85:12 Indeed, the grip of your Lord is severe.
85:13 Indeed, it is He who originates and brings again.
85:14 and He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Loving,
85:15 Lord of the Throne, the All-Glorious,
85:16 Doer of whatever He wills.
85:17 Has the story of the hosts reached you,
85:18 Pharaoh and Thamud?
85:19 Yet those who disbelieve persistently deny,
85:20 and Allah is behind them, encompassing.
85:21 Nay, it is a Glorious Quran,
85:22 in a Preserved Tablet.
Relationship with the Previous Part
In the previous part, those who disbelieve, persecute, and torture the believers are threatened with severe punishment and those who believe and perform righteous deeds are promised to attain a great reward in the Hereafter. Then this part confirms Allah’s ability to do what He wants. In addition, this part refers to the attitude of the disbelievers and tyrants in every age. They insist on disbelief in Allah’s Oneness and enmity towards the believers. These facts are mentioned to act as a warning for the disbelievers and a source of hope and assurance for the disbelievers. They are also mentioned to strengthen and assure the believers’ hearts for the abuse and persecution that they may suffer at the hands of the disbelievers and the oppressors. In sum, the ayat confirm that Allah knows everything, success will be the share of the believers, and loss will be the share of the disbelievers.
Tafsir
85:12 Indeed, the grip of your Lord is severe.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, indeed, the grip of your Lord is severe when He takes revenge on the tyrants and the oppressors. When He decides to punish them, nothing can stand before His Will. So command your companions to be patient with the abuse and hardship they suffer. Verily, the happy end will be theirs.
The ayah implies a warning to the disbelievers saying that their punishment will be like that of the people of the trench who disbelieved in Allah’s Oneness and persecuted the believers. Their abode will be Hell where they will suffer lasting torment.
85:13 Indeed, it is He who originates and brings again.
Allah is the only One who can originate the creatures in this world and then He resurrects them in the Hereafter for reckoning. He is also the only One who can punish the disbelievers and wrongdoers in this world and then He brings them again in the Hereafter.
The ayah uses the general word ‘originates and brings again’ without specifying specific things that Allah originates and brings again to include everything that can be originated and brought back.
85:14 and He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Loving,
Allah is All-Forgiving. He forgives the sins of the repentant. Allah is All-Loving. He loves those who obey His commands and avoid His prohibitions.
85:15 Lord of the Throne, the All-Glorious,
Allah, Exalted be He, is the Lord of the All-Glorious Throne. No one knows how it looks likes, but Allah.
85:16 Doer of whatever He wills.
Allah, Exalted be He, does what He wants. No one can protest against what He does. When He wants something, He only says to it ‘be’ and it exists. If Allah wills, He forgives the sins of those who repent, and if He wills, He punishes the wrongdoers. No one can prevent Him from carrying out what He wants.
85:17 Has the story of the hosts reached you,
85:18 Pharaoh and Thamud?
The ayat mention what indicates Allah’s perfect ability to punish the disbelievers and wrongdoers.
The interrogation is for intimidation and affirmation. The hosts refer to those who disobeyed Allah’s command and then He punished them severely. Examples of those whom Allah punished because of their insistence on disbelief in His Oneness are Pharaoh and his followers, and Thamud, the people of Prophet Saleh [peace be upon him]. Those people were wrongdoers. Therefore, Allah punished them and He will punish every wrongdoer no matter how powerful he may be.
Pharaoh and Thamud are specifically mentioned because they were tyrants and wrongdoers, as well as the people of Mecca knew their stories. It is as if the ayah says to the disbelievers of Mecca, ‘If you insist on disbelief in Allah’s Oneness and wrongdoings, your end will be like that of Pharaoh and Thamud.’
85:19 Yet those who disbelieve persistently deny,
85:20 and Allah is behind them, encompassing.
The ayah refers to the attitude of the contemporary disbelievers towards the message of Messenger Muhammad. They did not learn from what happened to the former disbelievers who were destroyed and punished for their disbelief.
The end of Pharaoh and his followers and the people of Thamud was destruction because of their insistence on disbelief in Allah’s Oneness. However, your people, O noble Messenger Muhammad, do not learn lessons from what happened to them. Rather, they keep on denying the truth of belief in Allah’s Oneness, refusing to accept Islam, and disobeying your commands. O noble Messenger Muhammad, the disbelievers are under Allah’s control. He fully knows everything about them and they will never escape from His grip and punishment. Allah will punish them at the time He wants and decides.
85:21 Nay, it is a Glorious Quran,
85:22 in a Preserved Tablet.
The ayah refutes the claim of the disbelievers who claim that Allah did not reveal the Quran to His Messenger Muhammad. It mentions the true status of the Quran, which falsehood can never affect it in whatsoever way.
Nay, the matter is not as the disbelievers claim, namely, the Quran is fables of the ancients and that Allah has not revealed it to His Messenger Muhammad. Rather, the Quran is the speech of Allah that He revealed to His Messenger Muhammad. It is a Glorious Quran and is kept in the Preserved Tablet. No distortion and alternation can affect it. Satan and his followers can never reach it.
We believe that the Quran is kept in the Preserved Tablet, but we do not know the reality of this tablet as this belongs to the realm of the unseen, which only Allah knows.
Learned Lessons from Surah al-Buruj Ayah 12-22
• Allah’s punishment and revenge are severe. He will punish and take revenge on the disbelievers and wrongdoers.
• Allah, Exalted be He, originates the creation of people in this world and He will bring them back to life after death on the Day of Judgment.
• Allah’s attributes are perfect. He is the All-Forgiving and He forgives the sins of those who repent of their sins and do righteous deeds. Allah is the All-Loving and He loves the believers who believe in His Oneness, obey His commands, avoid His prohibitions, and do righteous deeds.
• Allah is the Owner of the Glorious Throne and the owner of the perfect power and authority. Nothing can stand before His will and authority and no one can escape from His punishment and grip. He forgives the sins of the believers, out of His bounty, and makes them enter Paradise, and He punishes the disbelievers, out of His justice, and makes them enter Hell where they suffer a painful torment.
• Mentioning the stories of the former disbelievers and their evil end acts as consolation to the believers everywhere and at every age. It informs them that the end of disbelief is loss and destruction no matter how long it may last.
• Those who are endowed with sound understanding should learn from the evil end of the former disbelievers and oppressors.
• The Quran is the speech of Allah that He revealed to His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad. It is not fables of the ancients as the disbelievers claim.
• The Quran is kept in the Preserved Tablet and no distortion or change can affect it.
The Noble Quran, Surah al-Buruj, English Translation
The Noble Quran, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Surah al-Buruj
The Noble Quran, Surah an-Nahl Ayah 97, Happy Life
The Noble Quran Surah an-Nahl: Translation and Tafsir
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