Surah Al-Qamar 54:1-22 - Quran Translation Commentary

2. Bukhari, Muslim and others have a narration on the authority of Sahl who said:

“Signaling with his middle and index finger, the Prophet said, ‘I have been raised in relations to the Hour, like this,’” (i.e., he and the Hour are that close).

Another report, as in Ahmad and the Sahihayn, has the Prophet saying,

“I have been sent with the Hour, like this,” – he closed together his middle and index figures.

A third hadith is from Muslim and Ahmad. It says,

Once `Utban b. Ghazwan delivered a sermon - sometimes saying, ‘the Prophet addressed us,’ - praising Allah and then saying, “Indeed, the world has announced its retreat and quick return. Not much has been left of it, except like the drops remaining in an emptied water-bottle, that its owner tries to squeeze (because of his thirst). Surely, you will be transported from here into a world that will not suffer any decline. Therefore, move out with the best of what you have; for, we have been told that a rock will be hurled into Jahannum that will keep falling for seventy years without reaching the bottom. However, it will be, by Allah, filled. Are you amazed? We have been told that the distance between the two posts of the gate to the Heaven will be of distance covered in forty years. Yet, a day will come on it when it will be jammed because of the heavy traffic” (Ibn Kathir).

3. There are several reports [of mutawatir status: Alusi, Sayyid] that confirm that the splitting of the moon took place at Makkah (some five years before hijrah: Alusi).

Yes, some of the narrators were too young to have witnessed the split, in fact, Ibn `Abbas was not yet born, but there were others who witnessed, like Ibn Mas`ud. As for those who were then not present, of course they were reporting those who were personal witnesses (Alusi).

Bukhari’s report tells us that Ibn Mas`ud said,

“Five signs have already been: the Smoke, Al-Lizam (destruction of the Quraysh), Romans, the Seizing (on the day of Badr) and the moon.”

According to another narrative in Muslim,

“The Makkans demanded that the Prophet show them a miracle. So he showed them the splitting of the moon, twice.”

(That is, although the splitting took place once, Ibn Mas`ud saw it twice: having taken off the eyes, and then returning his gaze. Ibn Mas`ud seemed to be simply emphasizing that it did happen: Ibn Hajr).

Another report has been preserved by Ahmad. It says,

“The moon split into two during the time of the Prophet. One half fell on this mountain, while the other on that mountain. They said, ‘Muhammad has cast a spell on us.’ But some others said, ‘Had he cast a spell on us, he could not have cast a spell on all people.’” (I.e., let us ask the country dwellers, travelers, and others whether they noticed any such thing: Au.).

Ibn `Abbas also reports this incident. He said, as in Bukhari,

“The moon split during the time of the Prophet.”

The incident has been reported in different words also, as in Bukhari:

Said ibn Mas`ud, “As we were sitting with the Prophet in Mina, the moon split into two. One went down behind the mountain, while the other on the other side. The Prophet said, ‘Be witnesses.’”

Bayhaqi and Abu Da’ud Tayalisi report through their chains the following, (herewith the version as in Ibn Hajr’s Fath: Au.),

Abu al-Dhuha reported, “The moon split during the time of the Prophet. Thereupon the Makkan Quraysh said, ‘This is no more than a spell cast by Ibn Abi Kabsha. So wait for your travelers. If they say they too saw what you have seen, then he has been truthful.’ Thereafter, none came in but informed them about it.”

Other than the above, several collections report several ahadith through a variety of narrators to confirm sighting of the moon when it split (Kashshaf [without sources], Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). All the above, and more, are documented by Ibn Jarir, but we chose to present only those that Ibn Kathir presented, because he traced them to the source books.

Sayyid points to an aspect missed by others: The miracle was more to honor the Prophet than to convince the Makkan population. The Makkans were asking for a miracle - of some sort. In reply to their persistent demands however, the Qur’an always suggested that they look around their world to discover as many miracles as they wished. The world was full of miracles. On this particular occasion, perhaps it just happened that the Prophet, some of his followers, and perhaps a few Makkans, happened to be in Mina when the moon split (Reworded).

Some people have suggested that the verse is announcing a future event. That is, it is going to happen sometime in future; perhaps near the end of the world. But neither the verse itself, nor the next one allow for such an interpretation (Kashshaf, Razi, Qurtubi and others).

Some people doubt the event on grounds that had a split occurred people from all parts of the world would have reported it. One cannot be more imbecile than this. Can he not see that every `Eid Muslims differ over the sighting of the moon? A small number of people in a particular area assert that they saw the new moon, while others of another area, no more than 25km away, are pretty sure they saw no sign of it. This happens every year. (In fact, sometimes they sight the moon in Bahrain but not in Saudia at a distance of 20 km: Au.). Moreover, a miracle is a miracle. If Allah wills, he can blind the sights of whomsoever He will (Au.).

All said, Sayyid points out that the moon is by itself a great miracle and a sign of Allah - greater than its splitting. It is still there in the heavens, in all its glory, before any eye seeking a sign.

4. Mujahid, Qatadah and others understood the textual “mustamirr” as meaning (not continuous but) “a passing” (event) – Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir. Yet others thought it means “a powerful (feat of magic)” – Ibn Jarir.

5. That is, evil and virtue both have their final destinations: evil has its destination to which it will take its perpetrators, as virtue has its destination to which it will lead its practitioners. This is how Qatadah explained the verse (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Eventually, every affair has to end somewhere or the other, so, let the unbelievers wait and see how the affair of Muhammad ends. It is then that they will know whether it is the truth that he has brought or evil (Kashshaf, Alusi).

Asad quotes from Arabic commentaries: “I.e., everything has an intrinsic reality (haqiqah) of its own, and is bound to reveal that reality either in this world or in the next (Baghawi on the authority of Al-Kalbi); hence, everything must have a purpose or ‘goal’ of its own (Zamakhshari). These two – mutually complimentary – interpretations reflect the repeated Qur’anic statement that everything that exists or happens has a meaning and a purpose.. In the present context, the phrase relates both to the truth referred to in the preceding verses and to its rejection by those who are ‘wont to follow [but] their own desires.’”

6. In the Qur’an (Alusi).

7. That is, apart from being a deterrent, the tiding contains a far-reaching wisdom also.

8. That is, leave them alone and do not dispute with them anymore (Razi).

9. This is how “muhti`” should be interpreted, as explained by Qurtubi.

10. That is, the waters of the earth and the waters of the heavens (Alusi), or perhaps, waters of the land and waters of the sea met. In addition, there could have been a Tsunami in the Gulf, or a large meteorite crashing into the waters (Au.).

11. “Dusur” has been explained in a few other ways also (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Other possible meanings are, “the front (bow, as against the stern, the rear) part of a ship which faces the waves as it advances” or, the caulking material that is used for filling joints (Qurtubi and others).

12. One possible meaning is that “it” refers to the boat in the generic sense (Ibn Kathir). That is, there being no boats earlier, this first one and those that followed became a sign of Allah’s power who sets them afloat by His will (Au.).

However, Bukhari has a comment by Qatadah (not a Companion) that Allah preserved the boat until the firsts of this Ummah had seen it (Ibn Kathir and others).

Ibn Hajr reports through other routes that it was found in Jazirah (Tigris and Euphrate’s basin in Iraq) on a Mount called Judiyy. Some Western explorers claim that the remnants of the boat are still there on Mount Judiyy in Turkey. But the photographs they have brought are far from convincing. In fact, there is no boat there, but a boat shaped area, sunk by perhaps 2-3 meters, visible from the air on the Mount (Au.).

13. This is how Ibn Zayd and Sufyan understood the word “muddakir” (Ibn Jarir).

14. Yet another possible connotation of the word “muddakir”, as suggested by Qatadah and Matar is, “someone who can be helped on.” That is, the Qur’an has been made easy, so is there anyone seeking the truth so that “he could be helped on” (Ibn Jarir). In other words, is there anyone putting an effort so that things could be made easy for him. This is how Bukhari understood it (Ibn Kathir).

Some people, especially those educated on Western lines, full of confidence that the modern man is the smartest of the human beings that ever appeared (which disqualifies them from a true understanding of the Qur’an), believe that the Qur’an can be understood by any one, implying, they have the right to interpret it. The Qur’an has been made easy, yes. But in what sense? It is in the sense of obtaining admonition. Or, as some of the Salaf have thought, “it has been made easy for memorization.” But, if someone wishes to understand it in the fullest sense, with the license to work out the Law, then there is no recourse but to gain mastery over a few related disciplines such as: Arabic language, the context of revelation, the Sunnah, interpretation of the Salaf, logic, objectivity, etc., coupled with a high degree of piety (Au.).

15. Ibn `Abbas, Dahhak and Sufyan said that “sarir” is for an extremely cold wind, while Ibn Zayd said it is for a stormy wind (Ibn Jarir).

16. The days remained ominous throughout the days of destruction. Further, if the days were inauspicious, it was from their point of view. It is they who believed in some days being – as many pagan cultures still believe – inauspicious and ominous. Otherwise, there could have been nothing inauspicious about any day since all the days of the week were involved: seven days and eight nights. (Alusi has a detailed discussion). The Prophet also drew omen, but good omen alone, entirely disregarding any evil omen (Au.).

17. The winds would lift a man high up into the air, and then bang him against the ground head on, so that the head would be severed off, his torso lying there headless, like a trunk of palm-tree (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).