The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 212
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 212 Prophet sa ever follow the course of hypocrisy and compromise? The Qur’ān clearly states: Meaning, “They wish that thou shouldst be pliant so that they may also be pliant (so that apparently both parties may be reconciled in their opposite beliefs). ” 1 In regards to a man of this disposition, can one make the declaration that he abandoned the unity of God whilst following the course of polytheism? Albeit, there is one possible explanation and as ‘ Allāmah Qasṭalānī and Zarqānī have written and many research scholars have concurred, perhaps this explanation is correct. According to the narration in Bukhārī, when the Holy Prophet sa recited the verses of chapter An-Najm in the courtyard of the Ka‘bah, it is possible that someone from among the ringleaders of the Quraish included the phrase, ٰ تِلك َ الْغَرَانِیْق ُ الْعُلی in harmony with the voice of the Holy Prophet sa , by which some people fell to the misunderstanding that perhaps it was the Holy Prophet sa who said these words. For it is proven that during the recitation of the Holy Qur’ān, it was the practice of the Quraish to make noise, so as to erase the effect of it. The Holy Qur’ān has also mentioned their words as follows: Meaning, the Quraish would say, “When the Qur’ān is recited before you, cause confusion by making noise. Perhaps this way, you might have the upper hand. ” 2 This explanation is also reinforced by the fact that during the Jāhiliyyah , it was the custom of the Quraish to utter this very phrase: ُ تِلك َ الْغَرَانِیْق ٰ الْعُلی during their Ṭawāf of the Ka‘bah. 3 Thus, it is not beyond belief that when the Holy Prophet sa recited the verses of chapter Najam, someone from among them might have included this phrase as well, as per their custom. As a result, it might have spurred the temporary ambiguity that perhaps these words were also uttered by the Holy Prophet sa. Ibni ‘Arabī, Qāḍī ‘Ayāḍ, Ibni Jarīr, Imam Rāzī 1 Al-Qalam (68:10) 2 Ḥā Mīm As-Sajdah (41:27) 3 Mu‘jamul-Buldān, By Abū ‘Abdullāh Yāqūt bin ‘Abdullāh Al-Ḥamv ī, Volume 3, pp. 322-323, Under the word “Al-‘Uzzā” , D āru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon