وَهُوَ بِالأُفُقِ الأَعلىٰ
While he was on the highest horizon.
EXPOSITION
We are now told about the first time that the Prophet saw Gabriel in his true form, and that is While he was on the highest horizon, near the cave of Ḥirāʾ. The highest horizon is said to mean the eastern horizon, from whence the sun rises. However, this is not actually included in the meaning of the verse. What is more apparent is that it simply means the highest horizon of the sky.
The exegetes have offered different opinions about this and the preceding verses, some of them saying they are descriptions of God or the Prophet. However, these descriptions are more befitting Gabriel than God. This is supported by the description in the following two verses, Then he drew nearer and nearer until he was within two bows’ length or even nearer. Although the subjects of the verbs are ambiguous – which has resulted in various interpretations – if we apply the methodology of interpreting the Quran by the Quran itself, then by comparing these verses to the verses of Sūrat al-Takwīr we should conclude that it is about Gabriel. In Sūrat al-Takwīr we read: It is indeed the speech of a noble apostle, powerful and eminent with the Lord of the Throne; one who is heard and is trustworthy as well. Your companion is not crazy: certainly he saw him on the manifest horizon (81:19-23), and the exegetes are virtually unanimous that the subject is Gabriel, who is the noble apostle (rasūl) spoken about. The most sensible conclusion then is to compare the two sets of verses and in doing so conclude they must both be talking about the same thing. The similarity between highest horizon and manifest horizon is too obvious to be ignored.
As such, the meaning of the verse would be that after the Prophet exited the cave of Ḥirāʾ he saw Gabriel manifest himself high in the sky, as has been mentioned in some reports.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Some exegetes have understood he was to be referring to the Prophet and that it is talking about the Night of Ascension. Others say it is referring to God and is talking about one of two times that the Prophet reached the ultimate stage of spiritually witnessing God’s presence, the first being during the first revelation, and the second during the Night of Ascension. Even in this case, seeing God should mean seeing the signs of God – as per the verse, Certainly he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord (verse 18) – since the essence (dhāt) of God cannot be seen even with the heart, as they cannot comprehend Him in their knowledge (20:110).
Rāzī understands the verse metaphorically, saying the pronoun here refers to the Prophet and it means that the Prophet was occupying a high spiritual station when he witnessed Gabriel’s true form. He compares this to someone saying ‘I saw the moon’ and then being asked ‘where did you see it?’ and answering ‘on the roof’, meaning he himself was on the roof.
[1] Tabrisi, 9/262; Tabari, 27/26; Razi, 28/238; Fadlallah, 21/254; Tantawi, 14/60. See also the commentary on the previous verse.
[2] Mizan, 19/28; Alusi, 14/48.
[3] Rasūl literally means one who is sent.
[4] Tibyan, 10/286; Tabrisi, 10/677; Tabari, 30/51; Thalabi, 10/142; Baghawi, 5/217; Baydawi, 5/290; Zamakhshari, 4/711; Qurtubi, 19/240; Muhit; 10/418; Ibn Kathir; 8/337; Alusi, 15/263; Nemuneh, 26/193; Fadlallah, 24/97; Mizan, 20/218; Tantawi, 15/302; Mudarrisi, 17/368. There are some who disagree and say it is referring to the Prophet, see for example Furqan, 30/165.
[5] Tibyan, 9/422; Thalabi, 9/137; Mudarrisi, 14/148.
[6] Nemuneh, 22/492.
[7] Mizan, 19/32.
[8] Razi, 28/238.