وَٱلنَّجۡمِ

إِذَا

هَوَىٰ

١

By the stars when they fade away!

Your fellow man¹ is neither misguided nor astray.

Nor does he speak of his own whims.

It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.

He has been taught by one ˹angel˺ of mighty power¹

and great perfection, who once rose to ˹his˺ true form¹

while on the highest point above the horizon,

then he approached ˹the Prophet˺, coming so close

that he was only two arms-lengths away or even less.¹

Then Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed ˹through Gabriel˺.

The ˹Prophet’s˺ heart did not doubt what he saw.

How can you ˹O pagans˺ then dispute with him regarding what he saw?

And he certainly saw that ˹angel descend˺ a second time

at the Lote Tree of the most extreme limit ˹in the seventh heaven˺—

near which is the Garden of ˹Eternal˺ Residence—

while the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with ˹heavenly˺ splendours!

The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach.

He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs.¹ 

Now, have you considered ˹the idols of˺ Lât and ’Uzza,

and the third one, Manât, as well?

Do you ˹prefer to˺ have sons while ˹you attribute˺ to Him daughters?¹

Then this is ˹truly˺ a biased distribution!

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.

Or should every person ˹simply˺ have whatever ˹intercessors˺ they desire?¹

In fact, to Allah ˹alone˺ belongs this world and the next.

˹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.