Skip to content
Assabile

Surah An-Najm, Verse 23

سورة النجم، الآية ٢٣

53:23 Juz 27 Hizb 53 Page 526 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 53:23

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 ۝٢٣

Transliteration

in hiya illā asmāon sammaytumūhā antum waābāukum mā anzala l-lahu bihā min sul'ṭānin in yattabiʿūna illā l-ẓana wamā tahwā l-anfusu walaqad jāahum min rabbihimu l-hudā

Translation

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.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 23 of Surah An-Najm (53:23), a Meccan surah, is in juz 27, on page 526 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.

Listen to verse 23 of Surah An-Najm

80 recitations by 74 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.

All voices (80)

Tafsir of verse 23

Al-Mukhtasar

These idols are nothing but names without meaning, so they have no share of divine qualities. You and your fathers named them on your own part. Allah did not reveal any proof for them. The idolaters do not follow in their belief except assumption and what their souls desire from what the satan has adorned in their hearts. And the guidance has come to them from their Lord on the tongue of Muhammad (peace be upon him), but they were not guided.

Tafsir of the whole Surah An-Najm

Other translations of verse 23

These [idols] are no more than names you and your forefathers have made up9, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their souls desire, although there has come to them guidance from their Lord.

Notes

[9] i.e., You have considered them gods while in fact, they are not.

They are but names which you have named - you and your fathers - for which Allâh has sent down no authority. They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them the Guidance from their Lord!

They 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.

These 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!

They are naught but names which you have named, you and your fathers; Allah has not sent for them any authority. They follow naught but conjecture and the low desires which (their) souls incline to; and certainly the guidance has come to them from their Lord.

Decidedly they are nothing except names you have named, you and your fathers. In no way has Allah sent down concerning them any all-binding authority. Decidedly they closely follow nothing except surmise and what (prejudices) the selves yearn to; and indeed the guidance has already come to them from their Lord.

Verse 23 word by word

  1. إِنْ in Not
  2. هِىَ hiya they
  3. إِلَّآ illā (are) except
  4. أَسْمَآءٌ asmāon names س م و
  5. سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ sammaytumūhā you have named them س م و
  6. أَنتُمْ antum you
  7. وَءَابَآؤُكُم waābāukum and your forefathers أ ب و
  8. مَّآ mā not
  9. أَنزَلَ anzala has Allah sent down ن ز ل
  10. ٱللَّهُ l-lahu has Allah sent down
  11. بِهَا bihā for it
  12. مِن min any
  13. سُلْطَٰنٍ sul'ṭānin authority س ل ط
  14. إِن in Not
  15. يَتَّبِعُونَ yattabiʿūna they follow ت ب ع
  16. إِلَّا illā except
  17. ٱلظَّنَّ l-ẓana assumption ظ ن ن
  18. وَمَا wamā and what
  19. تَهْوَى tahwā desire ه و ي
  20. ٱلْأَنفُسُ l-anfusu the(ir) souls ن ف س
  21. وَلَقَدْ walaqad And certainly
  22. جَآءَهُم jāahum has come to them ج ي أ
  23. مِّن min from
  24. رَّبِّهِمُ rabbihimu their Lord ر ب ب
  25. ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ l-hudā the guidance ه د ي

Verses related to verse 23

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Yusuf 12:40

    مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَسْمَآءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

    You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allāh has sent down no evidence. Legislation is not but for Allāh. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.

  • Al-A’raf 7:71

    قَالَ قَدْ وَقَعَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ رِجْسٌ وَغَضَبٌ أَتُجَٰدِلُونَنِى فِىٓ أَسْمَآءٍ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍ فَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُنتَظِرِينَ

    [Hūd] said, "Already have defilement and anger fallen upon you from your Lord. Do you dispute with me concerning [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allāh has not sent down any authority? Then wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait."

  • An-Najm 53:28

    وَمَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ شَيْـًٔا

    And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.

  • Al-An’am 6:116

    وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ

    And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.

  • Yunus 10:66

    أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ

    Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. And those who invoke other than Allāh do not [actually] follow [His] "partners." They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.

All similar verses of Surah An-Najm

Go further

Saturday, October 24, 2026 13 جمادى الأولى 1448 هـ