Tafseer of The Star · An-Najm · 53:49
And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His words "and that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius (al-Shiʿrā)" (53:49): The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: and that your Lord, O Muḥammad, is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā. By al-Shiʿrā He means: the star that bears this name; it is a star which some of the people of Ignorance (jāhiliyya) worshipped instead of Allah.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His words "and that it is He who is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā": It is the star that is called al-Shiʿrā.
ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to me, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Khaṣīf, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words "and that it is He who is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā": It is the star that stands behind al-Jawzāʾ (Orion); they worshipped it.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: "and that it is He who is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā", he said: She was worshipped in the time of Ignorance.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words "the Lord of al-Shiʿrā", he said: It is Mirzam al-Jawzāʾ.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words "and that it is He who is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā": There was a tribe of the Arabs who worshipped al-Shiʿrā, this star that you have seen. Bishr said, he said: He means the star that follows al-Jawzāʾ.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words "the Lord of al-Shiʿrā", he said: There were people in the time of Ignorance who worshipped this star that is called al-Shiʿrā.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His words "and that it is He who is the Lord of al-Shiʿrā": She was worshipped in the time of Ignorance, and He said: Do you worship this one and forsake her Lord? Worship her Lord! He said: and al-Shiʿrā is the fiercely burning star that follows al-Jawzāʾ; she is called al-Mirzam.
