#31. Surat Al-Buruj – The Constellations

Listen to Dr Musharraf Hussain sharing his thoughts and analysis of Surat Al-Buruj. This Makkan surat marks the beginning of the second phase of the mission of the Prophet ﷺ, around the third year; the start of tensions. Its central theme is the support of the faithful. The surat opens with a series of oaths, “By the sky full of constellations.” A constellation is a recognisable group of stars which appear to be located close together in the sky, and form a picture of imaginary lines that connect them. Constellations are usually named after an animal, a character from mythology, or a common object. Muslim astronomers discovered several constellations and named them in Arabic, such as Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. The story of the “diggers of the trench” (4) is recounted in the Hadith collection of Muslim, where the Jewish King of Yemen burnt the Christians of Najran in a trench. This story would have given reassurance to the believers, and a clear warning to the Quraysh, the persecutors.