وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ
CONSIDER this unfolding [of God's message], as it comes down from on high! (1)
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ
This fellow-man of yours has not gone astray, nor is he deluded, (2)
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ
and neither does he speak out of his own desire: (3)
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ
that [which he conveys to you] is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired – (4)
عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَىٰ
something that a very mighty one has imparted to him: (5)
ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَىٰ
[an angel] endowed with surpassing power, who in time manifested himself in his true shape and nature, (6)
وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَىٰ
appearing in the horizon's loftiest part, (7)
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ
and then drew near, and came close, (8)
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ
until he was but two bow-lengths away, or even nearer. (9)
فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَىٰ
And thus did [God] reveal unto His servant whatever He deemed right to reveal. (10)
مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰ
The [servant's] heart did not give the lie to what he saw: (11)
أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ
will you, then, contend with him as to what he saw? (12)
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ
And, indeed, he saw it descend a second time (13)
عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ
by the lote-tree of the farthest limit, (14)
عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَىٰ
near unto the garden of promise, (15)
إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ
with the lote-tree veiled in a veil of nameless splendour.... (16)
مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ
[And withal,] the eye did not waver, nor yet did it stray: (17)
لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَىٰ
truly did he see some of the most profound of his Sustainer's symbols. (18)
أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ اللَّاتَ وَالْعُزَّىٰ
HAVE YOU, then, ever considered [what you are worshipping in] Al-Lāt and Al-'Uzzā, (19)
وَمَنَاةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ
as well as [in] Manāt, the third and last [of this triad]? (20)
أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الْأُنْثَىٰ
Why – for yourselves [you would choose only] male offspring, whereas to Him [you assign] female: (21)
تِلْكَ إِذًا قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَىٰ
that, lo and behold, is an unfair division! (22)
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى الْأَنْفُسُ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمُ الْهُدَىٰ
These [allegedly divine beings] are nothing but empty names which you have invented – you and your forefathers – [and] for which God has bestowed no warrant from on high. They [who worship them] follow nothing but surmise and their own wishful thinking – although right guidance has now indeed come unto them from their Sustainer. (23)
أَمْ لِلْإِنْسَانِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ
Does man imagine that it is his due to have all that he might wish for, (24)
فَلِلَّهِ الْآخِرَةُ وَالْأُولَىٰ
despite the fact that [both] the life to come and this present [one] belong to God [alone]? (25)
- These [allegedly divine beings] are nothing but empty names which you have invented - you and your forefathers - [and] for which God has bestowed no warrant from on high.15 They [who worship them] follow nothing but surmise and their own wishful thinking16 - although right guidance has now indeed come unto them from their Sustainer.
- 15 Cf. 12:40.
- 16 An allusion to the pagan idea that those goddesses, as well as the angels, would act as "mediators" between their worshippers and God: a wishful idea which lingers on even among adherents of higher religions in the guise of a veneration of saints and deified persons.
- These are nothing but names which ye have devised,- 5097 ye and your fathers,- for which Allah has sent down no authority (whatever). They follow nothing but5098 conjecture and what their own souls desire!- Even though there has already come to them Guidance from their Lord!
- 5097 Cf. 7:71; 12:40, n. 1693. The divine names which they give to stocks and stones, or to heroes living or dead, or even to prophets and men of God, are but the creatures of their own fancy. Whatever they were, they were not gods.
- 5098 Cf. 6:116. Conjecture is a dangerous thing in speaking of divine things. It follows lines which reflect the lusts of men's own hearts. Why not follow the divine guidance which comes through the prophets of Allah?
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These are nothing but names which ye have devised,- ye and your fathers,- for which Allah has sent down no authority (whatever). They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own souls desire!- Even though there has already come to them Guidance from their Lord!
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers, for which Allah hath revealed no warrant. They follow but a guess and that which (they) themselves desire. And now the guidance from their Lord hath come unto them.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
They are naught but names which you have named, you and your fathers; Allah has not sent for them any authority. They follow naught but conjecture and the low desires which (their) souls incline to; and certainly the guidance has come to them from their Lord.
— M. Habib Shakir -
They are but names which you have named, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them the Guidance from their Lord!
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers, for which Allah hath sent down no authority. They follow but their fancy, and that which pleaseth their souls; whereas assuredly there hath come Unto them from their Lord the guidance.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
They are but names, named by you and your fathers. Allah has not sent down any authority for them. They follow conjecture and their soul's desire, eventhough the guidance of their Lord has come to them.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
They are not but names that you have given, you and your fathers, for which God has not sent down any authority. They follow only surmise and what the souls desire, while there has come to them guidance from their Lord.
— Ayub Khan -
These are but names which you have named -- you and your fathers -- for which God has sent down no authority. They follow naught but conjecture and what their souls desire, while there has already come to them guidance from their Lord.
— Sher Ali -
These [allegedly divine beings] are nothing but empty names which you have invented – you and your forefathers – [and] for which God has bestowed no warrant from on high. They [who worship them] follow nothing but surmise and their own wishful thinking – although right guidance has now indeed come unto them from their Sustainer.
— Muhammad Asad -
They are naught but names yourselves have named, and your fathers; God has sent down no authority touching them. They follow only surmise, and what the souls desire; and yet guidance has come to them from their Lord.
— Arthur Arberry -
These are nothing but names that you and your forefathers have invented, for which Allah has sent down no authority.{{17}} They are merely following their conjectures and their carnal desires{{18}} although guidance has come to them from their Lord.{{19}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi