بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
وَالسَّماءِ وَالطّارِقِ
By the sky, by the nightly visitor.
EXEGESIS
This surah, like many others in the Quran, starts with an oath. Here, God is swearing by two connected things, the sky and a heavenly body, most likely a star. The subject of this oath does not appear until verse 4.
Samāʾ (sky), when used in the singular form, generally refers to what we see when looking up at the heavens, although it is used in other senses in the Quran as well. The whole physical universe containing the stars is also referred to as sky in the Quran: Then He turned to the heaven … Then He set them up as seven heavens in two days, and revealed in each heaven its ordinance. We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps (41:11-12). The lamps adorning the lowest heaven refers to the stars in the physical universe; the other six heavens are metaphysical dimensions of creation, such as the world of the angels, and so on. In the verse being discussed, sky could have either of these two meanings: the sky we see when looking above, or the universe as a whole; although the first meaning seems more appropriate here.
The word ṭāriq, here translated as nightly visitor, comes from the Arabic root ṭ-r-q, which literally means to knock or beat. A hammer used to beat hard objects such as metals is called a miṭraqah. A well-trodden path is hence called a ṭarīq, as it is stamped by the feet of travellers. The wider meaning of path (ṭarīq) can then be used to refer to a certain way of thought or approach, also sometimes referred to as a sect. When used in plural (ṭarāʾiq) it can also mean levels of status: Among us some are righteous and some of us are otherwise: we are multifarious sects (ṭarāʾiq) (72:11), where it refers to the various groupings of the jinn who are of different sects and creeds, who in turn enjoy different levels of faith and closeness to God. In this meaning, the seven heavens or skies can also be called ṭarāʾiq as they are of different levels and closeness to God. They are realms from which the blessings of God descend: Certainly We created above you the seven tiers (ṭarāʾiq) (23:17).
Ṭāriq is a visitor that appears at night, since it is at night when the doors are closed and locked that the visitor is forced to knock at the door (ṭaraqa) to alert the host to his presence. It is narrated from Imam Ali (a): ‘More amazing than that was the nightly visitor (ṭāriq) that knocked on our door with the covered container.’ This was said regarding the visit of Ashʿath ibn Qays, who visited Imam Ali (a) at night to bring him a container full of sweets so that the Imam would pass judgement in his favour in a particular case.
Based on this meaning, we may then consider the ṭāriq to be in possession of two distinct qualities: firstly, it comes at night, and secondly, it draws attention to itself (in our previous example, by making noise when knocking on the door). The Quran itself later explains what is specifically meant by ṭāriq in the context of these verses.
EXPOSITION
The first verse sets the mood and tone of the surah. It calls to mind the image of a person looking up at the night sky. Even though there is no explicit mention of night, the starry sky is generally only visible at night. A person peering up at the night sky would notice the stars decorating the canopy above, and thus we see how the two oaths go hand-in-hand.
Even though the night sky is full of stars, the nightly visitor, like the traveller that knocks on the door, calls attention to itself. It stands out distinctly from the other stars and draws the gaze of the observer. It is a fitting opening for a chapter of the Quran that wishes to draw our attention to something significant.
From the outset, we are introduced to the main theme in this surah, namely the journey, as well as the subtheme of mystery, with the sojourn of the nightly guest relating to both of these. The nightly visitor is a mysterious figure that appears suddenly at one’s door in the small hours of the night, the darkness of which is the perfect cover for secrecy. The enigmatic nature of the nightly traveller is further emphasised in the next verse, which underlines its unknown and secret nature.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place.
[1] Raghib, pp. 518-519.
[2] Razi, 31/117.
[3] Nahj, sermon 224.
[4] Psalms 8:3.