85. Al-Buruj

By the sky containing great stars

By the sky with its constellations

The sky full of constellations stands witness

And [by] the promised Day

and by the promised Day

And the Promised Day (when you see the Truth triumph over Falsehood)

And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,

by the Witness and the witnessed

And He Who watches, and that which is being watched (will see that)

Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench1

destroyed were the people of the trench

Destroy themselves all those who dig ditches for others

[Containing] the fire full of fuel,

the makers of the fuel-stoked fire

Igniting the fire of rage

When they were sitting near it.

They sat by it

Behold, they contemplate and wait in anticipation

And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses. 1

to watch what they were doing to the believers

And they are well aware of what they are doing to the believers

And they resented them not except because they believed in Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,

whom they hated for no other reason than that they believed in God, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy

Whom they hate for no other reason than that they believe in Allah, the Almighty, the Owner of Praise.(

To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allāh, over all things, is Witness.1

to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. God is witness over all things

And to Whom belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. But Allah is Watcher over all things

Indeed, those who have tortured1 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.

Those who persecute the believing men and believing women, and then do not repent, will surely suffer the punishment of Hell, and the torment of burning

Behold, those who persecute the believing men and the believing women, and then repent not, theirs, verily, is the doom of Hell - yes, theirs is the doom of burning

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.

But those who believe and do good deeds shall be rewarded with gardens watered by flowing rivers. That is the supreme triumph

Verily, those who choose to be graced with belief and do actions that help people, theirs are the Gardens underneath which rivers flow. That is the Great Eminence

Indeed, the assault [i.e., vengeance] of your Lord is severe.

The grip of your Lord is indeed severe

(Yet) Verily, strong is the Grip of your Lord

Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.

it is He who begins and repeats [His creation]

Behold, He it is Who originates (life) and then makes again and again

And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,

and He is the Forgiving and Loving One

And He is the Forgiving, the Loving

Honorable Owner of the Throne,

The Lord of the Glorious Throne

Lord of the Supreme Throne

Effecter of what He intends.

Executor of His own will

Carrying out His Plan according to His Laws. ('Fe'l' = Doing = Carrying out. 'Ma Yurid' = As He plans = As He wills = In accordance with His Laws)

Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -

Have you not heard the story of the hosts

Has the story reached you of the great troops

[Those of] Pharaoh and Thamūd?

of Pharaoh and Thamud

Of Pharaoh and Thamud

But they who disbelieve are in [persistent] denial,

Yet those who deny the truth persist in denial

And yet the rejecters knowingly live in denial

While Allāh encompasses them from behind.1

God encompasses them from all sides

But Allah surrounds them without them conceiving it. ('Minwwaraihim' = From behind them = Without them conceiving it)

But this is an honored Qur’ān

It is indeed a glorious Quran

Nay, but this is Sublime Qur'an

[Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.

written on a preserved Tablet

(Inscribed) upon Tablet Imperishable