Tafsir of An-Najm 53:7

Surah An-Najm (The Star): Verse 7

{وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى} (And He was at the highest horizon.)

Then the Almighty said: {And He was at the highest horizon}.

The well-known interpretation is that the pronoun "He" refers to Gabriel (Jibrīl). The meaning is: He (Gabriel) ascended/was situated, as God Almighty created him, in the eastern horizon, filling the East due to his immense stature.

However, the apparent meaning suggests it refers to Prophet Muhammad (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam). This means: He (the Prophet) was situated in a place, and he was in a high station and rank in terms of honor and status, not necessarily physically occupying that location.

Addressing a potential objection: If one asks: How can this be permissible when God Almighty says: {And indeed he saw him in the clear horizon} (At-Takwīr: 23), implying that he saw Gabriel in the clear horizon?

Response: We say regarding that verse, as we say here: The Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) saw Gabriel while he (Gabriel) was in the clear horizon. Just as if someone says, "I saw the crescent moon," and is asked, "Where did you see it?" He replies, "Above the roof." This means the seer was above the roof, not the seen object.

The term {الْمُبِينِ} (the clear/manifest) means that which distinguishes (fāriq), i.e., it distinguishes between the rank of humanity and the station of the Angel. This is because the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) reached the ultimate limit and became a Prophet, just as some Prophets received revelation in their sleep and in their form, while he reached the highest horizon—the horizon that separates these two stations.

Addressing another objection: If one asks: What follows this verse indicates the opposite of what you suggest, such as the Almighty’s saying: {Then he approached and descended} (An-Najm: 8) and {And indeed he saw him another time, Near the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary} (An-Najm: 14). Do these not contradict what you have mentioned?

Response: We will clarify how they align with what we have mentioned, God willing, in their respective places when interpreting them.

Addressing a third objection based on Hadith: If one asks: The Hadiths indicate the opposite of what you mentioned, as it is narrated that Gabriel (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) showed the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) himself in his true form, filling the East.

Response: We did not say that it did not happen. However, the Hadith does not state that God Almighty intended this specific verse to refer to that narration, so as to necessitate contradiction with the Hadith. We only state that Gabriel showed himself to the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) twice, spreading his wings and covering the eastern side, but the verse was not revealed to explain that specific event.

{ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى} (Then he approached and descended.)