The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 120
CH. 53 PT. 27 ٦٣ ركوعاتها ٣ سُورةُ النَّجْمِ مَكية ٥٣ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوى (AN-NAJM) 1. "In the name of Allah, the 2. By the star when it falls, 3966 Gracious, the Merciful. 3965 "See 1:1. 3965. Commentary: See 1:1. 3966. Important Words: (the star). The word has been variously interpreted. Generally it means, star or stemless plant, but when used as a proper noun it signifies "the Pleiades. " It is taken by some scholars to signify the gradual revelation of the Quran in pieces, and by some other authorities to refer to the Holy Prophet himself. Its plural also means, chiefs of a people, or small states or principalities (Lane, Aqrab, Kashshāf, Tāj & Gharā’ibul- Quran). (falls). They sayi. e. the thing fell from a high to a low place; it rose and ascended. It is said that (al-hawiyyu) is used for going up and (al-huwiyyu) for coming down (Aqrab). Commentary: In view of different meanings of the word given under Important Words, the verse may refer (1) to a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet to the effect that when spiritual darkness will spread over the entire face of the earth and there will remain nothing of Islam but its name and of the Quran but its letters and faith will go up to heavens, a man of the Persian descent, will bring it back to earth (Tirmidhi & Bukhārī). Or (2) it may signify that the Quranic revelation hears witness to its own truth. Or (3) it may mean that the tender plant of Islam, which now seems to be going down before the strong and adverse winds of opposition that are fiercely blowing against it, would very shortly rise and develop into a mighty tree under whose cool shade great nations would take shelter. Or (4) the verse may 3016 mean that as the Arabs are used to determine the course and direction of, and are guided in, their travels by the movements of the stars in the sandy waste of Arabia (16:17), so they would now be led to the goal and end of their spiritual journey by the star par excellence, i. e. the Holy Prophet. (5) The verse may also embody a prophecy about the fall of the ramshackle State of Arabia, a prophecy much more explicitly stated in the verse, "The Hour has drawn nigh and the moon is rent asunder" (54:2).