Transliteration:( Fakaana qaaba qawsaini aw adnaa )
"So this was the distance of two hands, or rather less [11] than that."
✅ [11] Extreme Closeness:
This phrase highlights the extreme nearness between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Light of Allah Almighty. In Arabic, expressions like the two ends of the bow or two hands were used to show absolute closeness. Sufi saints describe this as the act of embracing someone in love, where the circle of love envelops the beloved. Here, the mercy of Allah Almighty embraced the Prophet ﷺ, symbolizing a complete and encompassing closeness — the Light of Allah at the center, with the Holy Prophet ﷺ embraced by Divine mercy in all directions.
The tafsir of Surah Tur verse 9 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Tur ayat 5 which provides the complete commentary from verse 5 through 18.
(53:9) until he was two bows’ length away, or nearer.[8]
8. That is, After appearing on the uppermost edge of the sky, Gabriel started advancing towards the Prophet (peace be upon him) till he reached and hung suspended about him in mid air. Then he bent down to him and came within just two bow-lengths or even closer. The commentators generally have taken qaba-qausain in the meaning of two bow-lengths, but Abdullah bin Abbas and Abdullah bin Masud have taken qaus in the meaning of a dhira (an armlength, cubit), and have interpreted the words kama qaba qausain, saying that the distance between them was reduced to only two arm-lengths. And since all bows are not equal in length, the approximate distance has been expressed by two bow-lengths away or even closer.
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