Tafseer of The Cattle · Al-An'aam · 6:77
And when he saw the moon rising, he said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray."
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.
The explanation of His word: فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِنْ لَمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الضَّالِّينَ (77)
("And when he saw the moon rising, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be among the people who go astray.'" (6:77))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: and when the moon rose and Ibrāhīm saw it rising — and that is its "buzūgh" (rising).
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Of this one says: "bazaghat al-shams tabzughu buzūghan" when it rises, and likewise the moon.
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="qāla hādhā rabbī fa-lammā afala" ("he said: this is my Lord; but when it set"), He says: and when it disappeared ="qāla" ("said"), Ibrāhīm, "laʾin lam yahdinī rabbī" ("if my Lord does not guide me") and does not grant me success in attaining the truth concerning His oneness (tawḥīd) ="laʾakūnanna mina al-qawmi al-ḍāllīn" ("then I shall surely be among the people who go astray"), that is to say: among the people who have missed the truth therein, so that they have not attained the guidance and have worshipped other than Allah.
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And we have already expounded the meaning of "going astray" (al-ḍalāl) in another place, in a manner that absolves us from repeating it here. (65)
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The footnotes:
(65) See the explanation of "al-ḍalāl" in what preceded in the linguistic entries: (ḍll).
