In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
44 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Ma’arij is the 70th chapter of the Quran, containing 44 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it takes its name from verse 3, which describes Allah as the Lord of the Ways of Ascent, the ascending stairways by which the angels and the Spirit rise to Him. The surah warns of an inevitable punishment on a Day when the guilty will wish to ransom themselves with their own children and family, describes man’s tendency to despair in hardship and withhold in prosperity, and sets out the qualities of the true believers: constancy in prayer, generosity to those who ask and are deprived, guarding their chastity, honouring their trusts, and standing firm in their testimony. Below you can read the full Surah Al-Ma’arij in Arabic with a clear English translation and a verse-by-verse tafsir (explanation of the meaning) from Aysar al-Tafaseer, with the option to jump to any specific verse.
1. A polytheist asked that the infliction of punishment on them be hastened. Since it will ineluctably befall them in the Hereafter, why do they mockingly request that it be hastened? (It is said that the one who requested the hastening of the punishment was Nadru ibn Hareth ).
2. This punishment which will be inflicted is aimed at the unbelievers and prepared for them. No one can ward it off if Allah chooses to inflict it on them.
3. There is nothing that can ward this torture from Allah off when the time comes. If Allah’s judgement decrees that it should happen, He does not check its occurrence. Allah Almighty is He Who bestows blessings and favours which reach people at varied degrees and different stages.
4. The angels and Gabriel ascend these stairways in a short time, although if the people of this life on earth, wished to ascend them, it would take them a long time (fifty thousand years; it has been said that the mention of fifty thousand years is not a reference to a set period of time but a metaphor for a long time). (It is said that this day refers to Judgement Day. It is more effortless for the believer than a written prayer which he performs in his life on earth but for the unbeliever it is very difficult, as stated by the Prophet( peace be upon him.) (Reported by Ahmad.)
5. So endure patiently, O Mohammad, the denial of your people to you and their hastening of their punishment because they believe that its occurrence is improbable. And tolerate their harm to you without worrying or complaining, for punishment will surely befall them and all that shall come is near at hand.
7. The believers know for sure that it will happen shortly, in spite of the fact that no one but Almighty Allah knows its precise time for whatever will come is near at hand (or it could mean: We, with Our Might, find it an easy matter, not impossible.)
8. The Hour will take place and the punishment will be inflicted on the unbelievers when the sky becomes like the sediment of oil. (It is said it is like molten silver.)
10. No compassionate relative inquires about the state of another compassionate relation nor even talks to him, because each is preoccupied with his own affairs.
11. The relations see and recognize one another on that day, then they flee from each other. The unbeliever wishes that he could redeem himself from the punishment on that day by sacrificing his children who are dearest to him; yet he pushes them to the punishment to save himself from it.
15. No indeed! No ransom will be accepted from the unbeliever even if he were to sacrifice all the people and all the gold and riches on earth. It is a severely hot fire.
17. It is the burning fire. It invites to it the unbelievers whom Allah created for it, those who turned their backs when their messengers called them to believe in Allah.
18. Among the people of the Fire is he who amassed money, put it in containers, treasured it and did not spend it in the cause of good, obedience and charity.
20. Allah Almighty explained in this verse and the following one the meaning of the Arabic word halou’ which means “fretful”. He says: If harm or evil are inflicted on man, he becomes sad, and his heart rends with fear. He despairs of any good ever reaching him after that.
22. Allah Almighty does not exclude from those detestable qualities of man represented by fretting, worry and preventing good from others, except the believers whom He guided to virtue. Those are the ones who pray,
24. And He also accepts those who assign a share of their money to be spent in ways that draw them closer to Allah, in the hope of gaining His satisfaction.
26. And He accepts those who believe in the Day of Judgement and strive for it. The result of their belief is seen in their deeds, words and behaviour.
27. He also accepts those who are afraid of and apprehensive about abandoning their religious duties and committing illegal acts. This is the reason why they are anxious to perform more religious duties.
28. No reasonable person should feel safe from Allah’s punishment even if he performed many religious duties. None can be safe from Allah unless He grants him security.
29. Allah accepts those who restrain themselves from the women whom Allah has forbidden to them and are careful not to commit the forbidden acts which Allah has made unlawful to them.
30. They only approach their wives whom Allah made lawful to them or the slaves they possess. For they then do not sin and are not blamed for the physical contact with their wives or slaves.
32. And He accepts those who, if charged with a trust, return it to its rightful owners and do not betray their trust. They do not breach the faith, and if they make a covenant they respect it. They do not act treacherously.
33. And He accepts those who give their testimony when they are called upon to testify, and do not hide the truth nor alter it. Testimony is one of the trusts which Allah has commanded the believers to do honestly and fully.
(34) – [Tafsir not available in the source document for this verse; to be added.]
Surah Al-Ma’arij: Verse 34
34. And He also accepts those who perform their prayers well and on time. They carry them out completely with their kneeling down, prostration and submissiveness. Before they start their prayers, they make the effort to dismiss from their minds anything which might divert their attention from praising Allah, understanding the Quran they recite and being conscious of their actions of praising Allah, kneeling down to Him and prostrating themselves before Him.
35. Those who enjoy the qualities mentioned above, and who perform their worship perfectly as Allah Almighty has commanded, their Lord will admit them to His Paradise in the Hereafter and protect them from the terrors of that day. Allah will bestow abundant favours upon them that are reserved for His faithful, righteous servants.
38. Do those who are averse to the noble Messenger and who turn away from hearing the truth expect to enter their Lord’s Paradise like the sincere believers enter it? No indeed! There is no hope for them as long as they persist in their disbelief and their derision.
39. No! they will not enter Paradise! They will enter Hellfire which will be their abode. If they believe that the Resurrection and Assembly are improbable, then let them look at themselves and see from what Allah has created them. He created them from a drop of sperm which is ejected. Then after a number developments, He made them humans who walk the earth. Then He will cause them to die when their time comes. After that He will resurrect them again; and repeating is easier than initiating.
40. Allah Almighty swears by Himself (He is the Lord of the Easts and the Wests) that He is able to create better men than them and who are more obedient.
41. He is able to replace those polytheists with better men than them. He will make them respond to the call of the messengers and to their advise. Nothing can incapacitate Allah Almighty, and these polytheists cannot escape from Him on earth. (That means that Allah can destroy these unbelievers and replace them with new creatures who are better than them to be their successors on earth.)
42. Let them cry lies and remain obstinate till the Day of Resurrection. Then they will know the consequence of their actions and their evil fate, and taste the torture for their wicked deeds.
43. On that day, they will rise from their tombs in haste when the caller calls them, racing ahead of each other, just as they rushed to the idol in their life on earth when they saw it, each wanting to obtain it before the other to be blessed by it.
44. Their eyes will be lowered and humiliated by the terrors of the evil fate which they deserve. That day is the day which the messengers promised them would take place but they did not believe them. Instead, they denied it, mocked the messengers and ridiculed this day. Let them taste then the torture for their evil deeds and their disbelief.
Tafsir by Dr. Assaad Homad (1917–2011), Syrian scholar and jurist, author of Aysar al-Tafaseer, an accessible interpretation of the Quran reviewed by Sheikh Muhammad Mutwally Al-Shaarawi and certified by the Ministries of Awqaf in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. English translation by the Homad family. Read more about the author and this tafsir →
Source: This series of Tafsir books has been made available online by the family of Dr. Assaad Homad (may Allah have mercy on him). These volumes were entirely digitized to provide an accessible and easy format for todays digital age. Please keep Dr. Assaad and his family in your sincere prayers.
تم إتاحة هذه السلسلة من كتب التفسير عبر الإنترنت من قبل عائلة الدكتور أسعد حومد (رحمه الله). لقد قمنا برقمنة هذه المجلدات بالكامل لتوفير تنسيق يسهل الوصول إليه واستخدامه في عصرنا الرقمي الحالي. نرجو منكم ألا تنسوا الدكتور أسعد وعائلته من صالح دعائكم.