SURA AL-BURŪJ: A GENOCIDE COMMITTED AGAINST THE BELIEVERS

Abstract

UDK: 28-23

Al-Burūj is the eighty-fifth Qur’anic surah and it has 22 ayahs. It was revealed in Mecca at the time when the persecution of Muslims was at its peak. The content of this surah, keeping in mind the time when it was revealed, speaks about the present (at the time) situation of the Muslim community and also relates a story of what happened to a community of believers in the past. The surah is a message to the Muslim community of the time asking them to remain firm and determined on the Path of the truth, promising a reward for their endurance and punishment to their persecutors. The main theme of this surah is the affirmation of the Islamic faith, and its central event is a story about the ashāb al-uhdūd – people who remained firm in their faith despite being weak and were killed for what they believed in. Allah Teala promises reward for what they endured. What took place then was a mass murder, i.e. genocide motivated by faith. The perpetrators of that genocide were those who denied the Truth, who ruled over the believers and wanted to bring them back to polytheism.