Tafsir of An-Najm 53:2

Meaning: He has not deviated from the path of truth, which is the way of the Hereafter. This is a metaphor and a representation of the fact that he—upon him be blessings and peace—is upon correctness in his words and his deeds.

Meaning: And he has not believed in any falsehood at all, for al-ghayy (error) is ignorance coupled with a corrupt belief, which is the opposite of rectitude (al-rushd). Thus, connecting this to "He has not deviated" (ma dalla) is an instance of connecting the specific to the general, emphasizing belief and signaling that it is the pivot [of one’s state].

Regarding the third interpretation [of the verse], it is an exaltation of the status of the Quran and an alerting to the basis of his guidance—upon him be blessings and peace—and the axis of his rectitude. It is as if it were said: "And the Quran, which is a banner for guidance toward the paths of religion and the ways of truth and certainty, has not been revealed to you, [and] Muhammad—may Allah, the Exalted, bless him and grant him peace—has not deviated from it, nor has he erred."

This is of the category of the saying: "And your teeth are ighreed (white and clear)," for there is no contradiction in it; thus, the future is treated as a realized past.

It has been said: [The phrase] is connected to an agent that is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from "the star" (al-najm). It was objected that time cannot be a predicate (khabar) or a circumstantial qualifier for a concrete object (juththa) as is the case here, and that "when" (idha) is for the future, so how can it be a circumstantial qualifier unless it is an intended/prospective state? Or perhaps "when" is stripped [of its future tense] to mean absolute time, as is said regarding the circumstantiality of a statement if it conveys a significant meaning. Therefore, time serving as a predicate or a circumstantial qualifier for a concrete object is not absolutely forbidden as the grammarians stated, or [it is called] "the star" because of its change—rising and setting—which resembles an event.

Fairness dictates that treating it as a circumstantial qualifier—like connecting it to an omitted verbal noun—is not the [correct] approach, according to what you have heard regarding its connection to "I swear" (uqsimu), stripping it of the meaning of the future; this is what was chosen in al-Mughni.

Restricting the oath to the time of falling (al-hawa) is evident based on the last of the three opinions. As for the other two opinions, it is said: because the traveler is not guided by the star when it is in the middle of the sky, nor can he distinguish the East from the West, or the North from the South. He is only guided by it when it is descending or ascending, along with the perfect appropriateness this holds for what will be narrated regarding the "drawing near" and "descending." It is also said: because of its indication of its own originated nature, which points to the Creator and His supreme power, the Exalted and Majestic, as the Friend [Abraham]—upon our Prophet and upon him be the best of blessings and most complete of peace—said: "I do not love those that set." The full discourse regarding the verification of the parsing of such a structure will come at the end of the book, God willing, so do not be neglectful.