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Surah Al Buruj and the Divine Response to Genocide and Injustice | Blog
How could Allah, the Most Compassionate and Merciful, allow the unleashing of evil upon innocent and defenseless people? Read how in Sūrat al-Burūj, Allah ﷻ directly addresses the reality of genocide.
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Published: February 17, 2024 •Shaban 7, 1445
Updated: June 4, 2024 •Dhul Qadah 27, 1445
Read time: 20 min
…And never is your Lord forgetful
Finding meaning in existence
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ
By the sky full of constellations, (85:1)
وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْمَوْعُودِ
and the Promised Day [of Judgment] (85:2)
وَشَاهِدٍۢ وَمَشْهُودٍۢ
and the witness and what is witnessed! (85:3)
كِرَامًۭا كَـٰتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
… honorable angels, recording [everything]. They know whatever you do.2
ٱلْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَآ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
On this Day We will seal their mouths, their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify to what they used to commit.3
يَوْمَئِذٍۢ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
on that Day, the earth will recount everything4
لَتُؤَدُّنَّ الْحُقُوقَ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يُقَادَ لِلشَّاةِ الْجَلْحَاءِ مِنْ الشَّاةِ الْقَرْنَاءِ
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Companions of the Trench
قُتِلَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ
Cursed were the companions of the trench (85:4)
يَا أُمَّهِ اصْبِرِي فَإِنَّكِ عَلَى الْحَقِّ7
O mother, be patient for you are following the truth.
نَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ
[Containing] the fire full of fuel, (85:5)
إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌۭ
When they were sitting near it. (85:6)
وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌۭ
And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses. (85:7)
وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ
And they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy (85:8)
ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ
To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, over all things, is Witness. (85:9)
مَنْ اِقْتَطَعَ شِبْرًا مِنْ اَلْأَرْضِ ظُلْماً طَوَّقَهُ اَللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ يَوْمَ اَلْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ سَبْعِ أَرَضِينَ
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “If anyone takes a span of land unjustly, on the Day of Resurrection Allah will strangle him with it from seven earths.”11
يَوْمَ هُم بَـٰرِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌۭ ۚ لِّمَنِ ٱلْمُلْكُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ
The Day all will appear [before Allah]. Nothing about them will be hidden from Him. [He will ask], “To whom does all authority belong this Day? To Allah—the One, the Supreme!”12
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ”يَقْبِضُ اللَّهُ الأَرْضَ، وَيَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ بِيَمِينِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الأَرْضِ.“13
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah will take the whole earth and will roll up the Heaven in His right Hand, and then He will say, ‘I am King! Where are the kings of the earth?’”14
of the law of the Prophet…
It is a message of death for every kind of slavery…
Can there ever be a greater revolution
Of thought and action (than this?)
This earth belongs to Allah and
Not to the monarchs.
Making sense of trials
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ
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. (85:10)
نَارُكُمْ هَذِهِ الَّتِي يُوقِدُ ابْنُ آدَمَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ جُزْءًا مِنْ حَرِّ جَهَنَّمَ
قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ إِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَافِيَةً يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . قَالَ " فَإِنَّهَا فُضِّلَتْ عَلَيْهَا بِتِسْعَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ جُزْءًا كُلُّهَا مِثْلُ حَرِّهَا
“The fire which sons of Adam burn is only one-seventieth part of the Fire of Hell. His Companions said: By Allah, even ordinary fire would have been enough (to burn people). Thereupon he said: "There are sixty-nine parts in excess of (the heat of) fire in this world each of them being equivalent to their heat.”19
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment. (85:11)
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتًۢا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ
فَرِحِينَ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا۟ بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
۞ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍۢ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Never think of those martyred in the cause of Allah as dead. In fact, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for—rejoicing in Allah’s bounties and being delighted for those yet to join them. There will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve. They are joyful for receiving Allah’s grace and bounty, and Allah does not deny the reward of the believers.20
The ultimate retribution
إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ
Indeed, the assault [i.e., vengeance (baṭsh)] of your Lord is severe. (85:12)
مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقْد آذَنْتهُ بِالْحَرْبِ
Whosoever shows enmity to a friend (walī) of Mine, then I have declared war against him.22
إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ
Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats. (85:13)
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate. (85:14)
مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ
The Prophet ﷺ said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.”23
مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُصِبْ مِنْهُ
The Prophet ﷺ said, “If Allah wants to do good for someone, He afflicts him with trials.”24
عن سعد بن أبي وقاص قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ بَلَاءً قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ فَيُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ دِينُهُ صُلْبًا اشْتَدَّ بَلَاؤُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلَاءُ بِالْعَبْدِ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ
Sa’d b. Abī Waqqāṣ (rA) reported: I said: O Messenger of Allah, who are the most afflicted of all people? He replied: The prophets, then the righteous people, then those who are nearest to them in perfection and those who are nearest to them. Man is tested according to this piety; if he is strong in religion, his test is increased, and if he is weak in religion, his test is reduced. A believer will be tested until he walks on the earth sinless (his sins having been erased by the series of afflictions that he has endured).25
ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْمَجِيدُ
Honorable Owner of the Throne (85:15)
أُذِنَ لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَ عَنْ مَلَكٍ مِنْ مَلاَئِكَةِ اللَّهِ مِنْ حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ مَا بَيْنَ شَحْمَةِ أُذُنِهِ إِلَى عَاتِقِهِ مَسِيرَةُ سَبْعِمِائَةِ عَامٍ
The Prophet ﷺ said: I have been permitted to tell about one of Allah’s angels who bears the throne that the distance between the lobe of his ear and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years.26
فَعَّالٌۭ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
Doer of whatever He wills. (85:16)
Past oppressors
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْجُنُودِ
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ
[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamud? (85:17–18)
وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ
…And none knows the forces of your Lord except He.28
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى تَكْذِيبٍۢ
Yet the disbelievers [still] persist in denial. (85:19)
Despite the signs in history and around them, there are disbelievers that persist in their rejection of the truth and in their oppression.
وَٱللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِم مُّحِيطٌۢ
But Allah encompasses them from all sides. (85:20)
Eternal message
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ
But this is an honored Qur’an (85:21)
فِى لَوْحٍۢ مَّحْفُوظٍۭ
[recorded] in a Preserved Tablet. (85:22)
References
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