In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. 'Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Buruj.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
By the sky containing constellations.
And by the promised day.
And by a witness and what is witnessed.
Allah, whose praise is exalted, swears by the sky, which contains the stations of the sun and the moon.
And He, the Exalted, says:
And He swears by the day He has promised His servants for the final judgment between them.
That is the Day of Resurrection.
And Allah swears by a witness and what is witnessed.
Some have said:
The witness is the day of Jumu'ah (Friday).
And what is witnessed is the day of 'Arafah.
Others have said:
The witness is Muhammad, peace be upon him.
And what is witnessed is the Day of Resurrection.
Others have said:
The witness is man.
And what is witnessed is the Day of Resurrection.
Others have said:
The witness is Allah.
And what is witnessed is the Day of Resurrection.
Others have said:
The witness is the day of al-Adha.
And what is witnessed is the day of 'Arafah.
Everything the scholars have mentioned
is of that which deserves
to be called a witness and what is witnessed.
Cursed were the companions of the trench.
The fire full of fuel.
“When they sat by it,” (85:6)
“And were themselves the witnesses of what they did to the believers.” (85:7)
“They had naught against them save that they believed in Allah, the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,” (85:8)
To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.
And Allah is Witness over all things.
Cursed were the companions of the trench.
Those who cast the believing men and women into the trench.
And the companions of the fire, full of fuel, were destroyed.
For these disbelievers among the companions of the trench
were sitting on the edge of the trench.
And the disbelievers were witnesses to what they did to the believers.
And they did not do to them what they did except because they believed in Allah.
The Severe in retribution against those who take vengeance upon Him.
The Praiseworthy for His benevolence toward His creation.
To whom belongs the sovereignty of the seven heavens, the earths, and all that is within them.
And Allah is a witness to the deeds of these disbelievers.
“Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not, theirs verily will be the doom of hell, and theirs the doom of burning.” (85:10)
“Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not, theirs verily will be the doom of hell, and theirs the doom of burning.” (85:10)
Indeed, those who afflicted the believing men and women in Allah by torturing them with fire,
then did not repent from their disbelief and their actions,
for them is the punishment of Hell in the Hereafter.
And for them is the punishment of the burning fire in this world.
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens.
They will have gardens beneath which rivers flow.
That is the great attainment.
Indeed, those who affirmed the oneness of Allah and acted in obedience to Him
will have in the Hereafter gardens beneath which rivers flow.
And this is the great triumph.
“Lo! the punishment of thy Lord is stern.” (85:12)
“Lo! He it is Who produceth, then reproduceth,” (85:13)
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate.
The Owner of the Glorious Throne.
The Accomplisher of what He intends.
Indeed, the grip of your Lord, O Muhammad, upon those of His creation whom He seizes
—that is, His retribution against those who take vengeance upon Him—is severe.
Indeed, Allah initiates the punishment for the people of disbelief in this world,
and He will repeat it for them in the Hereafter.
And He is the Possessor of forgiveness for those who repent, and the Possessor of love for them.
The Owner of the Noble Throne.
No obstacle can prevent Him from doing what He intends to do.
“Hath there come unto thee the story of the hosts” (85:17)
Pharaoh and Thamud.
Rather, those who disbelieved are in denial.
“And Allah, all unseen, surroundeth them.” (85:20)
But it is a glorious Qur'an.
In a Preserved Tablet.
Has there reached you, O Muhammad, the story of the hosts?
Those who gathered against Allah and His Messenger with their harm and malice.
They are Pharaoh, his people, and Thamud.
The consequence for those who do not believe you
is like the destruction and ruin that befell these hosts.
What is the matter with these people who deny the promise of Allah?
It is not that the news of those who came before them from the nations has not reached them.
Rather, they are in denial of the revelation of Allah and His descent.
And Allah is encompassing them from behind, recording their deeds.
Then He, whose praise is exalted, refutes those who say of the Qur'an:
"It is poetry and rhymed prose."
It is not as they say.
Rather, it is a noble Qur'an.
Preserved in a Tablet, protected from any addition or subtraction from what Allah has established within it.