526 Page Notes

53 Surah An-Najm

Page 526 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 526 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah An-Najm (Chapter 53), Verses 1 through 26 occupies page 526 of the standard Madinah mushaf (Quran). This powerful Meccan passage opens with a divine oath by the fading star, fiercely validating Prophet Muhammad's sanity, integrity, and the absolute divine origin of his revelation. It describes his profound mystical ascents where he witnessed the Archangel Gabriel in his true celestial form, touches upon the heavenly boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha), and shifts into a stern refutation of the pagan goddess idols (Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat).

Because these verses document the primary theological mechanics of revelation and the Night Journey (Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj), they are heavily expounded upon in the core Hadith literature.

1. Seeing Gabriel in His True Form (Verses 5–14)

“He was taught by one mighty in power—Dhu Mirrah (free from any defect)... while he was in the highest part of the horizon. Then he approached and descended... And he certainly saw him in another descent, at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha).”

The Prophet's companions asked him directly about what he saw during these events, specifically if he saw Allah or if these verses referred to the Archangel Gabriel.

The True Dimensions of Gabriel (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Aisha interpreted these exact verses based on direct clarification from the Prophet.

Masruq reported: I said to Aisha, "O Mother of the Believers! Did Muhammad see his Lord?" She replied, "My hair is standing on end because of what you have said... Whoever tells you that Muhammad saw his Lord is lying." She then recited: "No vision can grasp Him..." [6:103]. She explained: "The Prophet only saw Gabriel in his true form twice; he saw him descending from heaven, filling the entire space between the sky and the earth due to his immense size." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 65, Hadith 4855).

The 600 Wings of Gabriel (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud provided explicit structural details matching the phrase "He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord" (Verse 18):

Concerning the verse “And he certainly saw him in another descent,” Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Prophet saw Gabriel in his natural form, and he possessed six hundred wings, each wing covering the horizon, with multicolored pearls and rubies falling from his plumage. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 65, Hadith 4856; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 329).

2. The Sidrat al-Muntaha and What Shrouded It (Verses 14–16)

“At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary—near it is the Garden of Refuge (Ma'wa)—when there covered the Lote Tree that which covered it.”

The Golden Locusts (Sahih Muslim)

The Sunnah clarifies the ambiguous phrasing of “that which covered it” (ma yaghsha).

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated: "When the Messenger of Allah was taken on the Night Journey, he was taken to the Sidrat al-Muntaha... He was given three things: the five daily prayers, the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah, and the pardon of major sins for those of his Ummah who do not associate partners with Allah." Regarding "when there covered the Lote Tree that which covered it," Ibn Mas'ud stated: "It was covered in butterflies/locusts of gold." (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 320).

3. Shuttering the Pagan Idols (Verses 19–23)

“So have you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza? And Manat, the third - the other one?... They are not but [mere] names you have named them, you and your forefathers...”

These verses systematically dismantled the primary cult structures surrounding Makkah. The Sunnah records the literal destruction of these physical shrines following the Conquest of Makkah, fulfilling the mandate of these verses.

The Demolition of Al-Uzza (Sunan al-Nasai / Dalail al-Nubuwwah)

• The Sunnah Event: Upon entering Makkah victoriously, the Prophet dispatched Khalid ibn al-Walid to Nakhlah, where the shrine of Al-Uzza (the sacred tree/idol mentioned in Verse 19) stood. Khalid cut down the three sacred trees and destroyed the temple.

• When he returned, the Prophet asked if he had seen anything. Khalid said no. The Prophet replied, "Then you have not truly destroyed her; go back." Khalid returned and encountered a naked, disheveled Ethiopian woman wailing and pulling her hair. Khalid struck her down with his sword. He returned to the Prophet, who confirmed: "That was Al-Uzza, who has now despaired of ever being worshipped in your land again." (Classified as Sahih by Al-Albani in Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, 2/457).

The Expiation for Swearing by Idols (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Because swearing by these ancient deities was deeply woven into the pre-Islamic Arab vernacular, the Prophet instituted a specific legal Sunnah to scrub the remnants of these names from everyday speech:

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever takes an oath and accidentally says in his oath: 'By Al-Lat and Al-Uzza,' let him immediately say: 'La ilaha illa Allah' (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah); and whoever says to his companion, 'Come, let us gamble,' let him give something in charity as an expiation." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 78, Hadith 6107).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. Sahih al-Bukhari. (Hadiths concerning Aisha's explanation of seeing Gabriel, Ibn Mas'ud's description of the 600 wings, and the expiation for mentioning Al-Lat).

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Sahih Muslim. (Hadith regarding the Night Journey gifts at the Sidrat al-Muntaha).

• Al-Nasai, Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb. Sunan al-Nasai al-Kubra / Al-Bayhaqi, Dalail al-Nubuwwah. (Account of Khalid ibn al-Walid destroying the idol Al-Uzza).