Exegesis of Sura al-Najm

Question: What is the meaning of Allah’s words,
“Indeed, he saw him on another descent—by the lote-tree at the utmost boundary; near it is the Garden of Refuge; when there covered the lote-tree that which covered it; the sight did not swerve nor did it transgress. He certainly saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord” (al-Najm 53:13-18)?

Answer: In this passage Allah—exalted is He—praises His Messenger ﷺ and refutes what the polytheists alleged against him.

His statement, “Indeed, he saw him on another descent,” means that Muhammad ﷺ saw Gabriel in the angel’s original form twice: once at the highest horizon beneath the lowest heaven, and a second time above the seventh heaven on the night the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey. For that reason Allah says, “Indeed, he saw him on another descent,” i.e., Muhammad saw Gabriel descending toward him a second time.

“By the Sidrat al-Muntahā” — this is a tremendously great tree situated above the seventh heaven. It is called the Sidrat al-Muntahā (the lote-tree at the utmost boundary) because everything that ascends from the earth ends there, and whatever descends from Allah—such as revelation—reaches it; or because the knowledge of created beings terminates there, since it stands above all the heavens and the earth, constituting the furthest limit in elevation; or for some other reason. It was in that place—an abode of lofty, purified spirits unapproached by any devil or other wicked spirit—that Muhammad ﷺ beheld Gabriel.

“Near it is Jannat al-Maʾwā” — that is, next to that tree lies the Garden of Refuge, a garden that gathers every kind of delight, where hopes come to rest, wills aspire, and longings find a home. This is evidence that Paradise occupies the highest realms, above the seventh heaven.