In the Shade of the Qur'an

Sura # 85
                            The Constellations
                                 al Burooj

            In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

    By the heaven with its constellations, by the Promised Day, by the
    witness and that which is witnessed, slain be the men of the Pit,
    the fire abounding in fuel, when they sat around it, watching what
    they did to the believers. They took vengeance on them for no reason
    save that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praised One, the
    Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, Who witnesses all things.
    Those who persecute the believers, men and women, and do not repent
    shall suffer the chastisement of Hell, the chastisement of burning.
    But those who believe and do righteous deeds shall have gardens with
    flowing rivers; that is the great success. Stern indeed is your Lord's
    vengeance. He is surely the One who originates His creation and re
    creates them. He is All-forgiving, Compassionate, Lord of the Throne,
    the Glorious, Performer of what He wills. Have you heard the story
    of the warriors, of Pharoah and Thamoud? Yet the disbelievers persist
    in their denials. But Allah surrounds them all. This is indeed a
    glorious Qur'an, inscribed on a well-guarded tablet.

                        In the Shade of the Qur'an

   This short surah outlines the essentials of faith and the basics of
   belief as matters of great importance. It sheds a powerful and searching
   light over these essentials in order to reveal what lies beyond the
   elementary facts expressed in the text. Every verse, and sometimes every
   word, in this surah virtually opens a window overlooking a limitless
   world of truth.

   The immediate theme of the surah is the pit incident, when a community
   of believers who lived before the advent of Islam (said to be unitarian
   Christians) were faced by ruthless and tyrannic enemies who sought to
   force them away from their faith. The believers refused. The tyrants
   then lit up a great fire in a pit they dug, and threw them into it. The
   believers were thus burnt to death in front of big crowds which were
   gathered to witness this ghastly act of extermination. The tyrants sat
   by, amused by the believers' sufferings: "They took vengeance on them
   for no reason save that they believed in Allah, the All-mighty, the
   Praised One."

   The surah starts with an oath: "By the heaven with its constellations,
   by the Promised Day, by the witness and that which is witnessed, slain
   be the men of the Pit ... " In this way the surah links heaven and its
   magnificent constellations, the promised day and its great events, the
   multitudes which witness that day and the events they witness with the
   pit incident and Allah's anger with the aggressors responsible for it.
   The surah then proceeds to portray the tragic scene in a few, quick
   glimpses which give a feeling of its horror without dwelling on
   details.

   It includes a reference to the greatness of faith which exalted itself
   over the atrocious cruelty of men and triumphed over the fire, attaining
   a level of sublimity which is an honour to all the generations of
   mankind. It also refers to the heinousness of the crime and the evil and
   injustice it involves in comparison with the sublimity, innocence and
   purity of the believers. Then follows a series of short comments stating
   a number of principles which are highly important to the Islamic call,
   faith and outlook.

   We have firstly a reference to the fact that all heavens and earth are
   part of Allah's kingdom and to His witnessing of all that takes place
   in the heavens and on earth. He is "the Sovereign of the heavens and
   the earth, Who witnesses all things."

   Secondly, we have a reference to the chastisement of Hell and burning
   which awaits the wicked tyrants, and a reference to the perfect bliss
   in heaven awaiting the believers who choose faith in preference to life
   itself and exalt themselves despite the persecution by fire. The
   believers' action is referred to as the great success:

     Those who persecute the believers, men and women, and do not repent
     shall suffer the chastisement of Hell, the chastisement of burning.
     But those who believe and do righteous deeds, shall have gardens with
     flowing rivers; that is the great success.

   A further reference is made to the power with which Allah smites His
   enemies and to the fact that He creates and re-creates after death:

     Stern indeed is your Lord's vengeance. He is surely the One who
     originates His creation and re-creates them.

The fact mentioned here is directly related to the life blotted out in
the pit incident. The surah then mentions some of the Divine attributes,
each of which has a specific relevance to the subject matter of the
surah: "He is All-forgiving, Compassionate." He forgives those who repent
regardless of the enormity and horror of their sins. He also loves His
servants who choose Him. His love is the soothing balsam which heals
whatever injuries they may have suffered. "Lord of the Throne, the All
glorious, Performer of what He wills." These attributes portray Allah's
absolute will, dominance and power, all of which are relevant to the
event discussed in the surah. Following that we have a reference to
examples of Allah's punishment of the tyrants when they were heavily
armed.

     Have you heard the story of the warriors, of Pharoah and Thamoud?

These were two very different examples of Allah's punishment with widely
different effects. Along with the pit event they have numerous
implications. Finally, the surah explains the situation of the
disbelievers and that Allah surrounds them though they may be unaware
of the fact.

    Yet the disbelievers persist in their denial. Allah surrounds them
    all.

It concludes with a statement of the truth of the Qur'an and its blessed
origin:

    This is indeed a glorious Qur'an inscribed on a well-guarded tablet.

This was a brief outline of the theme of the surah, the light it sheds
and its limitless horizon. A more detailed discussion will now follow.

    By the heaven with its constellations, by the Promised Day, by the
    witness and that which is witnessed.

Before making any reference to the pit incident, the surah opens with
an oath by the heaven full of constellations. The Arabic term used for
'constellations' may be taken to mean the huge mass of the planets which
resemble great towers or palaces built in the sky. In this sense the
verse can be related to two other verses:

    And heaven - We built it with Our might, and gave it a wide expanse
    (51:47) and, Which is stronger in constitution: you or the heaven He
    has built? (79:27)

The Arabic term may, alternatively, be interpreted as meaning the
positions between which these planets move as they go round in orbit.
These constitute the spheres within which the planets remain as they
move. The reference to the constellations however, gives an impression
of huge creation. This is, indeed, the connotation intended at the
outset.

"By the Promised Day." That is the day when judgement is passed on all
the events of this life and when the accounts of this world are settled.
It is a day Allah has promised will come, and is a great day awaited by
all creation. "By the witness and that which is witnessed. " On that day
all deeds and creatures are exposed and witnessed. Everybody becomes a
witness. Everything becomes known as there is no cover to hide anything
from the beholding eyes. References to the heaven and the constellations,
the promised day, the witness and what is witnessed all combine together
to impart an aura of seriousness, concern, attention and greatness to the
manner in which the pit incident is related. They also convey the
framework in which the incident is placed, judged and settled on the
basis of its true nature. It is a framework stretching far beyond the
limits of this short life.

Having thus provided the desired atmosphere and opened up such a horizon,
the surah then refers to the incident in a few touches.

    Slain be the men of the Pit, the fire abounding in fuel, when they
    sat around it, watching what they did to the believers. They took
    vengeance on them for no reason save that they believed in Allah,
    the All-mighty. The Praised One, the Sovereign of the heavens and
    the earth, Who witnesses all things.

Reference to the event starts with a declaration of anger with the men
of the pit: "Slain be the men of the Pit". It also gives an impression
of the enormity of the crime which invokes the displeasure and anger of
the All-clement and makes Him threaten the perpetrators. Then we have a
description of the pit: "The fire abounding in fuel" The literal meaning
of "pit" is a hole in the ground, but the surah defines it as "the fire"
instead of using the term "trench" or "hole" in order to give an
impression that the whole pit was turned into a blazing fire.

The men of the pit aroused Allah's wrath for the evil crime they committed
"When they sat around it, watching what they did to the believers." They
sat over the fire, very close to this horrifying process, watching the
various stages of torture, madly enjoying the burning of human flesh in
order to perpetuate in their minds this ghastly scene.

The believers had not committed any crime or evil deed against those
people:

    They took vengeance on them for no reason save that they believed
    in Allah, the All-mighty, the Praised One, the Sovereign of the
    heavens and the earth, Who witnesses all things.

That was their only crime: that they believed in Allah, the All-mighty
Who can do what He wills, the Praised Lord Who deserves praise for
every situation and Who is praised even though the Ignorant do not
praise Him. He is the Lord who deserves to be believed in and worshipped.
He is the sole sovereign of the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth.

He witnesses all things and He is a witness to what the men of the pit
have done to the believers. This verse carries a reassuring touch to the
believers and a powerful threat to the conceited tyrants. Allah has
been a witness and He suffices for a witness.

The narration of the event is completed in a few short verses which
charge the heart with a feeling of repugnance towards the terrible crime
and its evil perpetrators. They also invite us to contemplate what lies
beyond the event, its importance in the sight of Allah and what it has
aroused of Allah's wrath. It is a matter which is not yet completed: its
conclusion lies with Allah.

As the narration of the event is concluded we feel our hearts overwhelmed
by the magnificence of faith as it exalts the believers and attains its
triumph over the hardships and over life itself. We feel the elevation of
the believers as they rid themselves of the handicaps of human desires and
worldly temptation. The believers could have easily saved their lives by
accepting the tyrants' terms. But what a loss humanity as a whole would
have incurred! How great the loss would have been had they killed that
sublime concept of the worthlessness of life without faith, its ugliness
without freedom and its baseness when the tyrants are left free to
exercise their tyranny over the souls after they have exercised it over
the bodies. But they have won a very noble and sublime concept while they
felt the scorch of the fire burning their bodies. Their noble concept has
triumphed as it was purified by the fire. They will, later on, have their
reward from Allah and their tyrannic enemies will have their retribution.
The surah goes on to explain both.

    Those who persecute the believers, men and women, and do not repent
    shall suffer the chastisement of Hell, the chastisement of burning.
    But those who believe and do righteous deeds shall have gardens with
    flowing rivers; that is the great success.

What has happened on earth in the first life is not the end of the story.
There remains a part which will come later. There remains the allocation
of awards which will restore the balance of justice and provide the final
settlement of what had taken place between the believers and the tyrants.
That it will come is certain and confirmed by Allah: "Those who persecute
the believers, men and women" and persist with their evil ways, careless,
unrepentant, "and do not repent shall suffer the chastisement of Hell, the
chastisement of burning." Burning is specified although it is also
implied by the chastisement of Hell. It earns its specific mention in
order to serve as a counterpart to the burning in the pit. Although the
same word signifying the action is used, the two types of burning are
dissimilar in intensity and duration. The burning here is by fire lit
by human beings while the burning in the hereafter is by fire lit by the
Creator. The burning here is over in a few minutes while in the hereafter
it goes on for ages unknown except to Allah. The burning here is
accompanied with Allah's pleasure with the believers, and with the
triumph of that noble human concept referred to earlier, while in the
hereafter the burning is attended by Allah's anger and man's abject
degradation.

Paradise symbolises Allah's pleasure with the righteous believers and
His reward to them.

    But those who believe and do righteous deeds shall have gardens with
    flowing rivers.

That is the real escape: "that Is the great success." The Arabic term
used here connotes escape, success and triumph. To escape the punishment
of the hereafter is to achieve success. How to describe, then, the reward
of gardens where the rivers flow ! With this conclusion justice is
restored and the whole question is finally resolved. What has taken
place on earth is no more than one part; the matter remains unfinished
here. This is the fact emphasised by this initial comment on the pit
incident, so that it may be fully comprehended by the few believers who
have accepted the faith in Makka, and by every group of believers
subjected to trail and tyranny in any period of history.

Further comments follow: "Stern indeed is your Lord's vengeance." This is
a most suitable comment which contrasts Allah's punishment with the petty
and trifling vengeance exacted by the tyrants, and thought by them and by
people generally to be very powerful. The really powerful strike is that
leveled by the All-mighty, to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens
and the earth, not that leveled by some insignificant people who impose
their rule over a limited piece of land for a limited period of time. The
statement also emphasises the relationship between the addressee, namely,
the Messenger (peace be on him) and the speaker, that is Allah, the All
mighty. He says to him, "stern indeed is your Lord's vengeance." He is
your Lord, in Whose godhood you believe, and on Whose assistance you
rely. This relationship is very significant in a situation where the
believers suffer the chastisement inflicted by the tyrants.

"He is surely the One who originates His creation and re-creates them."
In their wider connotations origination and re-creation refer to the
first and second creations. The two terms, however, signify two events
which are constantly taking place. In every moment there is origination
as well as re-creation of what has died and decayed. The whole universe
is in a state of continuous renovation, and constant decay. Within the
context of this ever-repeated cycle of origination and reorigination the
whole affair of the pit and its apparent results seem to be, in reality,
no more than a beginning of what would be created anew, or a re-creation
of what has been already originated. It is a part of a continuous process.

"He is the All-forgiving, the Compassionate." Forgiveness relates to the
earlier statement: "and do not repent Forgiveness is part of Allah's mercy
and grace which have no limits or restrictions. It is an open door which
is never closed in the face of anyone who repents, no matter how grave
his sins are. Compassion, however, relates to the stand of the believers
who choose their Lord in preference to all things. It is a tender touch
of Divine benevolence. Allah elevates His servants who love and choose
Him to a grade which the pen would hesitate to describe except for the
fact that Allah, out of His blessing, bestows it. It is the grade of
friendship between the Lord and the servant. It is a tie of love which
exists between Allah and His favoured servants. How insignificant the
transitory life they have sacrificed and the momentary affliction they
have suffered appear when compared to only a small part of this splendid
love or a touch of that loving tenderness. Some slaves of this world, who
live in servitude to an individual human being, would take fatal risks
in order to win a word of encouragement or receive a sign of pleasure
from their master. They do this although both master and servants are
slaves.

What, then, should be the attitude of Allah's servants who receive that
compassionate love and benevolence from the "Lord of the Throne, the All
Glorious", the All-compeller, the All-sublime. So petty becomes life, so
paltry becomes all suffering, and so trifling becomes every treasured
object when the pleasure of the loving Lord of the Throne is at stake.

"Performer of what He wills." This is His constantly realised, never
failing attribute. His will is absolute. He may choose, on a certain
occasion, that the believers should, by His grace, win victory for a
specific purpose He wants to accomplish. He may choose, on other
occasions, that faith should triumph over persecution and trial. This
may be manifested through the physical elimination of the believers from
this transitory life, again to accomplish a specific purpose. He may
decide to smite the tyrants in this life, or to delay their punishment
to the promised day. Either course of action fulfils a certain purpose
behind which Divine wisdom lies. Any action He performs is part of His
well-defined scheme and His ability to do what He wills.

All this fits very well with the related account of the pit incident
and with what comes later of reference to the fates of Pharoah and
Thamoud. Beyond all these events and beyond life and the universe there
exist the free will and the absolute power of Allah. Examples of this
are given: "Have you heard the story of the warriors off Pharoah and
Thamoud?" This is a reference to two long stories well known to the
addressees as they have been mentioned several times in the Qur'an.

The two nations concerned are described here by the term "the warriors"
in reference to their might and equipment. Have you heard their stories
and how Allah did with them as He pleased? Theirs are two different
stories in nature and consequences. Pharoah was eliminated with his army
when the Children of Israel were saved by Allah. He gave them power to
rule for a certain period in order to accomplish a certain scheme of His.
As for Thamoud, Allah exterminated them and saved His prophet, Salih, with
his few followers. The believers in this instant did not establish a state
of their own; they were merely saved from their corrupt enemies. Both
stories are manifestation of the Divine will and its performance. They
provide two examples of what may befall the advocates of the Islamic
call. They are mentioned along with the third possibility which
distinguishes the pit incident. The Qur'an explains all three
eventualities to the believers in Makka and to all generations of
believers.

The surah concludes with two statements characterised by their sharp
and decisive rhythm. Each is a statement of fact and a final verdict.
"Yet the disbelievers persist in their denials. But Allah surrounds
them all." The truth about the disbelievers is that they are in a
constant state of disbelief, crying "lies" morning and evening "But
Allah surrounds them all." They are unaware that Allah's might and
His knowledge engulf them making them even more powerless than mice
stranded in a great flood. "This is indeed a glorious Qur'an inscribed
on a well-guarded tablet." The term "glorious' ' signifies nobility and
sublimity. Indeed, there is nothing more noble or more sublime or more
glorious than the word of Allah, the All-mighty. It is inscribed on a
well-guarded tablet, the nature of which we cannot comprehend because
it is part of the knowledge Allah has reserved for Himself. We benefit,
how-ever, from the connotations of the statement and the impression it
leaves that the Qur'an is well preserved and well-guarded. It is the
final word in every matter it deals with.

The Qur'an states its judgement in the pit incident and what lies behind
it. This judgement is final.