Tafsir of An-Najm 53:1

Introduction

It is also called Surah al-Najm without the waw. It is absolutely Meccan. In al-Itqan, it is stated that the verses from “Those who avoid” (53:32) to “...he feared” (53:33) were excepted from it, and it has been said that the nine verses beginning with “Have you seen the one who turned away?” (53:33) were also excepted. It is strange that al-Tabarsi narrates from al-Hasan that it is Medinan; I see no basis for the authenticity of that narration from him at all. Its verses are sixty-two in the Kufan count, and sixty-one otherwise.

As Ibn Mardawayh recorded from Ibn Mas‘ud, it is the first chapter that the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited publicly, as he recited it within the Sacred Precinct (al-Haram) while the polytheists were listening. Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and al-Nasa’i recorded from him that he said: "The first chapter revealed containing a prostration is al-Najm." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prostrated, and everyone prostrated with him except for a man whom I saw taking a handful of dirt and prostrating upon it. I saw him afterwards killed as a disbeliever, and he was Umayyah ibn Khalaf. In al-Bahr, it is stated that he (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated, and the believers, the polytheists, the jinn, and mankind all prostrated with him, except for Abu Lahab, who raised a handful of dirt and said, "This suffices me." It is possible that he and Umayyah both did that.

It possesses a profound connection to the preceding chapter, for at-Tur concludes with the Almighty’s words, "...and at the setting of the stars" (adbar al-nujum), and this chapter begins with His words, "By the star" (wa al-najm). Furthermore, its opening contains that which confirms the refutation of the disbelievers regarding what they attributed to him (peace be upon him) of fabrication, poetry, soothsaying, and madness. Abu Hayyan mentioned that the cause of its revelation was the statement of the polytheists: "Muhammad (peace be upon him) is fabricating the Quran."

Jalal al-Suyuti mentioned, regarding its coherence, that at-Tur contains a mention of the offspring of the believers and that they follow their fathers, whereas this chapter contains a mention of the offspring of the Jews in His saying: "He is most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers" (53:32). Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Tabari, Abu Nu'aym in al-Ma'rifah, and al-Wahidi recorded from Thabit ibn al-Harith al-Ansari, who said: "When a young child of the Jews died, they would say, 'He is a truthful one (siddiq).' This reached the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he said, 'They lied. There is no soul created by Allah in its mother’s womb but that it is destined to be wretched or happy.' Thereupon, Allah the Almighty revealed: 'He is most knowing of you...' to the end of the passage."

He added that just as He said there regarding the believers, "We have joined with them their offspring," He said here regarding the disbelievers or the adults: "And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives," contrary to what applies to young believers. He then said: "This is an ingenious aspect of coherence based on the principle of opposition." As for the validity of the claim that His saying, "He is most knowing of you," was revealed for the reason mentioned, it is a matter of contemplation for me; and the fact that His saying, "We have joined with them their offspring," refers specifically to young children is not unanimously agreed upon by the exegetes, as you have heard. Indeed, for one who reflects, other aspects of coherence will appear besides what has been mentioned. So reflect.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

"By the star when it descends." He, the Glorified, swears by the genus of the well-known star, according to what has been narrated from al-Hasan and Ma’mar ibn al-Muthanna. From this is the saying: "And she spent the night counting the stars in a state of bewilderment, rapidly amidst the hands of the eaters, its frozen state." The meaning of "descends" (hawa) is to set. It is also said it means to rise; it is said hawa, yahwi, like rama, yarmi, with the fathah on the waw regarding falling and setting due to its resemblance to it, and huwiyan with a dammah for ascending and rising. It is also said that hawa with a fathah is for rising, and huwa with a dammah is for descending. It is also said that both hawa and huwa mean to fall. It is said ahwa in the meaning of hawa, though some rhetoricians differentiate between them, stating that hawa is when it swoops down not for prey, and ahwa is when it swoops down for prey.

Al-Hasan and Abu Hamza al-Thumali said: He, the Glorified, swears by the stars when they are scattered on the Day of Resurrection. From Ibn Abbas, in one narration, He, the Mighty and Majestic, swears by the stars when they are shot at the devils.

It is also said that the intent of "the star" is a specific one. Mujahid and Sufyan said: It is the Pleiades (al-Thurayya), for "the star" became a proper noun for it by way of dominance. From this is the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ): "When the star rises in the morning, the blight is lifted," and the saying of the Arabs: "The star rose in the evening, so the shepherd sought his cloak; the star rose in the morning, so the shepherd sought his garment." Its "descending" is interpreted as its setting at dawn.

It is also said: It is Sirius (al-Shi’ra), intended by His saying: "And that He is the Lord of Sirius," for the soothsayers speak of the unseen at its rising. It is also said: It is Venus (al-Zuhra), which used to be worshipped.

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, al-Farra, and Mundhir ibn Sa'id said: "The star" is the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ), and "when it descends" means when it was sent down with the angel of revelation, Gabriel, peace and blessings be upon him.

Ja’far al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is the Prophet (ﷺ), and its descending is his descent from the heavens on the Night of Ascension (Mi’raj). It is permissible, according to this, that its descending refers to his ascent and rising to the limit where space ends.

It is also said: They are the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. It is also said: They are the scholars, intending the genus, and their "descending" is said to be their ascent in the paths of success to the enclosures of verification, or their diving into the seas of contemplation to extract the pearls of mysteries.

The most apparent of the statements is that the intent of "the star" is the known genus, for its origin is a generic name for every celestial body. Regarding the view of specification, the most apparent is that it is the Pleiades. Beyond these two, there is the view that it refers to the Qur'an revealed [in portions].

Swearing by this to affirm his (ﷺ) purity from the taint of error and misguidance possesses a sublime eloquence and a beauty of placement that has no limit. As for the first two [interpretations], the nature of the star is that the traveler is guided by it to the paths of the world, as if it were said: "And by the star by which the wayfarer is guided to the straight path."