Tafsir of Surah Al-Buruj - Verse 20

The Reward of the Righteous, and the Harsh Seizing of the Disbelieving Enemies of Allah

Allah informs about His believing servants that

لَهُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَـرُ

(for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow.) This is the opposite of what he has prepared for His enemies of Fire and Hell. Thus, He says,

ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ

(That is the supreme success.) Then Allah says,

إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ

(Verily, the punishment of your Lord is severe and painful.) meaning, indeed His punishment and His vengeance upon His enemies, who have rejected His Messengers, and opposed His command, is severe, great and strong. For verily, He is the Owner of power, Most Strong. He is the One that whatever He wants, then it will be however He wants it to be, in the matter of a blinking of an eye, or even swifter. Thus, Allah says,

إِنَّهُ هُوَ يُبْدِىءُ وَيُعِيدُ

(Verily, He it is Who begins and repeats.) meaning, from His perfect strength and power is that He begins the creation, and He repeats it just as He began it, without opposition or resistance.

وَهُوَ الْغَفُورُ الْوَدُودُ

(And He is Oft-Forgiving, Al-Wadud.) meaning, He forgives the sin of whoever repents to Him and humbles himself before Him, no matter what the sin may be. Ibn `Abbas and others have said about the name Al-Wadud, "It means Al-Habib (the Loving)."

ذُو الْعَرْشِ

(Owner of the Throne,) meaning, the Owner of the Mighty Throne that is above all of the creation. Then He says,

الْمَجِيدِ

(Al-Majid (the Glorious).) This word has been recited in two different ways: either with a Dhammah over its last letter (Al-Majidu), which is an attribute of the Lord, or with a Kasrah under its last letter (Al-Majid), which is a description of the Throne. Nevertheless, both meanings are correct.

فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ

(Doer of what He intends.) meaning, whatever He wants He does it, and there is no one who can counter His ruling. He is not asked about what He does due to His greatness, His power, His wisdom and His justice. This is as we have related previously from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, that it was said to him during the illness of (his) death, "Has a doctor seen you" He replied, "Yes." They said, "What did he say to you" He replied, "He said, `I am the Doer of whatever I intend."' Concerning Allah's statement,

هَلُ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْجُنُودِ - فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ

(Has the story reached you of the hosts. Of Fir`awn and Thamud) meaning, has the news reached you of what Allah caused to befall them of torment, and that He sent down upon them the punishment that no one was able to ward off from them This is the affirmation of His statement,

إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ

(Verily, the punishment of your Lord is severe and painful.) meaning, when He seizes the wrongdoer, He seizes him with a severe and painful punishment. It is the seizing punishment of One Most Mighty, and Most Powerful. Then Allah says,

بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِى تَكْذِيبٍ

(Nay! The disbelievers (persisted) in denying.) meaning, they are in doubt, suspicion, disbelief and rebellion.

وَاللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِمْ مُّحِيطٌ

(And Allah encompasses them from behind!) meaning, He has power over them, and is able to compel them. They cannot escape Him or evade Him.

بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌ مَّجِيدٌ

(Nay! This is a Glorious Qur'an.) meaning, magnificent and noble.

فِى لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ

(In Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz!) meaning, among the most high gathering, guarded from any increase, decrease, distortion, or change. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Buruj, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا (Surely, those who persecuted the believing men and the believing women, then did not repent,...85:10) This verse describes the torment of the wrong-doers who burned the Muslims in the fire pit only on account of their faith. The description points out two things: [ 1] فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ them there is the torment of Jahannam) and [ 2] وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ (and for them there is the torment of burning). The second sentence may be treated as explicative of the first sentence, a statement for emphasis. It signifies that they will be put into Hell and will have to suffer eternal torment of the fire. Another possible interpretation is that the second statement describes the wrong-doers' torment in this world, as is narrated in some reports. The believers, who had been cast in fire pits, were spared the torture of fire, in that the souls of the believers were taken out before the fire could touch them. Only their dead bodies were lying in the fiery furnace. After that the fire flared up so high that it spread out wildly through the city and burned all those who were watching the fun of burning the Muslims. Only Yusuf Dhu Nuwas managed to run away, and threw himself into the sea in order to save himself from the rage of the fire, but he got drowned and died. [ Mazhari ].

Attached to the torment of Hell and the torment of burning for the wrong-doers is the restrictive phrase: ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا (then did not repent). That is, this torment is for those who did not repent of their deed and did not offer taubah. Thus this part of the verse invites people to repent. Sayyidna Hasan ؓ states: "Look at Allah's compassion and benevolence. They burned Allah's friends alive, yet He invites them towards repentance and forgiveness." [ Ibn Kathir ].

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah Al-Buruj Ends here

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