53:1

QURANHIVE

An oath in the night sky

وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ

Allah says: “I swear by the star as it falls”.

The oath and its immediate image

The verse presents an oath by the star as it falls, placing our attention on a vivid celestial moment. This descent image anchors the themes that follow across interpretation, language, and lived Arabian experience.

Early commentaries (Tafasir) reported about this verse

Mujahid

  • By the الثُّرَيَّا (the Pleiades) as they fall at the time of Fajr. The Arabs would call the الثُّرَيَّا “نَجْم” (a star) even though in number they were نُجُوم (stars).
  • النَّجْم refers to the Qur’an when it is revealed because it was revealed in parts (نُجُومًا).

Language insight supporting this: نَجَّم means to give or pay something in instalments; نُجُوم is used to refer to instalments.

Al-Farrā’

It refers to all the نُجُوم (stars) of the sky when they disappear from the horizon.

Al-Hasan

  • Allah swore by the stars as they disappear.
  • The intended meaning is the stars when they fall on Judgement Day.

Other reported views

  • Refers to a specific star called الزُّهَرَة which the Arabs used to worship — swearing by it indicates it is not a god but has a God.
  • Weakest opinion: النَّجْم is vegetation without a stalk (like grass or low plants) made to go down by the wind.
  • Rare opinion attributed to Ja’far bin Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Al-Husain: النَّجْم refers to Muhammad (pbuh) when he descended from the heavens on the night of Al-Mi’raaj.

Arabian context: stars in life, travel, and verse

Navigation and significance

The stars held great significance to the Arabs and were used for navigation whilst travelling at night. Their apparent positions shift through the seasons with movements of rising and falling.

Language and poetry

The Anwaa’ referred to the use of poetry pre-Islam that was all about the stars. The word نَجْم was used a lot, often referring to the الثُّرَيَّا (Pleiades), which informed them about seasons and weather conditions.

Seasonal reading of the sky

In the summer the Pleiades would rise, signalling the hot season; conversely when it was falling, they would know winter was coming. They would make seasonal preparations related to their lives based on “the star when it falls”.

A visual mental map

The image of the star descending would immediately evoke planning and preparedness in that culture — a lived, practical cue carried by the night sky.

Stars / celestial cues Revelation / guidance

Practical sign

Stars signaled when to prepare for seasonal changes. Their descent or disappearance meant action.

Spiritual sign

There is a connection between that and the fact that the revelation descends from the sky and informs people that they need to prepare for the afterlife.

Light amid darkness

Stars are the only light in the middle of darkness, whilst revelation is light in the middle of a world that is full of darkness.

Linguistic notes: نَجْم, نَجَّم, and نُجُوم

Instalments and revelation

نَجَّم means to give or pay something in instalments; نُجُوم refers to instalments. This supports Mujahid’s statement that the Qur’an was revealed in parts.

Scope of النَّجْم

Usage includes a specific constellation (Pleiades) or, more broadly, the stars — aligning with the range of reported interpretations.

Linguistic depth of هَوَىٰ

The word هَوَىٰ includes the meaning of both rising and falling.

  • Linguists argue that الهُوِيُّ (Al-Huwiyy), which stems from هَوَىٰ, refers to something that descends.
  • الهَوِيُّ (Al-Hawiyy) refers to something that is ascending.
  • هَوَىٰ can also refer to a fast descent or falling, like when an eagle swoops down upon its prey.
Ayah 1