The Star — Verse 2

your companion Muhammad (s) may God bless him and grant him peace has neither gone astray from the path of guidance nor has he erred nor has he engaged in error al-ghayy is ignorance that results from a false belief;

أقسم الله تعالى بالنجوم إذا غابت، ما حاد محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم عن طريق الهداية والحق، وما خرج عن الرشاد، بل هو في غاية الاستقامة والاعتدال والسداد، وليس نطقه صادرًا عن هوى نفسه. ما القرآن وما السنة إلا وحي من الله إلى نبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.

هذا هو المقسم عليه وهو الشهادة للرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بأنه راشد تابع للحق ليس بضال: وهو الجاهل الذي يسلك على غير طريق بغير علم والغاوي هو العالم بالحق العادل عنه قصدا إلى غيره فنزه الله رسوله وشرعه عن مشابهة أهل الضلال كالنصارى وطرائق اليهود وهي علم الشيء وكتمانه والعمل بخلافه بل هو صلاة الله وسلامه عليه وما بعثه الله به من الشرع العظيم في غاية الاستقامة والاعتدال والسداد.

وقوله - سبحانه - : ( مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غوى وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الهوى ) . جواب القسم . و " ما " نافية . و " ضل " من الضلال ، والمراد به هنا : عدم الاهتداء إلى الحق ، وإلى الطريق المستقيم .و " غوى " من الغى ، وهو الجهل الناشىء من اعتقاد فاسد ، وهو ضد الرشد .

وقوله: ( مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ما حاد صاحبكم أيها الناس عن الحقّ ولا زال عنه, ولكنه على استقامة وسداد.ويعني بقوله ( وَمَا غَوَى ) : وما صار غويًّا, ولكنه رشيد سديد; يقال: غَوَيَ يَغْوي من الغيّ, وهو غاو, وغَوِيّ يَغْوَى من اللبن (2) إذا بَشِم. وقوله: ( مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ ) جواب قسم والنجم.---------------------الهوامش :(2) في ( اللسان : غوى ) : غوى بالفتح غيا ، وغوى ( بالكسر ) غواية الأخيرة عن أبي عبيدة : ضل . وفيه : غوى الفصيل والسخلة ، يغوى غوى ( مثل فرح ) : بشم من اللبن أ . هـ .

وجواب القسم : قوله : ( ما ضل صاحبكم ) يعني : محمدا - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ما ضل عن طريق الهدى ( وما غوى )

مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى (2(والهُوِيّ : السقوط ، أطلق هنا على غروب الكوكب ، استعير الهُوِيُّ إلى اقتراب اختفائه ويجوز أن يراد بالهوِيّ : سقوط الشهاب حين يلوح للناظر أنه يجري في أديم السماء ، فهو هويّ حقيقي فيكون قد استعمل في حقيقته ومجازه .وفي ذكر { إذا هوى } احتراس من أن يتوهم المشركون أن في القسم بالنجم إقراراً لعبادة نجم الشعرى ، وأن القسم به اعتراف بأنه إله إذ كان بعض قبائل العرب يعبدونها فإن حالة الغروب المعبر عنها بالهُوِيِّ حالة انخفاض ومغيب في تخيّل الرّائي لأنهم يعُدُّون طلوع النجم أوجاً لشرفه ويعدون غروبه حَضيضاً ، ولذلك قال الله تعالى : { فلما أفل قال لا أحب الآفلين } [ الأنعام : 76 ] .ومَن مناسبات هذا يجيء قوله : { وأنه هو رب الشعرى } في هذه السورة ( 49 ( ، وتلك اعتبارات لهم تخيلية شائعة بينهم فمن النافع موعظة الناس بذلك لأنه كاف في إقناعهم وصولاً إلى الحق .فيكون قوله : { إذا هوى } إشعاراً بأن النجوم كلها مسخرة لقدرة الله مسيّرة في نظام أوْجدها عليه ولا اختيار لها فليست أهلاً لأن تعبد فحصل المقصود من القسم بما فيها من الدلالة على القدرة الإِلهية مع الاحتراس عن اعتقاد عبادتها .

والمقسم عليه، تنزيه الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الضلال في علمه، والغي في قصده، ويلزم من ذلك أن يكون مهتديا في علمه، هاديا، حسن القصد، ناصحا للأمة بعكس ما عليه أهل الضلال من فساد العلم، وفساد القصد وقال { صَاحِبُكُمْ } لينبههم على ما يعرفونه منه، من الصدق والهداية، وأنه لا يخفى عليهم أمره .

قوله تعالى : ما ضل صاحبكم هذا جواب القسم ; أي ما ضل محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم عن [ ص: 79 ] الحق وما حاد عنه .وما غوى الغي ضد الرشد أي ما صار غاويا . وقيل : أي ما تكلم بالباطل . وقيل : أي ما خاب مما طلب والغي : الخيبة ; قال الشاعر :فمن يلق خيرا يحمد الناس أمره ومن يغو لا يعدم على الغي لائماأي من خاب في طلبه لامه الناس . ثم يجوز أن يكون هذا إخبارا عما بعد الوحي . ويجوز أن يكون إخبارا عن أحواله على التعميم ; أي كان أبدا موحدا لله . وهو الصحيح على ما بيناه في " الشورى " عند قوله : ما كنت تدري ما الكتاب ولا الإيمان .

The experience of the Prophet with the angels and his being taught the revelation have been explained in the above verses. For corroborating the reality of these events the statement of the Quran is enough. The Quran’s miraculous discourse proves that it is the Book of God. And every statement of that book which is established as God’s Book shall have to be accepted as authentic.

مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ (your companion [ the Holy Prophet ﷺ ] has neither missed the way, nor did he deviate. [ 53:2] Verse [ 1] was قَسَم qasam or oath and verse [ 2] is jawab-ul-qasam or the subject for which oath is sworn. The verse means that the path towards which the Holy Prophet ﷺ is calling the people is the perfectly straight path leading to the desired goal of Allah's good pleasure. He is following the right guidance and has not deviated from the path of righteousness. The Reason for Describing the Holy Prophet ﷺ as 'your companion' The Qur'an on this occasion, when referring to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، does not refer to him by his blessed name or refer to him as a Messenger or a Holy Prophet ﷺ . In fact, it refers to him as Sahibukum or "your companion". In this there seems to be a subtle rebuke to the pagans of Makkah, telling them in effect that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not an outsider, nor a stranger to them. He was their constant companion. He was born amongst them, he spent his childhood amongst them, and he grew up as a youth amongst them. He has lived among them a whole life-time, and they had always looked upon him as a paragon of honesty, integrity and truthfulness calling him اَمِین (The Honest One). But now - after his claim of Prophethood - they dare impute to him such a heinous sin as forging lies against Allah. A man who withheld himself from telling lies about men, how could he possibly forge lies against Allah? How inconsistent is their attitude?

(Your comrade erreth not) this is the reason why Allah made the above oath: your Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not lie about what he said to you, (nor is deceived) he is not wrong nor did he err in what he said;

your companion has neither gone astray nor has he erred,He said:That is, he never ever strayed from the reality of the divine oneness (ḥaqīqat al-tawḥīd), nor ever followed Satan under any circumstances.His words, Exalted is He:

Which was revealed in Makkah The First Surah in which a Prostration is revealed Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Surat An-Najm was the first Surah in which a prostration was revealed. The Prophet (recited it in Makkah) and prostrated. Those who were with him did the same, except an old man who took a handful of soil and prostrated on it. Later on, I saw him killed as a disbeliever; he was Umayyah bin Khalaf." Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith in several places of his Sahih, as did Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i, using various chains of narration through Abu Ishaq from `Abdullah. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah swears the Messenger ﷺ is True and His Words are a Revelation from Him Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ash-Sha`bi and others stated that the Creator swears by whatever He wills among His creation, but the created only vow by the Creator. Allah said, وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى (By the star when it goes down.) Ibn Abi Najih reported that Mujahid said, "The star refers to Pleiades when it sets at Fajr." Ad-Dahhak said "When the Shayatin are shot with it." And this Ayah is like Allah's saying; فَلاَ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَقِعِ النُّجُومِ - وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ - إِنَّهُ لَقُرْءَانٌ كَرِيمٌ - فِى كِتَـبٍ مَّكْنُونٍ - لاَّ يَمَسُّهُ إِلاَّ الْمُطَهَّرُونَ - تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (So, I swear by the setting of the stars. And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but know. That is indeed an honorable recitation. In a Book well-guarded. Which none can touch but the pure. A revelation from the Lord of all that exists.)(56:75-80) Allah said; مَا ضَلَّ صَـحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى (Your companion has neither gone astray nor has erred.) This contains the subject of the oath. This part of the Ayah is the witness that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is sane and a follower of Truth. He is neither led astray, such as in the case of the ignorant who does not proceed on any path with knowledge, nor is he one who erred, such as in the case of the knowledgeable, who knows the Truth, yet deviates from it intentionally to something else. Therefore, Allah exonerated His Messenger and his Message from being similar to the misguided ways of the Christians and the erroneous paths of the Jews, such as knowing the Truth and hiding it, while abiding by falsehood. Rather, he, may Allah's peace and blessings be on him, and his glorious Message that Allah has sent him with, are on the perfect straight path, following guidance and what is correct. Muhammad ﷺ was sent as a Mercy for all that exists; He does not speak of His Desire Allah said, وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى (Nor does he speak of desire), asserting that nothing the Prophet utters is of his own desire or wish, إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ وَحْىٌ يُوحَى (It is only a revelation revealed.), means, he only conveys to the people what he was commanded to convey, in its entirety without additions or deletions. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Umamah said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, «لَيَدْخُلَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ بِشَفَاعَةِ رَجُلٍ لَيْسَ بِنَبِيَ مِثْلُ الْحَيَّيْنِ أَوْ مِثْلُ أَحَدِ الْحَيَّيْنِ رَبِيعَةَ وَمُضَر» (Verily, numbers similar to the two tribes, or one of them, Rabi`ah and Mudar, will enter Paradise on account of the intercession of one man, who is not a Prophet.) A man asked, "O Allah's Messenger! Is not Rabi`ah a subtribe of Mudar." The Prophet said, «إِنَّمَا أَقُولُ مَا أَقُول» (I said what I said.) Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said, "I used to record everything I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ so it would be preserved. The Quraysh discouraged me from this, saying, `You record everything you hear from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, even though he is human and sometimes speaks when he is angry' I stopped recording the Hadiths for a while, but later mentioned what they said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, «اكْتُبْ، فَوَ الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا خَرَجَ مِنِّي إِلَّا الْحَق» (Write! By He in Whose Hand is my soul, every word that comes out of me is the Truth.)" Abu Dawud also collected this Hadith.