Surah 53 of 114 · Makki · 62 ayat
An-Najm النجم
The Star
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ
PickthallBy the Star when it setteth,
Yusuf AliBy the Star when it goes down,-
The agreed readingBy the Star when it goes down. The sura opens on an oath, and the commentaries agree on what it is sworn for: the statement that follows about the man they had known among them all his life.
مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ
PickthallYour comrade erreth not, nor is deceived;
Yusuf AliYour Companion is neither astray nor being misled.
The agreed readingYour companion has not strayed from the road, nor has he gone wrong. The commentaries take the two words as covering the two ways a man can fail - losing the path of guidance, and holding to a false belief - and deny both of him.
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ
PickthallNor doth he speak of (his own) desire.
Yusuf AliNor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire.
The agreed readingNor does he speak out of his own desire. What he brings you does not come up out of himself, and that is said before anything is said about its source.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ
PickthallIt is naught save an inspiration that is inspired,
Yusuf AliIt is no less than inspiration sent down to him:
The agreed readingIt is nothing but a revelation revealed to him. The commentaries read this together with the line before it as one statement: desire is denied as its source, and revelation is named in its place.
عَلَّمَهُۥ شَدِيدُ ٱلْقُوَىٰ
PickthallWhich one of mighty powers hath taught him,
Yusuf AliHe was taught by one Mighty in Power,
The agreed readingOne mighty in power taught it to him. The commentaries hold in common that the teaching came from one whose strength is the first thing named about him, and the reading keeps to what they hold in common.
ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَٱسْتَوَىٰ
PickthallOne vigorous; and he grew clear to view
Yusuf AliEndued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form);
The agreed readingOne of vigour. The word is glossed as strength and soundness together, and the commentaries add to it the sense of a fair and imposing form. Then he stood poised and steady.
وَهُوَ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ
PickthallWhen he was on the uppermost horizon.
Yusuf AliWhile he was in the highest part of the horizon:
The agreed readingWhile he was on the highest horizon - the far edge of the sky where the sun comes up, the whole of it filled by what stood there.
ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ
PickthallThen he drew nigh and came down
Yusuf AliThen he approached and came closer,
The agreed readingThen he drew near and came down. The commentaries gloss the two verbs as one movement in two stages: a nearness, and then a further nearness beyond it.
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ
PickthallTill he was (distant) two bows' length or even nearer,
Yusuf AliAnd was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer;
The agreed readingUntil he was two bows-length away, or nearer. The commentaries measure it by the bow of the Arabs, the span between its grip and its curved end, and the point of the measure is how little distance was left.
فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ
PickthallAnd He revealed unto His slave that which He revealed.
Yusuf AliSo did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey.
The agreed readingAnd He revealed to His servant what He revealed. The commentaries notice that what was revealed is deliberately not stated, and read the silence as a raising of its rank: it is left unnamed because naming it would make it less than it is.
مَا كَذَبَ ٱلْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰٓ
PickthallThe heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw.
Yusuf AliThe (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw.
The agreed readingThe heart did not lie about what it saw. Whatever the eye took in, the heart neither denied it nor mistook it - the seeing and the knowing of it agreed.
أَفَتُمَٰرُونَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ
PickthallWill ye then dispute with him concerning what he seeth?
Yusuf AliWill ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw?
The agreed readingWill you then dispute with him over what he sees? The commentaries address this to those who were denying that he had seen anything at all, and read it as a rebuke for the arguing rather than an argument offered into it.
وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ
PickthallAnd verily he saw him yet another time
Yusuf AliFor indeed he saw him at a second descent,
The agreed readingAnd he saw him another time, in a second coming down. The commentaries mark this as an occasion separate from the one described above, not the same seeing told twice over.
عِندَ سِدْرَةِ ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ
PickthallBy the lote-tree of the utmost boundary,
Yusuf AliNear the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass:
The agreed readingBy the Lote-Tree of the Boundary. Both traditions describe it the same way: a tree standing at the furthest limit, at the end of the heavens, which nothing created passes beyond.
عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰٓ
PickthallNigh unto which is the Garden of Abode.
Yusuf AliNear it is the Garden of Abode.
The agreed readingNear it is the Garden of the Abode - the Garden where those who guard themselves come to rest, which the commentaries place beside the Lote-Tree itself.
إِذْ يَغْشَى ٱلسِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ
PickthallWhen that which shroudeth did enshroud the lote-tree,
Yusuf AliBehold, the Lote-tree was shrouded (in mystery unspeakable!)
The agreed readingWhen there covered the Lote-Tree what covered it. The commentaries leave what covered it unnamed, as the words do, and read the vagueness as greatness: it is too much to be set out in detail.
مَا زَاغَ ٱلْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ
PickthallThe eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold.
Yusuf Ali(His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong!
The agreed readingThe eye did not swerve, nor did it overreach. The commentaries gloss the pair exactly: it neither turned aside from what it was given to see, nor went past it to anything else.
لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰٓ
PickthallVerily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord.
Yusuf AliFor truly did he see, of the Signs of his Lord, the Greatest!
The agreed readingHe saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. Not all of them and not the whole of them - the words say some, and the commentaries hold to that.
أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ ٱللَّٰتَ وَٱلْعُزَّىٰ
PickthallHave ye thought upon Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza
Yusuf AliHave ye seen Lat. and 'Uzza,
The agreed readingHave you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza? The sura turns from what was truly seen to what was not, and takes up three named things that were served in its place.
وَمَنَوٰةَ ٱلثَّالِثَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ
PickthallAnd Manat, the third, the other?
Yusuf AliAnd another, the third (goddess), Manat?
The agreed readingAnd Manat, the third, the other one? The commentaries describe all three as stones that were worshipped, and record the claim that was made for them - that they would speak for their servants with God.
أَلَكُمُ ٱلذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ ٱلْأُنثَىٰ
PickthallAre yours the males and His the females?
Yusuf AliWhat! for you the male sex, and for Him, the female?
The agreed readingAre the males yours, and the females His? The question is handed back to men who kept sons for themselves and assigned daughters to God.
تِلْكَ إِذًا قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَىٰٓ
PickthallThat indeed were an unfair division!
Yusuf AliBehold, such would be indeed a division most unfair!
The agreed readingThat would be a division that skews. The word is glossed as a share dealt out crookedly, one that wrongs the other side of it: they kept what they prized and gave away what they themselves thought less of.
إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى ٱلْأَنفُسُ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ
PickthallThey are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers, for which Allah hath revealed no warrant. They follow but a guess and that which (they) themselves desire. And now the guidance from their Lord hath come unto them.
Yusuf AliThese are nothing but names which ye have devised,- ye and your fathers,- for which Allah has sent down no authority (whatever). They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own souls desire!- Even though there has already come to them Guidance from their Lord!
The agreed readingThey are only names, which you and your fathers gave them, and God has sent down no authority for them. They follow only guesswork and what their own souls desire, and guidance has already reached them from their Lord. The commentaries put it plainly: calling a thing a god does not make it one, and the name carries none of what is claimed by it.
أَمْ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ
PickthallOr shall man have what he coveteth?
Yusuf AliNay, shall man have (just) anything he hankers after?
The agreed readingOr shall a man have whatever he wishes for? The commentaries tie the question to the wish just described - that the things they served would speak for them - and answer it: wanting a thing does not make it a man's.
فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ
PickthallBut unto Allah belongeth the after (life), and the former.
Yusuf AliBut it is to Allah that the End and the Beginning (of all things) belong.
The agreed readingTo God belongs the last and the first. This world and the world to come are both His, and nothing falls out in either except what He wills.
وَكَم مِّن مَّلَكٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ لَا تُغْنِى شَفَٰعَتُهُمْ شَيْـًٔا إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن يَأْذَنَ ٱللَّهُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَرْضَىٰٓ
PickthallAnd how many angels are in the heavens whose intercession availeth naught save after Allah giveth leave to whom He chooseth and accepteth.
Yusuf AliHow many-so-ever be the angels in the heavens, their intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He pleases and that he is acceptable to Him.
The agreed readingAnd how many an angel there is in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing at all, except after God gives leave to whom He wills and accepts. The commentaries take the argument to its end with it: if those brought nearest cannot speak for anyone unbidden, carved stones certainly cannot.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ ٱلْأُنثَىٰ
PickthallLo! it is those who disbelieve in the Hereafter who name the angels with the names of females.
Yusuf AliThose who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names.
The agreed readingThose who do not believe in the world to come are the ones who give the angels the names of females - a charge the commentaries connect back to the claim that they were daughters of God.
وَمَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ شَيْـًٔا
PickthallAnd they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and lo! a guess can never take the place of the truth.
Yusuf AliBut they have no knowledge therein. They follow nothing but conjecture; and conjecture avails nothing against Truth.
The agreed readingThey have no knowledge of it. They follow only guesswork, and guesswork is no substitute for the truth. The commentaries are exact about the failure: this is a matter in which nothing but knowledge will serve, and they brought supposition to it.
فَأَعْرِضْ عَن مَّن تَوَلَّىٰ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا
PickthallThen withdraw (O Muhammad) from him who fleeth from Our remembrance and desireth but the life of the world.
Yusuf AliTherefore shun those who turn away from Our Message and desire nothing but the life of this world.
The agreed readingSo turn away from him who turns away from Our remembrance and wants nothing but the life of this world. The commentaries gloss the remembrance here as the Qur'an itself.
ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ
PickthallSuch is their sum of knowledge. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth, and He is Best Aware of him whom goeth right.
Yusuf AliThat is as far as knowledge will reach them. Verily thy Lord knoweth best those who stray from His Path, and He knoweth best those who receive guidance.
The agreed readingThat is the sum of what they know - the whole reach of their knowledge is that they chose this world over the next. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who has taken guidance.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَٰٓـُٔوا۟ بِمَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ بِٱلْحُسْنَى
PickthallAnd unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, that He may reward those who do evil with that which they have done, and reward those who do good with goodness.
Yusuf AliYea, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: so that He rewards those who do evil, according to their deeds, and He rewards those who do good, with what is best.
The agreed readingTo God belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, so that He may repay those who do evil with what they have done, and repay those who do good with what is best.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٰسِعُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ
PickthallThose who avoid enormities of sin and abominations, save the unwilled offences - (for them) lo! thy Lord is of vast mercy. He is Best Aware of you (from the time) when He created you from the earth, and when ye were hidden in the bellies of your mothers. Therefor ascribe not purity unto yourselves. He is Best Aware of him who wardeth off (evil).
Yusuf AliThose who avoid great sins and shameful deeds, only (falling into) small faults,- verily thy Lord is ample in forgiveness. He knows you well when He brings you out of the earth, And when ye are hidden in your mothers' wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best who it is that guards against evil.
The agreed readingThose who keep clear of the great sins and of indecencies, all but the small slips - your Lord is wide in forgiveness. The commentaries agree on the exception: the small slips are covered over for a man who keeps away from the great ones. He knew you best when He brought you out of the earth and when you were hidden in your mothers, so do not claim purity for yourselves. He knows best who guards himself.
أَفَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ
PickthallDidst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away,
Yusuf AliSeest thou one who turns back,
The agreed readingHave you seen the one who turned away? The commentaries carry an occasion for this line and the ones after it, but they do not name the same man, and so the reading names no one: what they hold in common is the conduct described, not the person it is pinned to.
وَأَعْطَىٰ قَلِيلًا وَأَكْدَىٰٓ
PickthallAnd gave a little, then was grudging?
Yusuf AliGives a little, then hardens (his heart)?
The agreed readingAnd gave a little, then held back. The word is drawn from a digger who strikes rock: he had begun to give, and then stopped as a man stops when the ground turns hard under him.
أَعِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ فَهُوَ يَرَىٰٓ
PickthallHath he knowledge of the Unseen so that he seeth?
Yusuf AliWhat! Has he knowledge of the Unseen so that he can see?
The agreed readingDoes he have knowledge of the unseen, so that he sees? The commentaries fill in what he would need to see - that another man can carry his punishment for him in the world to come, which is what he had been promised.
أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِى صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ
PickthallOr hath he not had news of what is in the books of Moses
Yusuf AliNay, is he not acquainted with what is in the Books of Moses-
The agreed readingOr has he not been told of what is in the scrolls of Moses? The question turns from what he imagines to what was written down and delivered long before him.
وَإِبْرَٰهِيمَ ٱلَّذِى وَفَّىٰٓ
PickthallAnd Abraham who paid his debt:
Yusuf AliAnd of Abraham who fulfilled his engagements?-
The agreed readingAnd of Abraham, who fulfilled what he was given? The commentaries gloss the word as completing in full what he was commanded, holding nothing of it back.
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
PickthallThat no laden one shall bear another's load,
Yusuf AliNamely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another;
The agreed readingThat no soul carrying its load carries the load of another. This is the first of the things the commentaries say were in those scrolls, and it is given as the settled rule rather than as a new announcement.
وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ
PickthallAnd that man hath only that for which he maketh effort,
Yusuf AliThat man can have nothing but what he strives for;
The agreed readingAnd that a man shall have nothing except what he has worked for. The commentaries set this beside the line before it as its other half: as no one is held for another man's wrong, so no one is paid for another man's effort.
وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُۥ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ
PickthallAnd that his effort will be seen.
Yusuf AliThat (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight:
The agreed readingAnd that his work is going to be seen - brought out and looked at, the commentaries say, in the world to come.
ثُمَّ يُجْزَىٰهُ ٱلْجَزَآءَ ٱلْأَوْفَىٰ
PickthallAnd afterward he will be repaid for it with fullest payment;
Yusuf AliThen will he be rewarded with a reward complete;
The agreed readingAnd then he will be repaid for it with the fullest repayment, with nothing of it left short.
وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ
PickthallAnd that thy Lord, He is the goal;
Yusuf AliThat to thy Lord is the final Goal;
The agreed readingAnd that to your Lord is the end - the return and the destination of everything, where the whole of it comes to rest.
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep,
Yusuf AliThat it is He Who granteth Laughter and Tears;
The agreed readingAnd that it is He who makes one laugh and makes one weep. The commentaries take both back to Him rather than to the causes a man can see in front of him.
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا
PickthallAnd that He it is Who giveth death and giveth life;
Yusuf AliThat it is He Who granteth Death and Life;
The agreed readingAnd that it is He who brings death and gives life - the death that comes in this world, and the life given at the raising.
وَأَنَّهُۥ خَلَقَ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He createth the two spouses, the male and the female,
Yusuf AliThat He did create in pairs,- male and female,
The agreed readingAnd that He created the two of a pair, the male and the female, and the pairing itself is set down as His work.
مِن نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَىٰ
PickthallFrom a drop (of seed) when it is poured forth;
Yusuf AliFrom a seed when lodged (in its place);
The agreed readingFrom a drop of fluid when it is poured out. The commentaries follow the making of a man from its smallest beginning, and the point of the sequence is whose work it is at every stage of it.
وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلنَّشْأَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He hath ordained the second bringing forth;
Yusuf AliThat He hath promised a Second Creation (Raising of the Dead);
The agreed readingAnd that the second bringing forth rests on Him - the making again after the first making, which is the raising of the dead.
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ أَغْنَىٰ وَأَقْنَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He it is Who enricheth and contenteth;
Yusuf AliThat it is He Who giveth wealth and satisfaction;
The agreed readingAnd that it is He who gives wealth and gives possessions to keep. The commentaries separate the two: enough to meet a man's need, and then property that stays with him beyond his need.
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلشِّعْرَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He it is Who is the Lord of Sirius;
Yusuf AliThat He is the Lord of Sirius (the Mighty Star);
The agreed readingAnd that He is the Lord of Sirius - a star that was served in the days of ignorance, and the words set it under His lordship rather than beside it.
وَأَنَّهُۥٓ أَهْلَكَ عَادًا ٱلْأُولَىٰ
PickthallAnd that He destroyed the former (tribe of) A'ad,
Yusuf AliAnd that it is He Who destroyed the (powerful) ancient 'Ad (people),
The agreed readingAnd that He destroyed the earlier Ad, who are described in the commentaries as the strongest and fiercest of the peoples that were.
وَثَمُودَا۟ فَمَآ أَبْقَىٰ
PickthallAnd (the tribe of) Thamud He spared not;
Yusuf AliAnd the Thamud nor gave them a lease of perpetual life.
The agreed readingAnd Thamud, and He left none of them. The commentaries read the destroying of the two peoples as one act carried across both names, and not one of either was spared.
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن قَبْلُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَىٰ
PickthallAnd the folk of Noah aforetime, Lo! they were more unjust and more rebellious;
Yusuf AliAnd before them, the people of Noah, for that they were (all) most unjust and most insolent transgressors,
The agreed readingAnd the people of Noah before that. They were more given to wrong and more insolent than the others, and the commentaries connect this to the length of time Noah stood among them: a lifetime of calling that changed nothing.
وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ
PickthallAnd Al-Mu'tafikah He destroyed
Yusuf AliAnd He destroyed the Overthrown Cities (of Sodom and Gomorrah).
The agreed readingAnd the overturned towns He brought down - raised up and then thrown over, which is how the commentaries describe the end that came to the people of Lot.
فَغَشَّىٰهَا مَا غَشَّىٰ
PickthallSo that there covered them that which did cover.
Yusuf AliSo that (ruins unknown) have covered them up.
The agreed readingSo there covered them what covered them. Here too what came down on them is left unnamed, and the commentaries read the vagueness as weight: the matter is too grave to be set out piece by piece.
فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَىٰ
PickthallConcerning which then, of the bounties of thy Lord, canst thou dispute?
Yusuf AliThen which of the gifts of thy Lord, (O man,) wilt thou dispute about?
The agreed readingSo which of your Lord's favours will you dispute? The commentaries gloss the word as the favours that point to His oneness and His power, and the verb as wavering between belief and denial about them.
هَٰذَا نَذِيرٌ مِّنَ ٱلنُّذُرِ ٱلْأُولَىٰٓ
PickthallThis is a warner of the warners of old.
Yusuf AliThis is a Warner, of the (series of) Warners of old!
The agreed readingThis is a warner, of the same kind as the warners of old - sent to you as they were sent to their own peoples, and not a new thing in the world.
أَزِفَتِ ٱلْـَٔازِفَةُ
PickthallThe threatened Hour is nigh.
Yusuf AliThe (Judgment) ever approaching draws nigh:
The agreed readingThe Hour that draws near has drawn near. The commentaries gloss the name itself: it is called the near one because it is close, whatever men reckon about the time of it.
لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ
PickthallNone beside Allah can disclose it.
Yusuf AliNo (soul) but Allah can lay it bare.
The agreed readingThere is no one besides God who can uncover it. No one else can lift the covering from it or bring it into view before its hour.
أَفَمِنْ هَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ
PickthallMarvel ye then at this statement,
Yusuf AliDo ye then wonder at this recital?
The agreed readingDo you then find this account strange? The commentaries take the wondering as denial rather than as curiosity, and read the account itself as the Qur'an.
وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ
PickthallAnd laugh and not weep,
Yusuf AliAnd will ye laugh and not weep,-
The agreed readingAnd laugh, and not weep? The laughing is glossed as mockery, and the weeping that is missing is grief over what has been let slip.
وَأَنتُمْ سَٰمِدُونَ
PickthallWhile ye amuse yourselves?
Yusuf AliWasting your time in vanities?
The agreed readingWhile you are heedless - lost in your own amusement, and inattentive to what is being asked of you.
فَٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِلَّهِ وَٱعْبُدُوا۟
PickthallRather prostrate yourselves before Allah and serve Him.
Yusuf AliBut fall ye down in prostration to Allah, and adore (Him)!
The agreed readingSo prostrate yourselves to God, and serve Him. The commentaries read it as the whole sura brought to its point: the prostration goes to the One who made you, and to nothing that was named beside Him.