Surah An-Najm 53:8
ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ
Then he approached and descended
Tafsir of An-Najm 53:8
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 53:8
Then he drew near and descended
"Then he drew near" (ثم دنا), meaning: Jibril, peace be upon him, approached the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
"And descended" (فتدلى), meaning: Jibril, peace and blessings be upon him, suspended himself in the air. From this root comes the term tadallat al-thamara (the fruit hung down), dalla rijlayhi min al-sarir (he dangled his legs from the bed), and al-dawali (the fruits hanging, like clusters of grapes). They recite the verse of Abu Dhu’ayb describing a honey collector:
*He hung down toward it between a rope and a tether,* *From a barren rock like a steep slope where the crow stumbles.*
And among the rhymed prose of Ibnat al-Khuss: "Be cautious like the qurli (a type of bird); if he sees good, he descends [hangs down], and if he sees evil, he turns away."
Thus, the intended meaning of tadalli is a specific type of drawing near. There is no transposition (qalb) here, nor any metaphorical interpretation requiring the meaning of "approaching" as found in the Idah. Indeed, if it were interpreted as "descending from above"—to which the etymology points—it would have a valid basis.