The Setting Star (Al-Najm)
Verses 1-18 GROUP_1408 53.1-18
1
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى
By the setting star,
2
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى
your companion has neither strayed nor is he misguided,
3
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى
nor does he speak out of his own desire.
4
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى
It [the Quran] is nothing but revelation sent down to him.
5
عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى
He was taught by [an angel] who is mighty in power,
6
ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى
and endowed with wisdom; who in time manifested himself;
7
وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى
standing poised at the highest point on the horizon,
8
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى
then came down close
9
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى
until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer
10
فَأَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى
and revealed to God’s servant what he revealed.
11
مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى
The heart [of the Prophet] did not misconstrue what he saw.
12
أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَى مَا يَرَى
Will you then dispute with him as to what he saw?
13
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى
And certainly he saw him descend a second time:
14
عِندَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى
by the lote tree beyond which none may pass
15
عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى
by the Garden of [Eternal] Repose,
16
إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى
when the lote tree was covered in mystic splendour.
17
مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَى
His sight did not waver nor was it unduly bold.
18
لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى
He saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
Commentary
(a) The setting of the stars is a symbol which hints at the stable and flawless system governing the revolution of stars. This is an indication that the spiritual system established with the help of revelation and prophethood should also be flawless. (b) The experience of the Prophet with the angels and his being taught the revelation have been explained in the above verses. For corroborating the reality of these events the statement of the Quran is enough. The Quran’s miraculous discourse proves that it is the Book of God. And every statement of that book which is established as God’s Book shall have to be accepted as authentic.