That, then, is what moved the idol-worshippers to fall in prostration when this surah was recited—not the claim peddled by heretics and the gullible about the spurious story of the gharānīq (“the exalted cranes”). The tale is flimsy in meaning, devoid of probative force, and wholly unbefitting the rank of prophethood. Yet the enemies of Islam delight in such fabrications and readily find followers—either fellow unbelievers schooled by them, or simple-minded folk who know no better.

Consider instead how, at the very beginning of the surah, Allah describes His Messenger ﷺ: “He does not speak out of his own desire” (53:3). The passage then proceeds with a rebuking question about those idols, the names people have given them, and the worship they offer them—only to demolish their validity entirely. The leading authorities of Islam have dismissed the gharānīq report, though this is not the place to reproduce all their statements. Therefore, do not be taken in by the attempt of some scholars to declare its chains of transmission sound; anything that conflicts with the Qur’an or collides with the foundations of the faith is to be rejected outright.