Tafsir of An-Najm 53:11

(The heart), meaning the heart of Muhammad, may Allah exalt him and grant him peace, (did not deny what it saw), meaning what he saw with his eyesight of the image of Gabriel, peace be upon him. That is to say, his heart—may Allah exalt him and grant him peace—did not say upon seeing him with his eyes, "I do not recognize you." Had he said that, it would have been a lie, for he recognized him with his heart just as he saw him with his eyes. This is derived from the saying, "He lied" (kadhaba) when one speaks a falsehood; thus, "did not lie" (ma kadhaba) means he did not utter a lie.

It is also said that it means: the heart did not belie the vision regarding the image of Gabriel, peace be upon him, which it conveyed to him. What is in the realm of the celestial kingdom (Malakut) is perceived first by the heart, then it transitions from there to the eyesight.

Abu Raja, Abu Ja'far, Qatadah, al-Jahdari, Khalid ibn Ilyas, and Hisham (from Ibn 'Amir) recited it as ma kadhdaba (with a shaddah), meaning: his heart confirmed it and did not doubt that it was Gabriel, peace be upon him, in his [true] form.

In these verses, there is a verification of the matter of revelation as it is. In al-Kashf, it is stated that when He, Glory be to Him, said, (It is naught but revelation that is revealed)—meaning from Allah Almighty—He, Majestic and Exalted be He, mentioned what illustrates this meaning and details it, so as to confirm that it is indeed revelation and not in any way poetry or the discourse of soothsayers. Thus, He said, (Your companion has been taught) this revelation, the one who possesses these attributes.

His saying, (Then he attained/straightened), and the narrative of him standing in his true form, is to confirm that what comes to him in the image of Dihya is indeed the same [entity]; he saw him in his own true form and recognized him with a true recognition, so he would not be confused about him in any way.

His saying, (Then he approached and descended), is a completion of the narrative of his descent to him—peace and blessings be upon him—and his following him to the place of descent.

His saying, (So he revealed to His servant what he revealed), means: Gabriel revealed that revelation—which has already been established as coming from Allah Almighty—to the servant of Allah. He, Glory be to Him, said "what He revealed," rather than using a pronoun, to magnify the status of what was revealed and to indicate that it is something beyond description. How, then, could anyone permit himself to say it is poetry or the speech of a soothsayer?

Choosing [the term] "to His servant" instead of "to your companion" is for the sake of attributing exclusivity. Choosing the pronoun [referring to the servant] over the proper name in this context is to qualify him, indicating that he is not a servant to anyone but Him, Exalted and Majestic be He, and because of his fame as being the Servant of Allah, and none other. It is also permissible that the estimate be: "So Allah, Exalted be He, revealed—because of him, meaning because of this teacher—to His servant," as the fa (so) indicates this meaning; this is also a sound interpretation.

Then He, Glory be to Him, said: (The heart did not deny what it saw), in the sense that since he recognized him and verified him, his heart did not deny him thereafter, even if he were to appear in a form other than that [original] image. This is a subtle arrangement in which the points of wisdom are observed with due care, conforming to existence; it does not deviate from the necessary harmony between the beginning and the end.

This is a precious discourse by which what has been narrated from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, is given weight, and that shall come in due course, if Allah, Exalted and Majestic be He, wills.