عَمَُّْ ْ 1511 اَلْبُرُوْج
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ ﴿۱﴾ وَالْيَوْمِ الْمَوْعُودِ ﴿۲﴾ وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ ﴿۳﴾ قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الْأُخْدُودِ ﴿۴﴾ النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ ﴿۵﴾
﴾1﴿ Wassamaaa'i zaatil burooj
﴾2﴿ Wal yawmil maw'ood
﴾3﴿ Wa shaahidinw wa mashhood
﴾4﴿ Qutila as haabul ukhdood
﴾5﴿ Annaari zaatil waqood
﴾1﴿ By the sky, full of great stars
﴾2﴿ And by the promised Day
﴾3﴿ And by the witnessing one and the witnessed
﴾4﴿ Destroyed were the people of the trench
﴾5﴿ A fire full of abundant fuel
Relevancy:
This Surah is connected to the previous one in several ways.
The first connection is that in the previous Surah, the warning was about the Hereafter for the deniers, whereas in this Surah, the warning is about worldly punishment, as seen in the events of the People of the Trench, Pharaoh, and Thamud.
The second connection is that the previous Surah encouraged striving in righteous efforts (kadḥ ṣāliḥ), whereas this Surah mentions the consequences of evil striving (kadḥ sāyiʾ), resulting in both worldly and eternal punishment.
Claim of this surah:
The warning of worldly punishment for the deniers is mentioned in (4-12), along with a refutation of associating partners with Allah in control and management (shirk fi al-tasarruf) in (9-16), and a refutation of associating partners with Him in knowledge (shirk fi al-‘ilm) in (9). Additionally, ten of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names (Asma’ al-Husna) are mentioned.
Summary of the surah:
First, the evidences supporting the claim of the Surah are mentioned up to (3).
Then, the example of the claim of the Surah is given through the story of the People of the Trench, mentioning their five evil traits up to (8).
Next, the control and witnessing (knowledge) of Allah, the Exalted, is mentioned as proof of the Surah’s claim in (9).
Then, the warning of the Hereafter and glad tidings are given in (10-11).
After that, the claim of the Surah is emphasized and established by mentioning eight attributes of Allah, the Exalted, up to (16).
Next, two examples supporting the claim of the Surah are given in (17-18).
Then, the reason for punishment as a deterrent is mentioned in (19).
Following that, the attribute of Allah’s encompassing knowledge is mentioned, reaffirming the claim of the Surah in (20).
Finally, the conclusion encourages turning to the Quran as a means of salvation from punishment in (21-22).
[1] This is an oath. (الْبُرُوجِ)—Buruj originally means "manifestation" or "appearance." Thus, this word encompasses both the stars themselves and the places where the stars become visible.
[2] This is also an oath, and according to the consensus of the commentators, it refers to the Day of Judgment. The reason is that in the Quran, this day has been promised to creation, and it is also called Al-Mi‘ād (the appointed time).
[3] There are many interpretations regarding this.
1. The first opinion is that Shāhid (the witness) refers to Friday, and Mashhūd (the witnessed) refers to the Day of ‘Arafah. This is mentioned in a hadith, though the narration has some weakness; however, the Mawqūf (non-prophetic) version is authentic.
2. The second opinion is that the human body parts are the witnesses (Shāhid), and the human being himself is the witnessed (Mashhūd).
3. The third opinion is that the human being is the witness (Shāhid), and the Day of Judgment is the witnessed (Mashhūd), as mentioned in Surah Hūd (11:103).
4. The fourth opinion is that every prophet is a witness (Shāhid) over his nation, and his nation is the witnessed (Mashhūd).
5. The fifth opinion is that those who recite the Quran and the angels are the witnesses (Shāhid), and the recitation of the Quran is the witnessed (Mashhūd), as in the verse: "Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed." (Quran 17:78)
6. The sixth opinion is that every disbeliever (Kāfir) in this world watches (Shāhid) the monotheists (Muwaḥḥidīn) and punishes them, so the disbeliever is the witness (Shāhid), and the believer is the witnessed (Mashhūd), just as the people of the trench (Ashāb al-Ukhdūd) were described as Mashhūd.
7. The seventh opinion is the opposite: on the Day of Judgment, every believer will be the witness (Shāhid), and every disbeliever will be the witnessed (Mashhūd).
The best interpretation is that these terms are general and encompass all these meanings; any specific application is just an example.
Note:
There is a difference of opinion regarding the response to these oaths (Jawāb al-Qasam):
Some say the response is hidden (Mahdhūf), meaning: "Indeed, these people will be punished." (Inna hā’ulā’i mu‘adhdhabūn).
Others say the response is "Indeed, the grip of your Lord is severe." (Inna baṭsha rabbika lashadīd).
Al-Farrā’ holds that the response is hidden in "Qutila" and "Laqad," making it part of the oath’s answer.
Relevance of the Oath to Its Response:
In the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars, there are signs of punishment—many nations before were destroyed. The Yawm Maw‘ūd (the Promised Day) is the appointed time for the punishment of the deniers. Every Shāhid (witness) has seen Allah’s punishments, and every Mashhūd (witnessed) bears signs of punishment. All of this indicates that Allah, the Exalted, will indeed punish these deniers in this world.
[4,5,6] This is an example of worldly punishment, which is the claim of the Surah. It mentions the punishment of the People of the Trench and their five evil traits. According to Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them), in the Quran, the word Qutila (قتل) in the context of supplication means "curse." The word Al-Waqood (الْوَقُودِ), with a zabar on the letter waw, means "fuel for lighting a fire," indicating that this was a great fire filled with abundant fuel.
The verse (وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ) refers to their extreme oppression, harshness, and cruelty. Despite sitting and watching the burning of the believers, they showed no fear or mercy in their hearts.
Regarding this incident, Ibn Kathir has narrated accounts from Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Muslim, Jami' Tirmidhi, and from Muhammad ibn Ishaq. It is understood from these narrations that this event took place in Najran during the period between Jesus (peace be upon him) and the prophethood of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace). At that time, most Jews and Christians had abandoned monotheism and were involved in polytheism, magic, and soothsaying, while some monotheistic monks had gone into hiding out of fear.
Through the guidance of a monotheistic monk, a boy named Abdullah bin Tamer was trained in monotheism, and Allah granted him some miracles. He and his companions started calling people to monotheism. The ruling king and many others opposed them. The monk was sawed in half, and Abdullah bin Tamer was martyred with his own arrow. Other monotheists were thrown into trenches of fire and martyred. As a result, Allah's wrath descended upon that nation, and they were cursed.
Imam Qurtubi stated that this incident serves as a lesson for the callers of this Ummah, encouraging them to remain steadfast in preaching the truth and endure trials and hardships like that young man, even if they have to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah.
(O Allah, grant us the ability to act upon this.)