutation and confirmation. I have collected for you what I do not know to have been collected in any commentary (Tafsir). I do not absolve my soul of error, forgetfulness, and negligence, and Allah, the Exalted, is the Guardian of success, and in His hand, may He be exalted, are the reins of investigation. And the saying of the Exalted...