سورة : AlBuruj

This indicates that the denial was in the Qur’an as being from Allah (swt) and in what it talks about. Indeed, the Qur’an is truthful and that the Messenger of Allah (saws) was sincere in conveying what Allah (swt) revealed to him and that this Holy Qur’an is distinguished from others by the fact that it is preserved.

  {إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ}

(Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.) (Al-Hijr: 9)

Note the accuracy in expressing the Holy Qur’an’s preservation. What is preserved is not the Holy Qur’an rather it is the Slate that includes the Holy Qur’an. So that if the Slate is preserved then what about the Holy Qur’an itself?

This is to keep the Messenger (saws) free from worry about the future of his mission and the future of his great book (the Holy Qur’an) that it is preserved. As if Allah (swt) says: O Muhammad, do not be sad and be patient with the denial of your people, this book is preserved and will not be touched by a hand or misrepresentation neither in the exalted assembly nor on the earth. So, what is this great Qur’an which Allah (swt) says about it that it is preserved as well as its Slate!!

Allah (swt) has power over them, and they cannot escape Him or evade his punishment.

Because they previously denied the messages of the prophets. Regardless the place and time, their aim is the same, they keep on to deny and stubbornness, neither signs nor sermons benefit them.

Allah (swt) clarifies the legions that they are the people of Pharaoh and Thamood who are the people of the Prophet Salih (Peace be Upon Him).

We notice the accuracy of the Quranic expression: Pharaoh is a single person whereas Thamood is the name of a tribe. That is to indicate that the whole tribe was against the prophet Salih (Peace be upon him) whereas some of Pharaoh’s tribe believed the Prophet Moses (Peace be upon him) but Pharaoh is the one who led the people to enmity and claimed that he is a god and his people believed and obeyed him. However, we note that who denied the Messenger of Allah (saws), with their keenness to deny and their eagerness to skirmish, did not stop at this issue and they never spoke about what happened with Pharaoh and Thamud. This indicates that they knew it well but they concealed the truth and lied and became insolent with great insolence. This is a warning to Quraish: who are you in comparison of the powers of Pharaoh and Thamood!! Yet look what happened to them and what Allah (swt) has done to them.

This speech is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (saws).

هَلْ أَتَاكَ (Has there come to you): the question here carry the meaning of affirmation and reporting, meaning, has this story reached you and you have known about it? It is a well-known matter that people circulated and was conveyed by narrations and news.

الْجُنُودِ (the legions): the soldiers who dedicated themselves for defense, fighting and sacrifice.

If a disbeliever is able to beat the believer in this worldly life and he escapes the punishment, definitely, he will not escape in the hereafter. Indeed, Allah (swt) is the Doer of whatever He wills because he owns the future and the unseen

If a disbeliever is able to beat the believer in this worldly life and he escapes the punishment, definitely, he will not escape in the hereafter. Indeed, Allah (swt) is the Doer of whatever He wills because he owns the future and the unseen

Everything that is hidden we must believe in it as Allah (swt) tells us about. For example when the Throne, the Balance, Preserved Tablet .. are mentioned, we just know that all of these are in heaven and our proof is the Hearing and receiving from the Trusted and the Honest. Hence, these matters are revealed from Allah (swt) so no need to investigate about their conditions as they are above our perception. However, Allah (swt) inform us about the Throne but we do not know how it looks like.

Not realizing things is not a condition of not being there. The important thing is your confidence in whom he informs you, and the One who told us is Allah (swt) and the Messenger (saws).

As sometimes, in this worldly life, we are unable to describe some of the developed sensible things as the electricity, consequently how do we hope to describe the hidden matters related with Allah (swt).

الْمَجِيدُ (The Most Honorable, The Glorious): It is one of the Attributes and Names of Allah (swt). Meaning whose bounties extend to all the requirements of existence and from this characteristic arises greatness and glorification.

(The forgiving): for the sinners and (The Affectionate) for the obedient and the lovers. Both attributes make the man believes in Allah (swt) and loves the faith in Him (swt).

الْغَفُورُ (The All forgiving) is the superlative attribute of الغَفَّار )The Ever Forgiving(.

However, we have to understand the superlative attributes fully. In other words, a characteristic of a human being may fluctuate; increases and decreases. Whereas Allah’s attributes are stable and when we say (the All Forgiving and the Ever Forgiving) we understand that the Attribute is not subject to increase and decrease, rather it is the qualities related to them that do, as Allah’s attributes are the absolute perfection.

The originate and repeat are in His hands (swt).

This verse refers to a general and everlasting case. Indeed, Allah’s (swt) punishment and His vengeance is severe, great and strong upon those people of the trench and any others like them in every place and era as well as upon who have rejected His Messenger and opposed His command. There is no power over Allah’s (swt) power and His punishment is painful and He protects, while against Whom there is no protector.

Whenever faith is mentioned, the righteous deed is mentioned as well.

جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ (gardens beneath which rivers flow): This is the description of the heavens they are promised with.

ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ (That is the great attainment): The attainment means victory and overcome to those who have believed and done righteous deeds. Allah (swt) says:

 {فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ }

(And whoever is moved away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.) (Ali-Imran: 185)

There is a success and a great success while the supreme success is the good pleasure of Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) does not have permanent enmity, so whatever the slave does, Allah (swt) accepts his repentance. Allah (swt) forgives the sinners because He is the creator of all things, so neither the obedience brings benefits to Him nor the sin harms Him.

If the door of repentance has been closed, the people will go too far in sins and crimes, moreover, they would have lost hope in salvation. Hence, Allah (swt) opened the door of forgiveness even for those who have tortured the believing men and believing women because Allah (swt) does not want oppression and aggression to last, as the repentance clears what have been done before. Let us see the accuracy in the Quranic text:

عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ (Burning fire): A kind of punishment in Hell but It is specifically mentioned because the recompense is based upon the type of deed that they performed that is setting the fire in the trench and throwing the believers in it-. Hence, you reap what you sow.

Even though these verses speak about the companions of the trench who did not repent, but it is as if directed to those who were in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws).

This is a case of truth and faith that Allah (swt) announces it every time and everywhere.

The story of the trench is well-known and is an example of the eternal struggle between truth and falsehood.

الْأُخْدُودِ  (The trench): is a great ditch in the ground. It was dug by the people who were among the disbelievers for the people of faith. Allah (swt) has described it as:

النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ (Containing the fire full of fuel): Then they lit a fire in it and threw the believers into it. They and all the people of disbelief were witnesses to what was done to these believers.

The story of people of the trench was mentioned in many books. Ibn Abbas )May Allah be pleased with him), related it to Christians of Najran.

However, what is mostly concerned about is the lesson of faith derived from this story, that is, what is the action of the people of disbelief and, in return, what is the reaction of people of faith and righteousness.

Allah (swt) wanted to show us principles of conflict. Faith is fixed and firm in the hearts of its owners whereas the people of falsehood and disbelief are always conceited by their power so they practice oppression on the weak believers.

The attitudes of people of tyranny and falsehood towards the believers are not admitted by any human mind and healthy instinct and firstly by the religion.

The struggle between truth and falsehood does not last because falsehood is ever bound to depart, it soon falls in front of the strength and stability of the truth.

There is another form of struggle; that is between truth and truth. In fact, this does not exist at all because the truth is one identity and there is not a single case in which two rights are competing even if it appears other than that. For sometimes we may find two forces are struggling and it comes to our mind that both of them are right but if we think fully, we will discover that one of them is wrong.

The third form of struggle is between falsehood and falsehood. This lasts for a long time, Allah (swt) in this case does not help either of them and the stronger is the winner.

{ وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا أَن يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ  }

(And they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy (8))

Believing in Allah (swt) is their crime according to the disbelievers and people of falsehood. For that they resented and feel bad towards them, then punished them by throwing them in a pitch in which they lit fire.

Allah (swt) portrays this scene in a very fabulous rhetorical style, the Arabs used to call it: Complimenting in a criticism-like manner.

نَقَمُوا (resented): Means they criticize and hate. Usually, hatred is for blameworthy something. But on the contrary, the Qur’an mentions a good praised attitude. As when you we: There is no bad characteristic in a person except that he is generous. Saying this we confirm his generosity because the listener is expecting to hear something bad. In this case the good characteristic is affirmed. As it was said that “They found no imperfection in flowers so they described them as red-cheeked”. Is red cheek an imperfection? This same expression in the following verse:

 {وَمَا نَقَمُواْ إِلاَ أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ   }

(and they could not find any cause to do so except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty) (At-Taubah: 74)

Meaning that the disbelievers and people of falsehood and the companions of the trench hated something, not accepted to be hated neither naturally nor by distant. This indicates the corrupted minds of those who disliked the goodness.

As if the Holy Qur’an says that if those disbelievers had counted the characteristics and behavior of the people whom they threw into fire they would have found nothing against them, so why have they thrown them into fire!!

It is because of their oppression and tyranny which made them see the faithfulness in Allah (swt) as a bad attitude.

الْعَزِيزِ (The Exalted in Might): The predominant, Who is neither overpowered nor coerced, and never needs worshiping of his creation.

الْحَمِيدِ (The Praiseworthy): Who deserves all kinds of praising for all His bestowments.

Hence, one attribute describes (the Almightiness) of Allah (swt) to create fear and another attribute of (praiseworthy) to create hope.

Hence, the Quranic context combines Invitation and Intimidation to suit everyone. The important thing is to take the path to the Almighty from any side.

The meaning is that the weak believers in this life who did not deny the faith did not go to a weak side, but rather they sought refuge of a Strong, Exalted, and Predominant Lord, Who the earth entirely is within His grip and all the bestowments are in His hands. So, they are in the right way and the straight path towards the honorable aim because they followed the only worthy of worshipping True God Who:

{ الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ  }

(To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, over all things, is Witness (8))

Allah’s predominance indeed is very apparent and clear in the realm of the earth the skies, undeniable by neither the believers nor the disbelievers.

Note the accuracy in the Quranic expression: And Allah, over all things, is Witness.

Allah (swt) presents this expression in a separate, not connected with the precedent sentence and does not mention a pronoun (He), hence no reference is needed. That is Allah (swt) does not say: And He, over all things, is Witness. This verse refers and suits what is mentioned earlier of:

{ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ }

(And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses (7))

Meaning, you, the disbelievers, as you witnessed the throwing of the believers in fire, Allah (swt) as well witnessed all that you have done.

شَهِيدٌ (witness): is an intensiveness form of the verb and it has two meanings:

• Nothing is hidden from Him.
• A Witness of the one who has no witness, as in the case of the oppressed people of trench who suffered from aggression. Therefore, to those who conceal their oppression from the eyes of the people, beware of the eyes of Allah (swt), the Witness of everything.