An-Najm

وَٱلنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ 1

{ والنجم } الثريا { إذا هوى } غاب.

By the Star — the constellation Pleiades (al-thurayya) — when it sets, [when] it disappears,

مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ 2

{ ما ضل صاحبكم } محمد عليه الصلاة والسلام عن طريق الهداية { وما غوى } ما لابس الغي وهو جهل من اعتقاد فاسد.

your companion, Muhammad (s), may God bless him and grant him peace, has neither gone astray, from the path of guidance, nor has he erred, nor has he engaged in error (al-ghayy is ignorance that results from a false belief);

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ 3

{ وما ينطق } بما يأتيكم به { عن الهوى } هوى نفسه.

nor does he, in regard to what he brings you, speak out of [his own] desire, [out of] the whims of his soul.

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ 4

{ إن } ما { هو إلا وحى يوحى } إليه.

It is but a revelation that is revealed, to him,

عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلْقُوَىٰ 5

{ علمه } إياه ملك { شديد القوى }.

it is, taught to him by, an angel, one of awesome power,

ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ 6

{ ذو مرة } قوة وشدة أو منظر حسن أي جبريل عليه السلام { فاستوى } استقر.

possessed of vigour, of strength and might (or [alternatively it, dhū mirratin, means] possessed of a beautiful appearance), namely, Gabriel, peace be upon him; and he stood upright, he settled,

وَهُوَ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ 7

{ وهو بالأفق الأعلى } أفق الشمس، أي عند مطلعها على صورته التي خلق عليها فرآه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان بحراء قد سد الأفق إلى المغرب فخر مغشيا عليه وكان قد سأله أن يريه نفسه على صورته التي خلق عليها فواعده بحراء فنزل جبريل له في صورة الآدميين.

when he was on the highest horizon, the horizon of the sun, that is to say, at the place from which it rises, in the form in which he [Gabriel] was created, so that the Prophet (s) saw him; he [the Prophet] had been at [Mount] Hirā’, where Gabriel had obscured the entire horizon to the west. The Prophet fell down swooning, after he had asked him [Gabriel] to show himself to him in the form in which he was created. Thus Gabriel had made a tryst with him at Hirā’, where he came down to him in human form.

ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ 8

{ ثم دنا } قرب منه { فتدلى } زاد في القرب.

Then he drew near, he came close to him, and drew closer still,

فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ 9

{ فكان } منه { قاب } قدر { قوسين أو أدنى } من ذلك حتى أفاق وسكن روعه.

until he was, from him [the Prophet], within the length of two bows away or [even] nearer, than that, until he [the Prophet] had regained consciousness and his fright had subsided,

فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ 10

{ فأوحى } تعالى { إلى عبده } جبريل { مآ أوحى } جبريل إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يذكر الموحي تفخيما لشأنه.

whereat He, [God] exalted be He, revealed to His servant, Gabriel, what he, Gabriel, revealed, to the Prophet (s); the thing being revealed is not mentioned [explicitly] in exaltation of its [great] status.

مَا كَذَبَ ٱلْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ 11

{ ما كذب } بالتخفيف والتشديد أنكر { الفؤاد } فؤاد النبي { ما رأى } ببصره من صورة جبريل.

The heart, the heart of the Prophet, did not deny (read khadhaba or kadhdhaba) what he saw, with his own eyes of the image of Gabriel.

أَفَتُمَـٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ 12

{ أفتمرونه } تجادلونه وتغلبونه { على ما يرى } خطاب للمشركين المنكرين رؤية النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لجبريل.

Will you then dispute with him, will you [then] argue with him and [hope to] overwhelm him, concerning what he saw? — an address to the idolaters who denied the Prophet’s (s) vision of Gabriel.