Tafseer of Surah Burooj

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

وَ السَّمَآءِ  ذَاتِ الۡبُرُوۡجِ ۙ﴿۱﴾ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡمَوۡعُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۲﴾ وَ شَاہِدٍ وَّ مَشۡہُوۡدٍ ؕ﴿۳﴾ قُتِلَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡاُخۡدُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۴﴾ النَّارِ ذَاتِ الۡوَقُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۵﴾ اِذۡ ہُمۡ عَلَیۡہَا قُعُوۡدٌ ۙ﴿۶﴾ وَّ ہُمۡ عَلٰی مَا یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ شُہُوۡدٌ  ؕ﴿۷﴾ وَ مَا نَقَمُوۡا مِنۡہُمۡ  اِلَّاۤ  اَنۡ یُّؤۡمِنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ الۡعَزِیۡزِ  الۡحَمِیۡدِ ۙ﴿۸﴾ الَّذِیۡ لَہٗ  مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ  عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ شَہِیۡدٌ ؕ﴿۹﴾ اِنَّ  الَّذِیۡنَ فَتَنُوا الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ ثُمَّ  لَمۡ یَتُوۡبُوۡا فَلَہُمۡ عَذَابُ جَہَنَّمَ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابُ الۡحَرِیۡقِ ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَہُمۡ جَنّٰتٌ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ ۬ؕؑ ذٰلِکَ الۡفَوۡزُ الۡکَبِیۡرُ ﴿ؕ۱۱﴾ اِنَّ بَطۡشَ رَبِّکَ لَشَدِیۡدٌ ﴿ؕ۱۲﴾ اِنَّہٗ  ہُوَ  یُبۡدِئُ وَ یُعِیۡدُ ﴿ۚ۱۳﴾ وَ ہُوَ الۡغَفُوۡرُ الۡوَدُوۡدُ ﴿ۙ۱۴﴾ ذُو الۡعَرۡشِ الۡمَجِیۡدُ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا یُرِیۡدُ ﴿ؕ۱۶﴾ ہَلۡ  اَتٰىکَ حَدِیۡثُ الۡجُنُوۡدِ ﴿ۙ۱۷﴾ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ ثَمُوۡدَ ﴿ؕ۱۸﴾ بَلِ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا فِیۡ تَکۡذِیۡبٍ ﴿ۙ۱۹﴾ وَّ اللّٰہُ  مِنۡ  وَّرَآئِہِمۡ  مُّحِیۡطٌ ﴿ۚ۲۰﴾ بَلۡ ہُوَ  قُرۡاٰنٌ  مَّجِیۡدٌ ﴿ۙ۲۱﴾ فِیۡ  لَوۡحٍ مَّحۡفُوۡظٍ ﴿٪۲۲﴾

I take an oath by the sky containing the constellation (of great stars), and by the promised day, and by that which attends and that which is attended. Cursed are the people of the trench (containing the) fire that was full of fuel, when they were sitting by it, and they were watching what they were doing to the believers. And they did not blame them for anything except that they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the One Worthy of All Praise, the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is witness over everything. Surely, those who persecuted the believing men and the believing women, then they did not repent – for them is the punishment of Jahannum (hell), and for them is the punishment of the burning fire. Indeed, those who believed and did righteous deeds, for them are gardens (of bliss) beneath which rivers flow. That is the great success. Indeed, the grip of your Lord is very severe. Certainly, He alone originates (creation) and repeats (it after death), and He is the Most-Forgiving, the Most-Loving, the Honourable Owner of the Throne, the Glorious One, the One who does what He intends. Has the story of the armies come to you, (those of) Fir’aun and Thamud? But those who disbelieve are in denial (of the truth). And Allah encompasses them from behind them. Nay, it is the glorious Qur’aan, (inscribed) in the Lowh-e-Mahfooz (Preserved Tablet).

 Commentary

This surah is called Surah Burooj. The word “burooj” is the plural of “burj”, which literally means “mansion” or “fortress”. However, in this verse, the word “burooj” refers to the great stars in the sky. This is the view of the majority of the commentators, among whom is Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma), Hazrat Mujaahid, Hazrat Dhahhaak, Hazrat Hasan Basri and Hazrat Qataadah (rahimahumullah).

According to other commentators of the Quraan Majeed, the word “burj” refers to the twelve stations of stars that the sun passes by until it completes a one-year cycle.

وَ السَّمَآءِ  ذَاتِ الۡبُرُوۡجِ ۙ﴿۱﴾ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡمَوۡعُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۲﴾ وَ شَاہِدٍ وَّ مَشۡہُوۡدٍ

I take an oath by the sky containing the constellation (of great stars), and by the promised day, and by that which attends and that which is attended.

In these verses, Allah Ta‘ala has taken four oaths upon four things; (1) the first oath is upon the sky which contains the constellations of great stars, (2) the second oath is upon the promised day, (3) the third oath is upon that which attends, (4) and the fourth oath is upon that which is attended.

“The promised day” refers to the Day of Judgement and the phrase “that which attends” refers to Friday as it comes every week, and the phrase “that which is attended” refers to the day of Arafah, as all the haajis gather on this day on the plains of Arafah to attend the haj.

After taking the four oaths upon these four things, Allah Ta‘ala says:

قُتِلَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡاُخۡدُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۴﴾ النَّارِ ذَاتِ الۡوَقُوۡدِ ۙ﴿۵﴾ اِذۡ ہُمۡ عَلَیۡہَا قُعُوۡدٌ ۙ﴿۶﴾ وَّ ہُمۡ عَلٰی مَا یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ شُہُوۡدٌ  ؕ﴿۷﴾

Cursed are the people of the trench (containing the) fire that was full of fuel when they were sitting by it, and they were watching what they were doing to the believers.

In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala has cursed the people who dug the trenches and lit fires in them to burn the believers because they had embraced Islam.

One might wonder “What is the relationship between the four oaths and the curse of the people of the trench which Allah Ta‘ala mentions in this verse?”

The answer is that all these four things which Allah Ta‘ala had taken oaths upon indicate towards the greatness and power of Allah Ta‘ala.

In the first verse, Allah Ta‘ala takes an oath upon the magnificent sky which contains the constellations of great stars – all pointing towards the greatness of Allah Ta‘ala.

In the second verse, Allah Ta‘ala speaks about the Promised Day, referring to the Day of Qiyaamah. This will be the day when man will see the power of Allah Ta‘ala becoming clear and evident to one and all when Allah Ta‘ala will commence the reckoning and then reward some for their good and punish others for their wrongs.

In the third and fourth verses, Allah Ta‘ala takes oaths upon the day of Jumuah and day of Arafah. This also indicates towards the power and greatness of Allah Ta‘ala who granted man these great days to maximise the rewards of their good deeds for the Hereafter.

After mentioning these four oaths which all indicate towards the power of Allah Ta‘ala, Allah Ta‘ala says “Cursed are the people of the trench (containing the) fire that was full of fuel”. In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala is showing man His divine power and explaining to us how He will  deal with the people of the trench – those who tried to persuade the believers to forsake their deen and imaan by digging trenches and lighting fires in it to burn the believers.

وَ مَا نَقَمُوۡا مِنۡہُمۡ  اِلَّاۤ  اَنۡ یُّؤۡمِنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ الۡعَزِیۡزِ  الۡحَمِیۡدِ ۙ﴿۸﴾ الَّذِیۡ لَہٗ  مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ  عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ شَہِیۡدٌ ؕ﴿۹﴾ اِنَّ  الَّذِیۡنَ فَتَنُوا الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ ثُمَّ  لَمۡ یَتُوۡبُوۡا فَلَہُمۡ عَذَابُ جَہَنَّمَ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابُ الۡحَرِیۡقِ ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾

And they did not blame them for anything except that they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the One Worthy of All Praise, the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is witness over everything. Surely, those who persecuted the believing men and the believing women, then they did not repent – for them is the punishment of Jahannum (hell), and for them is the punishment of the burning fire.

In these verses, Allah Ta‘ala indicates towards the dreadful outcome in the Hereafter for those who were guilty of punishing the believers for embracing imaan and worshipping Allah Ta‘ala. The entire incident is mentioned in a Hadith reported by Imaam Muslim (rahimahullah) and Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah).

The Story of the People of Trench

Among the people who came before you, there was a king who had a sorcerer, and when that sorcerer became old, he said to the king, “I have become old and my time is nearly over, so please send me a boy whom I can teach magic.” So, he sent him a boy named Abdullah bin Taamir and the sorcerer taught him magic.

Whenever the boy went to the sorcerer, he sat with a monk who was on the way and listened to his speech and was impressed by his words and teachings. Due to spending time with the monk, he would get delayed, and when he would go to the sorcerer, the sorcerer would punish him for coming late.

Similarly, when he would return home, he would again sit with the monk, and on coming home late, his family would punish him for the delay.

So, the boy complained about this to the monk. The monk said to him, “Whenever you are afraid of the sorcerer, say to him, ‘My family kept me busy,’ and whenever you are afraid of your family, say to them, ‘The sorcerer kept me busy.’”

So, the boy carried on like that (for some time). Then a huge lion appeared on the road and the people were unable to pass by due to the lion. The boy said, “Today I shall know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk is better.” So, he took a stone and said, “O Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by You better than those of the sorcerer, then kill this creature so that the people can cross (the road).” Then he struck it with a stone killing it and the people were able to pass by on the road.

The boy thereafter came to the monk and informed him of what had happened. The monk said to him, “O my son! Today you have surpassed me, and you have achieved what I see! You will be put through tests, and in case you are put through tests, do not inform the people about me.”

The boy used to treat the people suffering from blindness, leprosy, and other diseases. There was a courtier of the king who had become blind and he heard about the boy. He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said, “All these gifts are for you on the condition that you cure me.”

The boy said, “I do not cure anybody; it is only Allah Ta‘ala who cures people. So, if you believe in Allah Ta‘ala and supplicate to Him, He will cure you.” So, the courtier brought imaan in Allah Ta‘ala and and supplicated to Him in dua, and Allah Ta‘ala cured him.

Later, the courtier came to the king and sat at the place where he used to sit before. The king said to him, “Who gave you back your sight?” The courtier replied, “My Lord.”

The king then said to him, “Did I restore your sight?” The courtier said, “No, my Lord and your Lord – Allah Ta‘ala – is the One who restored my sight.”

The king said, “Do you have another Lord beside me?” The courtier said, “Yes, your Lord and my Lord is Allah.”

The king tortured him and did not stop until he told him about the boy. So, the boy was brought to the king and he said to him, “O boy! Has your magic reached the extent that you are able to cure blindness, leprosy and other diseases?”

The boy said, “I do not cure anyone. Only Allah Ta‘ala can cure.”  The king said, “Are you referring to me?” The boy replied, “No.”

The king asked, “Do you have another Lord besides me?” The boy answered, “My Lord and your Lord is Allah.”

So, he tortured him as well until he told the king about the monk. The monk was then brought to the king and the king said to him, “Forsake your religion!” The monk refused and so the king ordered a saw to be brought which was placed in the middle of his head. He was then killed though his head being split with the saw.

Thereafter, the king said to his courtier who used to be blind, “Forsake your religion!” He refused to do so, and so a saw was brought and he was killed in the same manner.

Then the boy was brought and the king said to him, “Forsake your religion.” He refused, and so the king sent him to the top of a certain mountain with some of his men. The king instructed his men saying, “Ascend the mountain with him till you reach its peak, then see if he abandons his religion. If he does not, then throw him from the top of the mountain.”

They took him and when they ascended to the top, he made dua to Allah Ta‘ala saying, “O Allah! Save me from these people by any means that You wish.” So, the mountain began to shake and all the king’s men fell down dying, while the boy remained alive. The boy then returned to the king, safe and sound.

The king said to him, “What happened to the men I sent with you?” The boy replied, “Allah saved me from them.”

So, the king ordered some people to take the boy on a boat to the middle of the sea saying, “If he renounces his religion, then well and good, but if he refuses, then drown him in the sea.”

So, they took him out to sea, and he made dua to Allah Ta‘ala saying, “O Allah! Save me from them by any means that you wish.” So, Allah Ta‘ala caused them to be drowned in the sea, leaving only the boy alive. The boy then returned to the king and the king said to him, “What has happened to the people I sent with you?” The boy replied, “Allah saved me from them.”

Then, the boy said to the king, “You will not be able to kill me unless you do as I instruct you, and if you do as I instruct you, you will be able to kill me.” The king asked him, “How do you instruct me to kill you?”

The boy said, “Gather the people in one place and tie me to the trunk of a tree. Then take an arrow from my quiver and say, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy,’ and then shoot the arrow at me. If you do this, you will be able to kill me.”

So the king did this, and placing an arrow in the bow, he shot it saying, “In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.”

The arrow hit the boy in the temple, and the boy placed his hand over the arrow wound and passed away. Witnessing this, the people proclaimed, “We all bring imaan in the Lord of the boy!”

Then it was said to the king, “Do you see what has happened? That which you feared has taken place. By Allah, all the people have brough imaan in the Lord of the boy.”

At this, the king was greatly enraged, and after consultation with his cabinet, ordered for deep trenches to be dug and filled with fire. An announcement was then made that the people must renounce their faith in Allah Ta‘ala. If they refuse, they will be thrown into the fiery furnace.

Eventually, a woman carrying her infant child was brought to a trench, but she hesitated. Allah Ta‘ala granted speech to her child who said, “O mother! Be steadfast, because you are certainly on the truth!” In this way, many people were burned.

According to some reports, about twelve thousand people were burned to ashes, and according to other reports, the number is even more than this. Consequently, Divine wrath descended on the People of the Trench.

It is reported that after the believers were killed, Allah Ta‘ala caused the fires to flare up so high and begin to spread wildly throughout the city, until it burned the disbelievers who were responsible for killing the believers. Allah Ta‘ala made it such that the souls of the believers were taken out before the fire could touch them, and they were saved from the torture and torment which the disbelievers tried to inflict upon them.

As for the kuffaar, then they were burnt alive and punished by Allah Ta‘ala in this very world. According to some Mufassireen, the words “عَذَابُ الۡحَرِیۡقِ” mentioned in the below verse refers to this worldly punishment of being burnt in the world. Thus, this verse shows the punishment which they received in this world as the punishment that awaits them in the Hereafter.

اِنَّ  الَّذِیۡنَ فَتَنُوا الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ ثُمَّ  لَمۡ یَتُوۡبُوۡا فَلَہُمۡ عَذَابُ جَہَنَّمَ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابُ الۡحَرِیۡقِ ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾

Surely, those who persecuted the believing men and the believing women, then they did not repent – for them is the punishment of Jahannum (hell), and for them is the punishment of the burning fire.

However, according to other Mufassireen, the words “عَذَابُ الۡحَرِیۡقِ” refers to the punishment of the Hereafter.

It is reported that the only person who managed to flee from the fire was the kaafir king, Yusuf Zu Nawaas. He ran away and threw himself into the sea to save himself from the raging fire, but Allah Ta‘ala made him drown in the sea.

In a narration of Muhammed bin Ishaaq (rahimahullah), it is reported that the place where the boy Abdullah bin Taamir was buried had to be dug up for some important reason during the time of Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). It was found that the body of Abdullah bin Taamir was intact, and he was sitting up. His hand was placed on the place where the arrow had struck him. Someone moved his hand out from that place, and his wound started bleeding. When the hand was placed back in its position, the bleeding stopped.

There was a ring on his finger which had the inscription “الله ربي” (Allah is my Lord). The governor of Yemen informed Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) about this, and he wrote back in reply, “Bury the body back as it was with his finger-ring.”