المعارج
Al-Ma'arij
The Ascending Ways
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the All-Benevolent, the Benevolent.
A petitioner asked for a punishment bound to befall those who disown — none can repel it — coming from God, Holder of the Ascending Ways.
سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ لِّلْكَٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ
The Agents and the Influx ascend to Him in a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years.
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ
So be patient, with a gracious patience,
فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا
for they see it as distant, while We see it as near.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًۭا وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًۭا
The Day the sky will be like molten metal, and the mountains will be like wool, and no warm friend will ask after a warm friend, though they are made to see one another clearly.
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًۭا يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ
The severed one would like to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day with his sons, his consort, his brother, the line that took him in, and everyone on earth, if that would then save him. By no means!
يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ كَلَّآ
It is indeed the ardent Flame, stripping away the scalp, calling him who retreated and turned his back, and amassed and locked away.
إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ نَزَّاعَةًۭ لِّلشَّوَىٰ تَدْعُوا۟ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰٓ
The human being was indeed created anxious: when ill touches him, he panics; and when good touches him, he hinders it — except those who make the Contact, constant in their Contact,
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعًۭا وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا إِلَّا ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ
and those in whose goods there is a known right for the one who asks and the one who is deprived,
وَٱلَّذِينَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ حَقٌّۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ
and those who declare true the Day of the Due,
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
and those who are apprehensive of the punishment of their Guardian — the punishment of their Guardian is not that from which one is secure —
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍۢ
and those who preserve their private parts, except with their spouses or those bound by oath — then they are not censured;
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَٰفِظُونَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
but whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the ones who cross the limits;
فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ
and those who are watchful over their trusts and their pact,
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ
and those who maintain their testimonies,
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ
and those who carefully preserve their Contact: those will be in gardens, honored.
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ مُّكْرَمُونَ
So what is with those who disown, hastening toward you, right and left, in separate groups?
فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
Does every person among them covet entry into a garden of bliss? By no means!
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍۢ كَلَّآ
Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.
إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
No! I swear by the Guardian of the risings and the settings that surely We are able to replace them with better than them, and nothing can outrun Us.
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلْمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
So let them be: let them immerse themselves and play, until they meet their Day, the one they are promised — the Day they will emerge from the sepulchres rapidly as if racing toward an erected marker, their sights humble, humiliation veiling them.
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا۟ وَيَلْعَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُوا۟ يَوْمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًۭا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍۢ يُوفِضُونَ خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ
That is the Day which they had been promised.
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ