Space and Time

levelling with the horizon 

53:6

ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ ٦

and great perfection, who once rose to ˹his˺ true form

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form

— Saheeh International

the one of vigour. So he stood poised,

— T. Usmani

and great strength, who stood

— M.A.S. Abdel Haleem

one endowed with immense wisdom. He came forth and stood poised,

— A. Maududi (Tafhim commentary)

One vigorous; and he grew clear to view

— M. Pickthall

Endued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form);

— A. Yusuf Ali

One free from any defect in body and mind then he (Jibrîl - Gabriel in his real shape as created by Allah) rose and became stable.

— Al-Hilali & Khan

جو بڑا صاحب حکمت ہے۔ وہ سامنے آکھڑا ہوا

— Fe Zilal al-Qur'an

جو بڑا صاحبِ حکمت ہے۔

— Tafheem e Qur'an - Syed Abu Ali Maududi

یعنی جبرائیل) طاقتور نے پھر وہ پورے نظر آئ)

— Fatah Muhammad Jalandhari

جو بڑا زور آور ہے۔ وہ سیدھا ہوا۔

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

پھر سیدھا بیٹھا

— Shaykh al-Hind Mahmud al-Hasan(with Tafsir E Usmani)

جو زور آور ہے پھر وه سیدھا کھڑا ہو گیا.

— Maulana Muhammad Junagarhi

عاقل اوردانانے پھر وہ نمودارہوا

— Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Jo bada sahib-e-hikmat hai

— Abul Ala Maududi(Roman Urdu)

[Al-Quran, Surah anNajm, ayat 6]

The Quran, Surah anNajm, begins with an oath by the star when it falls / sets / fades / declines / inclines / desires ??? Then in the sixth ayat, it informs us something about Angel Gabriel (Jibril) :  ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ  and then he  فَٱسْتَوَىٰ .

 ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ 

Strangely, all the translators translate ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ in terms of strength and wisdom. This translation is probably based on the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ about charity not being allowed for a rich person nor for Dhu Mirrah (see Tafsir Ibn Kathir). If 'Dhu Mirrah' means a person of strength, then many hardworking 'miskeen' have strong bodies, yet they are not able to make ends meet, and The Quran does encourage spending on the 'miskeen'. So, I wonder if it means someone who has the time and space to try to earn a living: 

Looking up the triliteral root in the corpus website:

The triliteral root mīm rā rā (م ر ر) occurs 35 times in the Quran, in seven derived forms:

• 10 times as the form I verb marra (مَرَّ)
• once as the noun amarr (أَمَرّ)
• once as the noun marrāt (مَرَّٰت)
• 19 times as the noun marrat (مَرَّة)
• once as the noun mirrat (مِرَّة)
• once as the verbal noun marr (مَرّ)
• twice as the form X active participle mus'tamirr (مُّسْتَمِرّ)

Of the thirty-five times this root occurs, thirty-four times it occurs in the meaning of time, once, twice, passing, continuous, as if it is a word which indicates a combination of space and time. 

Science already acknowledges the concept of spacetime continuum. 

The ذُو  'Dhu' generally occurs to indicate possession, that is whatever word follows it is possessed by whoever this phrase is about. So, is the ayat telling us that Gabriel (Jibril) possesses the spacetime continuum? As this ayat is part of the description of Gabriel (Jibril) appearing in full form, on the high horizon, where he kept rising and spreading, filling up the view of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ , after he prayed to Allah to let him see Gabriel (Jibril). 

Moreover, it is also informing us something about when Gabriel (Jibril) took Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on The Isra (night Journey) to meet Allah عزوجل . 

After all, this Surah is about The Star, and especially mentions رَبُّ الشِّعۡرٰىۙ‏ (Lord of Sirius (Q53:49)). 

The ayat preceding ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ  informs us that he is شَدِیْدُ الْقُوٰی . Moreover, Q81:20 also informs us of Gabriel (Jibril)'s powerfulness (ذِى قُوَّةٍ), using the variant form of the same ذُو , and his being near Allah's Great Throne. 

فَٱسْتَوَىٰ 

Looking up the triliteral root in the corpus website:

The triliteral root sīn wāw yā (س و ي) occurs 83 times in the Quran, in seven derived forms:

• once as the form I verb tusawwā (تُسَوَّىٰ)
• 13 times as the form II verb sawwā (سَوَّىٰ)
• once as the form III verb sāwā (سَاوَىٰ)
• 35 times as the form VIII verb is'tawā (ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ)
• 27 times as the nominal sawā (سَوَآء)
• five times as the nominal sawiyy (سَوِيّ)
• once as the adjective suwan (سُوًى)

The various forms of the root lend meanings of path, proportion, level, equal ... , while VIII verb is'tawā occurs as such:

Verb (form VIII) - to be equal, to be alike, to establish

(2:29:10) is'tawā	He turned	ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ
(4:95:2) yastawī	(are) equal	لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
(5:100:3) yastawī	(are) equal	قُلْ لَا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ
(6:50:24) yastawī	be equal	قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
(7:54:12) is'tawā	He ascended	ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا
(9:19:17) yastawūna	They are not equal	لَا يَسْتَوُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
(10:3:12) is'tawā	He established	ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مَا مِنْ شَفِيعٍ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِ
(11:24:8) yastawiyāni	they equal	مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَالْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْأَصَمِّ وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا
(11:44:11) wa-is'tawat	And it rested	وَغِيضَ الْمَاءُ وَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ وَاسْتَوَتْ عَلَى الْجُودِيِّ
(13:2:9) is'tawā	He established	اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰعَلَى الْعَرْشِ
(13:16:21) yastawī	equal	قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمَاتُ وَالنُّورُ
(13:16:26) tastawī	equal	قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِيالظُّلُمَاتُ وَالنُّورُ
(16:75:21) yastawūna	they be equal	فَهُوَ يُنْفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا هَلْ يَسْتَوُونَ
(16:76:21) yastawī	equal	هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَنْ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
(20:5:4) is'tawā	is established	الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ
(23:28:2) is'tawayta	you (have) boarded	فَإِذَا اسْتَوَيْتَ أَنْتَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ عَلَى الْفُلْكِ فَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
(25:59:11) is'tawā	He established Himself	الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
(28:14:4) wa-is'tawā	and became mature	وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَاسْتَوَىٰ آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا
(32:4:12) is'tawā	established Himself	اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
(32:18:8) yastawūna	they are equal	أَفَمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا لَا يَسْتَوُونَ
(35:12:2) yastawī	are alike	وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْبَحْرَانِ
(35:19:2) yastawī	equal	وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ
(35:22:2) yastawī	equal	وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَحْيَاءُ وَلَا الْأَمْوَاتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ
(39:9:15) yastawī	equal	قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
(39:29:12) yastawiyāni	they both equal	ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا
(40:58:2) yastawī	(are) equal	وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
(41:11:2) is'tawā	He directed (Himself)	ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ
(41:34:2) tastawī	(are) equal	وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
(43:13:1) litastawū	That you may sit firmly	لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ
(43:13:9) is'tawaytum	you sit firmly	ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ
(48:29:37) fa-is'tawā	and it stands	كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ
(53:6:3) fa-is'tawā	And he rose	ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَىٰ
(57:4:10) is'tawā	He rose	هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
(57:10:13) yastawī	are equal	لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنْكُمْ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ
(59:20:2) yastawī	equal	لَا يَسْتَوِي أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ

Interestingly, thirty-five times the form VIII verb is'tawā (ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ) occurs, and thirty-five times the triliteral root mīm rā rā (م ر ر) occurs in The Quran.  

Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ created the Earth, then He اسْتَوَىٰ the Sky, layered it into seven skies, and then He اسْتَوَىٰ His Throne. 

Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ has vested great power and a lofty position to Gabriel (Jibril), the Messenger whom Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ sends with His Revelations. Polytheists ascribe partners to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ . Some ascribe daughters, some worship stars, some particularly worship Sirius, some worship the Sun, especially the rising Sun. Perhaps the reason why Messenger Gabriel (Jibril)'s power and position is being described is to make us realise how incomparable is all that the polytheists ascribe to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ .   

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Also read: 

The Disappearing Stars 

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