وَٱلنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ
By the stars when they fade away!
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ
Your fellow man1 is neither misguided nor astray.
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ
Nor does he speak of his own whims.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ
It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.
عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلْقُوَىٰ
He has been taught by one ˹angel˺ of mighty power1
ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ
and great perfection, who once rose to ˹his˺ true form1
وَهُوَ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ
while on the highest point above the horizon,
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ
then he approached ˹the Prophet˺, coming so close
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ
that he was only two arms-lengths away or even less.1
فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ
Then Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed ˹through Gabriel˺.
مَا كَذَبَ ٱلْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ
The ˹Prophet’s˺ heart did not doubt what he saw.
أَفَتُمَـٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ
How can you ˹O pagans˺ then dispute with him regarding what he saw?
وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ
And he certainly saw that ˹angel descend˺ a second time
عِندَ سِدْرَةِ ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ
at the Lote Tree of the most extreme limit ˹in the seventh heaven˺—
عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰٓ
near which is the Garden of ˹Eternal˺ Residence—
إِذْ يَغْشَى ٱلسِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ
while the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with ˹heavenly˺ splendours!
مَا زَاغَ ٱلْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ
The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach.
لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰٓ
He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs.1
أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ ٱللَّـٰتَ وَٱلْعُزَّىٰ
Now, have you considered ˹the idols of˺ Lât and ’Uzza,
وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ
and the third one, Manât, as well?