Al-Ma'arij المعارج · Khalid Abdullah al-Qahtani

سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابٖ وَاقِعٖ ۝١

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen¹⁷⁴⁸

لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٞ ۝٢

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ ۝٣

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

تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمٖ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٖ ۝٤

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

فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرٗا جَمِيلًا ۝٥

So be patient with gracious patience.

إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدٗا ۝٦

Indeed, they see it [as] distant,

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبٗا ۝٧

But We see it [as] near.

يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ ۝٨

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,¹⁷⁴⁹

وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ۝٩

And the mountains will be like wool,¹⁷⁵⁰

وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمٗا ۝١٠

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

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ ۝١١

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 ۝١٢

And his wife and his brother

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ ۝١٣

And his nearest kindred who shelter him

وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ۝١٤

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

كـَلَّآۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ۝١٥

No!¹⁷⁵¹ Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],

نَزَّاعَةٗ لِّلشَّوَىٰ ۝١٦

A remover of exteriors.¹⁷⁵²

تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ۝١٧

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

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ ۝١٨

And collected [wealth] and hoarded.

۞ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ۝١٩

Indeed, mankind was created anxious:

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعٗا ۝٢٠

When evil touches him, impatient,

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا ۝٢١

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

إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ ۝٢٢

Except the observers of prayer -

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ ۝٢٣

Those who are constant in their prayer

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقّٞ مَّعۡلُومٞ ۝٢٤

And those within whose wealth is a known right¹⁷⁵³

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ ۝٢٥

For the petitioner and the deprived -

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ ۝٢٦

And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ ۝٢٧

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

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمۡ غَيۡرُ مَأۡمُونٖ ۝٢٨

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ ۝٢٩

And those who guard their private parts

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ ۝٣٠

Except from their wives or those their right hands possess,¹⁷⁵⁴ for indeed, they are not to be blamed -

فَمَنِ ٱبۡتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡعَادُونَ ۝٣١

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمۡ وَعَهۡدِهِمۡ رَٰعُونَ ۝٣٢

And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمۡ قَآئِمُونَ ۝٣٣

And those who are in their testimonies upright

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ ۝٣٤

And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:

أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ فِي جَنَّٰتٖ مُّكۡرَمُونَ ۝٣٥

They will be in gardens,¹⁷⁵⁵ honored.

فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ قِبَلَكَ مُهۡطِعِينَ ۝٣٦

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

عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ۝٣٧

[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?¹⁷⁵⁶

أَيَطۡمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيٕٖ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُدۡخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٖ ۝٣٨

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

كـَلَّآۖ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٣٩

No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.¹⁷⁵⁷

فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ ۝٤٠

So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings¹⁷⁵⁸ that indeed We are able

عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَسۡبُوقِينَ ۝٤١

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

فَذَرۡهُمۡ يَخُوضُواْ وَيَلۡعَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُواْ يَوۡمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٢

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

يَوۡمَ يَخۡرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ سِرَاعٗا كَأَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٖ يُوفِضُونَ ۝٤٣

The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.¹⁷⁵⁹

خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٤

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