Surah Buruj Midi

1. (85)
Surah Al-Buruj
(85)

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Introduction (cont.)
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.

5. Introduction (cont.)
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.

6. Introduction (cont.)
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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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?

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. Ayah Sixteen: the Executor of what He wills.
Allah can do what He wills and no one has a say
above Him

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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?

25. Disclaimer
These slides are an abridged, simplified
version of tafseer. For detailed explanations,
please view other sources.