بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
An-Najm 53:20
The Star · Juz 27 · Page 526
وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ ٢٠
And Manāt, the third - the other one?1
1 translator’s note
- The three names given in this and the previous verse are those of well-known "goddesses" which were worshipped by the pagan Arabs before the spread of Islām. ↩
Tafsir · in Arabic
An-Nasafi
Medium
Change
Commentary on 53:19–20
﴿أفَرَأيْتُمُ اللاتَ والعُزّى﴾ ﴿وَمَناةَ الثالِثَةَ﴾ أيْ: أخْبِرُونا عَنْ هَذِهِ الأشْياءِ الَّتِي تَعْبُدُونَها مِن دُونِ اللهِ - عَزَّ وجَلَّ -، هَلْ لَها مِنَ القُدْرَةِ والعَظَمَةِ الَّتِي وُصِفَ بِها رَبُّ العِزَّةِ؟! "اَللّاتُ"، و"اَلْعُزّى"، و"مَناةُ": أصْنامٌ لَهُمْ، وهي مُؤَنَّثاتٌ، فَـ "اَللّاتُ"، كانَ لِثَقِيفٍ، بِالطائِفِ، وقِيلَ: كانَتْ بِنَخْلَةٍ تَعْبُدُها قُرَيْشٌ، وهي "فَعْلَةٌ"، مِن "لَوى"، لِأنَّهم كانُوا يَلْوُونَ عَلَيْها، ويَعْكُفُونَ لِلْعِبادَةِ، و"اَلْعُزّى"، كانَتْ لِغَطَفانَ، وهي سَمُرَةٌ، وأصْلُها تَأْنِيثُ "اَلْأعَزُّ"، وقَطَعَها خالِدُ بْنُ الوَلِيدِ، و"مَناةُ"، صَخْرَةٌ كانَتْ لِهُذَيْلٍ، وخُزاعَةَ، وقِيلَ: لِثَقِيفٍ، وكَأنَّها سُمِّيَتْ "مَناةَ"، لِأنَّ دِماءَ النَسائِكِ كانَتْ تُمْنى عِنْدَها، أيْ: تُراقُ، "وَمَناءَةَ"، "مَكِّيٌّ"، "مَفْعَلَةٌ"، مِن "اَلنَّوْءُ"، كَأنَّهم كانُوا يَسْتَمْطِرُونَ عِنْدَها الأنْواءَ، تَبَرُّكًا بِها،
﴿الأُخْرى﴾، هي صِفَةُ ذَمٍّ، أيْ: اَلْمُتَأخِّرَةَ، الوَضِيعَةَ المِقْدارِ، كَقَوْلِهِ: ﴿قالَتْ أُخْراهم لأُولاهُمْ﴾ [الأعراف: ٣٨]، أيْ: وُضَعاؤُهم لِرُؤَسائِهِمْ، وأشْرافِهِمْ، ويَجُوزُ أنْ تَكُونَ الأوَّلِيَّةُ والتَقَدُّمُ عِنْدَهم لِلّاتِ، والعُزّى، كانُوا يَقُولُونَ: إنَّ المَلائِكَةَ، وهَذِهِ الأصْنامَ، بَناتُ اللهِ، وكانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ، ويَزْعُمُونَ أنَّهم شُفَعاؤُهم عِنْدَ اللهِ، مَعَ وأْدِهِمُ البَناتِ، وكَراهَتِهِمْ لَهُنَّ، فَقِيلَ لَهُمْ:
Page 526
سورة النجم
An-Najm
The Star · Meccan · 62 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
53:1
وَٱلنَّجۡمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ ١
By the star when it descends,
53:2
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمۡ وَمَا غَوَىٰ ٢
Your companion [i.e., Muḥammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred,
53:3
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ ٣
Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination.
53:4
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحۡيٞ يُوحَىٰ ٤
It is not but a revelation revealed,
53:5
عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡقُوَىٰ ٥
Taught to him by one intense in strength [i.e., Gabriel] -
53:6
ذُو مِرَّةٖ فَٱسۡتَوَىٰ ٦
53:7
وَهُوَ بِٱلۡأُفُقِ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ ٧
While he was in the higher [part of the] horizon.1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., in the sky, above the eastern horizon. ↩
53:8
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ ٨
Then he approached and descended
53:9
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوۡسَيۡنِ أَوۡ أَدۡنَىٰ ٩
And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer.
53:10
فَأَوۡحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِۦ مَآ أَوۡحَىٰ ١٠
And he revealed to His Servant1 what he revealed [i.e., conveyed].
1 translator’s note
- i.e., to the Servant of Allāh, Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ). ↩
53:11
مَا كَذَبَ ٱلۡفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ ١١
The heart1 did not lie [about] what it saw.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., mind or perception (of the Prophet [ﷺ]). ↩
53:12
أَفَتُمَٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ ١٢
So will you dispute with him over what he saw?
53:13
وَلَقَدۡ رَءَاهُ نَزۡلَةً أُخۡرَىٰ ١٣
And he certainly saw him in another descent1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., on another occasion. During his ascent into the heavens (al-Miʿrāj), the Prophet (ﷺ) also saw Gabriel in his true form. ↩
53:14
عِندَ سِدۡرَةِ ٱلۡمُنتَهَىٰ ١٤
At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary -
53:15
عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰٓ ١٥
Near it is the Garden of Refuge [i.e., Paradise] -
53:16
إِذۡ يَغۡشَى ٱلسِّدۡرَةَ مَا يَغۡشَىٰ ١٦
When there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it].1
1 translator’s note
- Then and there he (ﷺ) saw Gabriel in angelic form. ↩
53:17
مَا زَاغَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ ١٧
The sight [of the Prophet (ﷺ)] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit].
53:18
لَقَدۡ رَأَىٰ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰٓ ١٨
He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.
53:19
أَفَرَءَيۡتُمُ ٱللَّٰتَ وَٱلۡعُزَّىٰ ١٩
So have you considered al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā?
53:20
وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ ٢٠
And Manāt, the third - the other one?1
1 translator’s note
- The three names given in this and the previous verse are those of well-known "goddesses" which were worshipped by the pagan Arabs before the spread of Islām. ↩
53:21
أَلَكُمُ ٱلذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ ٱلۡأُنثَىٰ ٢١
Is the male for you and for Him the female?
53:22
تِلۡكَ إِذٗا قِسۡمَةٞ ضِيزَىٰٓ ٢٢
That, then, is an unjust division.1
1 translator’s note
- According to their own standards. ↩
53:23
إِنۡ هِيَ إِلَّآ أَسۡمَآءٞ سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمۡ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلۡطَٰنٍۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُۖ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ ٢٣
They are not but [mere] names you have named them - you and your forefathers - for which Allāh has sent down no authority. They follow not except assumption and what [their] souls desire, and there has already come to them from their Lord guidance.
53:24
أَمۡ لِلۡإِنسَٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ ٢٤
Or is there for man whatever he wishes?
53:25
فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ وَٱلۡأُولَىٰ ٢٥
Rather, to Allāh belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].
53:26
۞ وَكَم مِّن مَّلَكٖ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ لَا تُغۡنِي شَفَٰعَتُهُمۡ شَيۡـًٔا إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ أَن يَأۡذَنَ ٱللَّهُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَرۡضَىٰٓ ٢٦
And how many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will not avail at all except [only] after Allāh has permitted [it] to whom He wills and approves.