Tafsir of Al-Jinn 72:9

Al-Jinn (The Jinn): (9) And indeed, we used to sit [in places for listening]...

Translation and Exegesis (Tafsir) based on Mafatih al-Ghayb (Al-Razi):

This means we used to listen. Now, whenever we attempt to listen, we are struck by meteors (shooting stars).

Regarding the phrase: {شهابا رصدا} (a guard/ambush of meteors), there are several interpretations:

1. Al-Muqatil said: It means meteors (شهابا) and an ambush/guarding force of angels (رصدا). Under this view, the structure requires the estimation to be "a meteor and a guard" (شهابا ورصدا), because the guard (الرصد) is distinct from the meteor, and رصد here is the plural of راصد (one who watches).
2. Al-Farra’ said: It means a meteor that has been prepared/set up (أرصد له) to strike with. Under this interpretation, رصد is an adjective (نعت) describing the meteor, functioning as a passive participle (فعل بمعنى مفعول).
3. It is possible that رصدا means "a watcher" (راصدا). Since the meteor was prepared for them, it is as if the meteor itself is watching and lying in wait for them.

We have already fully discussed this issue in the exegesis of the verse: {And We have certainly adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and have made them projectiles against the devils} (Al-Mulk: 5).

The Question of Pre-Prophetic Existence of Meteors:

If it is argued that these meteors existed before the Prophet's mission (المبعث), this is supported by several points:

1. All preceding philosophers discussed the causes of the falling of these meteors, which indicates their existence before the mission.
2. The verse {And We have certainly adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and have made them projectiles against the devils} mentions two benefits regarding the creation of the stars: adornment and stoning the devils.
3. The description of this falling is found in the poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs (أهل الجاهلية).
   • Aws ibn Hujr said:

     Then it falls like a shooting star, followed by dust that rises, which you might think is a banner.

   • Awf ibn Al-Khara’ said:

     The caravan returns to us before reaching its destination, or a bull like a shooting star followed by blood.

Furthermore, Al-Zuhri narrated from Ali ibn Al-Husayn, from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): "While the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sitting with a group of the Ansar, a star shot forth and shone brightly. He asked: 'What did you use to say about such an event in the Days of Ignorance?' They replied: 'We used to say: A great man has died, or a great man has been born.'" (The rest of the Hadith was mentioned in the exegesis of {And We have certainly adorned the nearest heaven with lamps}).

Based on these points, it is established that these meteors existed before the mission. So, what is the meaning of singling out the Prophet Muhammad (عليه الصلاة والسلام)?

The answer is built upon two premises (مقامين):

This is the view of Ibn Abbas and Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with them).

• Ibn Abbas narrated: The Jinn used to ascend to the heaven to listen to the revelation. When they heard a word, they would add nine falsehoods to it. The original word would be true, but the additions would be false. When the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sent, they were prevented from their seats, and the stars were not seen striking before that. Iblis said to them: "This is only because something has happened on Earth." So he sent his troops, and they found the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) standing in prayer. (The Hadith continues, as mentioned previously).
• Ubayy ibn Ka'b narrated: No star was thrown down since the ascension of Jesus until the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sent, at which point they began to be thrown. The Quraysh saw something they had never seen before, so they began freeing their livestock and manumitting their slaves, thinking it was the End of Time. This reached some of their elders, who asked: "Why are you doing what I see?" They replied: "Stars are being thrown down, and we see them falling from the sky." The elder said: "Be patient. If they are known stars, it is the time of people's demise. If they are unknown stars, then something new has occurred." They looked and found the stars were unknown. They informed him, and he said: "There is a respite; this happens at the appearance of a Prophet." They waited only a short while until Abu Sufyan returned with his wealth and informed those people that Muhammad ibn Abdullah had appeared and claimed to be a Messenger Prophet.

These people (the elders) claimed that the books of the ancients had been subject to successive alterations, so perhaps later generations added this matter to discredit this miracle. Likewise, the poems attributed to the pre-Islamic Arabs might be altered or fabricated.

This is the view closer to the truth (الأقرب إلى الصواب). These meteors existed before the mission, but they were increased and made stronger/more intense after the mission.

This is supported by the wording of the Qur'an, as He says: {And indeed, we found it filled} (Al-Jinn: 8). This indicates that the new event was the filling and the increase in number.

Similarly, the phrase {we used to sit in places for listening} implies that they used to find some listening posts free from guards and meteors. Now, all the posts are filled.

Therefore, what compelled the Jinn to travel the lands and seek the reason was the increase in the stoning and the complete prevention of eavesdropping.

The Ninth Type: The Almighty's saying: