Constellations (Al-Burûj)

In the name of Allah, Gracious, Merciful.

¹By the sky displaying the stars;

²And by the promised day;

³And by one that witnesses and the subject of the witness.¹

⁴Woe to the makers of the pit.²

⁵Fire supplied with fuel:

⁶Behold! they sat over against the fire.

⁷And they witnessed what they were doing against the believers.

⁸And they ill treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, exalted in power, worthy of all praise!

⁹Him to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! and Allah is witness to all things.

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

¹Wa samai zatil buruji

²Wal yaumul mauud

³Wa syahidi wa masyhud

⁴Qutila ashabul ukhdud

⁵An nari zatil waqud

⁶Izhum alaiha quud

⁷Wa hum ala ma yafaluna bil muminina syuhud

⁸Wa ma naqamu minhum ila ayuminu billahi azizil hamid

⁹Alazi lahu mulku samawati wal asdh wal lahu ala kuli saiin sahid

1. This is yet another chapter which begins by invoking creation and events before proceeding to announce judgment on the wicked.

2. This is not the fire of hell, it has reference to persecutors who burn others in fire for their faith. In particular, King Dhu Nowas the Jew of Yemen who persecuted Christians and for not renouncing their faith, had them put into pits filled with fire where they were burnt to ashes (George Sale page 576). Jesus had forewarned His disciples that things of this nature would happen to them because they happened to Him. Christians are to count it all joy and not retaliate, not because they are weak, but because of obedience to Christ.

[Commentary continues below.]

¹⁰Those who persecute the believers men and women, and do not turn in repentance will have the penalty of hell: they will have the penalty of the burning fire.

¹¹For those who believe and do righteous deeds will be gardens beneath which rivers flow: that is the great salvation.³

¹²Truly, strong is the grip of your Lord.

¹³It is He who creates from the very beginning and He can restore.

¹⁴And He is the often forgiving, full of loving kindness.

¹⁵Lord of the throne of glory.

¹⁶Doer of all that He intends.

¹⁷Has the story reached you of the forces.

¹⁸Of Pharaoh and the Thamud?

¹⁹And yet the unbelievers persist in rejecting the truth!

¹⁰Inna lazina fatanul muminina wal muminati summa lam yatubu falahum azabu jahanamma wa lahum azabul hariq

¹¹Inna lazina amanu wa amilu shalihati lahum janatun tajri min tahtihal anhar zalikal fauzul kabir

¹²Inna basa rabbika tasadid

¹³Innahu huwa yubdi u wa yuid

¹⁴Wa huwal gafurul wadud

¹⁵Zul arsyil majid

¹⁶Faalul lima yurid

¹⁷Hal ataka hadisul junud

¹⁸Firauna wa samud

¹⁹Balil lazina kafaru fi takjib

3. Presumably the believers denounced the pleasures of this world and denied themselves of worldly desires, so for their reward they would receive the best of everything they denied themselves.

[Commentary continues below.]

²⁰But Allah does encompass them from behind!

²¹No, this is a glorious Qur’an

²²In a tablet preserved!⁴

²⁰Wal lahu miwwaraihim muhit

²¹Bal huwa quranum majid

²²Fi lauhim mahfuz

4. The claim is that the Qur’an is written on preserved tablets. Really? If that were so, then once again the credibility of the preserver is called into question. The Qur’an was not inscribed on a preserved tablet. See note on Qur’an 4:82.