Al-Ma'aarij -- The Ascending Stairways

سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابࣲ وَاقِعࣲ‏

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعࣱ‏

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ

[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent

تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمࣲ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةࣲ‏

The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years

فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرࣰ ا جَمِيلًا

So be patient with gracious patience

إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدࣰ ا

Indeed, they see it [as] distant

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبࣰ ا

But We see it [as] near

يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil

وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ

And the mountains will be like wool

وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمࣰ ا

And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ

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

And his wife and his brother

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ

And his nearest kindred who shelter him

وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعࣰ ا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ

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

كَلَّآۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ

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

نَزَّاعَةࣰ لِّلشَّوَىٰ

A remover of exteriors

تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

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

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ

And collected [wealth] and hoarded

۞إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا

Indeed, mankind was created anxious

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعࣰ ا

When evil touches him, impatient

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا

And when good touches him, withholding [of it]

إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ

Except the observers of prayer

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ

Those who are constant in their prayer

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقࣱّ مَّعۡلُومࣱ‏

And those within whose wealth is a known right

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ

For the petitioner and the deprived

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ

And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ

And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمۡ غَيۡرُ مَأۡمُونࣲ‏

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

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ

And those who guard their private parts

إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ

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

فَمَنِ ٱبۡتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡعَادُونَ

But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمۡ وَعَهۡدِهِمۡ رَٰعُونَ

And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمۡ قَآئِمُونَ

And those who are in their testimonies upright

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ

And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer

أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ فِي جَنَّٰتࣲ مُّكۡرَمُونَ

They will be in gardens, honored

فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ قِبَلَكَ مُهۡطِعِينَ

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

عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ

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

أَيَطۡمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيࣲٕ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُدۡخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمࣲ‏

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

كَلَّآۖ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ

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

فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ

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

عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيۡرࣰ ا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَسۡبُوقِينَ

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

فَذَرۡهُمۡ يَخُوضُواْ وَيَلۡعَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُواْ يَوۡمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ

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

يَوۡمَ يَخۡرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ سِرَاعࣰ ا كَأَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ نُصُبࣲ يُوفِضُونَ

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

خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةࣱۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ

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