85 surahburuj

(85)

Surah Al-Buruj(85)

Introduction

The surah was revealed in Makkah.

It was revealed during a time when the

persecution/harassment of Muslims was at its

climax.

The disbelievers of Makkah were trying their

best to agonize the new Muslims converts and

make them turn away from Islam.

Introduction (cont.)

The main theme is to warn disbelievers of the

evil consequences of their actions, especially

the way they were treating the Muslims at the

time.

Allah warns them that if they continue to

tyrannize the believers, then Allah will bring

about justice on their behalf.


The story of the people of the ditch is

important here: In the story, a group of people

burnt believers to death by throwing them into a

pit full of fire.

Through this story, there are a few lessons to

be learnt.


The lessons of the story of the people of the

ditch:

1. The people of the ditch became worthy of

Allah’s punishment. Likewise, the disbelievers of

Makkah were becoming worthy of Allah’s

punishment.

2. The same way the believers at the time of the

ditch were strong in their faith and sacrificed their

lives, the believers of Makkah should also be strong

in their faith.


Lessons continued:

3. Allah knows all that is going on and who are

those deserving of peace in the Hereafter and

those who are deserving of punishment.

The disbelievers of Makkah are warned that theit

actions will face severe consequences.

Notes

Allah starts off the surah by swearing by 3

things:1. the heaven (sky)

2. The Promised Day (the Day of Resurrection)

3. The witness and what is witnessed

Ayah One: By the heaven with its impregnable castles; Ayah Two: by the Promised Day Ayah

Three: and by the witness and what is witnessed.

Allah swears by the sky and the stars,

constellations.

He swears by the Day of Resurrection/ DOJ

He swears by the witness and what is witnessed:This can refer to those who will see the DOJ. Everyone will be a

witness to the Day of Resurrection. And what is witnessed is the

DOJ.

Ayah Four: the people of the pit were destroyed Ayah Five: with fire abounding in fuel,

Ayah Six: while they sat around it, Ayah Seven: and were witnessing what they did to the

believers.

These ayah refer to the story of the people of the

ditch.

They were thrown into the fire by the

disbelievers.

The disbelievers just stood around and watched

the believers burn in the fire pit.

Ayah Eight: Against these they had no grudge

except that they believed in Allah, the Most

Mighty, the Most Praiseworthy

The only reason that the believers were thrown

into the fire was because they believed in Allah.

They had not committed any sort of crime or

anything.

Ayah Nine: to Whom belongs the dominion of

the heavens and the earth. Allah witnesses

everything. Allah owns the entire universe. He is the one

who sees and controls everything.

He is the One who the believers believed in.

Ayah Ten: Surely those who tormented the believing men and the believing women and then did not repent, theirs shall be the chastisement of

Hell, and theirs shall be the chastisement of burning.

For all those people who had participated in

burning the believers and did not later ask for

forgiveness, they will have to face the punishment

of the Hellfire.

They will be the ones to burn in the next life.

Questions (Intro + 1-10)

1. Where was this surah revealed?

2. During what time period was the surah revealed?

3. What is the main idea of the surah?

4. What does Allah warn the disbelievers?

5. What happens in the story of the people of the ditch?

6. What are the lessons from the story of the people of the ditch?

7. What are the three things that Allah swears by?

8. What does the witness and what is witnessed refer to?

Ayah Eleven: As for those who believed and

acted righteously, theirs shall be Gardens

beneath which rivers flow. That is the great

triumph. For the believing people, including those

believers who sacrificed their lives in the story of

the ditch, they will be rewarded with Paradise.

This will be an eternal paradise and the true

success.

Ayah Twelve: Stern indeed is your Lord’s

punishment.

Allah’s punishment is no easy punishment.

It will be very severe and this is a warning to all

those who disbelieve.

Ayah Thirteen: He it is Who creates for the first

time and He it is Who will create again,

Allah is the One who created us the first time.

He will be the One to create us a second time.

For Him, it is not a big task. If he was able to

create us the first time, creating us again will be no

issue.

Ayah Fourteen: and He is the Ever Forgiving,

the Most Loving

Even though Allah is stern, He reminds us to

never forget about His forgiving nature. Allah loves

His creations and wants to forgive all those who

ask for forgiveness.

We just have to seek His love and His

forgiveness.

Ayah Fifteen: the Lord of the Glorious Throne,

Allah is the Highest and Greatest of All

He has the highest rank and the entire universe

is his dominion

No one can escape his kingdom nor can anyone

win a rebellion against Him

Ayah Sixteen: the Executor of what He wills.

Allah can do what He wills and no one has a say

above Him

Ayah Seventeen: Has the story of the armies

reached you, Ayah Eighteen: the armies of

Pharaoh and Thamud?

Allah warns the people by reminding them of the

stories of the Pharoah and of Thamud.

Both the groups of people strived against the

believing people and they both had to face the

consequences of punishment in this world and will

also face consequences in the hereafter.

Ayah Nineteen: The unbelievers are indeed

engaged in denying it, calling it a lie,

The disbelievers deny the Hereafter and that

they will ever be punished.

Ayah Twenty: although Allah surrounds them.

However, Allah is ever present and is ever

watching. He will be bringing justice, even if they

deny that it will happen.

Ayah Twenty-One: Nay; but this is a glorious

Quran, Ayah Twenty-Two: inscribed on a well-

guarded Tablet.

The Quran contains the truth and it is a miracle

from Allah.

It is unchangeable and will never be destroyed.

Questions (11-22)

1. What is the great triumph?

2. How is Allah described in these ayahs?

3. Which armies are mentioned in these

lines and why?

4. What do the disbelievers deny?

5. What is the well-guarded Tablet?

Disclaimer

These slides are an abridged, simplified

version of tafseer. For detailed explanations,

please view other sources.

85 surahburuj

Education