85:1 By the sky with the constellations,
85:2 by the promised day,
85:3 by the witness and the witnessed,
85:4 cursed were the people of the trench,
85:5 the fire abounding in fuel,
85:6 when they sat by it,
85:7 and they witnessed what they did against the believers.
85:8 And they resented them only because they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy.
85:9 to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Witness over everything.
Tafsir
85:1 By the sky with the constellations,
Allah, Exalted be He, swears by the sky that has al-Buruj, the constellations.
The scholars differ about the meaning of al-Buruj. After mentioning the opinions of the scholars, Imam Muhammad bin Jarir at-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘The correct opinion is that it means the sky with the constellations, which are twelve high positions in the sky.'
85:2 by the promised day,
Allah, Exalted be He, swears by the promised day, which is the Day of Judgment. It is called so because Allah has promised that He will gather people on this day for reckoning.
85:3 by the witness and the witnessed,
Allah, Exalted be He, swears by the witness and the witnessed. The scholars mention different opinions about the meaning of the witness and the witnessed, some of which are the following: 1) The witness is Friday and the witnessed is the Day of Arafah, the ninth day of the month of al-Hijjah. Friday is called the witness because it will testify against each person regarding the deeds he did on that day. The Day of Arafah is called the witnessed because people attend Hajj on that day and the angels witness that day. 2) The witness is Allah, Exalted be He, and the witnessed is the Day of Judgment. 3) The witness the nation of Messenger Muhammad and the witnessed is the rest of the people. 4) The witness is Allah’s Prophets and the witnessed is the nations.
After mentioning the opinions of the scholars, Imam Muhammad bin Jarir at-Tabari said, ‘The correct opinion is that Allah swears by a witness and witnessed thing. He does not tell us what the witness means and what the witnessed means. Thus, all opinions mentioned by the scholars can be called the witness and the witnessed.’
85:4 cursed were the people of the trench,
85:5 the fire abounding in fuel,
I swear by the sky that has constellations, the promised day, the witness, and the witnessed that the people of the trench were cursed and deserved to be deprived of Allah’s mercy. That is because they disbelieved in Allah’s Oneness and persecuted the believers.
The people of the trench, al-Ukhdud, were disbelievers among the former nations who built trenches and kindled them with the fires, then threw the believers therein because they refused to renounce their belief in Allah’s Oneness.
85:6 when they sat by it,
85:7 and they witnessed what they did against the believers.
Cursed were the people of the trenches, who kindled them with the fires and sat by them to watch the believers while being tortured. They sat by the trenches to closely supervise and witness the operation of throwing the believers into the fires, which indicates their determination to torture the believers and the extreme brutality and cruelty that the believers suffered at the hands of those disbelievers. Those disbelievers reached an unprecedented degree of tyranny and oppression that they were able to perpetrate and watch such hideous act without experiencing the least feeling of humanity. Animals may have mercy, but the tyrants do not know even the word mercy let alone practice it with fellow human beings.
85:8 And they resented them only because they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy.
85:9 to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Witness over everything.
The ayah mentions why the disbelievers tortured and burned the believers in the fires.
The only reason that the disbelievers had against the believers that caused them to torture and throw them into the fires was that the believers believed in Allah’s Oneness. They believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy. They believed in Allah to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.
The disbelievers resented the believers for their belief in Allah’s Oneness, which they considered a crime that deserved punishment. Indeed, when tyranny has the upper hand, the criterion of justice and reason turned upside down. Such is the normal behavior of the sick souls that Satan controls. In their eyes, good deeds become sins and morals become vices. However, no matter how severe the tyrants persecute the believers and no matter how great power and authority they may have, victory will be the share of the believers because they have the support of the king of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them, Allah, Exalted be He.
The intended meaning of the ayah is to console and strengthen the believers for the abuse and persecution they suffer at the hands of the disbelievers. The ayah tells the believers everywhere and at every time that if they suffer abuse and persecution from the disbelievers, the former believers suffered great trials and torment. They should emulate them and be patient like them. Indeed, the rule of Allah is that victory is always for the believers, and loss and destruction are for the disbeliever.
Indeed, Allah is a Witness over everything. He will reward the believers and punish the disbelievers.
Learned Lessons from Surah al-Buruj Ayah 1-9
• Allah, Exalted be He, swears by the sky that has constellations, the Day of Judgment, the witnessing day, and the witnessed day. He swears by these things that the people of the trench, al-Ukhdud, are cursed and will be deprived of His mercy. That is because they built trenches, threw the believers into them to burn them because they believed in Allah’s Oneness.
• Allah swears by the Day of Judgment because He is the only One who has authority on that day and because all creatures will witness this day.
• The believers should always be patient with the abuse and persecution of the disbelievers. They should remember that the former believers suffered abuse and persecution at the hands of the disbelievers; however, victory was theirs, and punishment and loss were the shares of the disbelievers.
• The disbelievers built trenches to torture the believers for they believed in Allah’s Oneness. They were cruel to the believers, but they will suffer the evil consequences of their tyranny.
• The story of the people of the trench is a lesson for the believers that they should be patient when encountering hardship and trials for the sake of Allah.
• Allah is the only King of the heavens, the earth, and that is between them. He will give victory to the believers and punish the disbelievers.
The Noble Quran, Surah al-Burjuj, English Translation
The Noble Quran, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah al-Burjuj
The Noble Quran: Tafsir of Surah Abasa Ayah 33-42 Horrors of the Day of Judgment
The Noble Quran Surah Jonah Translation and Tafsir
No comments:
Post a Comment