70. Surah Al-Ma'arij · The Ascending Stairways

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

لِّلْكَٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌۭ

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ

[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent.

تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ

The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا

So be patient with gracious patience.

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًۭا

Indeed, they see it [as] distant,

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًۭا

But We see it [as] near.

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,

وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ

And the mountains will be like wool,

وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًۭا

And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ

They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children

وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ

And his wife and his brother

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ

And his nearest kindred who shelter him

وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ

And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ

No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],

نَزَّاعَةًۭ لِّلشَّوَىٰ

A remover of exteriors.

تَدْعُوا۟ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰٓ

And collected [wealth] and hoarded.

۞ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا

Indeed, mankind was created anxious:

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعًۭا

When evil touches him, impatient,

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا

And when good touches him, withholding [of it],

إِلَّا ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ

Except the observers of prayer -

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ

Those who are constant in their prayer

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ حَقٌّۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ

And those within whose wealth is a known right

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ

For the petitioner and the deprived -

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ

And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍۢ

Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe -

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَٰفِظُونَ

And those who guard their private parts

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ

Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed -

فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ

But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ

And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ

And those who are in their testimonies upright

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ

And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ مُّكْرَمُونَ

They will be in gardens, honored.

فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ

So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muhammad],

عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ

[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?

أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍۢ

Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.

فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلْمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ

So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings that indeed We are able

عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ

To replace them with better than them; and We are not to be outdone.

فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا۟ وَيَلْعَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُوا۟ يَوْمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ

So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised -

يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًۭا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍۢ يُوفِضُونَ

The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.

خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ

Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised.