وَٱلنَّجۡمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ ١
By the stars when they fade away!
53:1
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمۡ وَمَا غَوَىٰ ٢
Your fellow man1 is neither misguided nor astray.
53:2
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ ٣
Nor does he speak of his own whims.
53:3
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحۡيٞ يُوحَىٰ ٤
It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.
53:4
عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡقُوَىٰ ٥
He has been taught by one ˹angel˺ of mighty power1
53:5
ذُو مِرَّةٖ فَٱسۡتَوَىٰ ٦
and great perfection, who once rose to ˹his˺ true form1
53:6
وَهُوَ بِٱلۡأُفُقِ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ ٧
while on the highest point above the horizon,
53:7
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ ٨
then he approached ˹the Prophet˺, coming so close
53:8
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوۡسَيۡنِ أَوۡ أَدۡنَىٰ ٩
that he was only two arms-lengths away or even less.1
53:9
فَأَوۡحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِۦ مَآ أَوۡحَىٰ ١٠
Then Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed ˹through Gabriel˺.
53:10
مَا كَذَبَ ٱلۡفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ ١١
The ˹Prophet’s˺ heart did not doubt what he saw.
53:11
أَفَتُمَٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ ١٢
How can you ˹O pagans˺ then dispute with him regarding what he saw?
53:12
وَلَقَدۡ رَءَاهُ نَزۡلَةً أُخۡرَىٰ ١٣
And he certainly saw that ˹angel descend˺ a second time
53:13
عِندَ سِدۡرَةِ ٱلۡمُنتَهَىٰ ١٤
at the Lote Tree of the most extreme limit ˹in the seventh heaven˺—
53:14
عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰٓ ١٥
near which is the Garden of ˹Eternal˺ Residence—
53:15
إِذۡ يَغۡشَى ٱلسِّدۡرَةَ مَا يَغۡشَىٰ ١٦
while the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with ˹heavenly˺ splendours!
53:16
مَا زَاغَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ ١٧
The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach.
53:17
لَقَدۡ رَأَىٰ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰٓ ١٨
He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs.1
53:18
أَفَرَءَيۡتُمُ ٱللَّٰتَ وَٱلۡعُزَّىٰ ١٩
Now, have you considered ˹the idols of˺ Lât and ’Uzza,
53:19
وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ ٢٠
and the third one, Manât, as well?
53:20
أَلَكُمُ ٱلذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ ٱلۡأُنثَىٰ ٢١
Do you ˹prefer to˺ have sons while ˹you attribute˺ to Him daughters?1
53:21
تِلۡكَ إِذٗا قِسۡمَةٞ ضِيزَىٰٓ ٢٢
Then this is ˹truly˺ a biased distribution!
53:22
إِنۡ هِيَ إِلَّآ أَسۡمَآءٞ سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمۡ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلۡطَٰنٍۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُۖ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ ٢٣
These ˹idols˺ are mere names that you and your forefathers have made up1—a practice Allah has never authorized. They follow nothing but ˹inherited˺ assumptions and whatever ˹their˺ souls desire, although ˹true˺ guidance has already come to them from their Lord.
53:23
أَمۡ لِلۡإِنسَٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ ٢٤
Or should every person ˹simply˺ have whatever ˹intercessors˺ they desire?1
53:24
فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ وَٱلۡأُولَىٰ ٢٥
In fact, to Allah ˹alone˺ belongs this world and the next.
53:25
۞ وَكَم مِّن مَّلَكٖ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ لَا تُغۡنِي شَفَٰعَتُهُمۡ شَيۡـًٔا إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ أَن يَأۡذَنَ ٱللَّهُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَرۡضَىٰٓ ٢٦
˹Imagine˺ how many ˹noble˺ angels are in the heavens! ˹Even˺ their intercession would be of no benefit whatsoever, until Allah gives permission to whoever He wills and ˹only for the people He˺ approves.
53:26