Al-Buruj, "The Great Stars," is the eighty-fifth surah — 22 verses revealed in Mecca.1 It opens with three oaths — "By the sky containing great stars and [by] the promised Day and [by] the witness and what is witnessed" — and then a curse: "Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench [containing] the fire full of fuel."
What it is about
The surah describes the persecutors sitting by the fire, watching what they did to the believers, "and they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy." It promises that "those who have tortured the believing men and believing women and then have not repented will have the punishment of Hell," while the believers "will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment."2 The Quran does not name the trench-makers. Commentators connect them with a story told by the Prophet ﷺ of a king who, when his people came to believe in "the Lord of this young man," had ditches dug and fire lit for everyone who refused to renounce their faith.4
The surah then describes God: "it is He who originates [creation] and repeats. And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate, honorable Owner of the Throne, effecter of what He intends." It recalls the armies of Pharaoh and Thamud, and closes: "this is an honored Quran [inscribed] in a Preserved Slate."3
Why it matters
Al-Buruj was a consolation for the first Muslims of Mecca, who were themselves being persecuted for their faith. It honors those who die rather than renounce their belief, and it names God "the Affectionate" (al-Wadud) beside His justice. By warning only those who "have not repented," it leaves even torturers a way back. To read Al-Buruj in Arabic with translations and recitation, open it on Quran.com.