Al-Najm: (2) Your companion has not strayed...

Then the Almighty said: {Your companion has not strayed, nor has he erred} (An-Najm: 2).

Most commentators did not differentiate between ḍalāl (straying) and ghay (error/misguidance). Some, attempting to distinguish them, said that ḍalāl is the opposite of guidance (hudā), while ghay is the opposite of correctness/soundness (rushd). Allah says: {And if they see the path of soundness, they will not take it as a path, and if they see the path of error, they will take it as a path} (Al-A'rāf: 146), and {The path of soundness has become distinct from the path of error} (Al-Baqarah: 256).

The precise view is that ḍalāl is more general in usage. You say, "My camel or my riding animal has gone astray" (ḍalla), but you do not say it has erred (ghawā). Thus, ḍalāl means the seeker finds no path to his destination at all. Ghawāyah means he does not have a straight path to the destination. This is indicated by the fact that you call a believer who is not on the right path safīh (foolish) and ghayr rashīd (unsound), but you do not call him ḍāll (straying). The ḍāll is like the disbeliever, and the ghāwī (one who errs) is like the sinner (fāsiq).

It is as if the Almighty said: {He has not strayed}—meaning he has not disbelieved—and not less than that, {nor has he erred}—meaning he has not sinned. What we mentioned is supported by His saying: {And test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage...} (An-Nisā’: 6) [This verse seems misplaced or used as a general reference to testing/soundness in youth].

Alternatively, ḍalāl is like non-existence, while ghawāyah is like corrupt existence in rank and degree.

Regarding {Your companion}: There are two interpretations:

1. Your Master (Sayyiduk).
2. Your associate (Muṣāḥibuk). The phrase ṣāḥib al-bayt (owner of the house) is used, similar to rabb al-bayt (master of the house).

It is also possible that {He has not strayed} means he is not insane (majnūn), as the insane person is considered astray. In this case, it aligns with His saying: {Nūn. By the pen and what they inscribe. You are not, by the grace of your Lord, a madman. And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted} (Al-Qalam: 1-3). This implies that he has not erred, but rather he is sound, guiding others to Allah by another guidance, as He says: {I ask of you no reward for it} (Ash-Shu'arā’: 109) and {My reward is only with Allah} (Yūnus: 72).

His saying {And indeed, you are of a great moral character} (Al-Qalam: 4) points to His saying here {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination} (An-Najm: 3), because this great character is not speaking from inclination.

To clarify the sequence:

1. He first said {He has not strayed}—meaning he is on the path.
2. {Nor has he erred}—meaning the path he is on is straight.
3. {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination}—meaning he is riding its crest, taking the direct route to the destination.

This is because whoever takes a path to reach a destination might find no path at all, or he might find a distant path full of hardship and peril, or he might find a wide, safe path but then lean right or left, moving away from the destination and delaying arrival. But if he follows the main road and rides its crest, he will arrive fastest.

It can also be argued that {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination} is evidence that he has neither strayed nor erred. The implication is: How could he stray or err when he does not speak from inclination? Only one who follows inclination strays. This is supported by His saying: {and do not follow inclination, lest it lead you astray from the way of Allah} (Ṣād: 26).

If one asks: The first arrangement I mentioned uses the past tense for {He has not strayed} and the future/present tense for {Nor does he speak}, which is excellent: He did not stray in his youth when he separated from you and what you worshipped; nor did he err when he was in seclusion and saw what he saw in his dreams; and now, when sent to you as a Messenger bearing witness over you, {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination}. Thus, he was never astray or erring, and now he has become a savior from straying, a guide, and a leader. But if the interpretation is "How could he stray when he does not speak from inclination?", does the tense agree?

We say yes, it agrees. The explanation is that Allah preserves whomever He intends to send as a Messenger, even in his youth, from disbelief and ugly faults like theft, adultery, and habitual lying. So He said {He has not strayed} in his youth because he does not speak from inclination.

The best interpretation for hawā (inclination/desire) is love (maḥabbah), but love originating from the nafs (self). It is said, hawaytuhu meaning "I loved him." However, the letters in hawā suggest closeness, descent, and falling, as in hāwiyah (the abyss). When the nafs is base, abandons high aspirations, and clings to trivialities, it has fallen (hawat). Therefore, hawā is specifically reserved for the soul commanding evil (an-nafs al-ammārah bi-s-sū’). If one said, "I love it with my heart" (ahwāhū bi-qalbi), the baseness would be removed. However, usage in the Qur'an excludes this, as hawā is used in contexts contrary to praiseworthy love. What supports our view is His saying: {But as for he who transgressed, and preferred the life of this world, then indeed, the Fire will be his refuge. And as for he who feared the standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from [unlawful] inclination} (An-Nāzi'āt: 37-40), indicating the high rank of the soul when it restrains its inclination.

7 < { It is not but revelation revealed. > 7 !

Then the Almighty said: {It is not but revelation revealed} (An-Najm: 4).