Verses 1–25

وَٱلنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ﴿١﴾

53:1By the star when it sets:¹

مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ﴿٢﴾

53:2your companion has neither gone astray, nor amiss.²

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ﴿٣﴾

53:3Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire:

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌۭ يُوحَىٰ﴿٤﴾

53:4it is just a revelation that is revealed [to him],

عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلْقُوَىٰ﴿٥﴾

53:5taught him by one of great powers,³⁴

ذُو مِرَّةٍۢ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ﴿٦﴾

53:6possessed of sound judgement. He settled,⁵

وَهُوَ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ﴿٧﴾

53:7while he was on the highest horizon.⁶

ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ﴿٨﴾

53:8Then he drew nearer and nearer⁷

فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ﴿٩﴾

53:9until he was within two bows’ length or even nearer,⁸

فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ﴿١٠﴾

53:10whereat He revealed to His servant whatever He revealed.

مَا كَذَبَ ٱلْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ﴿١١﴾

53:11The heart did not deny what it saw.

أَفَتُمَٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ﴿١٢﴾

53:12Will you then dispute with him about what he saw?!⁹

وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ﴿١٣﴾

53:13Certainly he saw it yet another time,

عِندَ سِدْرَةِ ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ﴿١٤﴾

53:14by the Lote Tree of the Ultimate Boundary,¹⁰

عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰٓ﴿١٥﴾

53:15near which is the Garden of the Abode,

إِذْ يَغْشَى ٱلسِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ﴿١٦﴾

53:16when there covered the Lote Tree what covered it.

مَا زَاغَ ٱلْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ﴿١٧﴾

53:17His gaze did not swerve, nor did it overstep the bounds.¹¹

لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰٓ﴿١٨﴾

53:18Certainly he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.

أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ ٱللَّٰتَ وَٱلْعُزَّىٰ﴿١٩﴾

53:19Have you considered Lat and ‘Uzza?¹²

وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ﴿٢٠﴾

53:20and Manat, the third one?

أَلَكُمُ ٱلذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ ٱلْأُنثَىٰ﴿٢١﴾

53:21Are you to have males and He females?

تِلْكَ إِذًۭا قِسْمَةٌۭ ضِيزَىٰٓ﴿٢٢﴾

53:22That, then, will be an unfair division!¹³

إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءٌۭ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى ٱلْأَنفُسُ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ﴿٢٣﴾

53:23These are but names, which you have coined—you and your fathers—for which Allah has not sent down any authority. They follow nothing but conjectures and the desires of the [lower] soul, while there has already come to them the guidance from their Lord.

أَمْ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ﴿٢٤﴾

53:24Shall man have whatever he yearns for?¹⁴

فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْءَاخِرَةُ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ﴿٢٥﴾

53:25Yet to Allah belong this world and the Hereafter.