Summary of Quran Chapter 85 Surah Al-Buruj The Big Star Buruj

Surah Al-Buruj Summary of Quran Chapter 85  The Big Star

Surah Al-Buruj, the 85th chapter of the Quran, is a Meccan surah consisting of 22 verses. The chapter opens with a series of oaths, invoking the sky and the constellations. It then recounts a historical event where a group of believers were persecuted by being thrown into a pit of fire, highlighting the steadfastness of these believers in the face of severe oppression.

The surah al-Burj warns the disbelievers of the consequences of their actions and assures the believers of their eventual victory and reward. It emphasizes Allah's omnipotence and His ability to exact retribution against the oppressors. The chapter closes with a reminder of the destruction of previous tyrants and reassures that Allah's grasp is firm, and His punishment is inevitable for the wrongdoers.

Surah Al-Buruj and the following Surah, i.e., Surah At-Tariq, have a paired connection. In the initial verses of this Surah, a historical event occurred around 523 AD in Yemen, approximately fifty years before the birth of Mohammad (PBUH). In ancient Yemen, Christian kings were in power for a long time. However, at the beginning of the sixth century AD, a Jewish king named Dhu Nuwas came to power, who was a fierce opponent of Christians.

Jews and Christians have been bloodthirsty towards each other from the beginning. Their mutual differences are such that, in principle, peace between them can never be achieved. Obviously, Christians regard Jesus (AS) as the messenger of Allah, and most of them even consider Jesus (AS) as the son of Allah, while Jews regard him as an apostate magician and born out of wedlock (God forbid). It is clear that in such a situation, how can their mutual differences ever be resolved?

However, nowadays, a very unusual situation can be observed regarding this matter. Today, the entire Christian world is in the grip of the Jews, and with the help of Christians, they have also established a Jewish state. Additionally, they are using the economic and military power of Christians wherever and however they want. This is the magic of Jewish intelligence and hard work that prevails over the world today.

The Jewish king of Yemen, Dhu Nuwas, in his madness for Christian enmity, accomplished the feat of digging large trenches, filling them with fuel, and then setting a vast fire to burn approximately twenty thousand innocent Christians alive. The initial verses of this Surah Al-Buruj refer to this incident.

This blessed Surah Al-Buruj was revealed during the period in Mecca when the disbelievers of Mecca were inflicting severe tortures on the Muslims to turn them away from their faith. Thus, in this Surah Al-Buruj, the disbelievers are warned of the dire consequences of their oppression and persecution, and the people of faith are comforted with the assurance that if they remain steadfast in the face of these atrocities, they will be rewarded with the best compensation, and Allah will surely take revenge on the oppressors. 

Surah Al-Buruj Hadith 

(V.85:1) (About the) Stars, Abu Qatadah mentions Allah's Statement:

"And We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps," and said, "The creation of these stars is for three purposes, i.e., as decoration of the heaven, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to guide travelers. So, if anybody tries to find a different interpretation, he is mistaken and just wastes his efforts, and troubles himself with what is beyond his limited knowledge." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, Chapter 3). 

Surah Al-Buruj Hadith  

(V.85:4) The Story of the Boy and the King.

Narrated Shu'aib Allah's Messenger said: "Among the people before you, there was a king and he had a sorcerer. When the sorcerer became old, he said to the king: 'I have now become an old man, get me a boy so that I may teach him sorcery.' So the king sent him a boy to teach him sorcery. Whenever the boy proceeded to the sorcerer, he sat with a monk who was on the way and listened to his talks and used to admire them (those talks).

So when he went to the sorcerer, he passed by the monk and sat there with him. And on visiting the sorcerer, the latter thrashed him. So the boy complained about that to the monk. The monk said to him: Whenever you are afraid of the sorcerer, say to him: 'My people kept me busy'; and whenever you are afraid of your people, say to them: The sorcerer kept me busy.' So the boy carried on like that (for a period).

There came (on the main road) a huge creature (animal), and the people were unable to pass by. The boy said: 'Today I will know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk'. So he took a stone and said: 'O Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by You better than those of the sorcerer, then kill this creature so that the people can cross (the road).' Then he hit (it) with the stone, and it was killed and the people passed (the road).

The boy came to the monk and informed him about it. The monk said to him: 'O my son! Today you are better than I; you have achieved what I see! And you will be put to trial. And in case you are put to trial, do not inform (them) about me.' The boy used to treat people suffering from born blindness, leprosy, leucoderma, and other diseases. A blind courtier of the king heard about the boy.

He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said: 'All these gifts are for you on condition that you cure me'. The boy said: 'I do not cure anybody; it is only Allah (Alone) Who cures (people). So if you believe in Allah, and invoke Allah, He will cure you. He then believed in Allah, and Allah cured him. Later the courtier came to the king and sat at the place where he used to sit before. The king asked him: 'Who has given you your sight back?'

The courtier replied: 'My Lord (Allah)!' The king said: 'Have you got another lord than I?' The courtier said: 'My Lord and your Lord is Allah!' The king got hold of him and kept on tormenting him till he informed him about the boy. So the boy was brought. The king said to the boy: 'O boy! Has your (knowledge of) sorcery reached to the extent that you cure born-blinds, lepers, leucodermic patients and do such and such?' The boy replied: 'I do not cure anybody; it is only Allah (Alone) Who does cure'.

Then the king got hold of him and kept on tormenting him till he informed him about the monk. And the monk was brought, and it was said to him: 'Give up your religion (turn apostate)!' The monk refused to turn apostate. Then the king ordered a saw (to be brought), and it was put in the middle of his scalp and was sawn, till he fell, cut in two pieces. Then that courtier was brought, and it was said to him: 'Give up your religion (turn apostate)!'

The courtier refused to turn apostate. So the saw was put in the middle of his scalp, and was sawn till he fell, cut in two pieces. Then the boy was brought, and it was said to him: 'Give up your religion (turn apostate)!' The boy refused to turn apostate. So the king ordered some of his courtiers to take the boy to such and such a mountain saying, 'Then ascend up the mountain with him till you reach its top, and see if he turns apostate (from his religion, well and good); otherwise throw him down from its top.'

They took him, ascended up the mountain, and the boy said: 'O Allah! Save me from them by anything You wish!' So the mountain shook and all of them fell down, and the boy came walking to the king. The king asked him: 'What did your companions do?' The boy said: 'Allah has saved me from them.' The king then ordered some of his courtiers to take the boy on board a boat into the middle of the sea, saying,

Then if he turns apostate (from his religion, well and good), otherwise cast him into the sea.' So they took him, and he said: 'O Allah! Save me from them by anything You wish.' So the boat capsized, and (all the accompanying courtiers) were drowned. The boy then came walking to the king. The king said: 'What did your companions do?' The boy replied: 'Allah saved me from them', and he further said to the king: 'You cannot kill me till you do what command!' The king said: 'What is that (command of yours)?'

The boy said: 'Gather all the people in an upland place and fasten me to the stem (of a tree); then take an arrow from my quiver and fix it in the bow, and say: In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy, and shoot (me). If you do that, you will kill me.' So the king gathered the people in an upland place, and fastened the boy to the stem, took an arrow from his quiver, fixed it in the bow, and said: 'In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy', and shot the arrow.

The arrow hit the temporal region of the skull of the boy, and the boy put his hand over the temporal region of his skull at the point where the arrow hit and then died. The people proclaimed: 'We have believed in the Lord of the boy! We have believed in the Lord of the boy! We have believed in the Lord of the boy!' The king came, and it was said to him: 'That is the thing which you were afraid of. By Allah!

The thing which you were afraid of, has fallen upon you, the people have believed (in Allah).' So he ordered (deep) ditches to be dug at the entrances of the roads, and it was done, then a fire was kindled in those ditches, and the king ordered that whoever did not turn apostate (from his religion) be cast into the ditches, and it was done.

Then there came a woman with her baby. She nearly retreated back from the ditch but the babe said (spoke): 'O mother! Be patient, you are on the Truth,' (So she threw herself in the ditch of the fire along with her child to be with the martyrs in Paradise)." (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 7148).

[Summary by Late Dr, Israr Ahmed, a Renowned Islamic Scholar, (Quotations from his Book, Bayan-ul-Quran)].