53. Sūrat al-Najm

٥٣۔ سُورَةُ النَّجْم

53.5 No soul shall bear the burden of another; there shall be nothing for a person except what he strived for.

٥٣۔٥ مقطع في سُورَةُ النَّجْم

quran:53:33

Have you seen the one who turned away  

Did you see him who turned away, from faith — that is, ˹the one who˺ recanted when he was derided for it. He said, ‘But I fear the punishment of God!’. But when the one deriding him guaranteed him that he would bear God’s chastisement for him, provided that he reverted to his ˹former˺ idolatry, and he then gave him a stated sum money, he reverted —
القرآن:٥٣:٣٣

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ  

{أفرأيت الذي تولى} عن الإيمان ارتد لما عير به وقال إني خشيت عقاب الله فضمن له المعير له أن يحمل عنه عذاب الله إن رجع إلى شركه وأعطاه من ماله كذا فرجع.
quran:53:34

And gave a little and ˹then˺ refrained?  

and gave a little, of the stated sum of money, and was then grudging?, refrained from ˹giving˺ the remainder (akdā derives from al-kudya, earth that is hard as rock and which prevents the well-digger from digging through when he hits it).
القرآن:٥٣:٣٤

وَأَعْطَىٰ قَلِيلًا وَأَكْدَىٰ  

{وأعطى قليلا} من المال المسمى {وأكدى} منع الباقي مأخوذ من الكدية وهي أرض صلبة كالصخرة تمنع حافر البئر إذا وصل إليها من الحفر.
quran:53:35

Does he have knowledge of the unseen, so he sees?  

Does he possess knowledge of the Unseen so that he sees?, ˹and therefore˺ from among such ˹knowledge˺ he is able to know that another person may bear the chastisement of the Hereafter for him? No! This was alWalīd b. al-Mughīra, or someone else (the sentence beginning with a-‘indahu, ‘does he possess’, is the second object of the a-ra’ayta, ‘have you seen’, which has the significance of ‘inform Me!’).
القرآن:٥٣:٣٥

أَعِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الْغَيْبِ فَهُوَ يَرَىٰ  

{أعنده علم الغيب فهو يرى} يعلم جملته أن غيره يتحمل عنه عذاب الآخرة؟ لا، وهو الوليد بن المغيرة أو غيره، وجملة أعنده المفعول الثاني لرأيت بمعنى أخبرني.
quran:53:36

Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses  

Or (am means bal) has he not been informed of what is in the scrolls of Moses, the books of the Torah, or scrolls before it,
القرآن:٥٣:٣٦

أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ  

{أم} بل {لم ينبأ بما في صحف موسى} أسفار التوراة أو صحف قبلها.
quran:53:37

And ˹of˺ Abraham, who fulfilled ˹his obligations˺ -  

and, the scrolls of, Abraham who fulfilled ˹his summons˺, ˹he who˺ completed what he had been charged with, as in: And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words and he fulfilled them ˹Q. 2:124˺ (the explication of mā, ‘what’, is ˹the following˺):
القرآن:٥٣:٣٧

وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّىٰ  

(و) صحف (إبراهيم الذي وفى) تمم ما أمر به نحو "" وإذ ابتلى إبراهيم ربه بكلمات فأتمهن "" وبيان ما:
quran:53:38

That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another  

that no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another (an, ‘that’, has been softened in place of the hardened form), in other words, no soul shall bear ˹responsibility for˺ the sins of another;
القرآن:٥٣:٣٨

أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ  

{أ} ن {لا تزر وازرة وزر أخرى} إلخ وأن مخففة من الثقيلة، أي لا تحمل نفس ذنب غيرها.
quran:53:39

And that there is not for man except that ˹good˺ for which he strives  

and that (wa-an, to be understood as wa-annahu) man shall have only what he ˹himself˺ strives for, of good ˹deeds˺, and so he shall not have anything of ˹the reward for˺ good ˹deeds˺ striven for by another;
القرآن:٥٣:٣٩

وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ  

{وأن} بأنه {ليس للإنسان إلا ما سعى} من خير فليس له من سعي غيره الخير شيء.
quran:53:40

And that his effort is going to be seen -  

and that his endeavour will be seen, it will be inspected in the Hereafter,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٠

وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ  

{وأن سعيه سوف يُرى} يبصر في الآخرة.
quran:53:41

Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense  

then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward, the most perfect ˹reward˺ (one may say jazaytuhu sa‘yahu or ˹jazaytuhu˺ bi-sa‘yihi ˹to mean the same thing˺),
القرآن:٥٣:٤١

ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ  

{ثم يجزاه الجزاء الأوفى} الأكمل يقال: جزيته سعيه وبسعيه.
quran:53:42

And that to your Lord is the finality  

and that (read wa-anna as a supplement; it is also read wa-inna as the beginning of a new sentence; and the same applies to what comes after it, in which case, according to this second ˹reading˺, these ˹inna statements˺ no longer form part of the content of all that is ‘in the scrolls’) the ultimate end, the return and the destination after death, is toward your Lord, whereat He will requite them;
القرآن:٥٣:٤٢

وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ  

{وأن} بالفتح عطفا وقرئ بالكسر استئنافا وكذا ما بعدها فلا يكون مضمون الجمل في الصحف على الثاني {إلى ربك المنتهى} المرجع والمصير بعد الموت فيجازيهم.
quran:53:43

And that it is He who makes ˹one˺ laugh and weep  

and that it is He Who makes to laugh, whomever He will He makes joyous, and makes to weep, whomever He will He makes him sorrowful,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٣

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ  

{وأنه هو أضحك} من شاء أفرحه {وأبكى} من شاء أحزنه.
quran:53:44

And that it is He who causes death and gives life  

and that it is He Who brings death, in this world, and gives life, for resurrection,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٤

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا  

{وأنه هو أمات} في الدنيا {وأحيا} للبعث.
quran:53:45

And that He creates the two mates - the male and female -  

and that He ˹Himself˺ creates the two spouses, the two kinds, the male and the female,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٥

وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَىٰ  

{وأنه خلق الزوجين} الصنفين {الذكر والأنثى}.
quran:53:46

From a sperm-drop when it is emitted  

from a drop ˹of semen˺ once it is emitted, ˹once˺ it is poured forth into the womb,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٦

مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَىٰ  

{من نطفة} منيٍّ {إذا تُمنى} تصب في الرحم.
quran:53:47

And that ˹incumbent˺ upon Him is the next creation  

and that with Him rests the second genesis (read al-nashā’ata, or al-nash’ata), the other creation, for the Resurrection, after the first creation,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٧

وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّشْأَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ  

{وأن عليه النَّشآءَةَ} بالمد والقصر {الأخرى} الخلقة الأخرى للبعث بعد الخلقة الأولى.
quran:53:48

And that it is He who enriches and suffices  

and that it is He Who enriches, people by ˹granting them˺ sufficient wealth, and grants possessions, ˹He Who˺ gives that wealth that is enjoyed as property,
القرآن:٥٣:٤٨

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَىٰ وَأَقْنَىٰ  

{وأنه هو أغنى} الناس بالكفاية بالأموال {وأقنى} أعطى المال المتخذ قُنية.
quran:53:49

And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius  

and that it is He Who is the Lord of Sirius — this is a star ˹lying˺ beyond ˹the constellation of˺ Gemini, which was worshipped in the time of pagandom (jāhiliyya);
القرآن:٥٣:٤٩

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَىٰ  

{وأنه هو رب الشعرى} هي كوكب خلف الجوزاء كانت تعبد في الجاهلية.
quran:53:50

And that He destroyed the first ˹people of˺ 'Aad  

and that He destroyed former ‘Ād (‘Ādan al-ūlā: a variant reading elides the nunation with the ˹following˺ lām ˹sc. ‘Āda’l-ūlā˺; this ˹former one˺ refers to the people of ‘Ād, while the second ˹‘Ād˺ is that of the people of Sālih)
القرآن:٥٣:٥٠

وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ عَادًا الْأُولَىٰ  

{وأنه أهلك عادا الأولى} وفي قراءة بإدغام التنوين في اللام وضمها بلا همزة وهي قوم عاد والأخرى قوم صالح.
quran:53:51

And Thamud - and He did not spare ˹them˺ -  

and Thamūd (wa-Thamūda: may be declined, as the name of their forefather, or left as a diptote, being the name of the tribe; it is a supplement to ‘Ādan) sparing not, a single one of them;
القرآن:٥٣:٥١

وَثَمُودَ فَمَا أَبْقَىٰ  

{وثمودا} بالصرف اسم للأب وبلا صرف للقبيلة وهو معطوف على عادا {فما أبقى} منهم أحدا.
quran:53:52

And the people of Noah before. Indeed, it was they who were ˹even˺ more unjust and oppressing.  

and the people of Noah before that, that is to say, before ‘Ād and Thamūd, We ˹also˺ destroyed them; indeed they were more unjust and more insolent, than ‘Ād and Thamūd, because of the long time that Noah remained among them: and he remained among them a thousand-less-fifty years ˹Q. 29:14˺, for they, despite their disbelief in him, would ˹still˺ harm him and assault him;
القرآن:٥٣:٥٢

وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَىٰ  

(وقوم نوح من قبل) أي قبل عاد وثمود أهلكناهم (إنهم كانوا هم أظلم وأطغى) من عاد وثمود لطول لبث نوح فيهم "" فلبث فيهم ألف سنة إلا خمسين عاما "" وهم مع عدم إيمانهم به يؤذونه ويضربونه.
quran:53:53

And the overturned towns He hurled down  

and the Deviant ˹cities˺, namely, the cities of the people of Lot, He overturned, He hurled them down to the earth after lifting them up to the heaven upside down, by commanding Gabriel to do this;
القرآن:٥٣:٥٣

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ  

{والمؤتفكة} وهي قرى قوم لوط {أهوى} أسقطها بعد رفعها إلى السماء مقلوبة إلى الأرض بأمره جبريل بذلك.
quran:53:54

And covered them by that which He covered.  

so that there covered them, of rocks afterwards, that which covered ˹them˺: this is ˹purposely˺ left vague in order to inspire terror; in ˹sūrat˺ Hūd ˹it is stated˺: We made their uppermost the nethermost, and We rained upon them stones of baked clay ˹Q. 11:82˺.
القرآن:٥٣:٥٤

فَغَشَّاهَا مَا غَشَّىٰ  

{فغشاها} من الحجارة بعد ذلك {ما غشى} أبْهم تهويلا، وفي هود: (جعلنا عاليها سافلها وأمطرنا عليها حجارة من سجيل).
quran:53:55

Then which of the favors of your Lord do you doubt?  

Then which of the bounties of your Lord, ˹which of˺ His graces, ˹graces˺ which indicate His Oneness and power, do you dispute?, do you have doubt about, O man, or deny?
القرآن:٥٣:٥٥

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَىٰ  

{فبأي آلاء ربك} أنعمه الدالة على وحدانيته وقدرته {تتمارى} تتشكك أيها الإنسان أو تكذب.
quran:53:56

This ˹Prophet˺ is a warner like the former warners.  

This, Muhammad (s), is a warner, ˹in the tradition˺ of the warners of old, of their kind, that is to say, he is a messenger like messengers before him, sent to you just as they were sent to their peoples.
القرآن:٥٣:٥٦

هَٰذَا نَذِيرٌ مِنَ النُّذُرِ الْأُولَىٰ  

{هذا} محمد {نذير من النذر الأولى} من جنسهم، أي رسول كالرسل قبله أرسل إليكم كما أرسلوا إلى أقوامهم.
quran:53:57

The Approaching Day has approached.  

The Impending ˹Hour˺ is imminent: the Resurrection is near at hand.
القرآن:٥٣:٥٧

أَزِفَتِ الْآزِفَةُ  

{أزفت الآزفة} قربت القيامة.
quran:53:58

Of it, ˹from those˺ besides Allah, there is no remover.  

None, ˹no˺ soul, besides God can disclose it, that is to say, only He can disclose it and manifest it, as where He says: He alone shall reveal it, at its proper time ˹Q. 7:187˺.
القرآن:٥٣:٥٨

لَيْسَ لَهَا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ  

{ليس لها من دون الله} نفس {كاشفة} أي لا يكشفها ويظهرها إلا هو كقوله {لا يجليها لوقتها إلا هو}.
quran:53:59

Then at this statement do you wonder?  

Do you then marvel, in denial, at this discourse, the Qur’ān,
القرآن:٥٣:٥٩

أَفَمِنْ هَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ  

{أفمن هذا الحديث} أي القرآن {تعجبون} تكذيبا.
quran:53:60

And you laugh and do not weep  

and laugh, mockingly, and not weep, when you hear its Promise and Threat,
القرآن:٥٣:٦٠

وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ  

{وتضحكون} استهزاءً {ولا تبكون} لسماع وعده ووعيده.
quran:53:61

While you are proudly sporting?  

while you remain oblivious?, unmindful and heedless of what is required of you.
القرآن:٥٣:٦١

وَأَنْتُمْ سَامِدُونَ  

{وأنتم سامدون} لاهون غافلون عما يطلب منكم.
quran:53:62

So prostrate to Allah and worship ˹Him˺.  

So prostrate to God, Who created you, and worship Him!, and do not prostrate to idols, nor worship them. Meccan, except for verse 45, which is Medinese; it consists of 55 verses.
القرآن:٥٣:٦٢

فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُوا ۩  

{فاسجدوا لله} الذي خلقكم {واعبدوا} ولا تسجدوا للأصنام ولا تعبدوها.