An-Najm

Quran
Text Chapter List Meccan Medinan Verse Section Muqatta'at
Content Animals Eschatology Female figures God Legends Miracles Parables Prophets Science
Reading Elocution Memorized Reciter School Speed
Translations List English translations
History Samarkand Kufic Quran Sana'a manuscript Topkapi manuscript
Exegesis Abrogation Biblical narratives Esoteric interpretation Hermeneutics Persons related to verses (mentioned by name) Revelation
Related Createdness Criticism Inimitability Qur'an and tradition Qur'anism Shi’a view
Category Islam portal

Surat An-Najm (Arabic: سورة النجم‎, "The Star") is the 53rd sura of the Qur'an with 62 ayat. The surah that opens with the oath of the Divine One swearing by every one of the stars, as they descend and disappear beneath the horizon, that Muḥammad is indeed God’s awaited Messenger. It takes its name from Ayat#1, which mentions “the stars” (najm). The surah confirms the divine source of the Prophet’s message and refers to his ascension to heaven during the Night Journey (Ayah#1 ff.). The surah refutes the claims of the disbelievers about the goddesses and the angels (ayah#19 ff.), and lists several truths about God’s power. It closes with a warning of the imminent Day of Judgement.

Content

The first eighteen verses of this sura are considered to be some of the earliest revelations of the Qur'an. These verses address the legitimacy of Muhammad’s prophetic visions. The sura begins with the divine voice swearing by the collapsing star that “Your companion,” referring to Muhammad, has not gone mad, nor does he speak out of his desire. The passage evokes the process of vision by tracing the movement along the highest horizon and then coming down and drawing near to the distance of “two bows” length. The passage ends with the affirmation of the validity of the vision by stating that the heart of the prophet “did not lie in what it saw.”

The surah is distinguished as being the first that required Muslims to prostrate, or perform sajdah, when it is recited, according to Tafsir Ibn Kathir and a number of hadiths. The sura claims that, when it was first narrated by Muhammad in Mecca, all Muslims and non-Muslims who heard the recitation prostrated to God upon its completion due to the effect that the words had upon them.

The sura is also known for referencing the star "shiaara," or Sirius (Ayat 49).

External links

The last line of An-Najm: "So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him]."

Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Holy Qur'an (Maulana Muhammad Ali)/53. The Star

• Surah An-Najm (Complete text in Arabic with English and French translations)
• An-Najm at Sacred Texts