Tafsir of An-Najm 53:6

Possessor of mirrah (acumen): that is, soundness and firmness of intellect, as some have stated. Thus, it is as if the former [description] was a description of the strength of action, while this is a description of the strength of vision and intellect. However, it is said: that is an explanation of what the word was coined for, for the Arabs say of everyone who possesses intellect and sound opinion "possessor of mirrah," derived from "I twisted the rope" (amrartu al-habl) when you tighten its braiding. Otherwise, describing the Angel with such is clear; it is a metonym for the manifestation of wondrous effects.

From Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib: "Possessor of wisdom," because the speech of the wise is sturdy. It is narrated from al-Tustari that Nafi' ibn al-Azraq asked Ibn 'Abbas about it, and he said: "Possessor of intensity in the command of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic," and he cited evidence for it. Al-Tayyibi reported from him that he said: "Possessor of a beautiful appearance," and al-Tabari deemed this correct. In its meaning is the statement of Mujahid: "Possessor of good character." It is in the statement of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "Charity is not permitted for the wealthy, nor for the possessor of a sound mirrah," meaning possessor of strength. In al-Kashf, it is stated that mirrah, because it originally indicates time after time, signifies an increase in strength; so do not be heedless.

That is, he became upright in his true form upon which Allah, the Exalted, created him. This occurred at Hira' at the inception of Prophethood. He (upon him and his household be peace and blessings) had—as is in a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, 'Abd ibn Humayd, and a group from Ibn Mas'ud—six hundred wings, each wing filling the horizon.

Istiwa' here means the moderation of a thing in its essence, as al-Raghib said, and this is what is intended by uprightness, not the opposite of crookedness. From this is the saying "the fruit became istawa" when it ripened.

There is an ellipsis in the discourse, as al-Khafaji said, because his (upon him be peace) description with strength and some human traits indicates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw him in other than his true form. This is an elaboration of an implied question, as if it were said: "Did he see him in his true form?" It was answered: "Yes, he saw him, then he became upright [in his true form]," and so on.

In al-Irshad, it is stated that it is a conjunction to [the verb] "he taught him" ('allamahu) by way of interpretation, for the [segment] up to the saying of the Exalted: {what He revealed} is an explanation of the method of teaching. This is contested by the fact that the method is not limited to what was mentioned. Hence, it was said: the fa (the 'f' in fastawa) is for causality, for his (upon him be peace) taking his form is caused by his strength and his ability for supernatural acts.

Or, it is a conjunction to {he taught him}, meaning: he taught him while not in his original form, then he became upright [and appeared] in his original form. This is contested by the fact that the coherence of the discourse and the order of the system is not completed by it. It is also said: istawa means "he rose," and it is a conjunction to [the verb] "he taught him," the meaning being: he rose to the heaven after he had taught him. Most of the narrations favor what was mentioned previously.