Al-Qur'an Surah An-Najm Verse 7

Mufti Taqi Usmani

while he was on the upper horizon.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

while on the highest point above the horizon,

Ruwwad Translation Center

when he was on the higher horizon.

A. J. Arberry

being on the higher horizon,

Abdul Haleem

on the highest horizon

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

While he was on the uppermost horizon.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

While he was in the highest part of the horizon;

Abul Ala Maududi

being on the higher horizon.

Ahmed Ali

And reached the highest pinnacle.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And he was on the horizon of the highest heaven.

Ali Quli Qarai

while he was on the highest horizon.

Ali Ünal

When he was in the highest part of the horizon.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And he attained to the zenith of heights (in his spiritual ascension).

English Literal

And he/He (is) at/by the highest horizon/direction.

Faridul Haque

And he was on the horizon of the highest heaven.

Hamid S. Aziz

While he was in the highest part of the horizon.

Hilali & Khan

While he [Jibrael (Gabriel)] was in the highest part of the horizon,

Maulana Mohammad Ali

The Lord of Strength. So he attained to perfection,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And he is in the highest part of the horizon.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

When he was on the uppermost horizon.

Muhammad Sarwar

the strong one who appeared on the uppermost horizon.

Qaribullah & Darwish

while he was in the highest horizon;

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

While he was in the highest part of the horizon,

Wahiduddin Khan

standing poised at the highest point on the horizon,

Talal Itani

While he was at the highest horizon.

Tafsir jalalayn

when he was on the highest horizon, the horizon of the sun, that is to say, at the place from which it rises, in the form in which he [Gabriel] was created, so that the Prophet (s) saw him; he [the Prophet] had been at [Mount] Hir', where Gabriel had obscured the entire horizon to the west. The Prophet fell down swooning, after he had asked him [Gabriel] to show himself to him in the form in which he was created. Thus Gabriel had made a tryst with him at Hir', where he came down to him in human form.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

While he was in the highest part of the horizon.

meaning, Jibril rose to the highest part of the horizon, according to Ikrimah and several others;

Ikrimah said,

"The highest horizon where the morning comes from."

Mujahid said, "It is (the place of) sunrise."

Qatadah said, "That from which the day comes."

Ibn Zayd and several others said similarly.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said,

"The Messenger of Allah saw Jibril in his original shape having six hundred wings, each wing filling the side of the horizon, with a colorful array, and pearls and rubies falling from each wing as much as only Allah knows."

Only Imam Ahmad collected this Hadith.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Abbas said,

"The Prophet asked Jibril to appear himself to him in his original shape and Jibril said to him, `Invoke your Lord.'

The Prophet invoked his Lord the Exalted and Most Honored, and a great huge figure appeared to him from the east and kept rising and spreading.

When the Prophet saw Jibril in his original shape, he was knocked unconscious. Jibril came down and revived the Prophet and wiped the saliva off of his cheeks."'

Only Ahmad collected this Hadith.
Meaning of "at a distance of two bows' length or less

Allah's statement,

ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى