Overview - Surah 53: an-Najm (The Star )
The Surah talks about the eminence of the Prophet (saw) with his Mi'raj and closeness to Allah. It warns the disbelievers about the errors of their attitude towards the Qur'an and the Prophet of Allah. Some of their wrong beliefs in the angels as daughters of God, intercession of the angels etc. are also mentioned.
Sections:
- The Mi'raj experience of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Gods or goddesses of the non-believers are mere conjectures and names without any reality.
- The angels are the servants of Allah. No intercession can work against Allah. Allah is most forgiving, but He requires righteousness.
- Those who deny the truth they are standing against the power and majesty of Allah.
This Surah takes its name from the first Ayat, وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ "By the star when it descends," (53:1).
There are 62 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 62 |
| Total Words * | 360 |
| Root Words * | 129 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 23rd (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 5th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
| |
| Events during/after still to occur*
2nd Migration to Abyssinia,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3,Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
| |
| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa
| |
| Surah Index
‘Aad, Abraham, Adversity (not burdened with another’s burden) , God (causes laughter and crying) , God (false daughters of) , God (false daughters of) (by name), God (grants life and death) , Angels, Angels (false claim that they are female) , Astronomy (Sirius (Alpha Canis Major)) , Behaviour (avoid grave sins and shameful deeds) , Behaviour (don’t consider yourself pure) , Children (baby daughters wrongly thought an evil sign) , Goddesses of the pagan Arabs, Goddesses of the pagan Arabs (names of) , Goddesses of the pagan Arabs (nature of) , Humankind (creation of) (from a drop of sperm), Humankind (creation of) (from earth), Lote tree, Moses, Muhammad (mystical ascension) , Noah, Prayer (prostration) , Pregnancy, Resurrection (of humans) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation (nature of delivery) , Thamud
| |
The theme of the discourse is to warn the disbelievers of Makkah about the error of the attitude that they had adopted towards the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad. The discourse starts in a way as if to say: “Muhammad is neither deluded nor gone astray, as you are telling others in your propaganda against him, nor has he fabricated this teaching of Islam and its message, as you seem to think he has. In fact, whatever he is presenting is nothing but Revelation which is sent down to him. The belief that he presents before you, are not the product of his own assumtions and speculation but realities of which he himself is an eye witness. He has himself seen the Angel through whom this knowledge is conveyed to him. He has been directly made to observe the great Signs of his Lord: whatever he says is not what he has himself thought out but what he has seen with his own eyes. Therefore, your disputing and wrangling with him is just like the disputing and wrangling of a blind man with a man of sight over a thing which the blind man cannot see but he can see.”
After this, three things have been presented in their successive order: First, the listeners have been made to understand that: “The religion that you are following is based on mere conjecture and invented ideas. You have set up a few goddesses like Lat and Manat and Uzza as your deities, whereas they have no share whatever in divinity. You regard the angels as the daughters of God, whereas you regard a daughter as disgraceful for your own selves. You think that these deities of yours can influence God in your favour, whereas the fact is that all the angels together, who are stationed closest to God, cannot influence Him even in their own favour. None of such beliefs that you have adopted, is based on knowledge and reason, but are wishes and desires for the sake of which you have taken some whims as realities. This is a grave error. The right and true religion is that which is in conformity to the reality, and the reality is never subject to the people’s wishes and desires so that whatever they may regard as a reality and truth should become the reality and truth. Speculation and conjecture cannot help to determine as to what is according to the truth and what is not; it is knowledge. When that knowledge is presented before you, you turn away from it, and brand the one who tells you the truth as misguided. The actual cause of your being involved in this error is that you are heedless of the Hereafter. Only this world is your goal. Therefore, you have neither any desire for the knowledge of reality, nor do you bother to see whether the beliefs you hold are according to the truth or not.
Secondly, the people have been told that: God is the Master and Sovereign of the entire Universe. The righteous is he who follows His way, and the misguided he who has turned away from His way. The error of the misguided and the righteousness of the righteous are not hidden from Him. He knows whatever everyone is doing: He will retaliate the evil with evil and the good with good. The final judgment will not depend on what you consider yourself to be, and on tall claims you make of your purity and chastity but on whether you are pious or impious, righteous or unrighteous, in the sight of God. If you refrain from major sins, He in His mercy will overlook your minor errors.”
Thirdly, a few basic principles of the true Religion which had been presented hundreds of years before the revelation of the Qur’an in the Books of the Prophets Abraham and Moses have been reiterated so that the people did not remain involved in the misunderstanding that the Prophet Muhammad had brought some new and novel religion, but they should know that these are the fundamental truths which the former Prophets of God have always been presenting in their respective ages. Besides, the same Books have been quoted to confirm the historical facts that the destruction of the ‘Aad and the Thamud and of the people of the Prophets Noah and Lot was not the result of accidental calamities, but God has destroyed them in consequence of the same wickedness and rebellion from which the disbelievers of Makkah were not inclined to refrain and desist in any case. After presenting these themes and discourses the Surah has been concluded, thus: “The Hour of Judgment has approached near at hand, which no one can avert. Before the occurrence of that Hour you are being warned through Muhammad and the Qur’an in the like manner as the former people had been warned before. Now, is it this warning that you find novel and strange? Which you mock and ridicule? Which you turn away from and cause disorder so that no one else also is able to hear what it is? Don’t you feel like weeping at your folly and ignorance? Abandon this attitude and behaviour, bow down to God and serve Him alone!”
This was that impressive conclusion hearing which even the most hardened deniers of the Truth were completely overwhelmed, and when after reciting these verses of Divine Word the Messenger of God fell down in prostration, they too could not help falling down in prostration along with him.
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ "By the star when it descends," (53:1).
فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّـهِ وَاعْبُدُوا "So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him]." (53:62)
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
- The last Ayat of Surah at-Tur [the previous Surah] mentions 'an-Najm' [The Stars]. This Surah is called Surah an-Najm [The Stars].
- Allah Almighty describes the Qur'an as 'Hadeeth' in both Surah at-Tur and Surah an-Najm:
فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِّثْلِهِ إِن كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ "Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful." (52:34)
أَفَمِنْ هَـٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ "Then at this statement do you wonder?" (53:59) - This Surah, an-Najm [The Star], and the following Surah, al-Qamar [The Moon] both are named after heavenly bodies.
- According to Abdullah ibn Masood this is the first Surah revealed which had an Ayat of prostration.
حَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو أَحْمَدَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَوَّلُ سُورَةٍ أُنْزِلَتْ فِيهَا سَجْدَةٌ {وَالنَّجْمِ}. قَالَ فَسَجَدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَسَجَدَ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ، إِلاَّ رَجُلاً رَأَيْتُهُ أَخَذَ كَفًّا مِنْ تُرَابٍ فَسَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ، فَرَأَيْتُهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ قُتِلَ كَافِرًا، وَهْوَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍNarrated `Abdullah, "The first Sura in which a prostration was mentioned, was Sura An-Najm (The Star). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prostrated (while reciting it), and everybody behind him prostrated except a man whom I saw taking a hand-full of dust in his hand and prostrated on it. Later I saw that man killed as an infidel, and he was Umaiya bin Khalaf." Bukhari no. 4863
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = * | ||
According to a hadith related by Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud, this is the first Surah in which a verse requiring the performance of a prostration (sajdah) was sent down. The parts of this hadith which have been reported by Aswad bin Yazid, Abu Ishaq and Zubair bin Mu’awiyah from Ibn Mas’ud, indicate that this is the first Surah of the Qur’an, which the Prophet had publicly recited before an assembly of the Quraysh (and according to Ibn Marduyah, in the Ka’bah) in which both the believers and the disbelievers were present. At the end, when he recited the verse requiring the performance of a sajdah and fell down in prostration, the whole assembly also fall down in prostration with him. Even those chiefs of the polytheists who were in the forefront of the opposition to the Prophet could not resist falling down in prostration. Ibn Mas’ud says that he saw only one man, Umayyah bin Khalaf, from among the disbelievers, who did not fall down in prostration but took a little dust and rubbing it on his forehead said that that was enough for him. Later, as Ibn Mas’ud relates, he saw this man being killed in the state of disbelief.
Another eye witness of this incident is Muttalib bin Abi Wada’ah, who had not yet become a Muslim. Nasai and Musnad Ahmad contain his own words to the effect: “When the Prophet recited the Surah An-Najm and performed the sajdah and the whole assembly fell down in prostration along with him, I did not perform the sajdah. Now to compensate for the same whenever I recite this Surah I make sure never to abandon its performance.”
Ibn Sad says that before this, in the Rajab of the 5th year of Prophethood, a small group of the Companions had emigrated to Abyssinia. Then, when in the Ramadan of the same year this incident took place the news spread that the Prophet had recited Surah 53: an-Najm (The Star) publicly in the assembly of the Quraysh and the whole assembly, including the believers as well as the disbelievers, had fallen down in prostration with him. When the emigrants to Abyssinia heard this news they formed the impression that the disbelievers of Makkah had become Muslims. Thereupon, some of them returned to Makkah in the Shawwal of the 5th year of Prophethood, only to learn that the news was wrong and the conflict between Islam and disbelief was raging as furiously as before. Consequently, the second emigration to Abyssinia took place, in which many more people left Makkah. Thus, it becomes almost certain that this Surah was revealed in the Ramadan of the 5th year of Prophethood.
- حَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو أَحْمَدَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَوَّلُ سُورَةٍ أُنْزِلَتْ فِيهَا سَجْدَةٌ {وَالنَّجْمِ}. قَالَ فَسَجَدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَسَجَدَ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ، إِلاَّ رَجُلاً رَأَيْتُهُ أَخَذَ كَفًّا مِنْ تُرَابٍ فَسَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ، فَرَأَيْتُهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ قُتِلَ كَافِرًا، وَهْوَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ
Narrated `Abdullah, "The first Sura in which a prostration was mentioned, was Sura An-Najm (The Star). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prostrated (while reciting it), and everybody behind him prostrated except a man whom I saw taking a hand-full of dust in his hand and prostrated on it. Later I saw that man killed as an infidel, and he was Umaiya bin Khalaf." Bukhari no. 4863
- Scene of the 1st. Revelation, brought by angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
- Allah gave Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) a tour of the heavens, paradise and other great signs.
- Lat, Uzza and Manat (goddesses of Arabs) are nothing but names in vented by pagan Arabs.
- Angels have no share in divinity, nor they can even intercede without the permission of Allah.
- Do not claim piety for yourselves, Allah knows who is Godfearing and pious.
- No soul shall bear the burden of another, there shall be nothing for a person except what he strived for.
Tafsir Zone
|
Overview (Verses 19 - 28) Claiming Divinity for Idols Such is the irrefutable truth in which Muhammad (peace be upon him) called them to believe. What basis, then, do they have for their worship and superstitions of alleged deities? How can they justify their worship of al-Lat, al- Uzza and Manat? How can they prove their dubious claims that these were angels, and that the angels were God's daughters, or that they can intercede with God on people's behalf? Do they have anything to support these claims? Have you considered al-Lat and al- 'Uzza, and Manat, the third other? Are you to have the male and He the female? That would then be an unfair division. These are nothing but names which you have invented—you and your forefathers — for which God has given no authority. They [who disbelieve] follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls, even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them. Is man to have all that he may wish for, when both the lift to come and this present lift belong to God alone? Numerous are the angels in the heavens, yet their intercession will avail nothing until God has given leave to whomever He wills and with whom He is pleased Those who do not believe in the lift to come give the angels female names. Yet of this they have no knowledge. They follow nothing but surmise, but surmise can never take the place of truth. (Verses 19-28) Al-Lat was a carved white rock, enclosed within a building covered with curtains, and with attendants serving it. Surrounding the building was a courtyard that the tribe of Thaqif living in Taif, as well as tribes in the surrounding area, venerated. They were considered exceptionally honoured among Arab tribes, not however surpassing the Quraysh, for having it in their hometown. Needless to say, the Quraysh had the greater honour of having the Ka 'bah, built by Abraham, in their city. It is thought that the name al-Lat was considered as being the feminine form of God's Arabic name, Allah. Al- (Una was a tree around which a building was built and with curtains raised. It was at Nakhlah, between Makkah and Tall The Quraysh in particular used to venerate al- 'Uzza. After the Battle of Uhud, the Quraysh leader stood boasting, 'We have al- 'Uzza, but you have no 'Uzza', but the Prophet instructed his Companions to reply by saying: "God is our protecting Master, but you have no master to protect you." It is thought that the name al- 'Uzza was the feminine form of God's name, al-`Aziz, meaning the Almighty. Maria was stationed at a place called al-Mushallal in Qadid, between Makkah and Madinah. The tribes of Khuza (ah, al-Aws and al-Khazraj used to venerate it in their pre-Islamic days, and used to start their pilgrimage from there. There were many other idols venerated by different tribes, but these three were the major ones. It is thought that these idols were symbols representing angels whom the Arabs considered to be female and who they also claimed to be God's daughters. Hence, why they were originally worshipped. What happens in such cases is that the original idea is lost and the symbol becomes, for the majority of people, the thing to be worshipped. Only a handful of knowledgeable people continue to remember the original legend. God mentions these three worshipped objects, implying in the very question He asks that to worship such things is indeed singular: "Have you considered al-Lat and al-(Uzza, and Manat, the third other?"(Verses 19-20) Such singularity is clearly highlighted in His starting the question with, `have you considered, and in describing Manat as 'the third other'. After this initial question, He then adds that their other claim that He had daughters while they had sons was even more singular: "Are you to have the male and He the female? That would then be an unfair division." (Verses 21-22) This suggests that these worshipped objects related to the legend that the angels were females, begotten by God — far more exalted is God above all such false claims. This confirms what we have said about those Arabs: they hated that they should beget females, but were not ashamed to make the angels, about whom they knew nothing, females and to allege that they were God's offspring. God questions them here on the basis of their own concepts, ridiculing these and whoever upholds them: "Are you to have the male and He the female?" Such a division you make between yourselves and God is most unfair! The whole thing is based on illusion. It has no basis in human knowledge or in reality. No evidence or argument can be given in support of such claims: "These are nothing but names which you have invented— you and your forefathers —for which God has given no authority. They [who disbelieve] follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls, even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them." (Verse 23) These names, al-1.1t, al- (Uzza, Maria, and all others like them, which are called deities, angels, female and God's daughters, are false and cannot be substantiated. God has given you no evidence in support of such claims. What God does not sanction is certainly false and insupportable. It carries no weight. This address to the unbelievers ends in the middle of the verse. The surah turns away from them as if they were not even there. Indeed, it speaks of them in the third person: "They follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls." (Verse 23) They lack argument, fact and certainty. They base their beliefs on surmise, and turn to their whims for evidence. Faith, however, cannot be based on either surmise or whim. True faith must be based on certainty and irrefutable evidence, without reference to whim or desire. The unbelievers had no excuse to justify their following whim and surmise: "Even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them." (Verse 23) When the deciding factor is one's own whim and desire, nothing can be right, and no guidance is of any use. The problem is not the absence of truth or evidence supporting it; the problem is a powerful desire that wants certain things, seeking justification for what it wants. This is the worst situation man can find himself in, because then no guidance is of any benefit and no proof is convincing. Hence the surah disapprovingly asks: "Is man to have all that he may wish for?" (Verse 24) Will everything man wishes come true, have reality? Things are not like that. Truth and reality are different from wishful thinking, which cannot change facts. The fact is that man errs when he follows his own desires. He is too weak to change the nature of things. Everything in this life and the next belongs to God who accomplishes whatever He wills in both worlds: "Both the lift to come and this present lift belong to God alone." (Verse 25) We note here that the life to come is mentioned first, ahead of the present life, in order to maintain the rhyme. However, this gives an intended connotation, signifying that the life to come is more important. This is normal in the Qur'an, where the meaning fits well with the beat and the rhyme, allowing neither aspect to overshadow the other. This applies to everything of God's making throughout the universe, where beauty is maintained in harmony with the fulfilment of the function. Since everything belongs to God in both this world and the life to come, there can be no basis for the unbelievers' conjectures that their false deities can intercede with God on their behalf. They used to say: "We worship them for no reason other than that they would bring us nearer to God." (39: 3) Such conjecture is baseless. None of the angels in heaven can intercede with God except when God grants them permission to do so: "Numerous are the angels in the heavens, yet their intercession will avail nothing until God has given leave to whomever He wills and with whom He is pleased." (Verse 26) Having been proved in the previous verses to be false, their claims now fall apart. All fallacy and doubt is now removed from faith. Everything in this world and the following one belongs to God. Whims and desires cannot change reality. Intercession can only be accepted by God's leave. The final judgement is His alone. At the end of this section, a final discussion is given of the unbelievers' false concepts about the angels, showing them to be baseless: "Those who do not believe in the life to come give the angels female names. Yet of this they have no knowledge. They follow nothing but surmise, but surmise can never take the place of truth." (Verses 27-28) This final comment implicitly refers to the link between al-Lat, al- (Uzza and Manat and the legend that makes angels female and that further alleges that they belong to God. This whole legend lacks all foundation. The unbelievers had no means whatsoever to learn anything true about the nature of the angels. As for the angels being God's offspring, this is a fallacy, ingrained in their false surmise, which can never be a substitute for the truth. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
|
|
Overview (Verses 19 - 28) Claiming Divinity for Idols Such is the irrefutable truth in which Muhammad (peace be upon him) called them to believe. What basis, then, do they have for their worship and superstitions of alleged deities? How can they justify their worship of al-Lat, al- Uzza and Manat? How can they prove their dubious claims that these were angels, and that the angels were God's daughters, or that they can intercede with God on people's behalf? Do they have anything to support these claims? Have you considered al-Lat and al- 'Uzza, and Manat, the third other? Are you to have the male and He the female? That would then be an unfair division. These are nothing but names which you have invented—you and your forefathers — for which God has given no authority. They [who disbelieve] follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls, even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them. Is man to have all that he may wish for, when both the lift to come and this present lift belong to God alone? Numerous are the angels in the heavens, yet their intercession will avail nothing until God has given leave to whomever He wills and with whom He is pleased Those who do not believe in the lift to come give the angels female names. Yet of this they have no knowledge. They follow nothing but surmise, but surmise can never take the place of truth. (Verses 19-28) Al-Lat was a carved white rock, enclosed within a building covered with curtains, and with attendants serving it. Surrounding the building was a courtyard that the tribe of Thaqif living in Taif, as well as tribes in the surrounding area, venerated. They were considered exceptionally honoured among Arab tribes, not however surpassing the Quraysh, for having it in their hometown. Needless to say, the Quraysh had the greater honour of having the Ka 'bah, built by Abraham, in their city. It is thought that the name al-Lat was considered as being the feminine form of God's Arabic name, Allah. Al- (Una was a tree around which a building was built and with curtains raised. It was at Nakhlah, between Makkah and Tall The Quraysh in particular used to venerate al- 'Uzza. After the Battle of Uhud, the Quraysh leader stood boasting, 'We have al- 'Uzza, but you have no 'Uzza', but the Prophet instructed his Companions to reply by saying: "God is our protecting Master, but you have no master to protect you." It is thought that the name al- 'Uzza was the feminine form of God's name, al-`Aziz, meaning the Almighty. Maria was stationed at a place called al-Mushallal in Qadid, between Makkah and Madinah. The tribes of Khuza (ah, al-Aws and al-Khazraj used to venerate it in their pre-Islamic days, and used to start their pilgrimage from there. There were many other idols venerated by different tribes, but these three were the major ones. It is thought that these idols were symbols representing angels whom the Arabs considered to be female and who they also claimed to be God's daughters. Hence, why they were originally worshipped. What happens in such cases is that the original idea is lost and the symbol becomes, for the majority of people, the thing to be worshipped. Only a handful of knowledgeable people continue to remember the original legend. God mentions these three worshipped objects, implying in the very question He asks that to worship such things is indeed singular: "Have you considered al-Lat and al-(Uzza, and Manat, the third other?"(Verses 19-20) Such singularity is clearly highlighted in His starting the question with, `have you considered, and in describing Manat as 'the third other'. After this initial question, He then adds that their other claim that He had daughters while they had sons was even more singular: "Are you to have the male and He the female? That would then be an unfair division." (Verses 21-22) This suggests that these worshipped objects related to the legend that the angels were females, begotten by God — far more exalted is God above all such false claims. This confirms what we have said about those Arabs: they hated that they should beget females, but were not ashamed to make the angels, about whom they knew nothing, females and to allege that they were God's offspring. God questions them here on the basis of their own concepts, ridiculing these and whoever upholds them: "Are you to have the male and He the female?" Such a division you make between yourselves and God is most unfair! The whole thing is based on illusion. It has no basis in human knowledge or in reality. No evidence or argument can be given in support of such claims: "These are nothing but names which you have invented— you and your forefathers —for which God has given no authority. They [who disbelieve] follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls, even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them." (Verse 23) These names, al-1.1t, al- (Uzza, Maria, and all others like them, which are called deities, angels, female and God's daughters, are false and cannot be substantiated. God has given you no evidence in support of such claims. What God does not sanction is certainly false and insupportable. It carries no weight. This address to the unbelievers ends in the middle of the verse. The surah turns away from them as if they were not even there. Indeed, it speaks of them in the third person: "They follow nothing but surmise and the whims of their own souls." (Verse 23) They lack argument, fact and certainty. They base their beliefs on surmise, and turn to their whims for evidence. Faith, however, cannot be based on either surmise or whim. True faith must be based on certainty and irrefutable evidence, without reference to whim or desire. The unbelievers had no excuse to justify their following whim and surmise: "Even though right guidance from their Lord has now come to them." (Verse 23) When the deciding factor is one's own whim and desire, nothing can be right, and no guidance is of any use. The problem is not the absence of truth or evidence supporting it; the problem is a powerful desire that wants certain things, seeking justification for what it wants. This is the worst situation man can find himself in, because then no guidance is of any benefit and no proof is convincing. Hence the surah disapprovingly asks: "Is man to have all that he may wish for?" (Verse 24) Will everything man wishes come true, have reality? Things are not like that. Truth and reality are different from wishful thinking, which cannot change facts. The fact is that man errs when he follows his own desires. He is too weak to change the nature of things. Everything in this life and the next belongs to God who accomplishes whatever He wills in both worlds: "Both the lift to come and this present lift belong to God alone." (Verse 25) We note here that the life to come is mentioned first, ahead of the present life, in order to maintain the rhyme. However, this gives an intended connotation, signifying that the life to come is more important. This is normal in the Qur'an, where the meaning fits well with the beat and the rhyme, allowing neither aspect to overshadow the other. This applies to everything of God's making throughout the universe, where beauty is maintained in harmony with the fulfilment of the function. Since everything belongs to God in both this world and the life to come, there can be no basis for the unbelievers' conjectures that their false deities can intercede with God on their behalf. They used to say: "We worship them for no reason other than that they would bring us nearer to God." (39: 3) Such conjecture is baseless. None of the angels in heaven can intercede with God except when God grants them permission to do so: "Numerous are the angels in the heavens, yet their intercession will avail nothing until God has given leave to whomever He wills and with whom He is pleased." (Verse 26) Having been proved in the previous verses to be false, their claims now fall apart. All fallacy and doubt is now removed from faith. Everything in this world and the following one belongs to God. Whims and desires cannot change reality. Intercession can only be accepted by God's leave. The final judgement is His alone. At the end of this section, a final discussion is given of the unbelievers' false concepts about the angels, showing them to be baseless: "Those who do not believe in the life to come give the angels female names. Yet of this they have no knowledge. They follow nothing but surmise, but surmise can never take the place of truth." (Verses 27-28) This final comment implicitly refers to the link between al-Lat, al- (Uzza and Manat and the legend that makes angels female and that further alleges that they belong to God. This whole legend lacks all foundation. The unbelievers had no means whatsoever to learn anything true about the nature of the angels. As for the angels being God's offspring, this is a fallacy, ingrained in their false surmise, which can never be a substitute for the truth. |
- Surah 53. An-Najm - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m89xgdiLQxw&index=53&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN
- Surah 53. An-Najm Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyEdWPDW8k&index=53&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 53. An-Najm Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ju-6dmxa8&index=53&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah An-Najm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDkFm1yws6M
- Surah 53. An-Najm Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQDj2tIbPB4&index=53&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
