85:1
وَالسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوْجِ
By the sky containing great stars
Surah 85 of 114 · Makkah · Juz 30
Surah Al-Buruj
The Mansions of the Stars
البروج22 ayahs
Revealed in Makkah
Translation: Saheeh International
About Surah Al-Buruj
Al-Buruj is the sky's great constellations, sworn by in the opening ayah. This is a surah about persecution, and it came down at Makkah while Muslims there were being harmed for nothing but their faith. Rather than address that directly, it recalls the companions of the trench, people who dug a pit, filled it with fire and sat beside it watching believers burn. The verdict on them is short: they held nothing against those people except that they believed in God, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy (85:8).
The comfort offered is not an escape but a frame. Those who persecuted and did not repent have the punishment of Hell waiting, and those who believed have gardens with rivers running beneath them (85:10, 85:11). The seizing of the Lord is severe, yet the names given immediately afterwards are Forgiving and Affectionate, Owner of the Throne, Doer of whatever He intends (85:14 to 85:16). History is then produced as evidence with two names, Pharaoh and Thamud, whose armies came to nothing (85:17, 85:18). A long narration in Sahih Muslim tells of a young believer, a king and a monk, ending with trenches of fire dug for those who believed, and commentators have long read that account alongside this passage. The last two ayahs answer the whole surah: this is an honoured Quran, in a Preserved Slate.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
85:2
وَالْیَوْمِ الْمَوْعُوْدِ
And [by] the promised Day
85:3
وَشَاهِدٍ وَّمَشْهُوْدٍ ۟ؕ
And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,
85:4
قُتِلَ اَصْحٰبُ الْاُخْدُوْدِ
Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench
85:5
النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُوْدِ
[Containing] the fire full of fuel,
85:6
اِذْ هُمْ عَلَیْهَا قُعُوْدٌ
When they were sitting near it.
85:7
وَّهُمْ عَلٰی مَا یَفْعَلُوْنَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ شُهُوْدٌ ۟ؕ
And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses.
85:8
وَمَا نَقَمُوْا مِنْهُمْ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ یُّؤْمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَزِیْزِ الْحَمِیْدِ
And they resented them not except because they believed in Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,
85:9
الَّذِیْ لَهٗ مُلْكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلٰی كُلِّ شَیْءٍ شَهِیْدٌ ۟ؕ
To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allāh, over all things, is Witness.
85:10
اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ یَتُوْبُوْا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِیْقِ ۟ؕ
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.
85:11
اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنّٰتٌ تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ ؔؕ۬ ذٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِیْرُ ۟ؕ
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.
85:12
اِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِیْدٌ ۟ؕ
Indeed, the assault [i.e., vengeance] of your Lord is severe.
85:13
اِنَّهٗ هُوَ یُبْدِئُ وَیُعِیْدُ
Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.
85:14
وَهُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الْوَدُوْدُ
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,
85:15
ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِیْدُ
Honorable Owner of the Throne,
85:16
فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا یُرِیْدُ ۟ؕ
Effecter of what He intends.
85:17
هَلْ اَتٰىكَ حَدِیْثُ الْجُنُوْدِ
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -
85:18
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُوْدَ ۟ؕ
[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamūd?
85:19
بَلِ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا فِیْ تَكْذِیْبٍ
But they who disbelieve are in [persistent] denial,
85:20
وَّاللّٰهُ مِنْ وَّرَآىِٕهِمْ مُّحِیْطٌ
While Allāh encompasses them from behind.
85:21
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْاٰنٌ مَّجِیْدٌ
But this is an honored Qur’ān
85:22
فِیْ لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوْظٍ
[Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.
Surah Al-Buruj in the Quran, with the Arabic in IndoPak Nastaleeq, 22 ayahs, translation, word by word meaning and recitation. Recite it offline on your phone with the free Android app.