53. An-Najm (The Unfolding)

Mecca Period [23]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى ﴿٤٨﴾

53:48.  That it is He Who giveth wealth and satisfaction;

C5118.

• Wealth and material gain are sought by most men, in the hope that they will be a source of enjoyment and satisfaction. But this hope is not always fulfilled. There is a physical and spiritual side to it. But both the material and the spiritual side depend upon the working of Allah's Plan.

This is referred to in the ninth aphorism.

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَى ﴿٤٩﴾

53: 49.  That He is the Lord of Sirius (the Mighty Star);

C5119. The tenth aphorism

• refers to a mighty phenomenon of nature, the magnificent star Sirius, which is such a prominent object in the skies, in the early part of the solar year, say, from January to April. It is the brightest star in the firmament, and its bluish light causes wonder and terror in Pagan minds. The Pagan Arabs worshipped it as a divinity. But Allah is the Lord, Creator and Cherisher, of the most magnificent part of Creation, and worship is due to Him alone.

Asad’s Version:

(53:48) and that it is He alone who frees from want and causes to possess;

(53:49) and that it is He alone who sustains the brightest star; 36

[[Asad’s note - 36 Lit., "who is the Sustainer of Sirius (ash-shi'ra)", a star of the first magnitude, belonging to the constellation Canis Major. Because it is the brightest star in the heavens, it was widely worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia. Idiomatically, the phrase rabb ash-shi'ra is used as a metonym for the Creator and Upholder of the universe. ]]