Al-Burooj

وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ ১

{ والسمآء ذات البروج } الكواكب اثنا عشر برجا تقدمت في الفرقان [61:25].

By the heaven of the constellations, the twelve constellations of the planets — as explained in [sūrat] al-Furqān [Q. 25:61];

وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْمَوْعُودِ ২

{ واليوم الموعود } يوم القيامة.

and [by] the promised day, the Day of Resurrection;

وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ ৩

{ وشهد } يوم الجمعة { ومشهود } يوم عرفة كذا فسرت الثلاثة في الحديث فالأول موعود به والثاني شاهد بالعمل فيه والثالث تشهده الناس والملائكة، وجواب القسم محذوف صدره، تقديره لقد.

and [by] the witness, Friday, and the witnessed, the day of ‘Arafa — that is how these three [elements] have been explained in hadīth: for the first one is ‘promised’, the second one is ‘a witness’ [that testifies] to deeds performed in it, while the third is ‘witnessed’ by mankind and angels (the introductory [particle] of the response to the oath has been omitted, but is implied to be laqad, ‘verily’, [sc. laqad qutila ashābu’l-ukhdūd]):

قُتِلَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ ৪

{ قتل } لعن { أصحب الأخدود } الشق في الأرض.

perish, accursed be, the men of the ditch!, the pit in the ground,

ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ ৫

{ النار } بدل اشتمال منه { ذات الوقود } ما توقد به.

of the fire (al-nāri is an inclusive substitution of it [al-ukhdūdi, ‘of the ditch’]), abounding in fuel, by which it was fuelled,

إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ ৬

{ إذ هم عليها } أي حولها على جانب الأخدود على الكراسي { قعود }.

when they sat by it, around the edge of the ditch on chairs,

وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ ৭

{ وهم على ما يفعلون بالمؤمنين } بالله من تعذيبهم بالإلقاء في النار إن لم يرجعوا عن إيمانهم { شهود } حضور، روي أن الله أنجى المؤمنين الملقين في النار بقبض أرواحهم قبل وقوعهم فيها وخرجت النار إلى من ثم فأحرقتهم.

and they themselves, to what they did to those who believed, in God, in the way of torturing them by hurling [them] into the fire when they did not recant their faith, were witnesses, [they were themselves] present [thereat]. It is reported [in a hadīth] that God saved the believers who had been thrown into the fire by taking their souls before they fell into it, and that the fire then rose up and burnt all those [sitting] around it.

وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ ৮

{ وما نقموا منهم إلا أن يؤمنوا بالله العزيز } في ملكه { الحميد } المحمود.

And all that they were vindicative towards them of was that they believed in God, the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Praised,

ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ ৯

{ الذى له ملك السموات والأرض والله على كل شىء شهيد } أي ما أنكر الكفار على المؤمنين إلا إيمانهم.

to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and God is Witness to all things, in other words, all that the disbelievers disavowed of the believers was their faith.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ ১০

{ إن الذين فتنوا المؤمنين والمؤمنت } بالإحراق { ثم لم يتوبوا فلهم عذاب جهنم } بكفرهم { ولهم عذاب الحريق } أي عذاب إحراقهم المؤمنين في الآخرة، وقيل في الدنيا بأن أخرجت النار فأحرقتهم كما تقدم.

Indeed those who persecute believing men and believing women, by having them burnt, then do not repent, there will be for them the chastisement of Hell, [in return] for their disbelief, and there will [also] be for them the chastisement of burning, that is to say, the chastisement for their having had the believers burnt, in the Hereafter; but it is also said [that there is this chastisement for them] in this world, as when the fire rose up and burnt them, as [mentioned] above.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ ১১

{ إن الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصلحت لهم جنت تجرى من تحتها الأنهر ذلك الفوز الكبير }.

Indeed those who believe and perform righteous deeds, for them there will be gardens underneath which rivers flow: that is the supreme triumph.

إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ ১২

{ إن بطش ربك } بالكفار { لشديد } بحسب إرادته.

Assuredly your Lord’s assault, against the disbelievers, is severe, [as severe] as He will [it to be].