سُوْرَةُ الصَّافَّاتِ
Surah As-Saaffaat (37) — Ayah 88
فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِى ٱلنُّجُومِ ﴿88﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Then he cast a glance at the stars,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَنَظَرَ
fanaẓara
Then he glanced
نَظْرَةًۭ
naẓratan
a glance
فِى
fī
at
ٱلنُّجُومِ
l-nujūmi
the stars
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 88) {فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِي النُّجُوْمِ:} When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) saw that mere verbal advice would not make them admit the helplessness and powerlessness of the idols, and that for this purpose he would actually have to break them, he first announced, "By Allah! When you go away, I will surely devise something against your idols." (See Anbiya: 57) Then he began to wait for a suitable opportunity, because this could not be done in their presence. Meanwhile, a festival or fair day of his people arrived, and they invited Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to participate in it. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) wanted that when those people went to their festival and no one remained near their idols, he could break them with peace of mind. Therefore, he first cast a glance at the stars. What was the purpose of looking at the stars? Some commentators have said that this is an idiom used in the sense of contemplation, because when a matter requiring thought arises, a person looks towards the sky; that is, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) cast a glance at the stars, thought for a while, and said, "I am sick." And some commentators have said that the people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) used to worship, besides idols, the sun, moon, and stars, and considered the stars to have an effect on the events of time. Therefore, to mislead them, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said, "I am sick," or "I am about to become sick," so that they would think he had learned this by looking at the stars.
