Surah An-Najm (The Star)

An-Najm means "The Star," named after the opening oath that invokes the star as it descends or sets.

Surah An-Najm is the fifty-third chapter of the Quran, a Meccan surah of sixty-two ayahs. It opens with an oath by the star and affirms that the Prophet Muhammad does not speak from his own desire but conveys revelation given to him. The surah is well known for describing a profound experience of revelation and a vision, traditionally connected with the Prophet's encounter with the angel Gabriel and, in many accounts, with the Ascension (Mi'raj), including a reference to the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha). It then confronts the pagan Meccans over their worship of the goddesses they named, exposing these as empty names without divine reality. The surah lays out enduring principles: that no soul bears the burden of another, that a person will have only what they strive for, and that final return and reckoning belong to God. It surveys God's dealings with earlier nations and closes with a call to prostrate to God.

Surah number: 53
Revelation: Meccan
Ayahs: 62
Arabic: النجم

Read Surah An-Najm online — full Arabic text with the Pickthall English translation.

Main themes

The Prophet's truthfulness: revelation, not personal desire
The vision and the encounter at the Lote Tree of the boundary
Refutation of the pagan goddesses as mere names
No soul bears the burden of another
A person attains only what they strive for
God's power over past nations and the call to prostration

Why this surah matters

An-Najm holds a distinctive place as a surah closely associated with the Prophet's experience of revelation and, in tradition, the Night Journey and Ascension. It is widely reported to be among the first surahs the Prophet recited openly in Mecca, and it contains a verse of prostration (sajdat at-tilawah) at which reciters and listeners traditionally prostrate. Its concise moral principles — personal accountability and striving — are frequently quoted. Many Muslims regard its account of the vision and the Lote Tree as one of the most majestic passages describing the meeting of prophethood with the divine.

Frequently asked questions

What is the vision described in Surah An-Najm?

The surah describes a momentous experience of revelation and a vision, traditionally understood as the Prophet's encounter with the angel Gabriel and, in many accounts, the Ascension, including mention of the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary. The details are related by number here rather than quoted.

Does Surah An-Najm contain a prostration?

Yes. It ends with a call to prostrate to God and contains a recitation prostration (sajdat at-tilawah), at which many Muslims traditionally prostrate when reciting or hearing it.

What principle about accountability does it state?

It teaches that no soul bears the burden of another and that a person will have only what they strive for, principles frequently cited on individual responsibility before God.

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