53. Sura al-Najm

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنثَى ﴿٢٧﴾

53: 27.  Those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names.

C5102. Cf. 53:21, above, and n. 5096.

The Pagan Quraish had no firm belief in the Hereafter. Their prayers for intercession to angels and deities was on account of their worldly affairs.

وَمَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ...

53 : 28.  But they have no knowledge therein.

They follow nothing but conjecture;

...لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا ﴿٢٨﴾

and conjecture avails nothing against Truth.

C5103. Cf. 53:23 above, and n. 5098.

Asad’s Version:

53:27

Behold, it is [only] such as do not [really] believe in the life to come that regard the angels as female beings; 20

(53:28) and [since] they have no knowledge whatever thereof, 21 they follow nothing but surmise: yet, behold, never can surmise take the place of truth.