In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
22 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Buruj is the 85th chapter of the Quran, containing 22 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it takes its name from its opening oath by the sky with its constellations. The surah condemns the makers of the trench, the People of the Ditch, who lit a fire and burned believers alive for no reason but their faith in Allah the Almighty, the Praiseworthy, and affirms that Allah witnesses all and that His seizure is severe for those who persist in wrongdoing. It closes by praising the Quran as a Glorious Recitation, preserved in a Guarded Tablet. Below you can read the full Surah Al-Buruj in Arabic with a clear English translation and a verse-by-verse tafsir (explanation of the meaning) from Aysar al-Tafaseer, with the option to jump to any specific verse.
3. Allah Almighty swears by all that He created in the universe which people can see and witness. (It is said that what is meant by “witness” is he who testifies against another on Judgement Day, and that “witnessed” is he whom others testify against on that day).
4. Woe to the makers of the pit. This is the answer to the oath. (The pit is a hole in the earth; the makers of the pit were a group of Jews from Yemen who tried to force the people who believed in Jesus to apostatize from their religion. Thus they dug a pit in the ground in which they built a big fire and stood the believers next to it. They then released whoever among the believers agreed to apostatize from his religion; as for those who did not, they were thrown in the fire. So Allah cursed those who did this detestable deed.)
8. The only guilt of those believers which had provoked the resentment of the oppressors was that they believed in their Mighty Lord Whose punishment is to be feared. He is the Bestower Whose reward is to be awaited.
9. Allah Almighty deserves all praise and glory, for to Him belong the dominion of the heavens and earth. There is no escape from Him for those who are unjust. He is the witness to what His creatures do and He will recompense them.
10. Those who tried to lure the believing men and women away from their faith; tortured them to force them to apostatize; persisted in their disbelief and tyranny, and did not repent of their sins until death overtook them; Allah has prepared for them, a severe punishment in Hellfire.
11. Those who give credence to the Oneness of Allah, conform to their Lord’s commands, and restrain themselves from what He has forbidden them, seeking His satisfaction, those He will admit to gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great triumph.
14. He is All-Forgiving to those who repent and overlooks their wrong-doings. He is full of kindness to those who are loyal, faithful and obedient to Him.
16. He does what He wills; He says to a thing: “Be!” and it is. If He willed to destroy the ungrateful and grant victory to the believers, He is not incapable of doing so.
17. Has the story of the hosts of ancient unjust nations and the punishment that Allah Almighty sent down upon them reached you, O Mohammad? They had exceeded all bounds in their disbelief and perversity.
18. Those hosts were Pharaoh and his people. Pharaoh transgressed and claimed divinity; as for his people, Allah drowned them in the sea. And also the tribe of Thamud, the people of Saleh, who hamstrung the she-camel which Allah sent as a sign of the veracity of their prophet’s message. So Allah Almighty destroyed them and their land and left none alive.
21. This Quran which you brought to them and which they denied is a great and glorious Book. Allah Almighty revealed it and safeguarded it against any alteration or distortion.
22. Allah Almighty kept it in Heaven and guarded it from any additions or loss. It is on a preserved tablet.
Tafsir by Dr. Assaad Homad (1917–2011), Syrian scholar and jurist, author of Aysar al-Tafaseer, an accessible interpretation of the Quran reviewed by Sheikh Muhammad Mutwally Al-Shaarawi and certified by the Ministries of Awqaf in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. English translation by the Homad family. Read more about the author and this tafsir →
Source: This series of Tafsir books has been made available online by the family of Dr. Assaad Homad (may Allah have mercy on him). These volumes were entirely digitized to provide an accessible and easy format for todays digital age. Please keep Dr. Assaad and his family in your sincere prayers.
تم إتاحة هذه السلسلة من كتب التفسير عبر الإنترنت من قبل عائلة الدكتور أسعد حومد (رحمه الله). لقد قمنا برقمنة هذه المجلدات بالكامل لتوفير تنسيق يسهل الوصول إليه واستخدامه في عصرنا الرقمي الحالي. نرجو منكم ألا تنسوا الدكتور أسعد وعائلته من صالح دعائكم.