Surah 70. Al-Ma'arij

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Verses [Section]: 1-35[1], 36-44 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-3570. Al-Ma'arijبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِسَاَلَAskedسَآىِٕلٌۢa questionerبِعَذَابٍfor a punishmentوَّاقِعٍۙbound to happen لِّلْكٰفِرِیْنَTo the disbelieversلَیْسَnotلَهٗof itدَافِعٌۙany preventer مِّنَFromاللّٰهِAllahذِیOwnerالْمَعَارِجِؕ(of) the ways of ascent تَعْرُجُAscendالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُthe Angelsوَ الرُّوْحُand the Spiritاِلَیْهِto Himفِیْinیَوْمٍa Dayكَانَ[is]مِقْدَارُهٗits measureخَمْسِیْنَ(is) fiftyاَلْفَthousandسَنَةٍۚyear(s) فَاصْبِرْSo be patientصَبْرًاa patienceجَمِیْلًا good اِنَّهُمْIndeed theyیَرَوْنَهٗsee itبَعِیْدًاۙ(as) far off وَّ نَرٰىهُBut We see itقَرِیْبًاؕnear یَوْمَ(The) Dayتَكُوْنُwill beالسَّمَآءُthe skyكَالْمُهْلِۙlike molten copper وَ تَكُوْنُAnd will beالْجِبَالُthe mountainsكَالْعِهْنِۙlike wool وَ لَاAnd notیَسْـَٔلُwill askحَمِیْمٌa friendحَمِیْمًاۚۖ(of) a friend 70. Al-Ma'arij Page 569یُّبَصَّرُوْنَهُمْ ؕThey will be made to see each otherیَوَدُّWould wishالْمُجْرِمُthe criminalلَوْifیَفْتَدِیْhe (could be) ransomedمِنْfromعَذَابِ(the) punishmentیَوْمِىِٕذٍۭ(of) that Dayبِبَنِیْهِۙby his children وَ صَاحِبَتِهٖAnd his spouseوَ اَخِیْهِۙand his brother وَ فَصِیْلَتِهِAnd his nearest kindredالَّتِیْwhoتُـْٔوِیْهِۙsheltered him وَ مَنْAnd whoeverفِی(is) onالْاَرْضِthe earthجَمِیْعًا ۙallثُمَّthenیُنْجِیْهِۙit (could) save him كَلَّا ؕBy no means!اِنَّهَاIndeed it (is)لَظٰیۙsurely a Flame of Hell نَزَّاعَةًA removerلِّلشَّوٰیۚۖof the skin of the head تَدْعُوْاInvitingمَنْ(him) whoاَدْبَرَturned his backوَ تَوَلّٰیۙand went away وَ جَمَعَAnd collectedفَاَوْعٰی and hoarded اِنَّIndeedالْاِنْسَانَthe manخُلِقَwas createdهَلُوْعًاۙanxious اِذَاWhenمَسَّهُtouches himالشَّرُّthe evilجَزُوْعًاۙdistressed وَّ اِذَاAnd whenمَسَّهُtouches himالْخَیْرُthe goodمَنُوْعًاۙwithholding اِلَّاExceptالْمُصَلِّیْنَۙthose who pray الَّذِیْنَThose whoهُمْ[they]عَلٰیatصَلَاتِهِمْtheir prayerدَآىِٕمُوْنَ۪ۙ(are) constant وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoفِیْۤinاَمْوَالِهِمْtheir wealthحَقٌّ(is) a rightمَّعْلُوْمٌ۪ۙknown لِّلسَّآىِٕلِFor the one who asksوَ الْمَحْرُوْمِ۪ۙand the deprived وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیُصَدِّقُوْنَaccept (the) truthبِیَوْمِ(of the) Dayالدِّیْنِ۪ۙ(of) the Judgment وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهُمْ[they]مِّنْofعَذَابِ(the) punishmentرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordمُّشْفِقُوْنَۚ(are) fearful اِنَّIndeedعَذَابَ(the) punishmentرَبِّهِمْ(of) your Lordغَیْرُ(is) notمَاْمُوْنٍ to be felt secure (of) وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهُمْ[they]لِفُرُوْجِهِمْtheir modestyحٰفِظُوْنَۙ(are) guardians اِلَّاExceptعَلٰۤیfromاَزْوَاجِهِمْtheir spousesاَوْorمَاwhatمَلَكَتْthey possessاَیْمَانُهُمْrightfullyفَاِنَّهُمْthen indeed, theyغَیْرُ(are) notمَلُوْمِیْنَۚblameworthy فَمَنِBut whoeverابْتَغٰیseeksوَرَآءَbeyondذٰلِكَthatفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَthen thoseهُمُ[they]الْعٰدُوْنَۚ(are) the transgressors وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهُمْ[they]لِاَمٰنٰتِهِمْof their trustsوَ عَهْدِهِمْand their promiseرٰعُوْنَ۪ۙ(are) observers وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهُمْ[they]بِشَهٰدٰتِهِمْin their testimoniesقَآىِٕمُوْنَ۪ۙstand firm وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهُمْ[they]عَلٰیonصَلَاتِهِمْtheir prayerیُحَافِظُوْنَؕkeep a guard اُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseفِیْ(will be) inجَنّٰتٍGardensمُّكْرَمُوْنَؕ۠honored

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Translation of Verse 1-35In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(70:1) A beseecher besought the visitation of chastisement,¹

(70:2) (a chastisement meant) for the unbelievers, one which none can avert;

(70:3) a chastisement from Allah, the Lord of the ascending steps,²

(70:4) by which the angels and the Spirit³ ascend to Him⁴ in one Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years.⁵

(70:5) So, (O Prophet), persevere with gracious perseverance.⁶

(70:6) Verily they think that the chastisement is far off,

(70:7) while We think that it is near at hand.⁷

(70:8) It shall befall on a Day⁸ whereon the sky will become like molten brass,⁹

(70:9) and the mountains will become like dyed tufts of wool,¹⁰

(70:10) and no bosom friend will enquire about any of his bosom friends

(70:11) although they shall be within sight of one another.¹¹ The guilty one would fain ransom himself from the torment of that Day by offering his children,

(70:12) and his spouse and his brother,

(70:13) and his kinsfolk who had stood by him,

(70:14) and all persons of the earth, if only he could thus save himself.

(70:15) By no means! It will be the fierce flame

(70:16) that will strip off the scalp.

(70:17) It shall insistently summon him who turned his back and retreated,

(70:18) and amassed wealth and covetously hoarded it.¹²

(70:19) Verily man is impatient by nature:¹³

(70:20) bewailing when evil befalls him,

(70:21) and tight-fisted when good fortune visits him,

(70:22) except those that pray,¹⁴

(70:23) and are constant in their Prayer;¹⁵

(70:24) and those in whose wealth there is a known right

(70:25) for those that ask and those that are dispossessed,¹⁶

(70:26) those who firmly believe in the Day of Recompense,¹⁷

(70:27) and fear the chastisement of their Lord¹⁸–

(70:28) surely the chastisement of their Lord is a thing none can feel secure from –

(70:29) and those who guard their private parts,¹⁹

(70:30) except in regard to their spouses and those whom their right hands possess, for in regard to them they are not reproachable,²⁰

(70:31) but any who seeks to go beyond that, it is indeed they who are the transgressors,

(70:32) and those who fulfil their trusts and their covenants,²¹

(70:33) and those who are upright in their testimonies;²²

(70:34) and who take due care of their Prayer:²³

(70:35) all these shall live honourably in the Gardens.

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Commentary

1. As to the opening words of the Surah, sa‘ala sail, some commentators of the Qur’an take these in the sense of asking a question. For them, the thrust of the verse is that someone asked the question about the promised divine punishment, as to who it will befall. To this, God replies that His chastisement will befall the disbelievers. However, most of the commentators construe the question in the sense of the disbelievers’ throwing a challenge about divine punishment. Nasa’i and other hadith scholars have cited the following report narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas. Hakim bears out the authenticity of this report. Nadr ibn Harith Kaladah had demanded: “O God! If this indeed be the Truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from heavens, or bring upon us a painful chastisement.” (Surah al-Anfal 8: 32) [Tafsir of al-Tabari, 11, 144-145 and Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, 4, 48] At several other places, the Qur’an has recounted this challenge thrown by the Makkan disbelievers, that they asked the _ Prophet (peace be upon him) to bring upon them the chastisement which - he used to warn them of (For further details see Surah Yunus 10: 46-48; Surah al-Anbiya’ 21: 36-41; Surah al-Naml 27: 67-72; Surah Saba’ 34: 26-30; Surah Ya Sin 36: 45-52 and Surah al-Mulk 67: 24-27).

2. Ma‘arij is the plural of mi‘raj which means the ascending steps or a staircase. That Allah is the Lord of the ascending steps underscores His exalted glory, for even the angels have to ascend considerably to gain access to Him, a point elaborated in verse 4 of this Surah.

3. The word ruh (the spirit) denotes here Gabriel who is mentioned independently from the angels on account of his high position. Other Qur’anic descriptions of Gabriel are as follows: “Indeed this is a revelation from the Lord of the universe which the truthful spirit has carried down to your heart.” (Surah al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 192-194), and “Say: ‘Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel (should know that) he revealed this (Qur’an) to your heart by Allah’s leave.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 97). On studying the above, it is clear that the spirit here stands for the archangel Gabriel.

4. By the nature of things, any statement about ascension to God belongs to the category of ambiguous Qur’anic statements (mutashabihat) whose meaning cannot be determined precisely. To take this particular case, it is evident that we do not fully know the reality of the angels, nor their nature of ascent to God. Nor can our minds comprehend what “the ascending steps” are like. Similarly, we cannot even imagine that God lives (literally) in a particular place, for the Supreme Being transcends all limitations of time and space.

5. Verse 47 of Surah al-Hajj proclaims: “They ask you to hasten the punishment. Allah shall most certainly not fail His promise; but a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of your reckoning.” Likewise, it is stated in verse 5 of Surah al-Sajdah: “God governs from the Heaven to the earth and then the record (of this governance) goes up to Him in a day whose measure is a thousand years in your reckoning.” But in the verse under study, in response to a disbeliever’s challenging demand that God’s chastisement visits them, one day of God’s reckoning is stated to measure fifty thousand years. In order to grasp the two statements, it is necessary that we relinquish our own restricted scales of measurement — when we speak of time with reference to God. When we speak of a hundred or even fifty years with reference to human beings, that is a fairly long time span. But when we speak of time durations with reference to God, each chunk of time consists of a thousand or fifty thousand years; and even these figures are for purposes of illustration only. Divine plans span over thousands of years. Some of the plans related to this universe and galaxies may extend over millions or billions of years. One of the important divine plans is the creation of the human species on the earth with a particular time duration for their existence in the world. It is not in man’s knowledge when this plan commenced, how much of its duration has already been covered, and when this will come to an end, which will mark the Resurrection. Likewise, man has no clue about the date when the grand assembly will be held in which all human beings born from the beginning until the Last Day will be gathered. They will stand before God and will be called to render their account. We are aware of only that part of this divine scheme of things which are passing before our eyes or that for which we have some historical record of in the past. It is simply beyond man’s sense of understanding to grasp this divine scheme of things. Nor can we fathom the numerous considerations behind this divine plan. So, those who demand that this long term plan be abruptly abandoned and its last stage be hastened, they betray their own foolishness. More absurd is their stance, that if their demand is not met, it proves the falsity of any divine plan. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. VI Surah al-Hajj 22: nn. 92-93, pp. 48-49 and vol. VIII, Surah al-Sajdah 32: n. 9, p. 162.)

6. That is, he should exercise the kind of perseverance that befits a dignified and gracious person.

7. It is open to two meanings: (i) While the disbelievers regard the Resurrection as improbable, in God’s scheme it is near at hand. (ii) Whereas people take it as a far-off distant happening, for God it is close at hand and can occur at any moment.

8. Some of the commentators of the Qur’an take this day to be the one mentioned in verse 4, of which the duration is fifty thousand years. In other words, the reference is to the Day of Resurrection. However, the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (3, 175) and Tafsir of Ibn Jarir (23, 253-254) contain the following report narrated by Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri: “As this verse was discussed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and amazement was expressed that it would be an exceptionally long day. Upon this the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘By Him Who has my life in His hand, for the believers it will be quite light. It will take them only as much time as is required for offering obligatory prayer.’” Had this report been supported by an authentic chain, it would have served as the best elucidation of the verse under discussion. However, its two narrators — Darraj and his teacher, Abu al-Haytham, are reckoned weak in the chain.

9. That is, the sky will constantly change its color.

10. As mountains are of various hues and colors, when these will be uprooted on the Day of Resurrection, they will look like dyed tufts of wool, flying in the air.

11. Although these culprits shall be within the sight of each other and witness one another’s plight in the grand assembly, each one of them will be so overwhelmed with his own misery that he will not care even about his bosom friend.

12. As in verses 33-34 of Surah al-Haqqah, this verse too identifies the following two factors for his terrible loss in the Hereafter: (i) his rejection of truth and his refusal to accept faith, and (ii) his worldliness and miserliness which prompted him to amass and hoard wealth, and also dissuaded him from spending his wealth on any good cause.

13. Although the verse affirms that man is impatient by nature, the Qur’an elsewhere exempts the believers and those who follow the straight way from such misconduct. This point is elaborated further in the proceeding verse. In other words, these innate human weaknesses are alterable. If one abides by divine guidance and mends his ways, he can overcome these natural predispositions. Conversely, if he lets his baseself act in an unbridled way, he is liable to entangle with more sinful acts. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. V, Surah al-Anbiya’ 21: n. 41, p. 267; Surah al-Zumar 39: nn. 23 and 28 and Surah al-Shura 42: n. 75.)

14. One’s offering prayer underscores his conviction in God, His Messenger, His Book, and his striving to act in accordance with his faith.

15. No laziness, laxity, preoccupation, or interest stops them from offering prayer punctually. When it is time for prayer, they abandon their preoccupations and promptly stand before God to worship Him. That “they are constant in prayer” is interpreted by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir in the sense that they offer prayers with full poise and total devotion. While performing prayers, they are not after fulfilling their obligation half-heartedly or in a hurry. Nor are they distracted by irrelevant things. Their condition during prayer is akin to the Arabic idiom of “still waters”.

16. Verse 19 of Surah al-Dhariyat affirms: “In their wealth there is a rightful share for him who would ask and for the destitute.” The present verses declare: “In their wealth there is a known right for those who ask and those who are dispossessed.” Some construe “the known right” (haqqun ma'lum) as obligatory Zakah whose nisab and rate have been fixed.

However, this view is unacceptable, because Surah al-Ma‘arij was revealed, according to the consensus view, in Makkah, whereas Zakah as a religious duty, with its fixed quantum and rate, was promulgated in Madinah. “The known right” therefore stands for a specific share they have fixed for the poor out of their wealth, and pay it as a right which they owe to the poor. This is the stance of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Mujahid, Sha’bi and Ibrahim al-Nakha’i ‘As to “those who ask” (sa’il), the reference is not to the professional beggars. Rather, it denotes a genuinely needy person who asks for help.

As to “those who are dispossessed” (mahrum), the reference is to the unemployed, or those who struggle to earn a living but cannot meet their ends, or those who are physically disabled because of a mishap or calamity and so are unable to earn anything. Once a God-conscious person learns about their condition, he does not wait for them to approach him for help. Rather, he helps them of his own volition. (For detail see Surah al-Dhariyat 51: n. 17.)

17. They do not regard themselves totally independent and unaccountable for all that they do in this life. On the contrary, they are _. always conscious of their answerability to God on the Day of Judgement.

18. They are not like the disbelievers who indulge in all sorts of sins, crimes, and wrongdoing without any fear of God. Rather, despite conforming to the code in morality and deed, they always fear God, - apprehending that their shortcomings may exceed their good deeds in God’s court, incurring divine punishment on them. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VI, Surah al-Mu’minun 23, n. 54, pp. 108-109; Surah al-Dhariyat 51: n. 19.)

19. That “they guard their private parts” signifies their shunning sex outside of marriage, indecency, and nudity. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VI, Surah al-Muminun 23: n. 6, p. 81; Surah al-Nar 24: nn. 30 and 32, pp. 226 and 228-229 and vol. IX, Surah al-Ahzab 33: n. 62, p. 59.)

20. For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VI, Surah al-Muminun 23: n. 7, pp. 81-85.

21. “Trust” includes both kinds of trusts which God and fellow human beings repose in somebody. Likewise, “covenants” embrace both the types of pledges which one makes to God and to fellow human beings. Fulfilling these trusts and covenants is an essential trait of a believer. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates in a hadith that “whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed us, he used to remind us: ‘Beware! One who does not keep his trust has no faith and one who does not fulfil his pledges has no religion.’” (Bayhaqi Fi Shu‘ab al-Iman)

22. They do not conceal or tamper with testimony.

23. This highlights the importance of prayer. The account of a believer with excellent conduct, who is declared worthy of Paradise, begins and ends with their outstanding trait of offering prayers. Their first and foremost characteristic is their devotion to prayer. Their regularity in offering prayer and their keenness on performing it at its appointed time are their other striking features. As to “their taking due care of their prayer”, it includes the following: performing it at its prescribed time, ensuring the cleanliness of the body and clothes before commencing the prayer, performing wudu’ (ablution) and washing the body parts thoroughly during ablution, paying due attention to all the components, both obligatory and desirable, observing all the norms related to prayer, and not bringing their prayers to a nought by disobeying God.