بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمـٰنِ الرَّحيمِ وَالنَّجمِ إِذا هَوىٰ

By the star as it falls.

ما ضَلَّ صاحِبُكُم وَما غَوىٰ

Your friend is neither misguided nor deceived.

وَما يَنطِقُ عَنِ الهَوىٰ

Nor does he speak out of inclination.

إِن هُوَ إِلّا وَحيٌ يوحىٰ

It is but a revelation revealed.

عَلَّمَهُ شَديدُ القُوىٰ

Taught to him by the one intense in strength.

ذو مِرَّةٍ فَاستَوىٰ

Endowed with wisdom; He positioned Himself.

وَهُوَ بِالأُفُقِ الأَعلىٰ

While he was at the uppermost horizon.

ثُمَّ دَنا فَتَدَلّىٰ

Then he approached and descended.

فَكانَ قابَ قَوسَينِ أَو أَدنىٰ

And was at the distance of two bow lengths, or even nearer.

فَأَوحىٰ إِلىٰ عَبدِهِ ما أَوحىٰ

Then He revealed to His servant what He revealed.

ما كَذَبَ الفُؤادُ ما رَأىٰ

The heart didn’t lie about what it saw.

أَفَتُمارونَهُ عَلىٰ ما يَرىٰ

Will you dispute with him over what he saw?

وَلَقَد رَآهُ نَزلَةً أُخرىٰ

And he certainly saw him in another descent.

عِندَ سِدرَةِ المُنتَهىٰ

At the Lote Tree of the Ultimate Boundary.

عِندَها جَنَّةُ المَأوىٰ

Besides it is the Garden of Refuge.

إِذ يَغشَى السِّدرَةَ ما يَغشىٰ

When the Lote Tree was shrouded by what shrouded it.

ما زاغَ البَصَرُ وَما طَغىٰ

The sight didn’t swerve, nor did it overstep.

لَقَد رَأىٰ مِن آياتِ رَبِّهِ الكُبرىٰ

Indeed, he did see, of the Greatest Signs, of his Lord.

أَفَرَأَيتُمُ اللّاتَ وَالعُزّىٰ

Did you consider al-Lat and al-Uzza?

وَمَناةَ الثّالِثَةَ الأُخرىٰ

And Manat, the third one, the other?

أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الأُنثىٰ

So for you the male and for Him the female?

تِلكَ إِذًا قِسمَةٌ ضيزىٰ

What a bizarre distribution!

إِن هِيَ إِلّا أَسماءٌ سَمَّيتُموها أَنتُم وَآباؤُكُم ما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِها مِن سُلطانٍ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَما تَهوَى الأَنفُسُ ۖ وَلَقَد جاءَهُم مِن رَبِّهِمُ الهُدىٰ

These are nothing but names you named—you and your forefathers—without any authorization from God. They follow nothing except assumption and what the souls desire, even though guidance did come to them from their Lord.

أَم لِلإِنسانِ ما تَمَنّىٰ

Or is man to have whatever he desires?

فَلِلَّهِ الآخِرَةُ وَالأولىٰ

But to God belong the afterlife and the first.

وَكَم مِن مَلَكٍ فِي السَّماواتِ لا تُغني شَفاعَتُهُم شَيئًا إِلّا مِن بَعدِ أَن يَأذَنَ اللَّهُ لِمَن يَشاءُ وَيَرضىٰ

How many angels there are in the heavens, whose intercession would not benefit at all, except after God gives permission for whom He wills and approves.

إِنَّ الَّذينَ لا يُؤمِنونَ بِالآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمّونَ المَلائِكَةَ تَسمِيَةَ الأُنثىٰ

Those who don’t believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names.

وَما لَهُم بِهِ مِن عِلمٍ ۖ إِن يَتَّبِعونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لا يُغني مِنَ الحَقِّ شَيئًا

They don’t know of this. They follow not except assumption, and assumption avails not against the truth at all.

فَأَعرِض عَن مَن تَوَلّىٰ عَن ذِكرِنا وَلَم يُرِد إِلَّا الحَياةَ الدُّنيا

So turn away from whoever turns his back on Our message and desires nothing but the worldly life.

ذٰلِكَ مَبلَغُهُم مِنَ العِلمِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَنِ اهتَدىٰ

That’s the extent of their knowledge. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who is guided.

وَلِلَّهِ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَما فِي الأَرضِ لِيَجزِيَ الَّذينَ أَساءوا بِما عَمِلوا وَيَجزِيَ الَّذينَ أَحسَنوا بِالحُسنَى

To God belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth—so He may recompense those who commit evil according to their deeds, and reward those who do good with the best.

الَّذينَ يَجتَنِبونَ كَبائِرَ الإِثمِ وَالفَواحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ واسِعُ المَغفِرَةِ ۚ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِكُم إِذ أَنشَأَكُم مِنَ الأَرضِ وَإِذ أَنتُم أَجِنَّةٌ في بُطونِ أُمَّهاتِكُم ۖ فَلا تُزَكّوا أَنفُسَكُم ۖ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقىٰ

Those who avoid major sins and immoralities—except for minor lapses—your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He knew you well, ever since He produced you from the earth, and when you were embryos in your mothers’ wombs. So don’t claim yourselves pure; He knows best who is righteous.

أَفَرَأَيتَ الَّذي تَوَلّىٰ

Did you see the one who turns away?

وَأَعطىٰ قَليلًا وَأَكدىٰ

And gives a little, then withholds?

أَعِندَهُ عِلمُ الغَيبِ فَهُوَ يَرىٰ

Does he possess knowledge of the unseen, giving him vision?

أَم لَم يُنَبَّأ بِما في صُحُفِ موسىٰ

Or wasn’t he informed of what’s in the scriptures of Moses?

وَإِبراهيمَ الَّذي وَفّىٰ

And of Abraham, who fulfilled?

أَلّا تَزِرُ وازِرَةٌ وِزرَ أُخرىٰ

That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.

وَأَن لَيسَ لِلإِنسانِ إِلّا ما سَعىٰ

And that man attains only what he strives for.

وَأَنَّ سَعيَهُ سَوفَ يُرىٰ

And that his striving will soon be seen.

ثُمَّ يُجزاهُ الجَزاءَ الأَوفىٰ

Then, he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward.

وَأَنَّ إِلىٰ رَبِّكَ المُنتَهىٰ

And that to your Lord is the finality.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضحَكَ وَأَبكىٰ

And that it is He who causes laughter and weeping.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَماتَ وَأَحيا

And that it is He who causes death and gives life.

وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوجَينِ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنثىٰ

And that it is He who created the two pairs—male and female.

مِن نُطفَةٍ إِذا تُمنىٰ

From a sperm-drop when it is emitted.

وَأَنَّ عَلَيهِ النَّشأَةَ الأُخرىٰ

And that upon Him lies the Second Genesis.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغنىٰ وَأَقنىٰ

And that it is He who enriches and causes want.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعرىٰ

And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius.

وَأَنَّهُ أَهلَكَ عادًا الأولىٰ

And that it is He who destroyed the first Aad.

وَثَمودَ فَما أَبقىٰ

And Thamud, and He didn’t spare anyone.

وَقَومَ نوحٍ مِن قَبلُ ۖ إِنَّهُم كانوا هُم أَظلَمَ وَأَطغىٰ

And the people of Noah before—they were even more unjust and transgressive.

وَالمُؤتَفِكَةَ أَهوىٰ

And collapsed the ‘Overturned City’.

فَغَشّاها ما غَشّىٰ

Then He covered it with what He covered.

فَبِأَيِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمارىٰ

So, which of your Lord’s marvels will you deny?

هـٰذا نَذيرٌ مِنَ النُّذُرِ الأولىٰ

This is a warning, just like the previous ones.

أَزِفَتِ الآزِفَةُ

The impending event is drawing near.

لَيسَ لَها مِن دونِ اللَّهِ كاشِفَةٌ

None other than God can reveal it.

أَفَمِن هـٰذَا الحَديثِ تَعجَبونَ

Are you amazed by this discourse?

وَتَضحَكونَ وَلا تَبكونَ

And do you laugh and not weep?

وَأَنتُم سامِدونَ

And you remain proudly indifferent?

فَاسجُدوا لِلَّهِ وَاعبُدوا ۩

So bow down before God, and worship!