Surah Al-Ma'arij · The Ascending Stairways

سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ۝١

sa-ala sāilun biʿadhābin wāqiʿ

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌ ۝٢

lil'kāfirīna laysa lahu dāfiʿ

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ ۝٣

mina l-lahi dhī l-maʿārij

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

تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ ۝٤

taʿruju l-malāikatu wal-rūḥu ilayhi fī yawmin kāna miq'dāruhu khamsīna alfa sanah

The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا ۝٥

fa-iṣ'bir ṣabran jamīlā

So be patient with gracious patience.

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًا ۝٦

innahum yarawnahu baʿīdā

Indeed, they see it [as] distant,

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًا ۝٧

wanarāhu qarībā

But We see it [as] near.

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ ۝٨

yawma takūnu l-samāu kal-muh'l

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,

وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ۝٩

watakūnu l-jibālu kal-ʿih'n

And the mountains will be like wool,

وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ۝١٠

walā yasalu ḥamīmun ḥamīmā

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

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ ۝١١

yubaṣṣarūnahum yawaddu l-muj'rimu law yaftadī min ʿadhābi yawmi-idhin bibanīh

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

وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ۝١٢

waṣāḥibatihi wa-akhīh

And his wife and his brother

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ ۝١٣

wafaṣīlatihi allatī tu'wīh

And his nearest kindred who shelter him.

وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ۝١٤

waman fī l-arḍi jamīʿan thumma yunjīh

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

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ۝١٥

kallā innahā laẓā

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

نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ ۝١٦

nazzāʿatan lilshawā

A remover of exteriors.

تَدْعُوا۟ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ۝١٧

tadʿū man adbara watawallā

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

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰٓ ۝١٨

wajamaʿa fa-awʿā

And collected [wealth] and hoarded.

۞ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ۝١٩

inna l-insāna khuliqa halūʿā

Indeed, mankind was created anxious:

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا ۝٢٠

idhā massahu l-sharu jazūʿā

When evil touches him, impatient,

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا ۝٢١

wa-idhā massahu l-khayru manūʿā

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

إِلَّا ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ۝٢٢

illā l-muṣalīn

Except the observers of prayer -

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ ۝٢٣

alladhīna hum ʿalā ṣalātihim dāimūn

Those who are constant in their prayer

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ ۝٢٤

wa-alladhīna fī amwālihim ḥaqqun maʿlūm

And those within whose wealth is a known right

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ ۝٢٥

lilssāili wal-maḥrūm

For the petitioner and the deprived -

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ۝٢٦

wa-alladhīna yuṣaddiqūna biyawmi l-dīn

And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ۝٢٧

wa-alladhīna hum min ʿadhābi rabbihim mush'fiqūn

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

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ ۝٢٨

inna ʿadhāba rabbihim ghayru mamūn

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ ۝٢٩

wa-alladhīna hum lifurūjihim ḥāfiẓūn

And those who guard their private parts

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ۝٣٠

illā ʿalā azwājihim aw mā malakat aymānuhum fa-innahum ghayru malūmīn

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

فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ۝٣١

famani ib'taghā warāa dhālika fa-ulāika humu l-ʿādūn

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ ۝٣٢

wa-alladhīna hum li-amānātihim waʿahdihim rāʿūn

And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive.

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَـٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ ۝٣٣

wa-alladhīna hum bishahādātihim qāimūn

And those who are in their testimonies upright

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ۝٣٤

wa-alladhīna hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūn

And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ ۝٣٥

ulāika fī jannātin muk'ramūn

They will be in gardens, honored.

فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ ۝٣٦

famāli alladhīna kafarū qibalaka muh'ṭiʿīn

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

عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ۝٣٧

ʿani l-yamīni waʿani l-shimāli ʿizīn

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

أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ ۝٣٨

ayaṭmaʿu kullu im'ri-in min'hum an yud'khala jannata naʿīm

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

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ۝٣٩

kallā innā khalaqnāhum mimmā yaʿlamūn

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

فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْمَشَـٰرِقِ وَٱلْمَغَـٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَـٰدِرُونَ ۝٤٠

falā uq'simu birabbi l-mashāriqi wal-maghāribi innā laqādirūn

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

عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ۝٤١

ʿalā an nubaddila khayran min'hum wamā naḥnu bimasbūqīn

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

فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا۟ وَيَلْعَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يُلَـٰقُوا۟ يَوْمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٢

fadharhum yakhūḍū wayalʿabū ḥattā yulāqū yawmahumu alladhī yūʿadūn

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

يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ ۝٤٣

yawma yakhrujūna mina l-ajdāthi sirāʿan ka-annahum ilā nuṣubin yūfiḍūn

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

خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٤

khāshiʿatan abṣāruhum tarhaquhum dhillatun dhālika l-yawmu alladhī kānū yūʿadūn

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