Read Surah Al-Burooj Translation, Transliteration, and Tafsir below.
English Translation
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
- By the sky, (displaying) the Zodiacal Signs;
- By the promised Day (of Judgment);
- By one that witnesses, and the subject of the witness;-
- Woe to the makers of the pit (of fire),
- Fire supplied (abundantly) with fuel:
- Behold! they sat over against the (fire),
- And they witnessed (all) that they were doing against the Believers.
- And they ill-treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise!-
- Him to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness to all things.
- Those who persecute (or draw into temptation) the Believers, men and women, and do not turn in repentance, will have the Penalty of Hell: They will have the Penalty of the Burning Fire.
- For those who believe and do righteous deeds, will be Gardens; beneath which rivers flow: That is the great Salvation, (the fulfilment of all desires),
- Truly strong is the Grip (and Power) of thy Lord.
- It is He Who creates from the very beginning, and He can restore (life).
- And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Full of Loving-Kindness,
- Lord of the Throne of Glory,
- Doer (without let) of all that He intends.
- Has the story reached thee, of the forces-
- Of Pharaoh and the Thamud?
- And yet the Unbelievers (persist) in rejecting (the Truth)!
- But Allah doth encompass them from behind!
- Day, this is a Glorious Qur�an,
- (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved!
English Transliteration
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem 
- Wassamaaa’i zaatil burooj
- Wal yawmil maw’ood
- Wa shaahidinw wa mashhood
- Qutila as haabul ukhdood
- Annaari zaatil waqood
- Iz hum ‘alaihaa qu’ood
- Wa hum ‘alaa maa yaf’aloona bilmu ‘mineena shuhood
- Wa maa naqamoo minhum illaaa aiyu’minoo billaahil ‘azeezil Hameed
- Allazee lahoo mulkus samaawaati wal ard; wallaahu ‘alaa kulli shai ‘in Shaheed
- Innal lazeena fatanul mu’mineena wal mu’minaati summa lam yatooboo falahum ‘azaabu Jahannama wa lahum ‘azaabul hareeq
- Innal lazeena aamanoo wa ‘amilus saalihaati lahum Jannaatun tajree min tahtihal anhaar; zaalikal fawzul kabeer
- Inna batsha Rabbika lashadeed
- Innahoo Huwa yubdi’u wa yu’eed
- Wa Huwal Ghafoorul Wadood
- Zul ‘Arshil Majeed
- Fa’ ‘aalul limaa yureed
- Hal ataaka hadeesul junood
- Fir’awna wa Samood
- Balil lazeena kafaroo fee takzeeb
- Wallaahu minw waraaa’ihim muheet
- Bal huwa Quraanum Majeed
- Fee Lawhim Mahfooz
English Tafsir
The Surah is so designated after the word al buruj appearing in the first verse.
Period of Revelation
The subject matter itself indicates that this Surah was sent down at Makkah in the period when persecution of the Muslims was at its climax and the disbelievers of Makkah were trying their utmost by tyranny and coercion to turn away the new converts from Islam.
Theme and Subject Matter
Its theme is to warn the disbelievers of the evil consequences of the persecution and tyranny that they were perpetrating on the converts to Islam, and to console the believers, so as to say: “If you remain firm and steadfast against tyranny and coercion, you will be rewarded richly for it, and Allah will certainly avenge Himself on your persecutors on your behalf.”
In this connection, first of all the story of the people of the ditch (ashab al-ukhdud) had been related, who had burnt the believers to death by casting them into pits full of fire. By means of this story the believers and the disbelievers have been taught a few lessons. First, that just as the people of the ditch became worthy of Allah’s curse and punishment, so are the chiefs of Makkah also becoming worthy of it. Second, that just as the believers at that time had willingly accepted to sacrifice their lives by being burnt to death in the pits of fire instead of turning away from the faith, so also the believers now should endure every persecution but should never give up the faith. Third, that Gods acknowledging Whom displeases the disbelievers and is urged on by the believers, is Dominant and Master of the Kingdom of the earth and heavens; He is self-praiseworthy and is watching what the two groups are striving for. Therefore, it is certain that the disbelievers will not only be punished in Hell for their disbelief but, more than that, they too will suffer punishment by fire as a fit recompense for their tyranny and cruelties. Likewise, this also is certain that those, who believe and follow up their belief with good deeds, should go to Paradise and this indeed is the supreme success. Then the disbelievers have been warned, so as to say: “God’s grip is very severe. If you are proud of the strength of your hosts, you should know that the hosts of Pharaoh and Thamud were even stronger and more numerous. Therefore, you should learn a lesson from the fate they met. God’s power has so encompassed you that you cannot escape His encirclement, and the Qur’an that you are bent upon belying, is unchangeable: it is inscribed in the Preserved Tablet, which cannot be corrupted in any way.”