This study examines the phenomenon of genocide in the Quran and its manifestations in contemporary history, with particular emphasis on verses 4–8 of Surah al-Buruj and the account of the Companions of the Trench (Aṣḥāb al-Ukhdūd) as a paradigm of systematic collective violence. Genocide is conceptualized as the organized and deliberate destruction of a human group on the basis of religious or ethnic identity. The study seeks to identify the characteristics and motivations of the perpetrators in the Quranic account and to examine their relevance to contemporary cases of mass violence. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on Quranic verses, narrations, and historical sources, the research combines a fundamental and applied orientation.
The findings indicate that the Quranic portrayal of the Companions of the Trench represents a form of systematic persecution rooted in religious identity and ideological hostility. Rhetorical features, including emphatic structures, vivid descriptions of fire and punishment, and the use of the imperfect verb form, contribute to the representation of violence as an intentional and ideologically driven process. The Quran simultaneously foregrounds human dignity, freedom of belief, and resistance to oppression, presenting steadfastness in the face of persecution—even at the cost of life—as a significant ethical principle. A comparative examination of the massacre of the Christians of Najran in 523 CE and selected contemporary cases of mass violence, including violence against religious and ethnic communities in Myanmar and Gaza, suggests recurring structural patterns of systematic persecution and collective destruction. The study concludes that the Quranic account provides a normative and analytical framework for critically examining organized violence and for interpreting contemporary instances of identity-based mass persecution.