سورة An-Najm ( The Star )

By the setting star,

your companion has neither strayed nor is he misguided,

nor does he speak out of his own desire.

It [the Quran] is nothing but revelation sent down to him.

He was taught by [an angel] who is mighty in power,

and endowed with wisdom; who in time manifested himself;

standing poised at the highest point on the horizon,

then came down close

until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer

and revealed to God's servant what he revealed.

The heart [of the Prophet] did not misconstrue what he saw.

Will you then dispute with him as to what he saw?

And certainly he saw him descend a second time:

by the lote tree beyond which none may pass

by the Garden of [Eternal] Repose,

when the lote tree was covered in mystic splendour.

His sight did not waver nor was it unduly bold.

He saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.

Have you really considered al-Lat and al-\"Uzza,

and the third one, Manat? --

\"What! For you the males and for Him the females?\"

That indeed is an unfair division --

these are nothing but names which you yourselves have devised, you and your forefathers. God has sent down no authority for them. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own selves desire, even though guidance has already come to them from their Lord!

Shall man have whatever he craves?

But it is to God that the Hereafter and this world belong.

There may be countless angels in heaven, but their intercession will be of no avail until God has given permission to those whom he chooses and accepts.

Those who do not believe in the life to come call the angels by female names.

They have no knowledge to base this on. They merely indulge in guess-work which can never replace the truth.

So ignore those who turn away from Our revelation and seek nothing but the life of this world.

That is the ultimate extent of their knowledge. Surely your Lord knows best those who stray from His path and He knows best those who follow His guidance.

Everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to God and so He will requite those who do evil in accordance with their deeds and will reward those left with that which is best, for those who do good.

As for those who refrain from committing grave sins and indecent acts, though they may commit minor offences, your Lord is unstinting in His forgiveness. He knows you when He brings you out of the earth, and when you were embryos in the wombs of your mothers; so do not make claims to be pure. He knows best who is truly righteous.

Have you [Prophet] considered the man who turned away,

who at first gave a little, then later held back?

Has he knowledge of the unseen, so that he sees?

Has he not been made acquainted with what was written in the scriptures of Moses?

And with Abraham who kept his word:

that no soul shall bear the burden of another;

and that man shall have only that for which he strives;

and that [the fruit of] his striving shall soon be seen;

and in the end he will be repaid for it in full;

that all things in the end shall return to God;

that it is He who brings laughter and tears;

that it is He who causes death and gives life;

and that He Himself created the two sexes: male and female,

from an ejected drop of sperm;

and that He will bring about the Second Creation;

that it is He who gives wealth and possessions;

that He is the Lord of Sirius.

It was He who totally destroyed the former 'Ad

and Thamud tribes,

and before them the people of Noah who were even more unjust and insolent;

and He overthrew the subverted cities [of Sodom and Gomorrah]

and then covered them from sight forever.

On which then of your Lord's signs do you cast doubt?

This is a warning just like those of former times.

The Hour that was to come draws ever nearer.

None but God can avert it.

Do you then find these tidings strange?

Why do you laugh rather than weep?

Will you remain proudly heedless?

Prostrate yourselves before God, and worship Him alone!