The Night Journey and Ascension (Isra and Mi‘raj) – 5

2. The Event of Qaba Qawsayn (The Distance of Two Bows)

وَالنَّجْمِ اِذَا هَوٰي . مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوٰي . وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوٰي . َّاِنْ هُوَ اِّل وَحْيٌ يُّوْحٰي .عَلَّمَهٗ شَدِيْدُ الْقُوٰي . ْذُو ﵧ مِرَّة فَاسْتَوٰي . وَهُوَ بِاّلُْفُقِ اّلَْعْلٰي .ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلّٰي .فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ اَوْ اَدْنٰي . ٰفَاَوْحي اِلٰي عَبْدِهٖ مَا اَوْحٰي . مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَاٰي . ٰاَفَتُم ٗرُوْنَه عَلٰي مَا

يَرٰي. The stars, when they fall, bear witness that your companion is neither lost nor has he gone astray. He does not speak out of his own fancy. This [Quran] is but a revelation sent down to him. He has been taught by one mighty in power, towering in character and endued with wisdom. Thus, he appeared such that he was on the higher horizon. Then he drew near and bent down until he was within two bows’ length or even closer. God then revealed to His servant that which He revealed. Whatever he saw was not his heart’s delusion. Then will you now quarrel with him over what he is seeing with his eyes? (53:1-12)

Background

These verses from Surah Al-Najm were revealed to refute the allegations of fortune-telling that the Quraysh leaders leveled against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Whenever the Prophet (PBUH) would present the Quran to people, they would get captivated by its unique style, the inimitability of its language, and the sweetness of its articulation. Similarly, he used to share his experiences and observations about the revelations of the divine messages. Consequently, people were naturally drawn towards him. The Quraysh leaders could not endure seeing people pay attention to him and accepting his message as a divine revelation. The only path to survival for them was to cast doubts on the words that flowed from him and the divine revelation. For this purpose, they started accusing him of being a poet or a madman, and even, God forbid, labeled him as a fortune-teller or an astrologer. They based their accusations on the premise that his recitations were metrical and rhyming, carried news of the unseen, and attributed the news to the angels. Clearly, these false claims were made in light of the actions of fortune-tellers and astrologers who would chant in rhythm and rhyme, predict the future, and ascribe their conjectures to jinn or astral entities.

The Noble Quran responded to these baseless allegations by addressing the Quraysh of Mecca and demolished their false allegations with logical arguments, delineating the following facts:

The first point of clarification was addressed to the people of Mecca, stating: ‘Your companion (Muhammad) has not lost, nor deviated, implying that the one who is claiming prophethood among you has spent his life with you since birth. You know his character and history. You have always known him as truthful and trustworthy and have commended his virtues and integrity. Now, for declaring his prophethood, you accuse him of being a fortune-teller, God forbid, and claim he has lost his way or has strayed – this is a blatant accusation. Realize that he has not wandered from the truth; instead, he is firmly on the right path led by his Lord. It is you who are lost; despite knowing all, you reject his prophethood by deeming him a fortune-teller and an astrologer.’

The second argument exposed that, ‘O Quraysh, the Quran that your companion recites to you originates not from his own thoughts or desires. It is a revelation meant to guide you. The Prophet receives it as divine inspiration, and he makes no modifications or additions to it.’

The third point made is that this teaching of revelation is conveyed by the noble and respected Angel Gabriel (AS). He is empowered with immense strength, possessing high attributes, extraordinary abilities, and competence. No one can intervene in his delivery or dare to corrupt it during the descent from heaven to earth. He is defined by his honesty and is both wise and knowledgeable. Owing to these attributes, he delivers the exact message, knowledge, and instructions to Allah’s messenger as instructed by Allah the Almighty. He ensures the message remains unchanged. Neither angel, jinn, human, nor any other being in existence can intimidate or mislead him to err in this mission¹.

Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:

…Every attribute and capability of that angel is exceedingly potent and resilient. There is absolutely no possibility that any other spirit influence or over-awe him or deceive or cause any confusion in the instruction of the book or that he himself commit any mistake or be afflicted with doubt or uncertainty. The Almighty has protected him from all such weaknesses so that he is able to discharge the responsibility entrusted to him with full honesty and sincerity. (Tadabbur-e-Quran 8/53-54)

Details

The context of this event describes the incident of Gabriel’s (RA) appearance before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his true guise for the very first time. The details of the incident as inferred from the verses are as follows:

The event started with the appearance of Gabriel the Trustworthy on the highest horizon before the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)². The narrative style of the verse suggests that he revealed himself in his authentic guise³, his complete stature⁴, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) beheld him in entirety with his own eyes wide open while not asleep. Al-Bayan reads:

The actual words are: Al-Ufuq Al-A‘la. It refers to the horizon which is directly in front of a person’s line of sight. This is a mention of the first revelation and Gabriel’s meeting with the Prophet (sws). The implication is that he appeared in a stark and unambiguous way the way the full moon or the midday sun appears and the Prophet (sws) saw him with his open eyes. (Al-Bayan 5/65)

Subsequently, Gabriel (AS) leaned towards the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who was on the earth. Meaning, he turned towards the Prophet (PBUH) with complete concentration, supreme regard, and absolute respect⁵. Javed Ahmed Ghamidi writes:

Then he drew near and bent down’ This is a mention of the great attention and profound affection with which Gabriel (AS) taught the Prophet (sws) so that whatever guidance he is being given was fully heard and was understood by him. (Al-Bayan 5/65)

Afterwards, Gabriel came so close to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that only a small distance separated the two. Having approached this proximity, he conveyed to the Prophet (PBUH) the revelation he had brought from Allah⁶. Since the objective at this juncture in Surah An-Najm is to explain the nature and reality of the event, the details of the content of the revelation have not been elaborated upon.

From what has been recounted regarding the incident of Qaba Qawsayn (a distance of two bows’ length), the following points are evident:

1. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not asleep.

2. He witnessed Gabriel (PBUH) emerging from a very elevated position in the sky.

3. Gabriel was in his real form.

4. He then came exceptionally close to the Prophet, so close that approximately the span of two bows’ length remained between them.

5. He then imparted to the Prophet (PBUH) the part of the Quran which Allah had commissioned to him.

6. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) observed the entire event fully awake and with his eyes open.

7. The details of the event and its context make it clear that this is a complete and self-contained occurrence, uniquely transpiring on its own. It bears no connection to any other event.

8. Qaba Qawsayn (the distance equivalent to two bows’ length) is an Arabic term denoting extreme closeness.

Aspects not cited in the account include:

1. It is not specified where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was present at the time of this event.

2. There is no indication whether the event took place during the day or at night.

3. There is no detailed description of the revelation delivered to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Explanation

The salient points regarding the interpretation and explanation of the verses are as follows:

Firstly, the words Fa-kana qaba qawsayni aw adna have been mentioned to express the closeness and proximity of Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This implies that he drew so close to the Prophet (PBUH) that the distance between the two was no more than the length of two bows or even less⁷. The aim here is not to determine the actual distance but to convey the extreme closeness. It is stated in Al-Bayan:

This simile is in accordance with the taste of the Arabs and occurs to describe extreme proximity and nearness. The ‘Aw’ here is referring to the fact that the purpose is to merely allude to the proximity; the purpose is not to mention the exact distance; it could have been more or less. (5/65)

Secondly, in the words Fa Awha Ilaa ‘Abdihi Maa Awha (God then revealed to His servant that which He revealed), it is clear that the subject of the verb Fa Awha is not Angel Gabriel, but Allah Almighty Himself. Since the original source and the originator of revelation is Allah Almighty, using an angel to deliver the revelation does not affect His status as the originator of the message⁸. The possessive pronoun in Abdihi necessarily refers to Allah Almighty. Ascribing this pronoun to Gabriel implies polytheism (shirk), which is not permissible according to the Quran. The Quran and Sunnah categorically state that the status of deity is only and solely for Allah Almighty, hence servitude is solely related to Him.

Thirdly, to describe the nature of the incident, the words Maa Kadhab Al-Fu’aadu Maa Raa’a. Afa Tumaaroonahu ‘Alaa Maa Yaraa (Whatever he saw was not his heart’s delusion. Then will you now quarrel with him over what he is seeing with his eyes?) have been mentioned. These words make it completely clear that what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) observed was in the state of wakefulness and with open eyes. It was neither a dream shown by Allah during sleep nor an allegory etched onto His heart and mind by Allah⁹. It was a physical observation made with all outward senses and full consciousness and cognition. Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi, in his commentary on this section of the Surah, writes:

This is an affirmation and approval from Allah Almighty regarding the Prophet’s observation, so that no one should construe it as a figment of the heart or a deception of the soul. The incident is not a self-deception or illusion. The Prophet peace be upon him practically experienced this observation. …He is only informing you about what his eyes see and what his ears hear. If these things are invisible to you, it does not negate reality. (Tadabbur-e-Quran 8/55-56)

Fourthly, the incident of Qaba Qawsayn which is the appearance of Gabriel from the horizon and his coming very close to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not go beyond this description in these verses. The words and style of the text indicate the completeness of the description. Furthermore, there is no additional or auxiliary detail mentioned anywhere else in the Quran regarding this incident. Therefore, it is obligatory to accept this as a specific, unique, and complete event and not to attempt to link any other Quranic and prophetic event to it.

Fifthly, in the mentioned verses of Surah Al-Najm, it is stated about the Gabriel (AS):

عَلَّمَهٗ شَدِيْدُ الْقُوٰي. ذُوْ مِرَّة فَاسْتَوٰي. وَهُوَ بِاّلُْفُقِ اّلَْعْلٰي. ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلّٰي فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ اَوْ اَدْنٰي . He has been taught by one mighty in power, towering in character and endued with wisdom. Thus, he appeared such that he was on the higher horizon. Then he drew near and bent down until he was within two bows’ length or even closer. (53:5-9)

Some scholars and commentators believe that these verses refer to Allah Almighty instead of Angel Gabriel. In our opinion, this is incorrect for several reasons.

Firstly, the phrases like Dhu Mirratin Faistawa, Shadeedul Quwa, and Dana fa-tadalla are used in such a way that does not match the grace of the Lord of the Worlds. The style of describing abilities, attributes, and actions seems more appropriate for creatures than for Allah Almighty.

Secondly, when Gabriel’s capabilities are mentioned in Surah Al-Takwir, a similar style is employed. Therefore, by the principle of Al-Quran yufassiru ba’dahu ba‘dan (parts of the Quran explain its other parts), these words of the Surah also refer to Gabriel (AS). The Quranic text is as follows:

.ٍاِنَّهٗ لَقَوْلُ رَسُوْلٍ كَرِيْمٍ . ذِيْ قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِيْنٍ . مُّطَاعٍ ثَمَّ اَمِيْن That this indeed is the word brought by a noble messenger, endued with great power, held in very high honor before the Lord of the Throne. He is obeyed there and is also very trustworthy. (81:19-21)

Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes in his commentary on these words:

These verses describe the attributes of the angel Gabriel (AS) who imparted this message to the Prophet, peace be upon him. He is referred to as Shadeedul Quwa signifying that he possesses all noble qualities and capabilities to the highest degree, and each of his traits and capacities is exceedingly robust and steadfast. No other being is capable of influencing or daunting him, of betraying him, of causing any perplexity in his teachings, of missing any detail, or of being swayed by any insinuation. The Almighty Allah has safeguarded him against all such frailties so that he can carry out the task assigned to him with utmost sincerity and reliability, free from any corruption or disruption. In Surah At-Takwir, this angel is commended as follows: Innahu laqawlu rasulin karim. Dhi quwwatin ‘inda dhi al-‘arshi makin. Muta’in thamma amin.” Dhu mirratin, implying that he is firm in both intellect and character, incapable of being beguiled or bribing someone, or of being bribed or swindled himself. This term connotes moral and intellectual excellence. (Tadabbur-e-Quran 8/53-54)

Thirdly, the conclusion of the discussion on the introductory paragraph of Surah Al-Najm ending with verse 18 makes it evident that these observations, like all the others that have been mentioned, pertain to the signs of Allah. They are not about the person of Allah Himself. The Almighty says:

لَقَدْ رَاٰي مِنْ اٰيٰتِ رَب ِهِ الْكُبْرٰي. He has seen his Lord’s great signs.

Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi explains the verse in the following words:

This explicates the experiences of the Prophet (PBUH) during this particular event. It has been stated that he witnessed some of the magnificent signs of his Lord. No detailed description of the signs has been provided as neither words suffice to describe them nor human intellect can grasp them. However, the use of the word Kubra suggests that these signs were of a magnitude greater than those observable in the horizons and within oneself by any discerning person. …Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the Prophet (PBUH) only saw the signs from his Lord, not the Almighty Allah in person . (Tadabbur-e-Quran 8/57)