Al-Buruj البروج
The Constellations
Al-Buruj opens with an oath sworn on the sky with its constellations, the promised Day, and a witness and what is witnessed, before turning to one of the Quran's starkest historical accounts: the People of the Trench (Ashab al-Ukhdud), who dug a fire-filled pit and burned believers alive for no reason other than their belief in God, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. The surah condemns the perpetrators directly and promises them the punishment of Hell, while promising the believers who endured that trial gardens beneath which rivers flow — the ultimate triumph. It closes by affirming God's power over the heavens and earth, His forgiveness and might, recalling the fate of Pharaoh and Thamud as further warning, and stating that the Quran itself is a glorious recitation preserved on a guarded tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz).
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ
By the sky with its towering constellations,
وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْمَوْعُودِ
by the promised Day,
وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ
by the Witness and that which is witnessed,
قُتِلَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ
damned were the makers of the trench,
ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ
the makers of the fuel-stoked fire!
إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ
They sat down
وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ
to watch what they were doing to the believers.
وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ
Their only grievance against them was their faith in God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy,
ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
to whom all control over the heavens and earth belongs: God is witness over all things.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ
For those who persecute believing men and women, and do not repent afterwards, there will be the torment of Hell and burning.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
But for those who believe and do good deeds there will be Gardens graced with flowing streams: that is the great triumph.
إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ
[Prophet], your Lord’s punishment is truly stern––
إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ
it is He who brings people to life, and will restore them to life again––
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
and He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Loving.
ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْمَجِيدُ
The Glorious Lord of the Throne,
فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
He does whatever He will.
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْجُنُودِ
Have you [not] heard the stories of the forces
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ
of Pharaoh and Thamud?
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى تَكْذِيبٍ
Yet still the disbelievers persist in denial.
وَٱللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِم مُّحِيطٌۢ
God surrounds them all.
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌ مَّجِيدٌ
This is truly a glorious Quran
فِى لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍۭ
[written] on a preserved Tablet.
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Twenty-two verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
Ashab al-Ukhdud — a group described in Al-Buruj who dug a fire pit and burned believers alive for their faith, an account the surah cites as a warning to their persecutors.
Its closing verses describe it as a glorious recitation preserved on al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, the guarded tablet.