85. Sūrat al-Burūj

٨٥۔ سُورَةُ البُروج

Qurʾān > Chapter 85
القرآن > كتاب ٨٥

The Constellations (Meccan)

quran:85:1 – In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

By the sky containing great stars  

By the heaven of the constellations, the twelve constellations of the planets — as explained in ˹sūrat˺ alFurqān ˹Q. 25:61˺;
القرآن:٨٥:١ – بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ  

{والسماء ذات البروج} الكواكب اثني عشر برجا تقدَّمت في الفرقان.
quran:85:2 –

And ˹by˺ the promised Day  

and ˹by˺ the promised day, the Day of Resurrection;
القرآن:٨٥:٢ –

وَالْيَوْمِ الْمَوْعُودِ  

{واليوم الموعود} يوم القيامة.
quran:85:3 –

And ˹by˺ the witness and what is witnessed,  

and ˹by˺ the witness, Friday, and the witnessed, the day of ‘Arafa — that is how these three ˹elements˺ have been explained in hadīth: for the first one is ‘promised’, the second one is ‘a witness’ ˹that testifies˺ to deeds performed in it, while the third is ‘witnessed’ by mankind and angels (the introductory ˹particle˺ of the response to the oath has been omitted, but is implied to be laqad, ‘verily’, ˹sc. laqad qutila ashābu’lukhdūd˺):
القرآن:٨٥:٣ –

وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ  

{وشاهد} يوم الجمعة {ومشهود} يوم عرفة كذا فسرت الثلاثة في الحديث فالأول موعود به والثاني شاهد بالعمل فيه، والثالث تشهده الناس والملائكة، وجواب القسم محذوف صدره، تقديره لقد.
quran:85:4 –

Cursed were the companions of the trench  

perish, accursed be, the men of the ditch!, the pit in the ground,
القرآن:٨٥:٤ –

قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الْأُخْدُودِ  

{قتل} لعن {أصحاب الأخدود} الشق في الأرض.
quran:85:5 –

˹Containing˺ the fire full of fuel,  

of the fire (al-nāri is an inclusive substitution of it ˹al-ukhdūdi, ‘of the ditch’˺), abounding in fuel, by which it was fuelled,
القرآن:٨٥:٥ –

النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ  

{النار} بدل اشتمال منه {ذات الوقود} ما توقد به.
quran:85:6 –

When they were sitting near it  

when they sat by it, around the edge of the ditch on chairs,
القرآن:٨٥:٦ –

إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ  

{إذ هم عليها} حولها على جانب الأخدود على الكراسي {قعود}.
quran:85:7 –

And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses.  

and they themselves, to what they did to those who believed, in God, in the way of torturing them by hurling ˹them˺ into the fire when they did not recant their faith, were witnesses, ˹they were themselves˺ present ˹thereat˺. It is reported ˹in a hadīth˺ that God saved the believers who had been thrown into the fire by taking their souls before they fell into it, and that the fire then rose up and burnt all those ˹sitting˺ around it.
القرآن:٨٥:٧ –

وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ  

{وهم على ما يفعلون بالمؤمنين} بالله من تعذيبهم بالإلقاء في النار إن لم يرجعوا عن إيمانهم {شهود} حضور، رُوي أن الله أَنجى المؤمنين الملقين في النار بقبض أرواحهم قبل وقوعهم فيها وخرجت النار إلى من ثَمَّ فأحرقتهم.
quran:85:8 –

And they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,  

And all that they were vindicative towards them of was that they believed in God, the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Praised,
القرآن:٨٥:٨ –

وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ  

{وما نقموا منهم إلا أن يؤمنوا بالله العزيز} في ملكه {الحميد} المحمود.
quran:85:9 –

To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, over all things, is Witness.  

to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and God is Witness to all things, in other words, all that the disbelievers disavowed of the believers was their faith.
القرآن:٨٥:٩ –

الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ  

{الذي له ملك السماوات والأرض والله على كل شيءٍ شهيد} أي ما أنكر الكفار على المؤمنين إلا إيمانهم.
quran:85:10 –

Indeed, those who have tortured 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.  

Indeed those who persecute believing men and believing women, by having them burnt, then do not repent, there will be for them the chastisement of Hell, ˹in return˺ for their disbelief, and there will ˹also˺ be for them the chastisement of burning, that is to say, the chastisement for their having had the believers burnt, in the Hereafter; but it is also said ˹that there is this chastisement for them˺ in this world, as when the fire rose up and burnt them, as ˹mentioned˺ above.
القرآن:٨٥:١٠ –

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ  

{إن الذين فتنوا المؤمنين والمؤمنات} بالإحراق {ثم لم يتوبوا فلهم عذاب جهنم} بكفرهم {ولهم عذاب الحريق} أي عذاب إحراقهم المؤمنين في الآخرة، وقيل في الدنيا بأن أخرجت النار فأحرقتهم كما تقدم.
quran:85:11 –

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.  

Indeed those who believe and perform righteous deeds, for them there will be gardens underneath which rivers flow: that is the supreme triumph.
القرآن:٨٥:١١ –

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ  

{إن الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات لهم جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار ذلك الفوز الكبير}.
quran:85:12 –

Indeed, the vengeance of your Lord is severe.  

Assuredly your Lord’s assault, against the disbelievers, is severe, ˹as severe˺ as He will ˹it to be˺.
القرآن:٨٥:١٢ –

إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ  

{إن بطش ربك} بالكفار {لشديد} بحسب إرادته.
quran:85:13 –

Indeed, it is He who originates ˹creation˺ and repeats.  

Assuredly it is He Who originates, creation, and restores, and is never thwarted in what He wills,
القرآن:٨٥:١٣ –

إِنَّهُ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ  

{إنه هو يبدىءُ} الخلق {ويعيد} فلا يعجزه ما يريد.
quran:85:14 –

And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,  

and He is the Forgiving, to sinning believers, the Loving, the One Who shows love to His friends through ˹His acts of˺ generosity,
القرآن:٨٥:١٤ –

وَهُوَ الْغَفُورُ الْوَدُودُ  

{وهو الغفور} للمذنبين المؤمنين {الودود} المتودد إلى أوليائه بالكرامة.
quran:85:15 –

Honorable Owner of the Throne,  

Lord of the Throne, its Creator and Possessor, the Glorious (read nominative al-majīdu), the One deserving of the perfect attributes of sublimity,
القرآن:٨٥:١٥ –

ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدُ  

{ذو العرش} خالقه ومالكه {المجيد} بالرفع: المستحق لكمال صفات العلوّ.
quran:85:16 –

Effecter of what He intends.  

Doer of what He desires, nothing able to thwart Him.
القرآن:٨٥:١٦ –

فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ  

{فعَّال لما يريد} لا يعجزه شيء.
quran:85:17 –

Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -  

Have you, O Muhammad (s), received the story of the hosts,
القرآن:٨٥:١٧ –

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْجُنُودِ  

{هل أتاك} يا محمد {حديث الجنود}.
quran:85:18 –

˹Those of˺ Pharaoh and Thamud?  

Pharaoh and Thamūd? (Fir‘awna wa-Thamūda substitutes for al-junūdi) — the mention of ‘Pharaoh’ suffices to also include his followers; their ‘story’ is that they were destroyed for their disbelief, and this is meant as a warning for those who deny the Prophet (s) and the Qur’ān, that they may be admonished ˹thereby˺.
القرآن:٨٥:١٨ –

فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ  

{فرعون وثمود} بدل من الجنود واستغني بذكر فرعون عن أتباعه، وحديثهم أنهم أُهلكوا بكفرهم وهذا تنبيه لمن كفر بالنبي ﷺ والقرآن ليتعظوا.
quran:85:19 –

But they who disbelieve are in ˹persistent˺ denial,  

Nay, but the disbelievers are ˹engrossed˺ in denial, of the mentioned;
القرآن:٨٥:١٩ –

بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي تَكْذِيبٍ  

{بل الذين كفروا في تكذيب} بما ذكر.
quran:85:20 –

While Allah encompasses them from behind.  

and God is behind them, All-Encompassing — they have no protector against Him.
القرآن:٨٥:٢٠ –

وَاللَّهُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ مُحِيطٌ  

{والله من ورائهم محيط} لا عاصم لهم منه.
quran:85:21 –

But this is an honored Qur'an  

Nay, but it is a glorious, a magnificent, Qur’ān,
القرآن:٨٥:٢١ –

بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ  

{بل هو قرآن مجيد} عظيم.
quran:85:22 –

˹Inscribed˺ in a Preserved Slate.  

in a tablet, suspended above the seventh heaven, preserved (read mahfūzin), from all devils and from having any of its contents altered; it is a high as the distance between the earth and the heaven, and as wide as the distance between the east and the west, made of white pearls — as stated by Ibn ‘Abbās, may God be pleased with both ˹him and his father, ‘Abbās Meccan, consisting of 17 verses.
القرآن:٨٥:٢٢ –

فِي لَوْحٍ مَحْفُوظٍ  

{في لوح} هو في الهواء فوق السماء السابعة {محفوظٍ} بالجر من الشياطين ومن تغيير شيء منه طوله ما بين السماء والأرض، وعرضه ما بين المشرق والمغرب، وهو من درة بيضاء، قاله ابن عباس ؓ.