Suwar Quran

The story of Surah Al-Buruj for children, in pictures

Allah is with the patient believers; He is the Forgiving, the Loving

22 verses · 8 lessons · Juz Amma

Meaning from Tafsir Al-Muyassar, simplified for children. Reviewed by Sherif Alkady, 17 October 2026.

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The lessons

  1. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a clear night sky full of bright star clusters in patterns over a quiet desert, a crescent moon low on the horizon
    1 · Verses 1–3

    The sky full of great stars

    Allah swears by the sky with its great stations that the sun and moon pass through, by the Promised Day when He will gather all creation, and by every witness and what is witnessed.

  2. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a long dark trench cut into the ground at night with a distant orange glow along it, empty stone seats on its edge, a starry sky above
    2 · Verses 4–7

    The people of the trench

    Cursed were those who dug a long trench in the ground and lit a great fire in it to torture the believers, and sat around it watching what they did to them.

  3. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a single tall lantern burning steadily on a hilltop through a windy night, its light not going out, the vast sky and earth around it
    3 · Verses 8–9

    The Mighty, the Praiseworthy

    They punished the believers only because they believed in Allah, the Mighty who cannot be defeated, the Praiseworthy, to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and who witnesses everything.

  4. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a heavy iron gate in a dark rock wall at dusk with a faint red glow behind it, and nearby a small wooden door left open with warm light inside
    4 · Verse 10

    And then did not repent

    Those who burned the believing men and women to turn them away from their religion, and then did not repent, will have the punishment of Hell and of the burning Fire.

  5. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a lush garden with clear rivers flowing beneath graceful white palaces, fruit trees and flowers everywhere, soft golden light
    5 · Verse 11

    The great success

    Those who believe and do good deeds will have gardens with rivers flowing beneath their palaces. That is the great success.

  6. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a garden after rain where new green shoots grow from the soil beside fallen autumn leaves, a rainbow arching across a bright sky
    6 · Verses 12–16

    The Forgiving, the Loving

    Your Lord's punishment of His enemies is severe. He begins creation and brings it back again. He is the Forgiving to whoever repents, the Loving to those close to Him, Owner of the glorious Throne, doing whatever He wills.

  7. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: ancient empty houses carved into tall sandstone cliffs in a silent desert valley, far away on the horizon the shapes of old pyramids under a wide sky
    7 · Verses 17–20

    Pharaoh and Thamud

    Has the story reached you, O Prophet, peace be upon him, of the armies that denied their prophets, the armies of Pharaoh and Thamud, and what befell them? Yet the disbelievers keep denying, and Allah surrounds them, nothing about them hidden from Him.

  8. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Buruj: a closed book with a plain green cover and geometric border wrapped in soft cloth on a high wooden shelf, a gentle beam of light falling on it
    8 · Verses 21–22

    In a Preserved Tablet

    The Quran is not poetry or magic as they claimed. It is a glorious, noble Quran, in a Preserved Tablet, never changed or twisted.

Surah Al-Buruj at a glance

Surah Al-Buruj is a Makki surah with 22 verses; it is number 85 in the mushaf, in juz 30 (Juz Amma), and starts on page 590.

Order in the mushaf
85
Number of verses
22 verses
Makki or Madani
Makki (revealed in Makkah)
Juz
30 (Juz Amma)
Starts on page
590
What its name means
Al-Buruj are the great stars and their stations in the sky: the surah opens by swearing by the sky full of great stars.

Classification, verse count and page numbers follow the Madinah Mushaf (Hafs from Asim, Kufi count).

Word meanings in Surah Al-Buruj for kids

Meanings from Tafsir Al-Muyassar, in simple words.

ٱلْبُرُوجِ
the great star formations (Verse 1)
ٱلْمَوْعُودِ
the promised Day (Verse 2)
وَشَاهِدٍۢ وَمَشْهُودٍۢ
the witness and the witnessed (Verse 3)
قُتِلَ
cursed be (Verse 4)
ٱلْأُخْدُودِ
the trench (Verse 4)
ٱلْوَقُودِ
fuel (Verse 5)
قُعُودٌۭ
sitting by it (Verse 6)
شُهُودٌۭ
watching (Verse 7)
نَقَمُوا۟
they resented (Verse 8)
ٱلْعَزِيزِ
the Almighty (Verse 8)
ٱلْحَمِيدِ
the Praiseworthy (Verse 8)
فَتَنُوا۟
persecuted the believers (Verse 10)
بَطْشَ
grip (Verse 12)
يُبْدِئُ
begins creation (Verse 13)
وَيُعِيدُ
and brings it back (Verse 13)
ٱلْوَدُودُ
the Most Loving (Verse 14)
ٱلْمَجِيدُ
the Glorious (Verse 15)
ٱلْجُنُودِ
the armies (Verse 17)
مُّحِيطٌۢ
encompasses them (Verse 20)
مَّجِيدٌۭ
glorious (Verse 21)
لَوْحٍۢ مَّحْفُوظٍۭ
a preserved tablet (Verse 22)

Check your understanding of Surah Al-Buruj: questions for kids

Read the question, think, then tap the answer you choose.

  1. 1. What are «the constellations» Allah swore by?

  2. 2. What did the people of the trench do?

  3. 3. Why did they punish the believers?

  4. 4. What is «the great success» in the surah?

  5. 5. What does it mean that Allah is «Al-Wadud»?

  6. 6. Where is the Quran written?

Questions parents ask

What is the story of the people of the trench, for children?

Some people dug a long trench in the ground and lit a great fire in it to torture the believers, and sat around it watching. They punished the believers only because they believed in Allah, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

What does «the Forgiving, the Loving» mean?

Allah is the Forgiving to whoever repents, the Loving to those close to Him, Owner of the glorious Throne, doing whatever He wills.

What is the lesson of Surah Al-Buruj?

That Allah is with the patient believers; He is the Forgiving, the Loving. Those who believe and do good deeds will have gardens with rivers flowing beneath them, and that is the great success.

Why is Surah Al-Buruj called by this name?

Al-Buruj are the great stars and their stations in the sky: the surah opens by swearing by the sky full of great stars.

What are the main facts about Surah Al-Buruj?

Surah Al-Buruj is a Makki surah with 22 verses; it is number 85 in the mushaf, in juz 30 (Juz Amma), and starts on page 590. Its big idea: Allah is with the patient believers; He is the Forgiving, the Loving.

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