بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ1
By the star when it sets
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ2
Your companion has not strayed; he is not deluded
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ3
he does not speak from his own desire
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ4
The Quran is nothing less than a revelation that is sent to him
عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَىٰ5
It was taught to him by [an angel] with mighty powers
ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَىٰ6
and great strength, who stood
وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَىٰ7
on the highest horizon
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ8
and then approached––coming down
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ9
until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer––
فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَىٰ10
and revealed to God’s servant what He revealed
مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰ11
[The Prophet’s] own heart did not distort what he saw
أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ12
Are you going to dispute with him what he saw with his own eyes
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ13
A second time he saw him
عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ14
by the lote tree beyond which none may pass
عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَىٰ15
near the Garden of Restfulness
إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ16
when the tree was covered in nameless [splendour]
مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ17
His sight never wavered, nor was it too bold
لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَىٰ18
and he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord
أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ اللَّاتَ وَالْعُزَّىٰ19
[Disbelievers], consider al-Lat and al-Uzza
وَمَنَاةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ20
and the third one, Manat––
أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الْأُنْثَىٰ21
are you to have the male and He the female
تِلْكَ إِذًا قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَىٰ22
That would be a most unjust distribution!––
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ ۚ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى الْأَنْفُسُ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمُ الْهُدَىٰ23
these are nothing but names you have invented yourselves, you and your forefathers. God has sent no authority for them. These people merely follow guesswork and the whims of their souls, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord
أَمْ لِلْإِنْسَانِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ24
Is man to have everything he wishes for
فَلِلَّهِ الْآخِرَةُ وَالْأُولَىٰ25
when the present life and the life to come belong only to God
وَكَمْ مِنْ مَلَكٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ لَا تُغْنِي شَفَاعَتُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَرْضَىٰ26
There are many angels in heaven whose intercession will be of no use until God gives permission to those He will, whose words He will accept
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنْثَىٰ27
Those who deny the life to come give the angels female names
وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا28
They have no knowledge to base this on: they merely follow guesswork. Guesswork is of no value against the Truth
فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا29
So [Prophet] ignore those who turn away from Our revelation, who want only the life of this world
ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ30
Their knowledge does not go beyond that. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who follows guidance
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا بِالْحُسْنَى31
Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to God. He will repay those who do evil according to their deeds, and reward, with what is best, those who do good
الَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَاسِعُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنْتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ32
As for those who avoid grave sins and foul acts, though they may commit small sins, your Lord is ample in forgiveness. He has been aware of you from the time He produced you from the earth and from your hiding places in your mothers’ wombs, so do not assert your own goodness:He knows best who is mindful of Him
أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ33
[Prophet], consider that man who turned away
وَأَعْطَىٰ قَلِيلًا وَأَكْدَىٰ34
he only gave a little and then he stopped
أَعِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْغَيْبِ فَهُوَ يَرَىٰ35
Does he have knowledge of the Unseen? Can he see [the Hereafter]
أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ36
Has he not been told what was written in the Scriptures of Moses
وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّىٰ37
and of Abraham, who fulfilled his duty
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ38
that no soul shall bear the burden of another
وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ39
that man will only have what he has worked towards
وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ40
that his labour will be seen
ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ41
and that in the end he will be repaid in full for it
وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ42
that the final goal is your Lord
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ43
that it is He who makes people laugh and weep
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا44
that it is He who gives death and life
وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَىٰ45
that He Himself created the two sexes, male and female
مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَىٰ46
from an ejected drop of sperm
وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّشْأَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ47
that He will undertake the second Creation
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَىٰ وَأَقْنَىٰ48
that it is He who gives wealth and possessions
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَىٰ49
that He is the Lord of Sirius
وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ عَادًا الْأُولَىٰ50
that it was He who destroyed, in their entirety, ancient 'Ad
وَثَمُودَ فَمَا أَبْقَىٰ51
and Thamud
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَىٰ52
and before them the people of Noah who were even more unjust and insolent
وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ53
that it was He who brought down the ruined cities
فَغَشَّاهَا مَا غَشَّىٰ54
and enveloped them in the punishment He ordained for them
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَىٰ55
Which then of your Lord’s blessings do you deny
هَـٰذَا نَذِيرٌ مِنَ النُّذُرِ الْأُولَىٰ56
This is a warning just like the warnings sent in former times
أَزِفَتِ الْآزِفَةُ57
The imminent Hour draws near
لَيْسَ لَهَا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ58
and only God can disclose it
أَفَمِنْ هَـٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ59
Do you [people] marvel at this
وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ60
Why do you laugh instead of weeping
وَأَنْتُمْ سَامِدُونَ61
Why do you pay no heed
فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُوا ۩62
Bow down before God and worship