سُوْرَةُ الْبُرُوْجِ
Surah Al-Burooj (85) — Ayah 1
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
By the heaven holding the big stars.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ
wal-samāi
By the sky
ذَاتِ
dhāti
containing
ٱلْبُرُوجِ
l-burūji
the constellations
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
1. By the sky full of constellations [1].
[1]
The Sky and Its Constellations:
According to the Ptolemaic theory of astronomy, the eighth sphere of the heavens is divided into twelve constellations, which are actually clusters of stars or constellations. By looking at them, a specific image or shape comes to mind. The names of these constellations themselves give some idea of their shapes. Their names are composed in the following verse: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Regarding these very constellations, Allah Almighty has said in Surah Al-Hijr, verse 10: "And We have made constellations in the sky and adorned this sky for those who look." Now, if an ordinary reader takes the word "buruj" in this verse to mean those same twelve constellations that the astronomers have established in the eighth sphere, that is up to him; otherwise, the context of the verse does not support this, because most of the shapes of these constellations have nothing to do with adornment. After all, how can Cancer, Scorpio, Libra, and Aquarius create beauty? This is why most scholars have taken "buruj" here to mean stars and planets, which adorn the sky at night. Linguistically, we can call anything that appears prominently a "burj."
[1]
The Sky and Its Constellations:
According to the Ptolemaic theory of astronomy, the eighth sphere of the heavens is divided into twelve constellations, which are actually clusters of stars or constellations. By looking at them, a specific image or shape comes to mind. The names of these constellations themselves give some idea of their shapes. Their names are composed in the following verse: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Regarding these very constellations, Allah Almighty has said in Surah Al-Hijr, verse 10: "And We have made constellations in the sky and adorned this sky for those who look." Now, if an ordinary reader takes the word "buruj" in this verse to mean those same twelve constellations that the astronomers have established in the eighth sphere, that is up to him; otherwise, the context of the verse does not support this, because most of the shapes of these constellations have nothing to do with adornment. After all, how can Cancer, Scorpio, Libra, and Aquarius create beauty? This is why most scholars have taken "buruj" here to mean stars and planets, which adorn the sky at night. Linguistically, we can call anything that appears prominently a "burj."
