Surah 85 · Meccan · 22 Verses
البروج
SURAH AL-BURUJ
The Mansions of the Stars
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ
By the sky containing great stars
وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْمَوْعُودِ
And [by] the promised Day
وَشَاهِدٍۢ وَمَشْهُودٍۢ
And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,
قُتِلَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ
Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench1895
ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ
[Containing] the fire full of fuel,
إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌۭ
When they were sitting near it.
وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌۭ
وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ
And they resented them not except because they believed in Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.
إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ
Indeed, the assault [i.e., vengeance] of your Lord is severe.
إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ
Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,
ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْمَجِيدُ
Honorable Owner of the Throne,
فَعَّالٌۭ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
Effecter of what He intends.
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْجُنُودِ
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ
[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamūd?
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى تَكْذِيبٍۢ
But they who disbelieve are in [persistent] denial,
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ
But this is an honored Qur’ān
فِى لَوْحٍۢ مَّحْفُوظٍۭ
[Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.
About This Surah
Surah Al-Buruj swears by the sky of constellations, the promised day, and witness and witnessed, then condemns the people of the trench who burned believers for faith. It joins persecution, divine awareness, repentance, judgment, and the Quran’s preserved status. The story must not be used to glorify self-harm, recruit people into violence, or map a modern conflict onto the passage without evidence.
Al-Buruj opens with the sky containing constellations, the promised day, and witness and witnessed. These oaths lead into condemnation of the people of the trench, who sat around a fire and watched believers being punished only for faith in God.
The narrative centers perpetrators’ cruelty and victims’ faithfulness. It must not romanticize burning, suffering, or death, and it cannot be used to pressure vulnerable people toward self-harm, reckless exposure, or violent “martyrdom” operations. Protecting life and seeking safety remain legitimate.
Those who persecute believing men and women and do not repent face warning, while the Gardens are promised to faithful people. The explicit mention of repentance prevents the story from becoming a license for private revenge. Judgment belongs to God and lawful human processes.
The chapter recalls divine power, loving forgiveness, the throne, and the stories of Pharaoh and Thamud. These comparisons do not justify labeling every modern government or conflict with prophetic-era identities.
The Quran is described as glorious in a preserved tablet. The tablet belongs to the unseen; its nature and location should not be illustrated or explained beyond verified revelation. The constellations do not authorize astrology or horoscopes.
Core Themes
- The sky, promised day, and testimony
- The people of the trench and persecution
- Victims centered without romanticizing harm
- Repentance before divine judgment
- Earlier powers as warning
- The glorious Quran and preserved tablet
Structure
Verses 1-9: Oaths and the people of the trench — 1-9
Verses 1-9 focus on oaths and the people of the trench.
Verses 10-11: Persecution, repentance, and contrasting outcomes — 10-11
Verses 10-11 focus on persecution, repentance, and contrasting outcomes.
Verses 12-16: Divine power, forgiveness, and authority — 12-16
Verses 12-16 focus on divine power, forgiveness, and authority.
Verses 17-22: Pharaoh, Thamud, and the preserved Quran — 17-22
Verses 17-22 focus on pharaoh, thamud, and the preserved quran.
Key Passages
Oaths and the people of the trench — 1-9
Verses 1-9 address oaths and the people of the trench.
Persecution, repentance, and contrasting outcomes — 10-11
Verses 10-11 address persecution, repentance, and contrasting outcomes.
Divine power, forgiveness, and authority — 12-16
Verses 12-16 address divine power, forgiveness, and authority.
Pharaoh, Thamud, and the preserved Quran — 17-22
Verses 17-22 address pharaoh, thamud, and the preserved quran.
Recitation Note
No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Al-Buruj. Reading it is worship and study; any claim about protection, healing, provision, family outcomes, or a prescribed number requires separate exact evidence and narrow wording.
Interpretation Limits
- The trench story must not glorify self-harm, reckless exposure, or violent martyrdom operations.
- No modern conflict or government may be mapped confidently onto the story without evidence.
- Private revenge and violence are not authorized; repentance and lawful accountability remain visible.
- The preserved tablet is unseen, and constellations do not authorize astrology or horoscopes.