2. According to Mujahid the allusion is to Surayyah (Pleiades) which disappears just before appearance of the dawn. This was also the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Sufyan Thawri and others. Suddi said that the allusion could be to Zahra since the Arabs worshipped it. But Dahhak thought it could be to any star. (Sayyid suggests that it might be to Shi`ra [the Dog-star, Sirius], which has been mentioned in ayah 49 of this Surah itself).

At all events, the preferred opinion has been that the reference is to a star. Linguistically however, "najm" is also used for stem-less plants (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi, Shawkani).

Although primarily a singular term, “najm” is also employed as a plural, as evidenced by some poetical pieces. It has also been said that the term Surayyah referred to a group of seven stars of which six were clearly visible, while the seventh was somewhat dim. It is reported that the Prophet could see eleven stars in this group (Qurtubi).

Yusuf Ali comments: “An-Najm is interpreted in various ways. As most commonly accepted, it means either a Star generically, or the close cluster of seven stars known as the Pleiades in the Constellation Taurus, which the sun enters about the 21st of April every year. In mid-April, or a little later, the beautiful cluster would set just after the sun, after having gradually ascended the sky in the winter months. In late May, or a little later, it would rise just before the sun. In its western aspects, it might be considered a spring constellation. To open-air nations (including the Arabs) whose climate usually presents starry skies, this is an object of great interest, and many folklore tales gather round it. When so glorious a cluster is content to bow down in the horizon and merge its light in the greater light created by Allah, it becomes a symbol of humility in beauty and power before the Most High, whose revelation discloses the summit of beauty, power, and wisdom. “Hawa” in the text may mean either ‘goes down (or sets)’ or ‘rises’. Whichever meaning we take, it makes no difference to the interpretation given above.”

Imam Razi adds a subtle point: Allah swore by the star. Now, some of the pagans worshipped bright stars. Therefore, Allah added words that removed the hallowed element out of it by adding, "when it plunges."

3. “The words ‘your companion’ … (imply that) the person being mentioned is no stranger to you … he is a man of your own clan and tribe; he lives and moves among you; even your children know who and what he is, what is his character, what are his dealings, what are his ways and habits and characteristics, and how he has passed his life among you so far. If someone of you were to say an improbable thing about him, who could see for themselves whether what was said actually applied to him or not” (Mawdudi).

4. That is, Muhammad (Ibn Jarir).

The difference (between “daallan” and “ghaawiyyan”) is that the former is used for someone who never found the right path whereas the latter is for him who found it but strayed away from it. The first epithet suits the Christians while the second, Jews (Razi, Ibn Kathir, slightly modified).

5. That is, revealed by Allah to Jibra’il and by Jibra’il to Muhammad (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

When Allah said that the Prophet "did not speak out of caprice," the question arose, then, what is the nature of his speech: is it a product of logic or is it an outcome of intellectual reasoning? The answer came, "No, this is not but a revelation revealed" (Razi).

So, none of what the Prophet said was out of caprice, but based in revelation. Accordingly, we have a hadith of Ahmad (trusted by Haythami: Au.) which runs as follows:

عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ يَقُولُ لَيَدْخُلَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ بِشَفَاعَةِ الرَّجُلِ الْوَاحِدِ لَيْسَ بِنَبِيٍّ مِثْلُ الْحَيَّيْنِ أَوْ أَحَدِ الْحَيَّيْنِ رَبِيعَةَ وَمُضَرَ قَالَ قَائِلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَوَمَا رَبِيعَةُ مِنْ مُضَرَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَقُولُ مَا أُقَوَّلُ

The Prophet said, “Surely, by virtue of intercession of a single man – who will not be a Prophet – (as many people as comprising) two clans or one of the clans – like Rabi`ah and Mudar - will enter Paradise.” Someone asked, “Messenger of Allah. Is not Rabi`ah a branch of Mudar?” He replied, “I just say what I am told.” It is also reported that some people used to write down all that the Prophet said. Some others objected saying that sometimes the Prophet could be angry. So the writer asked him. He replied, “Write down (if you will). By Him in whose hands is my life, nothing but truth will issue from me” (Ibn Kathir).

6. “Taught him,” i.e., Jibra’il taught the Prophet (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

7. Ibn `Abbas however, as well as Qatadah believed that “dhu mirratin” is for “good-looking and magnificent.” It is also used for “the powerful.” But literally the term is employed for being free of all defects. Another connotation is “sound and healthy”; and the allusion is to Jibra’il (Ibn Jarir, Qurtbi, Ibn Kathir and others). The Arabs used the phrase for any intelligent person who held judicious opinions (Alusi).

“Mirrah” is used for the power of intellect also, although at this point it seems to mean physical power. Kalbi has said that it was Jibril’s power that he lifted the cities of Lut’s people with his wings, raised them to the heavens to the heights that the dwellers of the earthly heaven could hear barking of the dogs and crowing of the roosters, and then brought them down to bang them against the earth. Once he witnessed Iblis trying to do some harm to `Isa ibn Maryam, and slapped him with the edge of his wing. That flung him against a mountain in India. It is his power that he brought the punishment on the Thamud who in no time lay in ruins despite their numbers. It was by his power that he can descend down and then ascend back to the heavens in micro-seconds (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi). He can travel faster than light, keeping in mind the speed of it that scientists are talking about now (Alusi).

8. Once again the allusion is to Jibra’il and by the term “highest horizon” the allusion is to the edge of the horizon (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi); from where the sun rises (Ibn Kathir).

9. It was Jibra’il who drew near and then hung, poised in the air. This was the opinion of `Abdullah (ibn Mas`ud), `A’isha, Hasan (al-Basri) and others. Normally, Jibra’il came in the form of a man. But this time he had appeared in his own image, covering the entire horizon with his six hundred wings (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

“After appearing on the uppermost edge of the sky, Jibra'il started advancing towards the Prophet till he reached and hung suspended above him in midair. Then he bent down to him and came within two bow-lengths” (Mawdudi).

10. In the context of these verses, reports have come about the destruction of Abu Lahab’s son. Once, as he was preparing to leave for Syria, he told a companion of his that (before leaving), “let’s go and make fun of Muhammad’s God.” He went up to him and said, “Muhammad. I have disbelieved in the one who stood poised and then was at a distance nearer than two bow-lengths, or closer.” (He also divorced his wife, the Prophet’s daughter, and spat in the direction of the Prophet: Qurtubi). The Prophet said, “May Allah set upon you one of his dogs.” Both father and son proceeded along with others heading towards Syria. At one point during the journey they rested at night and Abu Lahab placed his son in the middle of the people and riding animals, out of fear of the Prophet’s words. But a lion came by midnight, went straight to `Utbah b. Abi Lahab, and sank his teeth in his neck (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir). (Although the Prophet's daughter was married to Abu Lahab’s son, the marriage had not been consummated: Au.).

11. The allusion is to Jibra’il revealing to the Prophet by the Command of Allah. From the beginning, throughout these lines, the passage is speaking of our Prophet and Jibra'il (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir); although some have thought that it was Allah who revealed what He revealed. Such scholars have treated verses 5 to 9 as a parenthetical statement.

A report in Ahmed (trusted by Haythami: Au.) adds some details:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ سَأَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جِبْرِيلَ أَنْ يَرَاهُ فِي صُورَتِهِ فَقَالَ ادْعُ رَبَّكَ قَالَ فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ قَالَ فَطَلَعَ عَلَيْهِ سَوَادٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَشْرِقِ قَالَ فَجَعَلَ يَرْتَفِعُ وَيَنْتَشِرُ قَالَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَعِقَ فَأَتَاهُ فَنَعَشَهُ وَمَسَحَ الْبُزَاقَ عَنْ شِدْقَيْهِ

On the authority of Ibn `Abbas, the Prophet asked Jibril to appear in his own image. He told him to ask his Lord. So he sought it from his Lord and a huge dark mass began to appear from the east spreading itself across. When the Prophet witnessed this sight, he fell unconscious. Jibril came to him, lifted his head, and wiped saliva from the corners of his mouth (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

It is reported that the Prophet said in amazement, “Jibril, I had never imagined that Allah would create any creation in this size.” Jibril replied, “It were not but two of my six hundred wings that I had then opened. Each of the two wings can cover the east and the west” (Qurtubi).

Through and through these passages, Asad emphasizes on the spiritual nature of the events involved. He writes at this point, “’Whatever he revealed’: an allusion to the exceptional manifestation of the angel ‘in his true shape and nature’ as well as to the contents of divine revelation as such. In its deeper sense the above phrase implies that even to His chosen prophets, God does not entirely unveil the ultimate mysteries of existence, of life and death, of the purpose which has created the universe, or of the nature of the universe itself.”

12. The perception of the heart, in that situation, in that world, was more reliable than the perception of the eye. For, the eye can fail to notice some phenomena, or perceive them wrongly. But a pure heart does not.

There have been two opinions about who it was that was seen: Jibra’il, or Allah. The stronger opinion, and that held by greater number of scholars and commentators is that it was Jibra’il that the Prophet saw at this point of mention. A few have thought that it was his Lord that the Prophet saw. Then, among those who believe that the allusion is to the Prophet’s sighting of his Lord, there are two schools. The majority opinion is that the Prophet never saw his Lord with his physical eyes, neither at this time of mention nor when he went up to the heavens during his Night-journey. He only saw Him with the sight of his heart. A minority opinion is that the Prophet saw his Lord, but without specifying whether this seeing was the heart or with the inner sight (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, summarized).

Ibn `Abbas maintained that the Prophet saw his Lord with his heart twice. `Ikrimah held the same opinion (Ibn Jarir). The report is in Muslim and the original text is as follows:

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ "مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى - وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى" : قَالَ رَآهُ بِفُؤَادِهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ (صحيح مسلم)

(The above hadith is not found in any other major collection: Au).

On the other hand, `A’isha maintained that the Prophet never saw his Lord with his physical eyes, but rather the allusion at this point is to he seeing Jibra’il (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Among those who held a similar position was Ibn Mas`ud and Zir b. Hubaysh who said that the Prophet saw Jibril with six hundred wings (Ibn Jarir). Zir’s opinion is in Bukhari, and Abu Dharr as well as Abu Hurayrah were also with `A’isha (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

`A’isha reported that the Prophet saw Jibril in his dream. Thereafter, as he went out Jibril called him, “O Muhammad, O Muhammad.” But when he looked around he could not be sighted. He looked up and there he was, filling the sky. He called him again, “O Muhammad, O Muhammad,” trying to calm him. The Prophet fled into the crowd and looked up again but could not see him. When he came out of the crowd, he could see him again, in the horizon. He went into the crowds once again and looked up, but he could not see him. It was only when he came out alone that he could see him. This is what Allah’s words are referring to when He said, “By the star when it plunges … until … then he was at a distance of two bow-lengths, or closer.” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

But this report is not found in major Hadith works (Au.).

Nonetheless, Ibn Jarir adds a little later the explanation of Ibn `Abbas that the Prophet could not have sighted Allah to comprehend Him wholly. When he said that the Prophet saw his Lord with the heart’s eye, someone objected quoting Allah’s words, “Sights cannot comprehend Him but He can comprehend the sights.” To this objection `Ikrimah, who was present in the assembly, replied, “Do you not see the heaven?” The man said yes. `Ikrimah asked, “Do you see the whole of it?” (Ibn Jarir).

However, no trustworthy report has come down from Ibn `Abbas which says that the Prophet saw his Lord with his physical eyes (Ibn Kathir).

The Sahih of Muslim has a report from Abu Dharr:

سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: هَلْ رَأَيْتَ رَبّكَ؟ قَالَ: "نُورٌ أَنّىَ أَرَاهُ"؟.

“I asked the Prophet, ‘Did you see your Lord?’ He replied, ‘Light. How could I see Him?’” Ibn Abi Hatim’s report has it that,

عن محمد بن كعب قال: قالوا: يا رسول الله، رأيت ربك؟ قال: "رأيته بفؤادي مرتين" ثم قرأ: { مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى }

Muhammad b. Ka`b said that they asked the Prophet, “Did you see your Lord?” He replied, “I saw Him with my heart twice.” Then he recited this verse, “The heart denied not what it saw..” When `Abbad b. Mansur asked `Ikrimah about this ayah he retorted, “Do you wish to hear that he saw Him?” When he said yes, he said, “He surely saw Him, surely saw Him.” Later he asked Hasan the same question. He answered, “He saw His Exaltedness, Greatness and His Shroud.” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Asad adds: “Inasmuch as the Prophet was fully aware of the spiritual character of his experience, there was no conflict between his conscious mind and his intuitive perception (the ‘vision of the heart’) of what is normally not perceptible.”

This context has another hadith known as “Hadith al-Manam” (Hadith concerning the Night Vision), quoted by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir. It is found in various Hadith collections, and we reproduced from Tirmidhi which varies in words from those they quote, but the gist remains same:

حدَّثنَا مُحمَّدُ بنُ بَشَّارٍ حدَّثنَا مُعَاذُ بن هَانِئٍ أَبُو هَانِئ السُّكَّريُّ حدَّثنَا جَهْضَمُ بن عبدِ اللَّه عَنْ يَحْيَى بن أبي كثيرٍ عَنْ زَيْد بن سَلامٍ عَنْ أبي سلامٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرحْمَنِ بن عائشٍ الحضْرَميِّ أنَّهُ حدَّثَهُ عَنْ مَالِكِ بن يُخَامَر السَّكْسَكِيّ عَنْ مُعَاذ بن جبلٍ قَالَ: احتَبسَ عَنَّا رَسُولُ اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عليهِ وسَلَّم ذاتَ غداةٍ مِنْ صلاةِ الصُّبْحِ حتَّى كدْنَا نتراءى عينَ الشَّمْسِ فخرجَ سريعاً فثُوِّبَ بالصلاةِ فصلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عليهِ وسَلَّم وتجوَّزَ في صلاتِهِ، فلمَّا سلَّمَ دعَا بصوتِه فَقَالَ لنا عَلَى مَصَافِّكُمْ كمَا أنتم ثُمَّ انفتلَ إلينا فَقَالَ أما إنِّي سأُحَدثُكُمْ ما حَبَسَنِي عَنْكُم الغداةَ أنِّي قُمْتُ منَ الليلِ فتوضأتُ فصلَّيتُ ما قُدِّرَ لي فنعَسْتُ في صلاتي فاستثقُلْتُ فإذا أنَا بربِّي تباركَ وتعالى في أحسنِ صورةٍ فَقَالَ يا مُحمَّدُ، قُلْتُ ربِّ لبَّيْكَ، قَالَ: فيمَ يختصمُ الملأُ الأعْلَى؟ قُلْتُ لا أدري ربِّ قَالَها ثلاثاً، قَالَ فرأيتُهُ وضعَ كفَّهُ بينَ كَتِفَيَّ. قَدْ وجدتُ بردَ أناملِهِ بين ثديَيَّ فتجلى لي كلُ شيءٍ وعَرَفْتُ فَقَالَ يا مُحمَّدُ. قُلْتُ لبَّيْكَ ربِّ، قَالَ فيمَ يختصمُ الملأُ الأعْلَى؟ قُلْتُ في الكفَّاراتِ، (و في رواية عند أحمد و الترمذي: الكفارات و الدرجات) قَالَ ما هنَّ؟ قُلْتُ مشيُ الأقدامِ إِلى الجماعاتِ، والجلوسُ في المساجدِ بعدَ الصلاةِ، وإسباغُ الوضوءِ في المكروهاتِ، قَالَ ثُمَّ فيمَ؟ (و في رواية عند أحمد الدرجات) قُلْتُ إطعامُ الطعامِ، ولينَ الكلامِ، والصلاةُ بالليلِ والناسُ نيامٌ. قَالَ سَلْ، قُلْتُ اللَّهمَّ إنّي أسْألُكَ فِعْلَ الخيراتِ، وتركَ المنكراتِ، وحبَّ المساكينِ، وأنْ تغفرَ لي وترحمَني، وإذا أردتَ فتنةً في قومٍ فتوفَّنِي غيرَ مفتونٍ، وأسألُكَ حبَّكَ وحبَّ منْ يُحبُّكَ وحبَّ عملٍ يقرِّبُ إِليَّ حُبِّكَ. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عليهِ وسَلَّم إنَّها حقٌّ فادرسُوهَا ثُمَّ تعلَّمُوها.

(قَالَ أَبُو عيسى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ. سألتُ مُحمَّد َبنَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ { البخاري } عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ هَذَا صحيحٌ)

Mu`adh ibn Jabal reports: “One morning at Fajr time, the Prophet delayed on us for the dawn Prayer until we could almost see the sun’s eye when he emerged in haste. The call for starting the Prayer was made. He led in the Prayer, shortening it. After he had said the termination formula, he addressed us and said in a raised voice, ‘Hold on to your rows as you are.’ Then he turned to us and said, ‘Let me tell you what held me back this morning; I rose up at night, performed ablution, and Prayed as much as I was destined to. Then I dozed off in my Prayer, until I felt heavy. And lo! I was in the presence of my Lord, the Exalted, the Supreme - in the best form. He said, ‘O Muhammad!’ I said, ‘Here I am O my Lord.’ He said, ‘What are the angels of the upper-most constellation disputing over?’ I replied, ‘I do not know, my Lord!’ He asked three times. (And I replied in the same manner). Then I saw Him placing His palm between my shoulders until I felt the coldness of His fingers over my breast. Everything became clear to me, and I knew.

Then He asked, ‘O Muhammad! What are the angels of the upper-most constellation disputing over?’ I replied, ‘Over expiations and ranks.’ He asked, ‘What are the expiations?’ I replied, ‘Moving the feet towards the congregations (for Prayers), staying back in the mosques after the Prayers, and doing the ablution well despite discomforts.’ He asked, ‘And what are the ranks?’ I replied, ‘(They are in) Feeding (the poor), soft manner of speech, and Prayers while people are asleep.’ He said, ‘Ask.’ I asked, ‘O Allah! I ask You: performance of good deeds, eschewing of evil ones, love of the meekly-poor, and that You forgive me and show me mercy. And, when You wish to try a people, send death upon me untried. And, I seek Your love, the love of those who love You and love of the deeds that take one nearer to Your love.’ Then the Prophet added, “This is the truth, therefore, learn it and study it.”

(This report is also in Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah in Kitab al-Tawhid, and in a dozen other books of traditions, through scores of narrators, with variations in the words, with some experts declaring the report weak, but others as trustworthy, such as Haythami, Hafiz, Hakim, Ahmed Shakir and Tirmidhi, the last of whom reports that when he spoke to Imam Bukhari about it, he said it was trustworthy: Au.).

13. This second sighting of Jibril in his original form took place during the Nocturnal Journey (Sayyid and others).

But from the earliest times some people have been led to believe that it was perhaps Allah that the Prophet saw during his Nocturnal Journey. But most scholars have explained that the allusion rather, by the second sighting, is to the vision of Jibril. Ibn Jarir has the following hadith, (which is also in Muslim: Au.):

عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مُتّكِئاً عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ. فَقَالَتْ: يَا أَبَا عَائِشَةَ! ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ تَكَلّمَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنّ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ علَى الله الْفِرْيَةَ. قُلْتُ مَا هُنّ؟ قَالَتْ: مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنّ مُحَمّداً صلى الله عليه وسلم رَأَى رَبّهُ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى الله الْفِرْيَةَ. قَالَ وَكُنْتُ مُتّكِئاً فَجَلَسْتُ. فَقُلْتُ: يَا أُمّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْظِرِينِي وَلاَ تَعْجَلِينِي. أَلَمْ يَقُلِ الله عَزّ وَجَلّ: {وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ} (التكوير الاَية: ) {وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىَ}(النجم الاَية: ) فَقَالَتْ: أَنَا أَوّلُ هَذِهِ الأُمّةِ سَأَلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَقَالَ: "إِنّمَا هُوَ جِبْرِيلُ. لَمْ أَرَهُ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ الّتِي خُلِقَ عَلَيْهَا غَيْرَ هَاتَيْنِ الْمَرّتَيْنِ. رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْهَبطاً مِنَ السّماءِ. سَادّاً عِظَمُ خلقه مَا بَيْنَ السّمَاءِ إِلَى الأَرْضِ". فَقَالَتْ: أَوَ لَمْ تَسْمَع أن الله يَقُولُ: {لاَ تُدْرِكُهُ الأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ} (الأنعام آية: 3) أَوَ لَمْ تَسْمَعْ أَنّ الله يَقُولُ: {وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلّمَهُ الله إِلاّ وَحْياً أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولاً فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنّهُ عَلِيّ حَكِيمٌ} (الشورى الاَية: 51) قَالَتْ: وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنّ رَسُولَ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَتَمَ شَيْئاً مِنْ كِتَابِ الله فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى الله الْفِرْيَةَ. وَالله يَقُولُ: {يَا أَيّهَا الرّسُولُ بَلّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ} (المائدة الاَية: ) قَالَتْ: وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنّهُ يُخْبِرُ بِمَا يَكُونُ فِي غَدٍ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى الله الْفِرْيَةَ. وَالله يَقُولُ: {قُلْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلاّ الله} (النمل الاَية: 65) - مسلم

Masruq (Abu `A’isha) says I was with `A’isha reclining when she said, “O Abu `A’isha! There are three things about which whoever spoke fastened a lie on Allah.” I asked, “What could they be?” She replied, “Whoever alleged that Muhammad saw his Lord, fastened a lie upon Allah.” He said, I straightened up and said, “Mother of believers, let me speak. Do not be hasty. Has not Allah said, ‘Indeed he saw him at the clear horizon’ (Al-Takweer), and ‘Indeed he saw him at the second descent’ (Al-Najm)?’” She said, “I was the first of this Ummah to ask the Prophet about it. He said, ‘That was Jibril. I did not see him in the image in which he has been created except on those two occasions. I saw him descend down from the heaven, covering the whole of the horizon between the heaven and the earth.’”

Then she added, “Have you not heard Allah’s words, ‘Sights cannot circumscribe Him but He circumscribes the sights. He is the All-subtle, the All-aware.’ (Al-An`aam: 3), and, have you not heard Allah say, ‘It is not for any man that Allah should speak to him except through revelation, or from behind a veil, or He should send a messenger to reveal by His leave what He will. He indeed is the Sublime, the Wise.’ (Al-Shura: 51). She added, “Whoever alleged that the Prophet concealed something of the Book of Allah, fastened a lie on Allah. Allah said, ‘O Messenger. Convey what has been sent down to you. If you did not then you would not have conveyed the message’” (Al-Ma’idah). And, she added, “Whoever alleged that he (the Prophet) could say what is to happen the next day, fastened a lie upon Allah. Allah has said, ‘Say, “No one of those in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah”’ (Al-Naml)” – Ibn Jarir.

There is yet another report of this context. It is in Ibn Marduwayh, but we take it from Ibn Hajr’s Fath:

فَقَالَتْ (عائشة) : أَنَا أَوَّلُ مَنْ سَأَلَ رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ هَذَا فَقُلْت : يَا رَسُول اللَّه هَلْ رَأَيْت رَبَّك ؟ فَقَالَ : لا إِنَّمَا رَأَيْت جِبْرِيل مُنْهَبِطًا " فتح الباري لابن حجر

`A’isha said (on that occasion of Masruq asking her), “I am the first to have asked the Prophet about it saying, ‘Messenger of Allah, did you see your Lord?’ He replied, ‘I only saw Jibril coming down’” (Shafi` Deobandi).

Whenever Imam Ahmed was asked about the Beatific Vision, he would say, “He saw Him, saw Him, saw Him ..” repeating for a long while but without further explanation to indicate that he could not have seen him with his physical eyes (Alusi).

At all events, those who maintained it was Allah who came nearer (rather than Jibril) have clarified, as Qadi `Iyad said, that the "getting closer" was not in the physical sense in which some space is covered, but it was to impress the Prophet's rank with Allah, to honor him, bestow tranquility to him, allow for great (spiritual) clarity, respond to his desire to get close, and to bestow the Light of Knowledge on him (Qurtubi).

14. There are a variety of opinions regarding the nature of “Sidratu al-Muntahaa.” Ka`b explained to Ibn `Abbas that it is a Lote-tree below the `Arsh. The highest knowledge of every knowledgeable person ends there whether it is an angel brought nigh, or a Prophet raised. Whatever is beyond it is the Unseen that no one knows except Allah. Ibn Mas`ud explained that it is the Lote-tree in the sixth heaven at which ends everything that rises from the earth or from below it, or whatever comes down from above. Anything that comes down from that point, or goes up to it, is held up there (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). It was here that the Prophet was given the five daily prayers, the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah and the principle was enunciated that whoever of his Ummah did not associate aught with Allah, will have his major sins forgiven (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). Sayyid suggests that it was at that point that Jibril fell back from the companionship of the Prophet during the Night Ascent, leaving him alone to ascend further.

There are reports that explain “Sidratu al-Muntahaa.” Recounting what happened to him during his Nocturnal Journey, the Prophet said,

".. فَإِذَا أَنَا بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُسْنِدًا ظَهْرَهُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ وَإِذَا هُوَ يَدْخُلُهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ لا يَعُودُونَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ بِي إِلَى السِّدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى وَإِذَا وَرَقُهَا كَآذَانِ الْفِيَلَةِ وَإِذَا ثَمَرُهَا كَالْقِلالِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا غَشِيَهَا مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ مَا غَشِيَ تَغَيَّرَتْ فَمَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَنْعَتَهَا مِنْ حُسْنِهَا .."

“.. and lo, I was in front of Ibrahim, on whom be peace, reclining against the ‘Bayt al-Ma`mur’ into which seventy-thousand angels enter every day who never return to it. Then he (Jibril) took me to the Sidratu al-Muntahaa. Its leaves were like the ears of an elephant, and its fruit like pots. Then, when covered it that which covered it, it got altered so that there is none among the creations of Allah who could describe it..”

(The above is from Bukhari, being close to the words quoted by Ibn Jarir and Qurtubi: Au.).

Qurtubi quotes another version pertaining to the Night Ascension. It reports,

قَالَ هَذِهِ سِدْرَةُ الْمُنْتَهَى وَإِذَا أَرْبَعَةُ أَنْهَارٍ نَهْرَانِ بَاطِنَانِ وَنَهْرَانِ ظَاهِرَانِ فَقُلْتُ مَا هَذَانِ يَا جِبْرِيلُ قَالَ أَمَّا الْبَاطِنَانِ فَنَهْرَانِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَأَمَّا الظَّاهِرَانِ فَالنِّيلُ وَالْفُرَاتُ (صحيح البخاري)

(Jibril) said, “This is Sidratu al-Muntaha.” I observed four rivers: two inner rivers and two outer ones. I asked, “What are these two, O Jibril?” He answered, “The inner rivers are springs of Paradise while the outer ones are Nile and Euphrates" (Qurtubi).

Asad elucidates: “Explaining the vision conveyed in the expression Sidrat al-Muntaha, Raghib suggests that owing to the abundance of its leafy shades, the sidr or sidrah (the Arabian lote-tree) appears in the Qur’an as well as in the traditions relating to the Ascension as a symbol of the “shade” – i.e., the spiritual peace and fulfillment – of Paradise. One may assume that the qualifying term al-muntaha .. is indicative of the fact that God has set a definite limit to all knowledge accessible to created beings, as pointed out in the Nihayah: implying, in particular, that human knowledge, though potentially vast and penetrating, can never – not even in Paradise (the ‘garden of promise’ mentioned in the next verse) – attain to an understanding of the ultimate reality, which the Creator has reserved for Himself.”

15. Ibn `Abbas explained that the “Jannatu al-Ma’waa” is by the right hand side of the `Arsh and is the abode of the martyrs (Ibn Jarir).

It is here that the Prophet saw Jibril a second time in his own form and shape, at the time of his Night Ascension. Imam Ahmed has a report of good chain of narrators. It says,

رأيت جبريل وله ستمائة جناح، ينتثر من ريشه التهاويل: الدرّ والياقوت

(The Prophet said), “I saw Jibril with six hundred wings from whose feathers were falling off decorative elements: pearls, and rich stones.” Ibn Mas`ud’s report, also in Ahmed, adds that each of his wings was covering the horizon (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

16. What was it that covered the Lote-tree? In the absence of any trustworthy hadith, we have to rely on the statements of the salaf who said that it was golden butterflies that had covered it. A second report says it were angels that had covered it while others said it was Allah’s Nur that had covered it (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

In ahadith pertaining to the Night Ascension, the Prophet said,

غشيتها الملائكة مثل الغِربان، وغشيها نور الرب، وغشيها ألوان ما أدري ما هي.

“Angles had covered it like crows, our Lord’s Nur had covered it, and those of the colors had covered about which I have no idea what they were” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Kathir seems to have taken the above hadith from Tafsir ibn abi Hatim, but whose authenticity could not be established (Au.).

Asad adds: “... a phrase deliberately vague (mubham), indicative of the inconceivable majesty and splendor attaching to this symbol of paradise ‘which no description can picture and no definition can embrace’ (Zamakhshari).”

17. Ibn `Abbas said that the Prophet’s eye did not deviate toward left or right nor crossed the limits (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

(In other words, the Prophet) “was in such complete control of himself and so exclusively attentive that he kept his mind and sight focused upon the object for which he had been summoned, and he did not let his sight wander” (Mawdudi).

18. One of the great signs was that he saw Jibril in his own image with six hundred wings (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

Sayyid comments on this passage, though placing it at an earlier point: “Thus, we too experience those moments with Muhammad; at a time when veils had been removed for him: while he received from on High, while he listened and witnessed, while he grasped and retained. Those were moments meant specifically for the purified heart of Muhammad. True, Allah favors whomsoever of His bondmen He will. He describes those moments in a powerful, highly effective manner. It is a manner which helps convey its echoes, its shades of meaning, and its nuances, directly to the hearts. He describes the voyage of the purified soul through the vast expanses of the lofty sphere. He describes it step by step, scenery after scenery, state by state, as if the believers perceive them themselves.”

The above description then, is one of the several functions of the Qur’anic passage, that some readers fail to perceive and ask, in puzzlement, “what could be meant by a passage of this sort?” (Au.).

19. Sayyid comments: “That then, which the Prophet perceived, with his eyes and soul, is what he invited the pagans to. It was not something implied, imagined, or construed; but something real. In contrast, what is it that the pagans depend on for worshipping their idols? What was their reliance on when they worshipped Laat and `Uzza? What was the basis of their claim that angels were females and that they were daughters of Allah? On what basis did they claim that they would be delivered through intercession? This is what the next passage looks into, starting with the verse, “Have you considered Laat and `Uzza?"

Ibn Jarir and Qurtubi comment: Most pagan deities were named after Allah’s attributes. For example, they derived “Al-Laat” from Allah, “Al-`Uzza” from Al-`Azeez. Laat had a history. It was initially a man in Nakhlah who kneaded balls of floor-paste for the pilgrims. After his death, they began to worship at his grave and ultimately he become a deity in his own right.

The report about the paste-ball seller is in Bukhari. (He was represented by) a white, ornamented rock over which they had built a huge house at Ta’if. Complete with curtains and other paraphernalia, it had a pretty large vacant area surrounding it. Second only to Ka`bah, the Thaqeef were proud of this deity of theirs (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). The Prophet had sent Al-Mughira b. Sho`bah and Sufyan Sakhr b. al-Harb to destroy Al-Laat. After destruction, they built a mosque in its place.

Majid quotes from a variety of works: “An oath by al-Lat is frequently found in the poets … She is frequently mentioned along with the al-`Uzza … and among the Kuraish, she, along with this goddess and Manat, was held in such high esteem … (EI. III. P. 18).” Reference to Allaat are found in several Nabatean inscriptions; in one of them she is called “the mother of gods” … Among the later Arabs this goddess was no less venerated.’ (ERE. I.p.661). ‘The Arabian Lat was worshipped by the Nabateans as mother of the gods, and must be identified with the virgin-mother, whose worship at Petra is described by Epiphanus.’ (Robertson Smith, Religion of the Semites, p. 56). Among the great ‘mothers’ is Lat or rather Allat. Apparently a sun-goddess, in Palmyra she is coupled with Shamash.’ (p. 52) ‘Al-Lat had her sacred tracts (hima and haram) near al-Taif, whither the Makkans and others flocked for pilgrimage and sacrifice. Within such an enclosure no trees could be felled, no game hunted and no human blood shed. Herodotus mentions this goddess under the name of Allaht among the Nabatean deities.’ (Hitti, op.cit., p.99)

20. It is said that originally this was a bunch of shrubs (that somehow came to be regarded as a [single] deity: Au.). Some others said it was a white rock that came to be worshipped (Ibn Jarir). It was in Nakhlah, a place between Makkah and Ta’if. After the fall of Makkah, the Prophet had sent Khalid b. al-Waleed to destroy it. H e demolished the temple and reported back to him. He told him, “Return, for you have achieved nothing.” When he returned its keepers tried to prevent Khalid from any further action and began to wail in a loud voice, “O `Uzza, O `Uzza.” Upon closer inspection Khalid discovered a naked woman with outspread hair and dust on the head. He killed her and returned to the Prophet to report of the killing. He remarked, “That was `Uzza” (Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

According to reports, that was a she-devil (Alusi).

Thus, adds Razi, there were three main deities and had three origins: human, plant and stone.

Majid quotes: “Far more important, at least in historical times, was the cult of the planet Venus, revered as a great goddess under the name of al-Uzza, which may be rendered ‘the Most Mighty.’ The Syriac poet Issac of Antioch, who lived in the first half of the 5th century, bears witness to the worship of `Uzza by the Arabs of that period; in another passage he identifies `Uzza with planet Venus.’ (ERE, I.p.660). ‘The goddess Al-`Ozza was believed to reside ‘in the sacred acacia at Nakhla’ (Robertson Smith, Religion of the Semites, p. 185). ‘Al-Ozza with Allat and Manat, the three daughters of Allah, in the Coran, is the “lady `Ozza” to whom a man in South Arabian inscription offers a golden image on behalf of his sick daughter Amath-Ozzai. Human sacrifice and licentious practices distinguish her cult. Isaac of Antioch identified her with Beltis, and calls her the “Star.” (p. 521). Al-`Uzza (the most mighty, Venus, the morning star) had her cult in Nakhla east of Makkah … Her sanctuary consisted of three trees. Human sacrificed characterized her cult … Abd-al-`Uzza was a favorite name at the rise of Islam’ (Hitti, op.cit., p. 33).”

21. This deity was housed in Qudayd, especially revered by Banu Ka`b (Ibn Jarir). It was actually in Mushallal near Qudayd, a place between Makkah and Madinah, and was the deity of Khuza`ah, Aws and Khazraj. Abu Sufyan Sakhr b. Harb was sent to destroy this temple (Ibn Kathir).

These deities had their counterparts in various parts of the Arabian Peninsula, including the House of Ka`bah (Alusi).

Majid quotes from other works: “An old Arabian goddess … a goddess of fate, especially of death. Her main sanctuary was a black stone among the Hudhailis in Kudaid … She was however worshipped by many Arab tribes … In Mecca she was very popular along with the goddesses al-Lat and al-`Uzzah. (EI, III, p.231). ‘A number of proper names confounded with Manat prove that her cult extended over a great part of Arabia.’ (ERE, I.p. 662). Manat (from Maniyah, allotted fate) was the goddess of destiny and as such represented on earlier phase of religious life. Her main sanctuary consisted of a black stone in Qudayd on the road between Makkah and Yathrib (later al-Madinah) and she was specially popular with the Aws and the Khazraj’ (Hitti, op.cit. p.99).”

Asad comments: “These three goddesses – regarded by the pagan Arabs as ‘God’s daughters’ side by side with the angels (who, too, were conceived of as females) – were worshipped in most of pre-Islamic Arabia, and had several shrines in the Hijaz and in Najd. The worship of Al-Lat was particularly ancient and almost certainly of South-Arabian origin; she may have been the prototype of the Greek semi-goddess Leto, one of the wives of Zeus and mother of Apollo and Artemis.”

Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir (perhaps based on Ibn Is-haq’s report), list a few other deities that were worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia:

One was Dhu al-Khalasah belonging to Daws, Khath`am, Bajeelah and the Tabaala Arabs. (It was also known as Ka`bah al-Yamaniyyah while the Makkan Ka`bah was known as Ka`bah al-Shaamiyyah). It was Jarir b. `Abdullah al-Bajali who was sent to destroy it. The Tayy’ tribe and those around the two Tayy’ mountains worshipped Fals. `Ali b. abi Talib was sent to destroy it. The people of Himyar and San`aa had their own deity called Riyaam. It is said that it housed a black dog. Rabi`ah tribe had a temple called Rudaa. As for Bakr and Taghlab (the two sons of Waa’il), they worshipped a deity called Dhu al-Ka`baat.

22. Yusuf Ali writes: “To show Allah in human shape, or imagine sons or daughters of Allah, as if Allah were flesh, was in any case a derogation from the supreme glory of Allah, high above all creatures, even if the human shapes were invested with great beauty and majesty as in the Greek Pantheon. But when we consider in what low opinion Pagan Arabia held the female sex, it was particularly degrading to show Allah, or so-called daughters of Allah, in female forms.

Asad adds: “In view of the contempt which the pagan Arabs felt for their female offspring … their attribution of ‘daughters” to God was particularly absurd and self-contradictory: for, quite apart from the blasphemous belief in God’s having ‘offspring’ of any kind, their ascribing to him what they themselves despised gave the lie to their alleged ‘reverence’ for Him whom they, too, regarded as the Supreme Being – a point which is stressed in the next sentence.”

23. That is, these are merely idols that you have carved and named them as deities. They have no real existence (Qurtubi, Alusi).

24. “An allusion to the pagan idea that those goddesses, as well as the angels, would act as ‘mediators’ between their worshippers and God: a wishful idea which lingers on even among adherents of higher religions in the guise of a veneration of saints and deified persons” (Asad).

Mawdudi adds: “In other words, the basic causes of their deviation are two: first that they do not feel any need for the knowledge of reality for the purpose of adopting a creed and religion, but make a supposition on the basis of a mere conjecture and then place belief in it as though it is the reality. Secondly, that they have, in fact, adopted this attitude in order to follow the lusts of their inner self. They desire that they should have such a deity as should help them attain their aims and objectives of this world; and if at all there is to be a hereafter, it should take the responsibility to have them granted forgiveness there too. But it should not impose any restriction of the lawful and the unlawful on them nor should bind them to any moral discipline. That is why they do not feel inclined to worship One God as taught by the Prophets, and only like to worship invented gods and goddesses.”

25. This is an implied reference to the fact that the mission that the Prophet had been entrusted with was not by his own choice, but rather, Allah’s own decision (Tabari).

Ibn Kathir adds: We have a hadith warning about what we yearn for. It is in Ahmed (declared trustworthy by Haythami: Sami). It says,

إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَنْظُرْ مَا يَتَمَنَّى فَإِنَّهُ لا يَدْرِي مَا يُكْتَبُ لَهُ مِنْ أُمْنِيَّتِهِ

The Prophet said, “When one of you desires (something), let him look into what he is desiring because he does not know what of his desires are being written down.”

(Munawi explained: That is, one might be careful about what one desires and supplicates for, lest he desires in his ignorance something that might not be good for him, but it is yet granted because the hour happened to be auspicious: Au.).

26. That is, if the punishment for taking gods other than the true Deity does not descend, then, it may not be assumed that this is the end of it all, but rather, there is another world which they cannot escape (Razi, in sum).