53:1

ﱁBy the starﱂwhenﱃit goes downﱄ(1)

By the stars when they fade away!

53:2

ﱅNotﱆhas strayedﱇyour companionﱈand notﱉhas he erredﱊ(2)

Your fellow man1 is neither misguided nor astray.

53:3

ﱋAnd notﱌhe speaksﱍfromﱎthe desireﱏ(3)

Nor does he speak of his own whims.

53:4

ﱐNotﱑitﱒ(is) exceptﱓa revelationﱔrevealedﱕ(4)

It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.

53:5

ﱖHas taught himﱗthe (one) mightyﱘ(in) powerﱙ(5)

He has been taught by one ˹angel˺ of mighty power1

53:6

ﱚPossessor of soundnessﱛPossessor of soundnessﱜAnd he roseﱝ(6)

and great perfection, who once rose to ˹his˺ true form1

53:7

ﱞWhile heﱟ(was) in the horizon ﱠthe highestﱡ(7)

while on the highest point above the horizon,

53:8

ﱢThenﱣhe approachedﱤand came downﱥ(8)

then he approached ˹the Prophet˺, coming so close

53:9

ﱦAnd wasﱧ(at) a distanceﱨ(of) two bow-(lengths)ﱩorﱪnearerﱫ(9)

that he was only two arms-lengths away or even less.1

53:10

ﱬSo he revealedﱭtoﱮHis slaveﱯwhatﱰhe revealedﱱ(10)

Then Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed ˹through Gabriel˺.

53:11

ﱲNotﱳliedﱴthe heartﱵwhatﱶit sawﱷ(11)

The ˹Prophet’s˺ heart did not doubt what he saw.

53:12

ﱸThen will you dispute with himﱹaboutﱺwhatﱻhe sawﱼ(12)

How can you ˹O pagans˺ then dispute with him regarding what he saw?

53:13

ﱽAnd certainlyﱾhe saw himﱿ(in) descentﲀanotherﲁ(13)

And he certainly saw that ˹angel descend˺ a second time

53:14

ﲂNearﲃ(the) Lote Treeﲄ(of) the utmost boundaryﲅ(14)

at the Lote Tree of the most extreme limit ˹in the seventh heaven˺—

53:15

ﲆNear itﲇ(is the) Gardenﲈ(of) Abodeﲉ(15)

near which is the Garden of ˹Eternal˺ Residence—

53:16

ﲊWhenﲋcoveredﲌthe Lote Treeﲍwhatﲎcoversﲏ(16)

while the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with ˹heavenly˺ splendours!

53:17

ﲐNotﲑswervedﲒthe sightﲓand notﲔit transgressedﲕ(17)

The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach.

53:18

ﲖCertainlyﲗhe sawﲘofﲙ(the) Signsﲚ(of) his Lordﲛthe Greatestﲜ(18)

He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs.1

53:19

ﲝSo have you seenﲞthe Latﲟand the Uzzaﲠ(19)

Now, have you considered ˹the idols of˺ Lât and ’Uzza,

53:20

ﲡAnd Manatﲢthe thirdﲣthe otherﲤ(20)

and the third one, Manât, as well?

53:21

ﲥIs for youﲦthe maleﲧand for Himﲨthe femaleﲩ(21)

Do you ˹prefer to˺ have sons while ˹you attribute˺ to Him daughters?1

53:22

ﲪThisﲫthenﲬ(is) a divisionﲭunfairﲮ(22)

Then this is ˹truly˺ a biased distribution!

53:23

ﲯNotﲰtheyﲱ(are) exceptﲲnamesﲳyou have named themﲴyouﲵand your forefathersﲶnotﲷhas Allah sent downﲸhas Allah sent downﲹfor itﲺanyﲻﲼauthorityﲽNotﲾthey followﲿexceptﳀassumptionﳁand whatﳂdesireﳃﳄthe(ir) soulsﳅAnd certainlyﳆhas come to themﳇfromﳈtheir Lordﳉthe guidanceﳊ(23)

These ˹idols˺ are mere names that you and your forefathers have made up1—a practice Allah has never authorized. They follow nothing but ˹inherited˺ assumptions and whatever ˹their˺ souls desire, although ˹true˺ guidance has already come to them from their Lord.

53:24

ﳋOrﳌ(is) for manﳍwhatﳎhe wishesﳏ(24)

Or should every person ˹simply˺ have whatever ˹intercessors˺ they desire?1

53:25

ﳐBut for Allahﳑ(is) the lastﳒand the firstﳓ(25)

In fact, to Allah ˹alone˺ belongs this world and the next.

53:26

ﳔﳕAnd how manyﳖofﳗ(the) Angelsﳘinﳙthe heavensﳚnotﳛwill availﳜtheir intercessionﳝanythingﳞexceptﳟafterﳠafterﳡ[that]ﳢAllah has given permissionﳣAllah has given permissionﳤfor whomﳥHe willsﳦand approvesﳧ(26)

˹Imagine˺ how many ˹noble˺ angels are in the heavens! ˹Even˺ their intercession would be of no benefit whatsoever, until Allah gives permission to whoever He wills and ˹only for the people He˺ approves.