Surah At-Tariq
The Nightly Star • Surah 86 • 17 verses
Introduction
The beginning of this Meccan chapter condemns the persecution of the Christians of Najrân (a city on the border of Yemen and Saudi Arabia) at the hands of the pagans around 524 C.E. The tyrants are warned of the torment of burning, whereas the believers are promised a great reward in Paradise. Both this chapter and the next swear by the towering sky, emphasize Allah’s infinite power, pose a warning to the evildoers, and stress the divinity of the Quran.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the heaven and the nightly star!
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what will make you realize what the nightly star is?
ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ
˹It is˺ the star of piercing brightness.
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
There is no soul without a vigilant angel ˹recording everything˺.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
Let people then consider what they were created from!
خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍ دَافِقٍ
˹They were˺ created from a spurting fluid,
يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ
stemming from between the backbone and the ribcage.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٌ
Surely He is fully capable of bringing them back ˹to life˺—
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ
on the Day all secrets will be disclosed.
فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ
Then one will have neither power nor ˹any˺ helper.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ
By the sky with its recurring cycles,
وَٱلْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ ٱلصَّدْعِ
and the earth with its sprouting plants!
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ
Surely this ˹Quran˺ is a decisive word,
وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ
and is not to be taken lightly.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا
They are certainly devising ˹evil˺ plans,
وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا
but I too am planning.
فَمَهِّلِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًۢا
So bear with the disbelievers ˹O Prophet˺. Let them be for ˹just˺ a little while.
