INTRODUCTION TO SURAH AL-BURUJ
Surah al-Buruj was revealed in Mecca as the 27th revelation. Named after the word “البروج al-buruj [clusters of stars]” in the first verse, it was revealed during a time when the believers faced severe persecution from the Meccan polytheists, who sought to turn them away from their religion. This included oppression and even martyrdom. The surah serves as both a source of consolation and support for the believers and as a severe warning to the polytheists.
27 / SURAH AL-BURUJ
Meaning of verses
1-3The literate people who has learned the Ayat of the Qur’an well, the moment of death, ruins of the people who were manipulated, destroyed and those who observe them is the evidence that, 12grip of your Rabb is truly severe. 13And indeed, it is only He Who has created first and then takes life and then creates again. 14And He is the One Who forgives much, loves much, the One Who is 15the owner of the greatest throne, the most generous, 16the doer of all He intends.
17,18Has the story of those armies; Pharaoh and Thamud come to you? Yes indeed!
4,5The companions of Uhdud/the blazing fire were killed: 6When they sat upon it 7and were witnesses to what they did to the believers. 8,9And the reason that they punished the believers was only that they believed in only Allah Who is very powerful, praiseworthy, the One Who has the dominion of the heavens/universe and the earth and the One Who witnesses all.
10Indeed, there is the punishment of Jahannah [Hell] for those who have tortured the men and the women who have believed in the fire and then have not repented, and the punishment of the fire is also for them. 11And indeed, there are gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] underneath of which rivers flow for those who have believed and done amendatory deeds. This is the great salvation.
19But those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb are still in denial. 20Yet Allah encompasses them from their behind. 21,22Rather, it is an honorable Qur’an that is guarded in a preserved tablet.
Explanation of the Surah
Before analyzing the verses, it is important to address a significant observation and clarify our perspective on it.
It is well known and accepted that the first three verses of the surah contain oaths. However, the purpose of these oaths or what they serve as evidence for is not made clear until verse 12. This delay in presenting the reply to the oath deviates from the usual grammatical structure of Arabic, complicating the understanding of the surah.
Our conclusion, that verse 12 serves as the reply to the oaths in the first three verses, aligns with the rules of Arabic grammar. These rules are explained in detail in the analysis of Surah al-Qalam under the section titled Qasam Sentence.
The three elements mentioned in the oaths—”the sky with its constellations, the promised day, the witness and the witnessed”—are presented as evidence of the divine warning in verse 12: “Allah will seize you with power.” This forms a complete and coherent oath sentence, with verses 1-3 as the “oath section” and verse 12 as the “reply.”
However, the classical Mushaf inserts verses 4-11 between the oath and its reply, breaking the sentence structure and disrupting the coherence. This makes the message more difficult to grasp, as inserting unrelated content into a sentence reduces clarity and cohesion.
This irregularity suggests that when the Companions arranged the surahs or organized the Mushaf, they might not have adhered to the principles of grammar. Similar cases are evident in other surahs, such as Al-Fajr, and will appear again in Qaf, An-Nazi’at, Sad, and others. It seems improbable that this arrangement was made by Allah or His Prophet. Instead, it was likely an unintentional oversight or a result of human error during the Mushaf’s compilation.
Earlier commentators who adhered to the existing arrangement attempted to make verse 4 the reply to the qasam. Some interpreted the verse by adding the word لقد leqad to justify this, while others suggested that the reply to the oath was implied, inferring it to mean something like “Judgment Day will surely come.” Many modern translations and commentaries also adopt this approach.
However, verse 12 clearly acts as the reply to the oaths and should follow the first three verses. This arrangement, consistent with grammatical rules and the surah’s flow, is evident to anyone well-versed in Arabic and Qur’anic sciences.
In light of the technical structure of oaths and the logical flow of the surah, we believe Surah al-Buruj should be read and understood in the above order.
Analysis of the Verses
Verses 1-3
1-3The literate people who has learned the Ayat of the Qur’an well, the moment of death, ruins of the people who were manipulated, destroyed and those who observe them is the evidence that,
Based on the literal meanings of the words in the verse, this group of verses can be understood as follows: “By the sky with its signs, and by the promised day, and by the one who testifies and the one who is testified to, the seizing of your Lord is indeed severe.” Here, we have interpreted the translation figuratively.
Every word in these verses, which constitute the “oath part” of the oath sentence, is mutashabih in both literal and figurative meanings and expresses more than one meaning:
the sky – Sema
If we interpret the word “السّماء Sema” solely as ‘the sky,’ understanding its usage in sentences becomes quite challenging. This is because the word “sema” has many other meanings. These meanings are as follows:
The word “sema” is a derivative of the word “السّموّ al-sumuwv” meaning “height, sublimity”. Every high and sublime thing is called ‘al-sema’. The reason why the sky is called sema is because it is above the earth. Above and above every thing is also called as-sema. For example, calculation [mathematics] is also called sema. Because mathematics is a superior science. The top of anything is also called sema. The top of a shoe and the ceiling of a house are both sema. Even the clouds and rain are called sema. The verb ‘sema’, which is the verb of ‘as-sema’, is used for the deeds of those who are ‘حسيب hasîp [calculating, accountant]’ and ‘شريف sharif [honorable, virtuous]’. This means that those who are good at calculating [mathematics] are also ‘sema’.”[1]
A fixed cluster of stars resembling a particular shape Buruj
The word “البروج Buruj” is the plural of the word “البرج burj”. The word “Burj” is used in the sense of “a fixed cluster of stars resembling a particular shape and form, a castle with a single fortress, a projection built on top of the walls of a castle, a high mansion, a mansion, and celestial stations such as the signs of Aries, Aquarius, and Scorpio, which represent each of the twelve parts of one rotation of the Earth around the Sun”.
Based on the fact that the word “Buruj” means “cluster of stars”, it can also be interpreted as “the verses of the Qur’an that descended one at a time”, similar to the word “najm”. In this case, the word “البروج buruj [zodiac signs]” can be figuratively understood as “clusters of Qur’anic najm” or “clusters of Qur’anic verses”.
Based on the meaning of the word “buruj” as “clusters of verses” and the meaning of the word “sema” as “people who know how to calculate [math]”, verse 1 can be interpreted as follows:
As witnessed by the mathematicians who have learned the verses of the Qur’an
According to this interpretation, the oath made in verse 1 serves as evidence that scientists skilled in precise calculations will uncover the structure and functioning of the universe, scientifically proving its inevitable end and sharing this knowledge. Indeed, the following information, published on www.bilimveteknoloji.com on August 1, 2002, aligns with this interpretation of the verse:
“Like everything else, this magnificent universe, vast in size and astonishingly complex, will one day come to an end. The nature of this end depends on whether the universe is closed or open… At present, theoretical physicists do not have a definitive answer as to whether the universe is closed or open. Regardless, the perfect balance will eventually be disrupted, and matter will disappear in one way or another.
If the universe is closed, its expansion will eventually halt, and under the influence of gravity, it will contract, heat up, and over time collapse into infinite density and zero volume—essentially the reverse of the Big Bang. Most scientists describe this as the likely end of the universe, even though conclusive evidence is lacking.
If the universe is open, it will not collapse, but as time progresses, the expanding universe will cool, and all the energy comprising matter within it will be expended and dissipated. According to this second scenario, all stars will exhaust their fuel within 1014 years. As the universe continues to cool, it will transform entirely into iron over approximately 101500 years, consuming all available energy. For now, only one of these two possibilities for the end of the universe can be envisioned…”
Promised Day
In verse 2, the expression “the promised day” has been interpreted as “the Judgment Day” in the classical sources and the works of their followers. We think that this interpretation is wrong. Because the verse swears by the “promised day”. It has already been mentioned in the previous chapters that swearing is in a sense, showing evidence. In this case, the proof must be something tangible, visible and perceivable by the addressee. Therefore, it is not rational to show evidence of something intangible, something that belongs to the future or the unseen.
For us, the “promised day” is the day of death, the moment of death. This death includes both the individual death of the person and the collective death in the first stage of the Resurrection. This is because the Qur’an states that on the promised day everyone will be killed and on that day everyone will come to faith:
90-92And We took the Israelites across the large body of water/river. But Pharaoh and his soldiers followed them immediately in transgression and enmity. And when drowning in the water overtook him he said: “I have definitely believed that there is no deity except the One in Whom Israelites believe, I am among those who submitted”. – Now? But you disobeyed before and became of the corrupters. Today We will save you in your armor so you may be a sign for those who will succeed you. – And indeed, many of the people are apathetic/careless to our Ayat/evidences/signs.
(Yunus/ 90-92)
29And they say: “When is this that you promise, if you should be among truthful?”.
30Say: “For you is a predetermined time of the day so that you will neither remain an hour back nor will you precede it”
(Saba/ 29, 30)
9But, they are amusing themselves in insufficient knowledge.
10,11Then watch for the day when the sky will bring an explicit famine. That famine will surround people. This is a painful punishment.
12O our Rabb! Remove the punishment from us. Indeed, now we are truly believers.
13,14Do they ever remember? Yet a messenger who clarifies came to them. Then they turned away from him and said: “A madman who was taught/a man supported by secret forces!”.
15Surely, We remove the punishment a little, then you are the ones who return.
16The day when We will seize with the greatest seizure, We surely are the Ones Who will maintain justice by seizing and recompensing the criminal.
(Ad-Dukhan/ 9-16)
19Indeed, the stupor of the death comes in truth: -“O man! This is that which you were avoiding.”-
20And the Sur will be blown. –“This is the day with which it was frightened.”- 21And everyone will come forth, along with a driver and a witness.
(Qaf/ 19, 20)
83So leave them right away, let them be in vain and amuse themselves until they meet the day which they were promised.
(Az-Zukhruf/ 83)
7-10So, when the sight is dazed, the moon is eclipsed and the moon and the sun are joined together, that day man will say “To where is the escape/Where is the place of escape?”
11Certainly not as he thinks! There is no refuge. 12That day, the destination is only to your Rabb/that day, the place to stay is only before your Rabb.
13That day, man will be informed with that which he sent ahead and what he left behind.
(Qiyamat/ 7-13)
26,30Certainly not as they think! When it reaches to the collar bone and it is said “Who is it that finds cure?” and the one who is dying realizes that this is the time of that separation and legs are tangled; that day, only to your Rabb is to be driven
(Qiyamat/ 26-30)
Attesting and Attested
Many stories have been fabricated about this verse. Based on these baseless stories, the exegetes have made grandiose statements about what “the bearer of witness” and “what is witnessed” are, without considering the fact that the sentence is an oath. When these statements are written one after the other, we are presented with the following list:
Witness: What is witnessed:
Friday The day of Arifah.
Monday Friday.
Hajar ul-Aswad Those who perform Hajj.
The first day of Eid al-Adha The day of Arifah.
The day of Tawriya The day of Arifah.
Allah Judgment Day.
Our Prophet Ummah.
Prophets Their Ummah.
Prophets Our Prophet
Ummah-i Muhammad Other ummahs.
Prophet Jesus, [unspecified]
Human, [unspecified]
Human organs, [unspecified]
Guardian angels, [unspecified]
Goods People
Creatures Human beings.[2]
However, the phrase “the one who bears witness and the one who is witnessed” should definitely be explained as an oath [proof]. That is to say, the witness and the things witnessed by the witness in the verse should be the evidence or witness of our Lord’s grasp. For example, as explained in Surah Al-Fil, the fact that among the addressees of this Surah were living witnesses of the capture and destruction of the people of Elephant who wanted to destroy the Ka’bah by our Lord is a clear example of the testimony in this verse.
Muslims are encouraged to reflect on and identify the ‘witness’ and ‘the witnessed’ mentioned in the verse. This is because in many verses our Lord commands us to travel around the earth and learn about ancient civilizations. Our Lord’s command is intended to help us find the evidence of how He caught the disbelievers by the hand, and to help us come to our senses by witnessing the severity of that capture.
Some of the many verses of our Lord commanding us to investigate past civilizations include the following:
6Have they not seen that We manipulated/destroyed many generations to whom We had given all opportunities which We did not give you, upon whom We had sent the sky with its blessings and We made rivers flow underneath of them. We manipulated/destroyed them because of their sins and formed a new generation after them.
(Al-An’am/6)
45Then, there were many cities which We manipulated/destroyed while they were doing wrong; acting against their own good by associating others with Allah. Their roofs were collapsed and walls were caved in; and how many abandoned wells and palaces reinforced with lime/concrete!
46Have they not travelled through the earth so they might have hearts to reason and ears to hear. Indeed, it is not the eyes that go blind but, hearts which are within the chests go blind.
(Hajj/ 45, 46)
9Have they not travelled across the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more powerful than them; they plowed the earth and built it up more than these have built up. And their messengers brought to them many clear proofs. And Allah would not have treated them unjustly, but they were treating themselves unjustly by associating others with Allah.
(Ar-Rum/ 9)
36Before them, We manipulated, destroyed many generations who were greater than them in power. So that they explored throughout the lands. Is there any place to escape?
37There is definitely a reminder in this for whoever has a reason, understanding, conscience or whoever heeds as a witness.
(Qaf/ 36, 37)
We may also refer to verses Ali-Imran 137, Al-An’am 11, Yusuf 109, Niml 69, Ankabut 20, Ar-Rum 42, Fatir 44, Muhammad 10, An-Nahl 36, Az-Zukhruf 8, Mu’min 21 and 82.
It is clear from these verses that if the earth is traveled and the data obtained from archaeological studies carried out to date are examined, many ancient ruins can be observed that will be witnesses and evidence of our Lord’s capture of the disbelievers. Many ruins of the disbelieving societies of the past are waiting for the curious in every corner of the world today for people to visit and examine and see how the divine law works.
Verse 12:
12grip of your Rabb is truly severe.
This is the judgment that the Surah draws attention to with oaths and seeks to prove with proofs. In this verse, which is the answer to the sentence of oath, Our Lord declares that wrongdoers will not escape accountability, justice will surely be served, and criminals will be seized and held accountable.
Allah’s Grip
Allah’s grip must be understood well. Will Allah catch the guilty and throw them in the stocks or physically pull their ears? No, He will not. When He catches him, He will give him trouble and misfortune in this world; He will make him suffer. In the Afterlife, He will drag him to hell. In this way He will ensure justice.
Let us provide some examples from the Qur’an regarding Allah’s catching:
The warning given in this verse in the form of a brief explanation is elaborated in verses 25-103 of Surah Hud, beginning with the relationship between our Prophet Noah and his people and continuing with the relationship between our Prophet Moses and Pharaoh, and the passage is concluded with the following verses:
100This narration from the past is from the serious news, important information of the cities. We relate it to you; some of them stand today and some of them have become harvested crops.
101And We did not treat them unjustly; but they treated themselves unjustly, did wrong; acted against their own good. Hence, when the command of your Rabb came, their gods which they invoked from among those that are inferior to Allah did not avail them at all and they did not increase anything other than loss.
102And when your Rabb seizes those cities people of which are the ones who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah, thus is His seizure. Surely, painful and harsh is His seizure!
(Hud/ 100-102)
16The day when We will seize with the greatest seizure, We surely are the Ones Who will maintain justice by seizing and recompensing the criminal.
(Ad-Dukhan/16)
36Truly, Lot warned them of Our seizure. But they disputed the warnings 37and indeed, they attempted to take advantage of his guests sexually. Then We made them blind/wiped out their tribes, lineage: “Now taste My punishment and warnings!”
38And certainly, an abiding punishment seized them early in the morning: 39“Now taste My punishment and warnings!”
Qamar/36- 39)
6-8And We had sent many prophets to the former ones. They certainly ridiculed every prophet who came to them, then We seized and manipulated/destroyed those who were stronger than them in power. And the example of the former ones has preceded.
(Az-Zukhruf/6- 8)
After all, Isn’t the purpose of the Afterlife to ensure justice? There is really no justice between people in this world. Many criminals are not punished in this world, they are not punished for their crimes.
Verse 13:
13And indeed, it is only He Who has created first and then takes life and then creates again.
At first glance, this verse evokes the creation of this universe and the resurrection after Judgment Day. However, a careful look at the universe shows that everything is in a state of constant renewal and constant decay. This means that there is an initial creation, a death, and a new resurrection to replace every death. The most obvious example of this cycle to which the phrase “initiation and restoration” refers is the continuous occurrence of day and night.
Allah is the only one who can do all these things, the only one who both initiates and restores, and the only one who will restore the universe in the Afterlife, which will end with the Resurrection.
Verse 14:
14And He is the One Who forgives much, loves much, the One Who is
“Forgiveness”, which is an open door to all who repent and turn back, no matter how great their sin, no matter how extreme their rebellion, stems from Allah’s mercy that knows no barriers, and from His exuberant grace and bounty. Love, on the other hand, refers to Allah’s gracious, generous and gentle approach to the believers who prefer their Lord in every situation and circumstance.
Verse 15:
15the owner of the greatest throne, the most generous,
The word “العرش Arsh” means “king’s seat, throne”, a sign of power. The expression “the owner of the Throne” means the sole owner, the sole ruler, the sole sovereign of the earth, the sky, and the entire universe with its beings. This supreme being, the owner of everything and everyone, is Allah, from whom no one and nothing can escape.
The verse states that Allah is “المجيد Majid [Almighty]” and reminds mankind of their weakness.
Verse 16:
16the doer of all He intends.
That is, “He is the One who ultimately does what He wills, who does what He wills in the way He wills. He cannot be challenged, His will cannot be opposed and He cannot be prevented. For no one and nothing in the universe is powerful like Him, and no power can defeat Him.”
Therefore, He will admit the righteous, those who are under His protection, into Paradise and no one can prevent them. He casts His enemies into Hell, and none can aid them. He punishes some of the guilty immediately, others He gives as much respite as He pleases until the time of His punishment, others He torments in this world and others in the Afterlife. He does all this and everything else as He wills.
Verse 17-18:
17,18Has the story of those armies; Pharaoh and Thamud come to you? Yes indeed!
It will be recalled that Pharaoh has already been mentioned in the Qur’an. Since it is now assumed that the interlocutors are well acquainted with these matters, the subject of Pharaoh, which was only referred to once, will be reminded frequently in the following surahs.
The fact that the Qur’an calls Pharaoh and his followers’ “armies” points to their strength and organization.
Verses 4-9:
4,5The companions of Uhdud/the blazing fire were killed: 6When they sat upon it 7and were witnesses to what they did to the believers. 8,9And the reason that they punished the believers was only that they believed in only Allah Who is very powerful, praiseworthy, the One Who has the dominion of the heavens/universe and the earth and the One Who witnesses all.
Ashab-i Uhdud
It is clear from the wording of the Qur’an that the people of Mecca knew about the people of Uhdud, just as they knew about Pharaoh, ‘Ad and Thamud. Numerous accounts exist regarding the identity, time, and location of Ashab al-Uhdud. Each of these accounts has a long story. Although it is not clear which one is true, according to these stories, the incident was brought about by one of the kings of Yemen, Najran, Iraq, Damascus, Abyssinia, Magian or Jews. The Qur’an also mentions this event without specifying the place, time and perpetrators. According to the Qur’anic account, the ruler of an unbelieving town ordered deep trenches [uhdud] to be dug and filled with blazing fires. Those who steadfastly believed in Allah were thrown into these fires to force them to abandon their faith and revert to the previous misguided religion. The oppressors, who did not believe in God, watched this brutality as people were punished for simply believing in God.
Medieval sources offer diverse accounts concerning the People of the Ditch (Ashab al-Uhdud) and the events described in the aforementioned verses. The most credible among these accounts are those narrated by scholars such as Razi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Jarir, Imam Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi, Abdurrazzaq ibn Abi Shaybah, Tabarani, and ‘Abd ibn Humayd. For those who are interested, we quote some passages from Mawdudi’s Tafhim al-Qur’an that summarize these reports:
“1- There was a king and a magician. One day, as the magician had grown very old, he requested the king, “Assign me a young man so that I may train him.” In response, the king chose a young man and sent him to the magician. However, on his way to the magician, the young man came across a priest, presumably a Christian.
So the young man was inspired by this priest and became a believer. Through his hands, the blind and those with leprosy found healing. When the king was informed that this young man had apostatized, the king became very angry. First he killed the priest and then he wanted to kill the young man. But nothing seemed to have any effect on the young man. Finally the young man said to the king: “If you want to kill me, gather the people and when they shoot arrows at me, say, ‘In the name of the Lord of this young man’. Only then will I die.” So the king did so and killed the young man. When the people saw what had happened, they said, ‘We believe in the Lord of this young man. Then the king’s advisors said, ‘Our fear has come true. This people have abandoned our religion and accepted the religion of that young man. At this news, the king became very angry and ordered them to dig ditches on the sides of the roads and light fires in them. Those who believed in the Lord of that young man and did not convert were thrown into the fire. (Imam Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir, Abdurrezzak ibn Abi Shaybah, Tabarani, ‘Abd ibn Humayd)
2- Hazrat Ali [r.a] narrated that one day, the Persian king Kisra, in a state of drunkenness, committed incest with his own sister, and their relationship continued thereafter. When the news of this spread among the people, Kisra proclaimed, ‘God has made it lawful to marry sisters’, and when the people objected, he began to persecute them, even killing them by throwing them into ditches filled with fire. Hazrat Ali says that the custom of marrying sisters among the zoroastrians started from that time (Ibn Jarir).
3- Ibn ‘Abbas narrated a similar incident [probably based on Israelite tradition] as follows: “The Babylonians forced the Children of Israel to apostatize from the religion of Moses and threw those who did not apostatize into ditches filled with fire.” (Ibn Jarir, ‘Abd b. Humayd).
4] The most famous of these events is that which happened to the Christians of Najran. It is narrated by Ibn Hisham, Tabari, Ibn Khaldun, the author of Mu’jam al-Buldan and other Muslim historians. The summary of the incident is as follows:
Tuban Asad Abu Karib, King of Himyer [Yemen], once visited Medina. There he came into contact with Jews and converted and became a Jew. Then he took two Jewish scholars from Beni Qurayza [one of the branches of the Jews in Medina] and brought them to Yemen. So they started spreading Judaism there. Then his son Zūnuvas took the throne. Zūnuvas attacked Najran [one of the strongest Christian centers in the south of Arabia] in order to destroy it and began to force its people to convert to Judaism. [Ibn Hisham says that they practiced the true religion of Jesus Christ] When Zūnuvas invited the people to convert to Judaism after he captured Najran, they rejected his invitation.
So he threw many of them into ditches filled with fire and burned them and slaughtered many others. A total of 20,000 people were killed. One of the people of Najran managed to go to his friend Zūsaliban. According to one account, he went to Roman Caesar, and according to another account, he went to King Najashi of Abyssinia and told him about the atrocities. According to the first account, Roman Caesar wrote a letter to the king of Abyssinia. According to the second account, Najashi pleaded with Roman Caesar to send naval forces. Abyssinia eventually dispatched 20,000 troops to Yemen under the leadership of a commander named Uryat. Zūnuvas was killed, the Jewish rule came to an end, and Yemen was annexed into Abyssinian territory.
Islamic historians not only confirm this event but also give detailed information. Yemen first fell into the hands of Christians in 340 AD and their rule continued until 378 AD. At that time, Christian missionaries came to Yemen. During this period, Faymiyun, a Christian traveler who was a zahid, a mujahid and a believer, came to Najran and began to preach to the people to renounce idol worship. As a result of this preaching, the people of Najran accepted Christianity. Najran was ruled by three people. One was the Sayyid, who was the head of the tribe, who was in charge of its foreign and military affairs, the second was the Aqib, who was in charge of its internal affairs, and the third was the priest, who was in charge of religious affairs. Najran had an important strategic position in southern Arabia. It was also a center of trade and industry. Artificial silk, leather and weaponry were popular, and the Yemeni robe was also famous. It is clear from this that Zūnuwas set out to occupy Najran for political and economic reasons, not just religious concerns. About Haritha, the Sayyid of Najran, Haritas, an Assyrian historian, writes: “Zūnuvas slaughtered him and after killing his two daughters, he forced his wife Roma to drink their blood. Then he slaughtered her too. He had Priest Paul’s grave dug up and his bones thrown into the fire. They burned women, men, children, monks and priests in ditches filled with fire. Between 20,000 and 40,000 people perished.” This event took place in October 523 AD. Finally, in 525 AD, Abyssinia attacked Yemen and put an end to the Himyer reign of Zūnuvas. During the archaeological researches conducted in Husni Ghurab, a region in Yemen, a number of plates were found and the inscriptions on them provided enlightening information about these events.
In the 6th century A.D., the incident of Ashab al-Uhdud was mentioned in various Christian sources and described in detail by eyewitnesses. Some eyewitnesses preserved the account through oral tradition, while others documented the event in writing. The authors of these three books also lived at that time.
The first is Procopius, the second is Cosmos Indcopleustis [He was translating Ptolemy’s Greek book by order of Elesboan, the Najashi of Abyssinia. He lived in the coastal city of Andolis in Abyssinia], and the third was Johannes Mala. After him, many historians have reported this event. Later Johannes of Ephesus [d. 585], in his History of Kanisa, also wrote a letter from Father Simeon to Abbot von Gabula, the head of Dercila, about the incident of the Christians of Najran being thrown into the fire. Father Simeon narrated this incident from Yemenis who had witnessed it themselves. This letter was also published in 1881 and 1890 A.D. in a book entitled ‘The Lives of Christian Witnesses’. The Jacobite Patriarch Dionusisus and Zacharia of Mitylene quoted from books published in Syriac. Yakub Suruci also provided information about the Christians of Najran. Pulus, the priest of Erreha [Edessa], wrote a eulogy for the massacre of the Najran Christians and this eulogy has survived to the present day. The Book of the Himyarites, an English translation of the book written in Syriac, also confirms the accounts of Muslim historians. The British Museum has a number of documents from Abyssinia from this period and these documents also confirm the incident.
In his travel book “Arabian Highland”, Filbî writes that the Najran people still know the place where the Ashab al-Uhdud incident took place. There are also some paintings on a hill near Ummi Hark. The location of the Ka’bah in Najran is also known to the people of Najran. After the Abyssinian Christians conquered Najran, they built a temple in the shape of the Kaaba and wanted to make it their religious center instead of the Kaaba in Mecca. The priests here used to wear turbans on their heads. They also declared this temple a “Harem”. Rome gave financial aid to this place. The priests of the temple also came to Mecca to debate with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.).”[3]
The incident of Ashab al-Uhdud and the one involving Prophet Moses and Pharaoh are similar in terms of the scale of the atrocities inflicted by rulers upon believers. In this incident, described in verses 103–130 of Surah Al-A’raf, Pharaoh inflicted atrocities similar to those faced by the Ashab al-Uhdud when the magicians who had opposed Prophet Moses believed in Allah:
123-126And Pharaoh said: “Have you believed in him before I gave you permission? Indeed, this is a conspiracy that you have set in the city to drive his people out of the city. You will know soon. Indeed I will cut you off the covenants; commitments, then indeed, I will take you out of your comfortable environment; I will take you out of your business in the city and I will make you agricultural laborer in the date palm farms, I will make you work in the stone pits, in the hardest works”. The very knowledgeable, fascinating, influential scholars said: “Indeed, we return only to our Rabb. And you seize and punish us only because we have believed in the Ayat of our Rabb when they came to us”. –“O our Rabb! Give us endless patience so we will not ease off, weaken, succumb. And take our lives as Muslims!”-
127And the chiefs among the people of Pharaoh said: “Will you free Moses and his people so they may abandon you and your idols/cease to take you as their idol and cause corruption on the earth? And Pharaoh said: “We will kill their sons; make them weak, unqualified by leaving them uneducated, we will cover their women with disgrace and we are the ones who are very powerful over them”.
128And Moses said to his people: “Ask Allah for His help and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He makes whomever He wills of His servants inherit it. And the best ending is only for those who enter under the guardianship of Allah”.
(Al-A’raf /123-128)
As mentioned in the “Introduction” section, the description of what happened to the Ashab al-Uhdud in Surah Buruj is due to the persecution of the Meccan Muslims at that time.
According to the historical accounts, the Quraysh first waged war against the slaves who converted to Islam and against the weak, powerless and orphans of society. The tortures they inflicted included beatings, starving them for days, placing large stones on them and making them lie in the hot sand, and other mind-boggling atrocities. For example, Yasir, who was one of the first to convert to Islam, like Bilal, was killed by being tied to camels by his feet, and Yasir’s wife, Sumayyah, who rebelled against this scene, was killed by Abu Ja’far with a spear in her gut. Ammar, the son of these two, could not endure the torture and disbelieved with his tongue even though his heart was full of faith. Habbab b. Eret, one of the brave Muslims, was a freed slave of Umm Anmar, a woman who was an enemy of Islam, but he was branded with hot irons by his former owner for being a Muslim.
In verse 4, the word “قتل kutile” means “killed”. However, based on some stories attributed to scholars such as Ibn Abbas, the word began to be used as a curse in the sense of “curse upon you!” and is still used in this sense. As explained in detail in the analysis of Surah Tabbat, we do not find it logical for our Lord to curse and we reiterate that we do not find such expressions appropriate.
At the end of verse 9, the phrase “and Allah is witness to everything” emphasizes that nothing escapes Allah’s sight, so to speak. This statement is a source of hope for the believers and a threat and warning to the oppressive polytheists.
Verse 10:
10Indeed, there is the punishment of Jahannah [Hell] for those who have tortured the men and the women who have believed in the fire and then have not repented, and the punishment of the fire is also for them.
After describing the historical event of Uhdud, which should be taken as an example, some divine principles are explained, starting with this verse.
Verse 10 draws attention to a very important issue. This is that there is a “torment of fire” in addition to the torment of hell for those who throw believers into the fire and do not repent. It is an incomplete understanding of the phrase “torment of fire” to mean that those who burn the believers will themselves be burned. In our view, the “torment of fire” is separate and distinct from the torment of hell. It is the spiritual pain, especially the torment of conscience, that those who throw believers into the fire and do not repent will suffer in this world. Therefore, the “torment of fire” in the verse is not exclusive to those who burned Ashab al-Uhdud, but expresses a general divine principle.
Another message of the verse is that the door of repentance is kept open for the infidels as a beacon of hope. As a matter of fact, when we look at history, we see that people who had caused many harms to the believers entered through this open door and became believers [by repenting], saving themselves and serving Islam. The notable example of this is Khalid ibn Walid.
The word “fetenu”, which we translate as “set on fire”, comes from the root “fetn”, which means “to melt precious metals such as gold and silver at a high temperature to separate the dross from the pure”. In addition to the meaning of “to melt in fire”, the word is also used in the meanings of “to try, to test, to subject to trial, to put into trouble, separation, internal strife, quarrel, strife, turmoil, provocation, temptation, seduction, to set against each other”. It should be noted that all of these meanings carry an implication of pain and suffering, metaphorically burning and melting like fire. For this reason, the meaning of the verse should be understood not only as “throwing the believers into the fire” but also as “turning Muslims against each other, seducing them, and getting them into trouble”. The detail on this issue will be given in Surah Sad.
It is also useful to remember this fact: Muslims will always be persecuted in this world, just like Prophet Abraham, our Prophet, the believers of Ashab al-Uhdud, Yasir, Sumayyah, Bilal and many other believers.
186No doubt that you will wear out/you will be tested about your wealth and lives. And you will hear many disturbing, annoying things from those who were given a Book before you and those who associate others with Allah. If you have patience and enter under the guardianship of Allah, indeed that is of the matters that require determination.
(Ali-Imran/ 186)
39-41Those whom are waged war have been allowed to fight since they have been treated unjustly; driven out from their lands without right only because they have said “Our Rabb is Allah!”.
And surely, Allah is the One Who is the most competent to lead them to victory. If Allah had not eliminated and prevented some of the people with other people, all sprouts, buds, fruits on the trees, harvested grains, legumes, thorns in barren lands, all built structures, bazaars and malls; markets, all Salah; support institutions (workplaces; employment and procurement institutions, educational and training facilities and security centers) and all the masjids [school] within which the name of Allah is mentioned frequently would have definitely been demolished.
Allah will definitely help those who help Him -who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, instruct that which is acceptable for all and who forbid with Wahy [Revelation] and common sense that which is considered evil, if We make them have authority and home-. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, almighty. And only to Him belongs the consequence of all matters.
(Hajj/ 40)
Verse 11:
11And indeed, there are gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] underneath of which rivers flow for those who have believed and done amendatory deeds. This is the great salvation.
The word “الفوز fawz” in the verse means “salvation” and “success”. Here it is expressed in the promise of Paradise that Allah will reward those who believe and do righteous deeds and will be pleased with them. In fact, just to be saved from the torment in the Afterlife is a great achievement. And to be rewarded with gardens beneath which rivers flow is the greatest victory.
Verses 19, 20:
19,20But those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb are still in denial. Yet Allah encompasses them from their behind.
That is, “These infidels are in the palm of My hand. I am able to destroy them and punish them immediately for their denial. So do not be impatient because of their denial; they will not escape My hand.”
Allah is “المحيط Muhid [All-encompassing]”
This expression means that Allah encircles the infidels from behind and cuts them off, leaving them nowhere to flee, and that He is all-powerful over them at all times and in all places, and that He has them in the palm of His hand.
However, the word “encirclement” may also refer to “a siege that signifies the imminence of destruction” as in Surah al-Fath 21, Surah al-Isra 60 and Surah Yunus 22. In this case, it may be meant to say, “By their denial, they are exposing themselves to destruction” and that the disbelievers are facing destruction.
It may also mean, “Allah knows all that they do, and Allah encompasses all that they do [with His knowledge], so He is waiting for the time to punish them for what they have done.”
Verses 21, 22:
21,22Rather, it is an honorable Qur’an that is guarded in a preserved tablet.
These two verses appear to stand apart from the main context. This implies that these two verses are a separate najm. The particle “بل bel [on the contrary]” at the beginning of verse 21 suggests that these two verses were revealed in response to the polytheists’ taunting of the Qur’an. However, no information is given about the place, time and manner of this taunting. Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that these verses are a continuation of the verses 11-16 of Surah Abasa. This is because the word “كلاّ kella [No, No]” at the beginning of the 11th verse of Surah Abasa and the particle “بل bel” at the beginning of the 21st verse here are in unity. According to this interpretation, the passage is formed as follows:
11- No… No… Not at all! He is a reminder.
12- He who wills ponders it and takes admonition;
13- It is in precious pages,
14- glorified, purified, cleansed,
15- in the hands of ambassadors;
16- respected, trustworthy.
21- On the contrary, it is a Majid, an honorable Qur’an.
22- In a preserved tablet.
In verse 15, the word “المجيد Majid” (lofty, dignified, rooted) is mentioned as an attribute of Allah and in verse 21 it is mentioned for the Qur’an. This means that there is no word more exalted, more honorable, more established than the word of Allah.
In verse 22, the phrase “in a preserved tablet” means that the Qur’an has been preserved and will be preserved, and there are other statements of our Lord in this sense:
77indeed it is the noble Qur’an. 78It is in a protected/maintained book.
(Al-Waqi’ah/ 77, 78)
9No doubt that it is We Who have sent down that Reminder/Qur’an. And surely, We are the protectors of it.
(Hijr/9)
As can be seen, these verses suggest that the Qur’an is preserved and unchanging, and that Allah’s word is the final authority on all matters.
In verse 22, the original meaning of the word “لوح levh” is “board, ship board”.[4]
Over time, it came to refer to any flat surface used for writing. Therefore, all materials that can be written on and recorded, from the primitive ones such as tablets and flakes to the more advanced ones such as papyrus, parchment, paper, tape, computer disks and CDs, should be understood in terms of “levh”.
The phrase “لللوح محفوظ levh-i mahfuz [preserved slab]”, formed with the word “لوح Levh”, is a figurative expression and expresses the fact that the Qur’an is and will be preserved in such a way that it will never be lost. As seen in classical works, the rumors that have been created around this name by turning it into a proper noun, such as “the Qur’an is made of gold, silver, ruby”, “the Qur’an is on the right side of the Throne, it is in the sky, it is on the forehead of Israfil, it is in the lap of the angel called Matiryun” are delusions that lack serious basis and support.
The concept that the Qur’an has been and will continue to be preserved by Allah has been a subject of discussion. Researchers, particularly non-Muslims, have been trying to prove that the Qur’an has also been tampered with, since even the members of these religions acknowledge that the originality of the present Torah and Gospel has not been preserved.
As far as is known, the most recent research in this direction was carried out in England by a scholar named Prof. Mingana. He claimed that a Dr. Agnes Levis had found a few pages of a Mushaf from the reign of Caliph Uthman III or a little earlier and had given him copies of it, claiming that there were differences between the existing Mushaf and these copies. However, upon further investigation, it was realized that the error was not in the existing Mushaf, but in the copies given to the researcher.
Sir William Muir, one of the leading opponents of Islam and the Qur’an, and a British orientalist, who conducted research on the Qur’an, had to say at the end of his long researches, with the responsibility of being a scientist, ” No other book has retained the entirety of its textual integrity for twelve centuries as the Qur’an has.”
Although some people in our country have made allegations of tampering with the Qur’anic and phonetic signs or vocalization differences, these allegations have been discredited because such differences do not affect the meaning of the sentence.
However, it is natural, even a duty, for every rational Muslim to seek a logical answer to how the Qur’an has been preserved by Allah. This is because the Qur’an is not kept in steel safes insured against an attack similar to the attacks on the Torah and the Gospel by the enemies of monotheism who attempt to distort it [Hajj 52, 53, Al-An’am 112, 113, 121]. Therefore, it must be logically demonstrated by Muslims themselves that the Qur’an retains its authenticity. So that – as verse 31 of Surah Al-Muddaththir points out – “the faith of those who have believed may increase, and those who have been given the Book and those who believe may not doubt.”
For those who say, “My faith is complete, I do not need such a thing to strengthen my faith”, it would be useful to remind our Prophet Abraham who asked Allah to show him how He raised the dead to life in order to strengthen his heart (Al-Baqara 260).
In our view, the Qur’an has not been corrupted for the following reasons:
– The Qur’an is a miracle in terms of its wording, verse and content. Therefore, any diminution, increase or alteration, so to speak, is immediately apparent.
– Thanks to our Lord, Muslims took action early on and made the Qur’an a book. Thus, it can be seen that the manuscript copies of ancient times and today’s editions are identical.
– From the very first day, many people wanted to memorize the Qur’an with great pleasure, love and delight, and they were able to do so easily because of the harmonic quality of the Qur’an’s words. Thus, in every period of history, there have been tens of thousands of hafiz who have memorized the Qur’an, so there has never been any risk of the Qur’an being tampered with or its copies being lost.
– As the Qur’an began to descend, so did the teaching and learning of the Qur’an. Whereas in other religions religious education is the monopoly of the clergy, in Islam, where there is no clergy, education and training has been for everyone, villagers and urbanites alike. The Qur’an was not the monopoly of a caste or an institution, and even in the early years it was never limited to a few copies. It entered every Muslim’s home, workplace, libraries, mosques, masjids, bookstores, and was read and learned by everyone. This ensured widespread teaching, and the efforts of malicious people to distort the Qur’an on a personal level proved fruitless.
– The year 610 A.D., when the Qur’an was revealed, was a bright period in human history compared to the emergence of other religions. During this period, many ancient civilizations were at their peak and events were already being recorded. Indeed, while some historians do not accept the existence and life of the Prophets Moses and Jesus, there is no doubt about the life and personality of our Prophet. Therefore, the Qur’an, the only miracle of our Prophet, has survived to the present day with records that leave no room for doubt.
– Islam was born and grew up in rich, dominant, free cities, and became the religion of powerful, ruling, transforming, powerful societies, not among victimized, oppressed, poor, strange minorities who were ruled and transformed, as in the time of the Prophets Moses and Jesus. Because of this characteristic of Islam, it does not make sense that the Qur’an could have been tampered with.
The items listed above can be increased by anyone with different points of view.
Allah is the one who knows best.
[1] (Lisan al Arab, Vol 4, p. 695-697, article sema )
[2] [Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir]
[3] (MAWDUDI)
[4] (Lisan al Arab, article “lvh” )