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53. An-Najm
Name
The Surah derives its name from the very first word wan Najm. This title also does not
relate to the subject matter, but is a name given to the Surah as a symbol.
Period of Revelation
According to a Tradition related by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Da'ud and Nasai, on the authority
of Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud, the first Surah in which a verse requiring the performance
of a sajdah (prostration) was sent down, is Surah An-Najm. The parts of this Hadith which
have been reported by Aswad bin Yazid, Abu Ishaq and Zubair bin Mu'awiyah from Hadrat
Ibn Mas'ud, indicate that this is the first Surah of the Quran, which the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had publicly recited before an assembly of the
Quraish (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, and even those chiefs of the polytheists who were in the
forefront of the opposition to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
could not resist falling down in prostration. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)
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 Hadrat 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 Holy 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 Holy Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) had recited Surah An-Najm publicly in the assembly of the Quraish
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. Concequently, 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 5th year of Prophethood.
Historical Background
The details of the period of revelation as given above point to the conditions in which this
Surah was revealed. During the first five years of his appointment as a Prophet, the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had been extending invitation to
Allah's Religion by presenting the Divine Revelations before the people only in private and
restricted meetings and assemblies. During this whole period he could never have a
chance to recite the Quran before a common gathering openly, mainly because of the
strong opposition and resistance from the disbelievers. They were well aware of how
magnetic and captivating was the Holy Prophet's personality and his way of preaching
and how impressive were the Revelations of the Quran. Therefore, they tried their best to
avoid hearing it themselves and to stop others also from hearing it and to suppress his
invitation by false propaganda by spreading every kind of suspicion against him. For this
object, on the one hand, they were telling the people that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had gone astray and was now bent upon misleading
others as well; on the other hand, they would raise an uproar whenever he tried to
present the Quran before the people so that no one could know what it was for which he
was being branded as a misled and misguided person.
Such were the conditions when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) suddenly stood up one day to make a speech in the sacred precincts of the
Ka'bah, where a large number of the Quraish had gathered together. Allah at that time made him
deliver this discourse, which we have now in the form of the Surah An-Najm with us. Such
was the intensity of the impression that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) started reciting it the opponents were so completely overwhelmed
that they could not think of raising any disorder, and when at the conclusion he fell down
in prostration, they too fell down in prostration along with him. Later they felt great
remorse at the weakness they had involuntarily shown. The people also started taunting
them to the effect that whereas they had been forbidding others to listen to the
Quran, that day not only had they themselves listened to it, with complete absorption but had
even fallen down in prostration along with Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him). At last, they had to invent a story in order to get rid of the people's taunt and
ridicule. They said, "After he had recited afara'ait-ul Lata wal Uzza wa Manat ath-thalitha-al ukhra, we heard from Muhammad the words: tilk al-gharaniqa- tal-'ula, wa
anna shafa'at-u-hunna latarja: 'They are exalted goddesses: indeed, their intercession
may be expected.' From this we understood that Muhammad had returned to our faith."
As a matter of fact, only a mad person could think that in the context of this Surah the
sentences they claimed to have heard could have any place and relevance.(For details,
please see E. N.'s 96 to 301 of Surah Al Hajj).
Subject Matter and Topics
The theme of the discourse is to warn the disbelievers of Makkah about the error of the
attitude that they had adopted towards the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him).
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 verities that he
presents before you, are not the product of his own surmise 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 Allah, whereas you regard a daughter as disgraceful for your own selves. You think that these deities of yours can influence Allah in
your favor, whereas the fact is that all the angels together, who are stationed closest to
Allah, cannot influence Him even in their own favor. 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: Allah 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 requite 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 Quran 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) had brought some new and novel religion, but they should know that these are the
fundamental truths which the former Prophets of Allah 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 'Ad and the Thamud and of the people of the
Prophets Noah and Lot was not the result of accidental calamities, but Allah 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 (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) and the Quran 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 Allah 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 Holy Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fell down in
prostration, they too could not help falling down in prostration along with him.
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