53: The Star (An-Najm)
Revealed at Makkah
The word Star, which gives its name to this chapter, occurs in the first verse. It states that the Holy Prophet Muhammad will rise to the highest eminence to which man can rise. Then it declares that nothing can avail against the Truth and refers to the power of God as manifested in the destruction of falsehood. The date of its revelation is the fifth year of the Holy Prophet’s mission at Makkah.
Section 1 (Verses 53:1–53:25): Eminence to be Attained by the Prophet
The best-known significance of najm is star, and when used as a proper noun it signifies the Pleiades. In the setting of the star the opponents are warned of the calamities which would soon overtake them; their star of fortune was about to set. A less-known significance is that the meaning of the word najm is a portion of the Quran, and the word hawā (“sets”) means its revelation. The meaning in this case is that every portion of the Quran when it is revealed is an evidence that the Prophet is not in error — he is in the right.
By your companion is meant the Prophet, who had led among this very people a life of unblemished purity. There are two statements made here; being in error on his part is denied in the first to show that he had a true knowledge or he did not err in theory, and deviation from the right course is denied in the second to show that he acted according to that knowledge, or his practice accorded with the theory. This verse is a conclusive proof that according to the Holy Quran the Prophet was perfectly sinless.
The pronoun “it” here refers to the najm or portion of the Quran spoken of in v. 1. The Quran was not his word, for he spoke not out of his own desire; it was the word of God.
The One Who taught him was God Himself as plainly stated elsewhere: “The Beneficent — He taught the Quran” (55:1–2).
The Holy Prophet is spoken of here as having attained to perfection because the Almighty Himself was his Teacher.
The Prophet’s being in the highest part of the horizon is in reference to the resplendence of his light, which was to illuminate all corners of the world — a prophecy that he will shine out in the full brilliance of his light as the midday sun.
The verse points out that the Prophet attained the utmost nearness to God which it is possible for man to attain.
The expression “measure of two bows” indicates close union. The two bows seem to indicate the Holy Prophet’s twofold perfection, i.e., his nearness to the Divine Being and his humility in his relations with people.
The word mā (“what”) in “what He revealed”, according to all commentators, indicates that a mighty revelation was given to him.
This indicates a place beyond which human knowledge does not go. The significance conveyed by the words is that the Prophet’s knowledge of things Divine was the utmost which could be vouchsafed to man.
53:17
مَا زَاغَ الۡبَصَرُ وَ مَا طَغٰی ﴿۱۷﴾
the eye did not turn aside, nor did it exceed the limit.
53:18
لَقَدۡ رَاٰی مِنۡ اٰیٰتِ رَبِّہِ الۡکُبۡرٰی ﴿۱۸﴾
Certainly he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.
Verses 19–21 are made the basis of a false story that the devil interfered in the revelation at this point, so that instead of v. 21 the Holy Prophet read the words: “These are exalted females whose intercession is to be sought”. But the insertion of these few words in a chapter which is wholly directed against idolatry is quite out of place: v. 23 condemns idols; v. 26 denies their intercession; v. 28 condemns the giving of names of female deities to angels, and so on. It is further asserted that 22:52 was immediately revealed to explain that Allah nullified the devil’s interference, but there is a period of at least eight years between the revelation of this verse and that of 22:52. Moreover, if the Prophet had made any such compromise, it could not have been a sudden event, and traces of it would have been met with in other chapters revealed about the same time. But a perusal of these shows clearly that the Quran’s condemnation of idolatry was never marked by the slightest change.
53:23
اِنۡ ہِیَ اِلَّاۤ اَسۡمَآءٌ سَمَّیۡتُمُوۡہَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ وَ اٰبَآؤُکُمۡ مَّاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ بِہَا مِنۡ سُلۡطٰنٍ ؕ اِنۡ یَّتَّبِعُوۡنَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَ مَا تَہۡوَی الۡاَنۡفُسُ ۚ وَ لَقَدۡ جَآءَہُمۡ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہِمُ الۡہُدٰی ﴿ؕ۲۳﴾
They are nothing but names which you have named, you and your fathers — Allah has sent no authority for them. They follow only conjecture and what (their) souls desire. And certainly the guidance has come to them from their Lord.
53:25
فَلِلّٰہِ الۡاٰخِرَۃُ وَ الۡاُوۡلٰی ﴿٪۲۵﴾
But for Allah is the Hereafter and the former (life).
Section 2 (Verses 53:26–53:32): Nothing Avails against Truth
53:26
وَ کَمۡ مِّنۡ مَّلَکٍ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ لَا تُغۡنِیۡ شَفَاعَتُہُمۡ شَیۡئًا اِلَّا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اَنۡ یَّاۡذَنَ اللّٰہُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ وَ یَرۡضٰی ﴿۲۶﴾
And how many angels are in the heavens, whose intercession does not avail at all except after Allah gives permission to whom He pleases and chooses.
53:27
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِالۡاٰخِرَۃِ لَیُسَمُّوۡنَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃَ تَسۡمِیَۃَ الۡاُنۡثٰی ﴿۲۷﴾
Surely those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels with female names.
The Arabs called the angels daughters of Allah.
53:28
وَ مَا لَہُمۡ بِہٖ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍ ؕ اِنۡ یَّتَّبِعُوۡنَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۚ وَ اِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا یُغۡنِیۡ مِنَ الۡحَقِّ شَیۡئًا ﴿ۚ۲۸﴾
And they have no knowledge of it. They follow only conjecture, and surely conjecture does not avail at all against Truth.
53:29
فَاَعۡرِضۡ عَنۡ مَّنۡ تَوَلّٰی ۬ۙ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِنَا وَ لَمۡ یُرِدۡ اِلَّا الۡحَیٰوۃَ الدُّنۡیَا ﴿ؕ۲۹﴾
So shun him who turns his back upon Our Reminder, and desires nothing but this world’s life.
53:30
ذٰلِکَ مَبۡلَغُہُمۡ مِّنَ الۡعِلۡمِ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنۡ ضَلَّ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِہٖ ۙ وَ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنِ اہۡتَدٰی ﴿۳۰﴾
That is their goal of knowledge. Surely your Lord knows best him who strays from His path and He knows best him who goes aright.
53:31
وَ لِلّٰہِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ۙ لِیَجۡزِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَسَآءُوۡا بِمَا عَمِلُوۡا وَ یَجۡزِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَحۡسَنُوۡا بِالۡحُسۡنٰی ﴿ۚ۳۱﴾
And Allah’s is whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, that He may reward those who do evil for what they do, and reward those who do good with goodness.
53:32
اَلَّذِیۡنَ یَجۡتَنِبُوۡنَ کَبٰٓئِرَ الۡاِثۡمِ وَ الۡفَوَاحِشَ اِلَّا اللَّمَمَ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ وَاسِعُ الۡمَغۡفِرَۃِ ؕ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِکُمۡ اِذۡ اَنۡشَاَکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اِذۡ اَنۡتُمۡ اَجِنَّۃٌ فِیۡ بُطُوۡنِ اُمَّہٰتِکُمۡ ۚ فَلَا تُزَکُّوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ ؕ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقٰی ٪﴿۳۲﴾
Those who avoid the great sins and the indecencies, but the passing idea — surely your Lord is Liberal in forgiving. He knows you best when He brings you forth from the earth and when you are embryos in the wombs of your mothers; so do not ascribe purity to yourselves. He knows him best who guards against evil.
A passing idea which leaves no impression on the mind is forgiven, for a mortal cannot be proof against it. But this by no means amounts to an intention or an attempt to commit a sin.
Section 3 (Verses 53:33–53:62): Allah’s Power Manifested in Destroying Falsehood
53:35
اَعِنۡدَہٗ عِلۡمُ الۡغَیۡبِ فَہُوَ یَرٰی ﴿۳۵﴾
Does he have the knowledge of the unseen so that he can see?
53:36
اَمۡ لَمۡ یُنَبَّاۡ بِمَا فِیۡ صُحُفِ مُوۡسٰی ﴿ۙ۳۶﴾
Or has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures of Moses,
53:38
اَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَۃٌ وِّزۡرَ اُخۡرٰی ﴿ۙ۳۸﴾
— that no bearer of burden bears another’s burden,
53:39
وَ اَنۡ لَّیۡسَ لِلۡاِنۡسَانِ اِلَّا مَا سَعٰی ﴿ۙ۳۹﴾
and that man can have nothing but what he strives for,
53:41
ثُمَّ یُجۡزٰىہُ الۡجَزَآءَ الۡاَوۡفٰی ﴿ۙ۴۱﴾
then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward,
53:43
وَ اَنَّہٗ ہُوَ اَضۡحَکَ وَ اَبۡکٰی ﴿ۙ۴۳﴾
and that He it is Who makes (people) laugh and makes (them) weep,
53:45
وَ اَنَّہٗ خَلَقَ الزَّوۡجَیۡنِ الذَّکَرَ وَ الۡاُنۡثٰی ﴿ۙ۴۵﴾
and that He creates pairs, the male and the female
53:47
وَ اَنَّ عَلَیۡہِ النَّشۡاَۃَ الۡاُخۡرٰی ﴿ۙ۴۷﴾
and that He has ordained the second bringing forth,
The tribe of Ād is sometimes referred to as the first Ād, in contrast with Thamūd, who are called the second Ād.
53:52
وَ قَوۡمَ نُوۡحٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلُ ؕ اِنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا ہُمۡ اَظۡلَمَ وَ اَطۡغٰی ﴿ؕ۵۲﴾
and the people of Noah before, surely they were most unjust and inordinate,
53:55
فَبِاَیِّ اٰلَآءِ رَبِّکَ تَتَمَارٰی ﴿۵۵﴾
Which, then, of your Lord’s benefits will you dispute?
The near Event is the doom of the Quraish, the overthrow of their power, which was now being utilized against Islam.
53:62
فَاسۡجُدُوۡا لِلّٰہِ وَ اعۡبُدُوۡا ﴿٪ٛ۶۲﴾
So bow down in prostration before Allah and serve (Him).