البروج
Surah Al-Buruj (البروج) - Transliteration, Translation and Audio
Chapter 85 of the Quran, 22 verses, "The Mansions of the Stars"
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Buruj Transliteration and English Translation
- 1
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ
Wassamaaa'i zaatil burooj
By the sky containing great stars
- 2
وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْمَوْعُودِ
Wal yawmil maw'ood
And [by] the promised Day
- 3
وَشَاهِدٍۢ وَمَشْهُودٍۢ
Wa shaahidinw wa mashhood
And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,
- 4
قُتِلَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ
Qutila as haabul ukhdood
Cursed were the companions of the trench
- 5
ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ
Annaari zaatil waqood
[Containing] the fire full of fuel,
- 6
إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌۭ
Iz hum 'alaihaa qu'ood
When they were sitting near it
- 7
وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌۭ
Wa hum 'alaa maa yaf'aloona bilmu 'mineena shuhood
And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses.
- 8
وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ
Wa maa naqamoo minhum illaaa aiyu'minoo billaahil 'azeezil Hameed
And they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,
- 9
ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ
Allazee lahoo mulkus samaawaati wal ard; wallaahu 'alaa kulli shai 'in Shaheed
To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, over all things, is Witness.
- 10
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ
Innal lazeena fatanul mu'mineena wal mu'minaati summa lam yatooboo falahum 'azaabu Jahannama wa lahum 'azaabul hareeq
Indeed, those who have tortured the believing men and believing women and then have not repented will have the punishment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the Burning Fire.
- 11
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
Innal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati lahum Jannaatun tajree min tahtihal anhaar; zaalikal fawzul kabeer
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.
- 12
إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ
Inna batsha Rabbika lashadeed
Indeed, the vengeance of your Lord is severe.
- 13
إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ
Innahoo Huwa yubdi'u wa yu'eed
Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.
- 14
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
Wa Huwal Ghafoorul Wadood
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,
- 15
ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْمَجِيدُ
Zul 'Arshil Majeed
Honorable Owner of the Throne,
- 16
فَعَّالٌۭ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
Fa' 'aalul limaa yureed
Effecter of what He intends.
- 17
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْجُنُودِ
Hal ataaka hadeesul junood
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -
- 18
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ
Fir'awna wa Samood
[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamud?
- 19
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى تَكْذِيبٍۢ
Balil lazeena kafaroo fee takzeeb
But they who disbelieve are in [persistent] denial,
- 20
وَٱللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِم مُّحِيطٌۢ
Wallaahu minw waraaa'ihim muheet
While Allah encompasses them from behind.
- 21
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ
Bal huwa Quraanum Majeed
But this is an honored Qur'an
- 22
فِى لَوْحٍۢ مَّحْفُوظٍۭ
Fee Lawhim Mahfooz
[Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.
About Surah Al-Buruj
Surah Al-Buruj (Arabic: البروج), meaning "The Mansions of the Stars", is the 85th chapter of the Quran and has 22 verses. It was revealed in Makkah, at a time when the early Muslims were being persecuted for their faith. The surah promises that those who torment believers for their faith will face Allah's justice, while the steadfast believers achieve the great success.
It opens with oaths by the sky with its great constellations, the promised Day, and the witness and the witnessed. It then condemns the people of the ditch (ashab al-ukhdud), who lit a great fire and sat watching what they did to the believers, resenting them for nothing except their faith in Allah, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy. The surah warns that those who persecute believing men and women and do not repent will face the punishment of Hell, and promises gardens beneath which rivers flow to those who believe and do righteous deeds. It describes Allah as severe in His grip, the One who originates creation and brings it back, the Forgiving, the Loving (Al-Wadud), the Owner of the Throne, who does whatever He intends. It recalls the armies of Pharaoh and Thamud, and ends by declaring that this is a glorious Quran, inscribed on a preserved tablet.
Main Themes of Surah Al-Buruj
- Persecution for faith and Allah's justice
- The story of the people of the ditch
- The great success of steadfast believers
- Al-Wadud, the Forgiving and Loving Lord
- The Quran preserved on a guarded tablet
Listen to Surah Al-Buruj with Audio-Synced Transliteration
Play Surah Al-Buruj and follow the Arabic text and Latin transliteration as each verse is recited. You can adjust the speed or loop a verse range for practice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Surah Al-Buruj
- Who were the people of the ditch (ashab al-ukhdud)?
- They were persecutors who dug a trench, lit a great fire in it and punished believers for refusing to give up their faith. A long report in Sahih Muslim tells the story of a king, a young believer, a monk and a magician, ending with believers being cast into such trenches, and many commentators connect it to this surah.
- What does Al-Buruj mean?
- Al-Buruj refers to the great stars or constellations, sometimes rendered "the mansions of the stars". The surah opens with an oath by the sky that contains them, drawing attention to the vast order of creation before turning to the injustice done on earth.
- What is the Preserved Tablet in Surah Al-Buruj?
- The final verses state that the Quran is glorious and recorded on a preserved tablet (al-lawh al-mahfuz). Muslims understand this as the record kept with Allah that is protected from any change, affirming that the Quran is guarded from alteration.