سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ ﴿١﴾
A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
70th surah of the Quran
The Ascending Stairways
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ ﴿١﴾
A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
لِّلْكَٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌۭ ﴿٢﴾
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ ﴿٣﴾
From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ ﴿٤﴾
(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.
فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا ﴿٥﴾
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًۭا ﴿٦﴾
Lo! they behold it afar off
وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًۭا ﴿٧﴾
While we behold it nigh:
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ ﴿٨﴾
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ﴿٩﴾
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًۭا ﴿١٠﴾
And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ ﴿١١﴾
Though they will be given sight of them. The guilty man will long to be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children
وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ﴿١٢﴾
And his spouse and his brother
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِى تُـْٔوِيهِ ﴿١٣﴾
And his kin that harboured him
وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ﴿١٤﴾
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ﴿١٥﴾
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
نَزَّاعَةًۭ لِّلشَّوَىٰ ﴿١٦﴾
Eager to roast;
تَدْعُوا۟ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٧﴾
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰٓ ﴿١٨﴾
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
۞ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ﴿١٩﴾
Lo! man was created anxious,
إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعًۭا ﴿٢٠﴾
Fretful when evil befalleth him
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا ﴿٢١﴾
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
إِلَّا ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٢٢﴾
Save worshippers.
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾
Who are constant at their worship
وَٱلَّذِينَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ حَقٌّۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ ﴿٢٤﴾
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ ﴿٢٥﴾
For the beggar and the destitute;
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٢٦﴾
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍۢ ﴿٢٨﴾
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَٰفِظُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾
And those who preserve their chastity
إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٣٠﴾
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾
And those who stand by their testimony
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾
And those who are attentive at their worship.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ مُّكْرَمُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open-eyed,
عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ﴿٣٧﴾
On the right and on the left, in groups?
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍۢ ﴿٣٨﴾
Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight?
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٩﴾
Nay, verily. Lo! We created them from what they know.
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلْمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising-places and the setting-places of the planets that We verily are Able
عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ﴿٤١﴾
To replace them by (others) better than them. And we are not to be outrun.
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا۟ وَيَلْعَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُوا۟ يَوْمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised,
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًۭا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍۢ يُوفِضُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as racing to a goal,
خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.
Arabic text: Uthmani script. English translation: Marmaduke Pickthall. Audio: everyayah.com.
Surah Al-Ma'arij (المعارج) is the 70th surah of the Quran. It has 44 verses and is found in Juz 29. It is classified as a Meccan surah, meaning it was mainly revealed before the Prophet's migration (Hijra) to Medina.
Its name, المعارج, is commonly translated as “The Ascending Stairways”.
Surah Al-Ma'arij (المعارج) has 44 verses. It is the 70th surah of the Quran, after Surah Al-Haqqah and before Surah Nuh, and it is found in Juz 29.
It is classified as a Meccan surah, meaning it was mainly revealed before the Hijra. In the traditional order of revelation it is number 79 out of 114. Scholars sometimes differ about the place of revelation of some verses.
المعارج is commonly translated as “The Ascending Stairways”. The surahs are named after a word or a theme that appears in them, and the name is a label rather than a summary of the whole surah.
Surah Al-Ma'arij is in Juz' 29.
Press Play on this page to hear the whole surah without breaks, or press the play button on a verse to hear it verse by verse. Choose among 19 reciters: Abdur-Rahman As-Sudais, Mishary Alafasy, Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary, Abdul Basit Abdus-Samad, Maher Al-Muaiqly, Saad Al-Ghamdi, Ahmad Al-Ajmi, Abu Bakr Ash-Shatri, Hani Ar-Rifai, Mohamed Siddiq Al-Minshawi, Ali Al-Hudhaify, Muhammad Ayyub, Abdullah Basfar, Yasser Ad-Dosari, Nasser Al-Qatami, Salah Al-Budair, Saud Ash-Shuraim, Abdullah Awad Al-Juhany, Muhammad Jibreel.
Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of Surah Al-Ma'arij in the Uthmani script with a translation under each verse. You can switch between verse by verse, the whole surah, and mushaf pages, and save the surah as a PDF.