ما ضَلَّ صاحِبُكُم وَما غَوىٰ
Your companion has neither gone astray, nor gone amiss.
EXEGESIS
This verse is the subject (jawāb) of the oath sworn in the previous verse.
Ghawā (gone amiss) comes from ghayy, meaning to not reach the desired destination, often specifically in the sense of not reaching righteousness. As such, the word is frequently used in contrast to rectitude (rushd), such as, rectitude (rushd) has become distinct from error (ghayy) (2:256), and, if they see the way of rectitude they will not take it as [their] way, and if they see the way of error (ghayy) they will take it as [their] way (7:146). Whereas ḍalla (gone astray) is used in a more general sense for any misguidance. So, for a believer who is choosing the wrong path, it would be more appropriate to say ‘he is not righteous (ghayr rashīd)’ rather than saying ‘he is misguided (ḍāll)’. In this sense, the verse says that the Prophet has not lost his path by going astray, nor has he even made a mistake or deviated from righteousness by going amiss. In other words, he is on the path and the path that he is on is the straight path.
It has also been said that ḍalla means misguidance in an unconditional sense of ignorance and obliviousness, whereas ghayy means misguidance that is accompanied by false beliefs; or that the Prophet did not divert himself from his set objective, nor did he make a mistake in his belief on what that objective is.
EXPOSITION
The subject of the oath sworn in the previous verse is an important matter indeed, and that is that the Prophet has neither gone astray, nor gone amiss. This fact is emphasised here because of the upcoming discussion on the Prophet seeing the angelic form of Gabriel in addition to what he witnessed during the Night of Ascension. It is as if to say that just like he never lies about anything, he would not lie about these matters either.
He is here referred to as Your companion. The reader may naturally become curious as to why this moniker has been used here instead of the more common titles of prophet or messenger. The usage of the antonomasia is meant to draw the reader’s attention for them to ponder its significance.
The significance of this comes to light by considering the context of the following verses and the theme of the surah (spiritual eminence). The following verses will speak about the supernatural things the Prophet witnessed. By referring to him as Your companion the audience are reminded that he is a human being like them, and not a supernatural or divine being, even though he experienced supernatural things and close proximity to the divine. It also serves to remind that such high stations can be granted to human beings and they can become like a star that has set to walk on the earth, provided they have spiritually purified themselves. It may also be a reminder that the Prophet was known to them, and he was never a liar nor a charlatan for them to claim he is lying now.
This understanding is supported by looking at the only other usage of Your companion in the Quran, which is in Sūrat al-Takwīr, in the context of the Prophet witnessing the angelic form of Gabriel: Your companion is not crazy: certainly he saw him on the manifest horizon (81:22-23). Indeed, many of the verses of this first portion of Sūrat al-Najm can be understood better when comparing them to Sūrat al-Takwīr, as they speak of the same topic.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
This verse has also been used as a proof of the infallibility of the Prophet. For more detailed discussions on this matter, one should consult the relevant sections in books of theology.
[1] Zamakhshari, 4/418.
[2] Tibyan, 9/421; Qurtubi, 17/84; Mizan, 19/27.
[3] Razi, 28/233-234.
[4] Nemuneh, 22/479.
[5] Mizan, 19/27.
[6] Or it might be referring to witnessing him during the Night of Ascension, but the first is more likely. See the commentary on verse 7.
[7] Mudarrisi, 14/143; Furqan, 27/391.