Al-Ma'arij · The Ascending Stairways

سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ ﴿١﴾

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

sa-ala sāilun biʿadhābin wāqiʿin

لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌۭ ﴿٢﴾

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.

lil'kāfirīna laysa lahu dāfiʿun

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ ﴿٣﴾

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

mina l-lahi dhī l-maʿāriji

تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ ﴿٤﴾

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

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

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا ﴿٥﴾

So be patient with gracious patience.

fa-iṣ'bir ṣabran jamīlan

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًۭا ﴿٦﴾

Indeed, they see it [as] distant,

innahum yarawnahu baʿīdan

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًۭا ﴿٧﴾

But We see it [as] near.

wanarāhu qarīban

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ ﴿٨﴾

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,

yawma takūnu l-samāu kal-muh'li

وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ﴿٩﴾

And the mountains will be like wool,

watakūnu l-jibālu kal-ʿih'ni

وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًۭا ﴿١٠﴾

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

walā yasalu ḥamīmun ḥamīman

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ 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.

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

وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ﴿١٢﴾

And his wife and his brother

waṣāḥibatihi wa-akhīhi

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ ﴿١٣﴾

And his nearest kindred who shelter him.

wafaṣīlatihi allatī tu'wīhi

وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ﴿١٤﴾

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

waman fī l-arḍi jamīʿan thumma yunjīhi

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ﴿١٥﴾

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

kallā innahā laẓā

نَزَّاعَةًۭ لِّلشَّوَىٰ ﴿١٦﴾

A remover of exteriors.

nazzāʿatan lilshawā

تَدْعُوا۟ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٧﴾

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

tadʿū man adbara watawallā

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰٓ ﴿١٨﴾

And collected [wealth] and hoarded.

wajamaʿa fa-awʿā

۞ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ﴿١٩﴾

Indeed, mankind was created anxious:

inna l-insāna khuliqa halūʿan

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعًۭا ﴿٢٠﴾

When evil touches him, impatient,

idhā massahu l-sharu jazūʿan

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا ﴿٢١﴾

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

wa-idhā massahu l-khayru manūʿan

إِلَّا ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٢٢﴾

Except the observers of prayer -

illā l-muṣalīna

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾

Those who are constant in their prayer

alladhīna hum ʿalā ṣalātihim dāimūna

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ حَقٌّۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ ﴿٢٤﴾

And those within whose wealth is a known right

wa-alladhīna fī amwālihim ḥaqqun maʿlūmun

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ ﴿٢٥﴾

For the petitioner and the deprived -

lilssāili wal-maḥrūmi

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٢٦﴾

And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

wa-alladhīna yuṣaddiqūna biyawmi l-dīni

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾

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

wa-alladhīna hum min ʿadhābi rabbihim mush'fiqūna

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍۢ ﴿٢٨﴾

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

inna ʿadhāba rabbihim ghayru mamūnin

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾

And those who guard their private parts

wa-alladhīna hum lifurūjihim ḥāfiẓūna

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٣٠﴾

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

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

فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ﴿٣١﴾

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

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾

And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive.

wa-alladhīna hum li-amānātihim waʿahdihim rāʿūna

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَـٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾

And those who are in their testimonies upright

wa-alladhīna hum bishahādātihim qāimūna

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾

And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:

wa-alladhīna hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūna

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍۢ مُّكْرَمُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾

They will be in gardens, honored.

ulāika fī jannātin muk'ramūna

فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾

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

famāli alladhīna kafarū qibalaka muh'ṭiʿīna

عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ﴿٣٧﴾

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

ʿani l-yamīni waʿani l-shimāli ʿizīna

أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍۢ ﴿٣٨﴾

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

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

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٩﴾

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

kallā innā khalaqnāhum mimmā yaʿlamūna

فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْمَشَـٰرِقِ وَٱلْمَغَـٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَـٰدِرُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾

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

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

عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ﴿٤١﴾

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

ʿalā an nubaddila khayran min'hum wamā naḥnu bimasbūqīna

فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا۟ وَيَلْعَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يُلَـٰقُوا۟ يَوْمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾

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

fadharhum yakhūḍū wayalʿabū ḥattā yulāqū yawmahumu alladhī yūʿadūna

يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًۭا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍۢ يُوفِضُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾

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

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

خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾

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

khāshiʿatan abṣāruhum tarhaquhum dhillatun dhālika l-yawmu alladhī kānū yūʿadūna