85. Al-Buruj Page 590 85. Al-Buruj بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ وَ السَّمَآءِ By the sky ذَاتِ containing الْبُرُوْجِۙ the constellations وَ الْیَوْمِ And the Day الْمَوْعُوْدِۙ Promised وَ شَاهِدٍ And (the) witness وَّ مَشْهُوْدٍؕ and what is witnessed قُتِلَ Destroyed were اَصْحٰبُ (the) companions الْاُخْدُوْدِۙ (of) the pit النَّارِ (Of) the fire ذَاتِ full الْوَقُوْدِۙ (of) the fuel اِذْ When هُمْ they عَلَیْهَا by it قُعُوْدٌۙ (were) sitting وَّ هُمْ And they عَلٰی over مَا what یَفْعَلُوْنَ they were doing بِالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ to the believers شُهُوْدٌؕ witnesses وَ مَا And not نَقَمُوْا they resented مِنْهُمْ [of] them اِلَّاۤ except اَنْ that یُّؤْمِنُوْا they believed بِاللّٰهِ in Allah الْعَزِیْزِ the All-Mighty الْحَمِیْدِۙ the Praiseworthy الَّذِیْ The One Who لَهٗ for Him مُلْكُ (is) the dominion السَّمٰوٰتِ (of) the heavens وَ الْاَرْضِ ؕ and the earth; وَ اللّٰهُ and Allah عَلٰی on كُلِّ every شَیْءٍ thing شَهِیْدٌؕ (is) a Witness اِنَّ Indeed الَّذِیْنَ those who فَتَنُوا persecuted الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ the believing men وَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ and the believing women ثُمَّ then لَمْ not یَتُوْبُوْا they repented فَلَهُمْ then for them عَذَابُ (is) the punishment جَهَنَّمَ (of) Hell وَ لَهُمْ and for them عَذَابُ (is the) punishment الْحَرِیْقِؕ (of) the Burning Fire اِنَّ Indeed الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believe وَ عَمِلُوا and do الصّٰلِحٰتِ the righteous deeds لَهُمْ for them جَنّٰتٌ (will be) Gardens تَجْرِیْ flow مِنْ from تَحْتِهَا underneath it الْاَنْهٰرُ ؔؕ۬ the rivers ذٰلِكَ That الْفَوْزُ (is) the success الْكَبِیْرُؕ the great اِنَّ Indeed بَطْشَ (the) Grip رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord لَشَدِیْدٌؕ (is) surely strong اِنَّهٗ Indeed He هُوَ He یُبْدِئُ originates وَ یُعِیْدُۚ and repeats وَ هُوَ And He الْغَفُوْرُ (is) the Oft-Forgiving الْوَدُوْدُۙ the Most Loving ذُو Owner (of) الْعَرْشِ the Throne الْمَجِیْدُۙ the Glorious فَعَّالٌ Doer لِّمَا of what یُرِیْدُؕ He intends هَلْ Has اَتٰىكَ come to you حَدِیْثُ (the) story الْجُنُوْدِۙ (of) the hosts فِرْعَوْنَ Firaun وَ ثَمُوْدَؕ and Thamud بَلِ Nay! الَّذِیْنَ Those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieve فِیْ (are) in تَكْذِیْبٍۙ denial وَّ اللّٰهُ But Allah مِنْ from وَّرَآىِٕهِمْ behind them مُّحِیْطٌۚ encompasses بَلْ Nay! هُوَ It قُرْاٰنٌ (is) a Quran مَّجِیْدٌۙ Glorious فِیْ In لَوْحٍ a Tablet مَّحْفُوْظٍ۠ Guarded
(85:1) By the heaven with its impregnable castles;1
(85:2) by the Promised Day,2
(85:3) and by the witness and what is witnessed:3
(85:4) the people of the pit were destroyed
(85:5) with fire abounding in fuel,
(85:6) while they sat around it,
(85:7) and were witnessing what they did to the believers.4
(85:8) Against these they had no grudge except that they believed in Allah, the Most Mighty, the Most Praiseworthy,
(85:9) to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Allah witnesses everything.5
(85:10) 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.6
(85:11) As for those who believed and acted righteously, theirs shall be Gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great triumph.
(85:12) Stern indeed is your Lord's punishment.
(85:13) He it is Who creates for the first time and He it is Who will create again,
(85:14) and He is the Ever Forgiving, the Most Loving
(85:15) – the Lord of the Glorious Throne,
(85:16) the Executor of what He wills.7
(85:17) Has the story of the armies reached you,
(85:18) the armies of Pharaoh and Thamud?8
(85:19) The unbelievers are indeed engaged in denying it, calling it a lie,
(85:20) although Allah surrounds them.
(85:21) Nay; but this is a glorious Qur'an,
(85:22) inscribed on a well-guarded Tablet.9
1. The words dhat al-buruj signify the heavens of impregnable castles. Some Qur’anic scholars interpret these in the sense of constellations and the twelve zodiac signs. According to Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Hasan Basri, Dahhak and Suddi, the allusion is to the massive stars and planets of the heavens.
2. In other words, the Day of Judgement.
3. Qur’anic scholars have interpreted the expressions, “the witness” and “what is witnessed” in a variety of ways. In our opinion, the context suggests that the word “witness” here refers to the person who will be present on the Day of Resurrection to observe it. As for the expression “what is witnessed”, this signifies the Resurrection itself, whose harrowing scenes will be witnessed by all.
4, “The People of the Pit” were those who had stuffed pits with believers and then set them ablaze, intensely enjoying such a carnival. To say that the “People of the Pit were destroyed” amounts to saying that they invited God’s curse upon themselves and were overtaken by His chastisement.
Regarding the following three oaths: (i) By the heaven with its impregnable castles; (ii) By the Promised Day and (iii) By the frightful scenes of the Day of the Judgement and all the creatures who will witness these horrifying spectacles, the first truth underscores that the Most Mighty Lord, Who reigns supreme over the massive stars and planets of the heavens will not. let lowly human beings escape unpunished. The second oath relates to those oppressors who inflicted great injustices. Yet the Day is bound to come against which al! human beings have been warned. Let everyone realize once again that every victim will be redressed and every oppressor will be punished on that Day. The third oath alludes to the People of the Pit who, no doubt, witnessed the hurling of the believers into their pits of fire. Yet, on the Day of Judgement all creatures will witness the punishment meted out to such culprits.
There are several accounts regarding the throwing of the believers into the fire. It appears from these reports that such incidents happened several times in world history.
One such incident is related by Suhayb Rumi on the Prophet's authority: “A king had a magician who requested the former to give him an apprentice, as he was becoming old. The king acceded to his request. On the way to the magician’s house, however, that youth kept visiting a monk - who was probably a follower of the Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him). Under the monk’s influence that youth embraced faith and with his blessings he developed some spiritual power, leading to his curing the blind and the lepers. When the king learnt about his faith, he first had the monk killed and then tried to behead the youth. However, every attempt to kill him failed. Finally, that youth told him that he could kill him only if he hit him with an arrow, invoking the name of his Lord. The king did so and thus manage to kill the youth. However, on witnessing this people converted to that youth’s faith. Courtiers spoke about this turn of events, which had resulted in the forsaking of the king’s faith and people’s conversion to the new faith. Infuriated, the king had pits of fire dug on the roadside, filled these with fire and fuel and threw into these all those who refused to revert to his faith,” (Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Tafsir Ibn Jarir, ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Tabarani, and ‘Abd ibn Humayd.)
Another version is stated on the authority of ‘Ali: “A Persian king in a state of drunkenness had sex with his sister. As this incestuous relationship came to public knowledge, he declared that God had legitimized marriage with one’s sister. However, his people protested against this outrageous practice. The king took to persecuting them, by way of throwing them into pits of fire. He punished, thus, all of those who refused to endorse his illegitimate act.” According to ‘Ali, this introduced the practice of marrying one’s kith and kin among Zoroastrians, (Ibn Jarir).
The third version, presumably based on Jewish reports, is recounted by Ibn ‘Abbas: “The Babylonians compelled the Israelites into abandoning Judaism. In so doing, they hurled into pits of fire those Jews who refused to abandon their faith,” (Ibn Jarir and ‘Abd ibn Humayd).
The most famous report on this count is of the Christians of Najran, related by Ibn Hisham, Tabari, Ibn Khaldun, the author of Mu‘jam al-Buldan, and other Muslim historians: Tuban As’ad Abu Karib, King of Himyar (Yemen), during his visit to Yathrib, _was deeply influenced by Judaism and entered its fold. He took two Jewish rabbis along with him to Yemen, who promoted their faith on a wide scale there. When, Dhu Nuwas, who succeeded his father Tuban, attacked Najran, a ‘stronghold of Christians in southern Arabia, he sought to eliminate Christianity and forced the Christians into accepting Judaism. According to Ibn Hisham, they were true Christians, followers of the Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him). In Najran, Dhu Nuwas tried hard to promote Judaism.
However, the local Christians rejected his call. In retaliation, he had a large number of Christians thrown into the pits of fire. In all, more - than 20,000 Christians were put to death. One of these Christians, Daws Dhu Tha‘laban, however, managed to flee, and according to a report, sought the help of either the Byzantine emperor or of the Negus, the Abyssinian king, relating to them the atrocities perpetrated against the Christians of Najran. One report indicates that the Byzantine emperor wrote to the Negus as regards taking some action. Another report suggests that it was the Negus who requested the emperor to provide him with a naval fleet. Anyway, a 70,000-strong Abyssinian army led by Aryat invaded Yemen, resulting in the killing of Dhu Nuwas and the end of the Jewish state there. Yemen was merged as a province of the Christian empire of Abyssinia.
This version of events narrated by Muslim historians is also endorsed by other historical sources. The Abyssinian Christians first established their rule over Yemen in 340 CE and this lasted until 378 CE. Christian missionaries then made their way into Yemen. Around the same time, a devout Christian spiritual master and traveler, Faymiyun, also arrived in Yemen. Under the influence of his mission against idolatry, the people of Najran embraced Christianity. Their affairs were managed by three chiefs: (i) Syed, the tribal chief in charge of foreign relations, treaties and military affairs. (ii) ‘Aqib, who maintained law and order, and (iii) Bishop, the religious head. Najran was.an important town in southern Arabia, renowned for its leather, arms and tussore industries. The famous Yemenite wrapper and cloak (hullah yamaniyyah) was also manufactured there. Dhu Nuwas had attacked Najran in view of its strategic importance, apart from its being religiously, politically and commercially important. The Najran chief, named as Arethas by Syriac chroniclers, was killed by Dhu Nuwas. His two daughters were killed before the eyes of their mother. Worse, she was compelled into drinking the blood of her slain daughters. Later, she too, was killed. Paul’s bones were set on fire after digging his grave. Men and women, the young and old, the clergy and lay people, including children were hurled into pits of fire. Reports put the figure of casualties at 30-40,000. This carnage happened in October 523 CE. Eventually in 525 CE, the Abyssinians attacked Yemen and put an end to Dhu Nuwas and his rule there. This account is borne out by the inscription at Hisn Ghurab, recently, excavated by modern archeologists.
Several Christian writings of the sixth century describe this event at length. Of these, some were written immediately after the carnage and are interspersed with eye-witness accounts. At least three authors belong to the same period Procopeus, Cosmos Indicopleustis and Johannes Malala. Cosmos also holds the distinction of having translated the Greek works of Ptolemy at the behest of the Abyssinian Negus, Elesboan. He lived in Adolis, a coastal town in Abyssinia. Malala’s version is reproduced by later historians. Johannes of Ephesus (d. 585) in his History of the Church recounted the details of the persecution of the Christians of Najran on the authority of Bishop Mar Simeon, who witnessed the event. _ His account appears in his letter to Abbot von Gabula, and is based on first-hand reports related by some survivors. This letter was published in 1881 from Rome and in 1890 as part of a history of Christian martyrs. In their Syriac chronicles, Patriarch Dionysius and Zacharia of Mitylene too, recorded this event. It also features in Ya’qub Saruji’s work. Pulus, the Bishop of Edessa, composed an elegy in memory of the Najran martyrs, which is still in circulation to this day. The Book of the Himyarities, English translation of the original in Syriac, published in London in 1924, confirms the version of Muslim historians. Some Abyssinian manuscripts related to this event are preserved in the British Museum, which too bear out the above chain of events. In his travelogue, Arabian Highlands, Philip K. Hitti states that the people of Najran identify to this day the sites where people were thrown into these pits of fire. Some engravings on rocks at the Umm Kharagq attest to this version. Moreover, the local people of Najran are familiar even today with the spot where once the cathedral of Najran stood.
After establishing their rule over Najran, the Abyssinian Christians built there a cathedral akin to the Ka’bah. They planned to invest it with the same centrality and sanctity that had been enjoyed for centuries by the Ka’bah. The clergy ‘of this cathedral put on turbans and regarded it as a sanctuary. The Byzantine Empire sent state grants for its maintenance. The priests of the same cathedral, led by their Bishop, had called on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for a polemical debate, leading to the famous incident recorded in Verse 61 of Surah Al ‘Imran. (See - Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. 1, Al ‘Imran 3: nn. 29 and 55, pp. 247-248 and 261-262.)
5. These verses underscore such divine attributes as make it obligatory for man to believe in Him. They are wrong-doers who resent belief in Allah.
6. Their chastisement of burning is mentioned in addition to their punishment in Hellfire in view of their crime of having thrown innocent believers into pits of fire. Most probably, this fire will be more severe, different from the Hellfire, which will afflict them.
7. The assertion that Allah is “the Ever Forgiving and the Most Loving” indicates that one who repents his sins may be blessed with His mercy. Allah is not hostile to His creatures. Nor does He want to punish them without reason. On the contrary, only the rebellious are punished by Him. Man should realize that Allah alone is the Lord of the glorious throne and those defying Him cannot escape Him. Since He is the Most Exalted One, man should think twice about his audacity in disobeying Him. Furthermore, He executes what He wills and no one in the entire universe has the power to obstruct or frustrate what He wills.
8. This is addressed to the rebels to Allah who exult in their strength and power. They are told that the armies of Pharaoh and the Thamud, who boasted of their might, met with ignominious ends.
9. This signifies that the Qur’an’s writ is bound to come about for it is inscribed on God's well-guarded Tablet and, hence, cannot be subjected to alteration. All human beings put together cannot falsify it.