بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Buruj 85:1
The Mansions of the Stars · Juz 30 · Page 590
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡبُرُوجِ ١
By the sky containing great stars
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 85:1
Commentary
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ (I swear by the sky, the one having stellar formations....85:1) The word buruj is the plural of burj which means 'a large mansion or fortress'. The Qur'an says:
وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ
'...even though you are in fortified castles [ 4:78] '
Here the word buruj means 'castles'. The primitive sense of the word barj is to become manifest'. The word tabarruj means 'to display one's beauty' as in the verse:
وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ
'...and do not display your beauty as it was previously displayed in the Time of Ignorance [ 33:33] '
According to the majority of commentators like Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak, Hasan Al-Basri, Qatadah, Suddi ؓ and others, the word bur, in this verse, refers to 'giant stars'. Other commentators take the word bur, in this place, to refer to mansions and castles that are reserved in the sky for the guardian angels. Some of the later commentators chose the astronomical view in which the sky is divided into twelve parts, each one called a burj. The primitive philosophers believed that the thawabit (stationary) stars are fixed in these bur. The planets move with the movement of their particular sky and the planets descend in these bur. But this is absolutely incorrect. According to the Qur'an, Allah has not fixed the stars and planets in the skies. In fact, every star and planet has its own orbit and revolves by itself as in Surah YaSin:
وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
'...And each one is floating in an orbit. [ 36:40] '
The word falak in this verse does not refer to the sky, but rather to the orbits of the stars and planets in which they move. [ Mazhari ]
Page 590
سورة البروج
Al-Buruj
The Mansions of the Stars · Meccan · 22 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
85:1
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡبُرُوجِ ١
By the sky containing great stars
85:2
وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡمَوۡعُودِ ٢
And [by] the promised Day
85:3
وَشَاهِدٖ وَمَشۡهُودٖ ٣
And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,
85:4
قُتِلَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡأُخۡدُودِ ٤
Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench1
1 translator’s note
- Or "May they be destroyed" or "cursed." The "companions of the trench" (or ditch) were agents of a tyrannical king who refused to allow his people to believe in Allāh. Their evil deed in obedience to their ruler earned for them the curse of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) . ↩
85:5
ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡوَقُودِ ٥
[Containing] the fire full of fuel,
85:6
إِذۡ هُمۡ عَلَيۡهَا قُعُودٞ ٦
When they were sitting near it.
85:7
وَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفۡعَلُونَ بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ شُهُودٞ ٧
And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses. 1
1 translator’s note
- After casting the believers into a trench filled with fire, they sat at its edge, watching them burn to death. This event occurred before the time of Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) . ↩
85:8
وَمَا نَقَمُواْ مِنۡهُمۡ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡحَمِيدِ ٨
And they resented them not except because they believed in Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,
85:9
ٱلَّذِي لَهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ شَهِيدٌ ٩
To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allāh, over all things, is Witness.1
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 4:79. ↩
85:10
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُواْ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمۡ يَتُوبُواْ فَلَهُمۡ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابُ ٱلۡحَرِيقِ ١٠
Indeed, those who have tortured1 the believing men and believing women and then have not repented will have the punishment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the Burning Fire.
1 translator’s note
- Or, in this instance, the literal meaning of "burned" is also appropriate. ↩
85:11
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمۡ جَنَّٰتٞ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ ١١
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.
85:12
إِنَّ بَطۡشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ ١٢
Indeed, the assault [i.e., vengeance] of your Lord is severe.
85:13
إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبۡدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ ١٣
Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.
85:14
وَهُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلۡوَدُودُ ١٤
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,
85:15
ذُو ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡمَجِيدُ ١٥
Honorable Owner of the Throne,
85:16
فَعَّالٞ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ ١٦
Effecter of what He intends.
85:17
هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلۡجُنُودِ ١٧
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -
85:18
فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَثَمُودَ ١٨
[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamūd?
85:19
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِي تَكۡذِيبٖ ١٩
But they who disbelieve are in [persistent] denial,
85:20
وَٱللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِم مُّحِيطُۢ ٢٠
While Allāh encompasses them from behind.1
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 2:19 ↩
85:21
بَلۡ هُوَ قُرۡءَانٞ مَّجِيدٞ ٢١
But this is an honored Qur’ān
85:22
فِي لَوۡحٖ مَّحۡفُوظِۭ ٢٢
[Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.