In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful
Holy Quran
Surah 70 Al Ma’arij (The
Ways of Ascent)
Interpretation of
the Meanings of the Noble Quran in English Language
by A.Yusuf Ali
1 A questioner asked about a
Penalty to befall 5675
2 The Unbelievers the which there is none
to ward off
3 (A Penalty) from Allah
Lord of the Ways of Ascent. 5676
4 The angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day the measure
whereof is (as) fifty thousand years: 5677 5678
5 Therefore do thou hold Patience a Patience of beautiful
(contentment). 5679
6 They see the (Day) indeed as a far-off (event):
7 But We see it (quite) near. 5680
8 The Day that the sky will be like molten brass 5681
9 And the mountains will be like wool 5682
10 And no friend will ask after a friend 5683
11 Though they will be put in sight of each other the sinner's desire
will be: would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by
(sacrificing) his children 5684
12 His wife and his brother
13 His kindred who sheltered him.
14 And all all that is on earth so it could
deliver him: 5685
15 By no means! For it would be the Fire of Hell!
16 Plucking out (his being) right to the skull! 5686
17 Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces
(from the Right) 5687
18 And collect (wealth) and hide it (from use)!
19 Truly man was created very impatient 5688
20 Fretful when evil touches him;
21 And niggardly when good reaches him 5689
22 Not so those devoted to Prayer 5690
23 Those who remain steadfast to their
prayer;
24 And those in whose wealth is a recognized right
25 For the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason
from asking); 5691
26 And those who hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment;
27 And those who fear the displeasure of their Lord 5692
28 For their Lord's displeasure is the opposite of Peace and Tranquillity 5693
29 And those who guard their chastity
30 Except with their wives and the (captives) whom their right hands
possess for (then) they are not to be blamed 5694
31 But those who trespass beyond this are transgressors
32 And those who respect their trusts and covenants; 5695
33 And those who stand firm in their testimonies; 5696
34 And those who guard (the sacredness) of their worship 5697
35 Such will be the honored ones in the Gardens of (Bliss).
Introduction
Name
The Surah takes its name from the word dhil
Ma'arij in verse 3.
Period of Revelation
The
subject matter bears evidence that this Surah too was
sent down in conditions closely resembling those under which Surah Al Haaqqah was sent down.
Theme and Subject Matter
It
admonishes and gives warning to the disbelievers who made fun of the news about
Resurrection and the Hereafter, and Hell and Heaven, and challenged the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be peace) to cause Resurrection with which he threatened
them to take place if what he said was true and they had become worthy of the
punishment in Hell by denying it. The whole Surah is
meant to answer this denial.
The Surah opens with words to the effect: "A demander has demanded
a torment, the torment which must befall the deniers; and when it takes place,
there will be none to prevent it, but it will take place at its own appointed
time. Allah has His own way of doing things, but He is not unjust. Therefore,
have patience, O Prophet, at what they say. They think it is far off, but We see it as near at hand."
Then
it is said:"Resurrection, which they desire to
be hastened out of jest and fun, is terrible, and when it comes, it will cause
great distress to the culprits. At that time they will even be prepared to give
away their wives and children and their nearest kinsfolk in ransom to escape
the punishment, but they will not be able to escape it.
Then
the people have been warned to the effect; "On that Day the destinies of men
will be decided strictly on the basis of their belief and their conduct. Those
who turn away from the Truth in the world and amass wealth and withhold it from
the needy, will be doomed to Hell; and those who fear the punishment of God
here, believe in the Hereafter, keep up the Prayer, discharge the rights of the
needy out of their wealth, strictly avoid immoral and wicked deeds, practise honesty in all their dealings, fulfil
their pledges and trust and bear true witness, will have a place of honour in Paradise."
In
conclusion, the disbelievers of Makkah who rushed in
upon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) from every side as soon as they saw
him, in order to make fun of him, have been warned to the effect: "If you
do not believe, Allah will replace you by other people who will be better than
you", and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been consoled, so as
to say: "Do not take to heart their mockery and jesting; leave them to
indulge in their idle talk and foolish conduct if they are bent upon experiencing
the disgrace and humiliation of the Resurrection; they will themselves see
their evil end."'
Notes
5675 Any
one might ask. When will Judgment come? That question usually implies doubt.
The answer is: the knowledge of Time is beyond man's comprehension. But there
is something which touches him closely and concerns his conduct and his future
welfare; and that is explained in four propositions. (1) Judgment is sure to
come, and none can ward it off; (2) it will exact a dreadful Penalty from Unbelievers,
but the righteous have nothing to fear; (3) it will be a Penalty from Allah,
the Lord of both Justice and Mercy; it will not be merely a blind calamity of
fate; and (4) further we are reminded of another title of Allah, "Lord of
the Ways of Ascent"; which means that though He sits high on Ms Throne of
Glory, He is not inaccessible, but in His infinite Mercy has provided ways of
ascent to Him; see next note. (70.1)
5676 Ma'arij: stair-ways, ways of ascent. In
xliii. 33, the word is used in its literal sense: "silver
stair-ways on which to go up". Here there is a profound spiritual meaning.
Can we reach up to Allah Most High? In His infinite grace He gives that
privilege to angels. But the way is not easy, nor can it be travelled
in a day. See the next two notes. (70.3)
5677 Ruh: "The Spirit". Cf. lxxviii.
38, "the Spirit and the angels"; and xcvii. 4, "the angels and the
Spirit". In xvi. 2, we have translated Ruh by "inspiration". Some Commentators
understand the angel Gabriel by "the Spirit". But I think a more
general meaning is possible, and fits the context better. (70.4)
5678 Cf.
xxxii. 4-5, and notes 3632 and 3634 (70.4)
5679 The
prophet of Allah, persecuted and in trouble with the world, should yet hold
Patience-not the sort of patience which goes with complaints expressed or
suppressed, but the sort of patience that is content with the ordering of
Allah's world, for he believes and knows it to be good, as did the holy Prophet
Muhammad. Such a patience is akin to Good pleasure, for it arises from the
purest faith and trust in Allah. (70.5)
5680 The
men of evil may see the just retribution for their sins so far off that they
doubt whether it would ever come. But in Allah's sight, and on the scale of the
Universal Plan, it is quite near; for time as we know it hardly exists in the
next world. It may come in this life; but it is bound to come eventually. (70.7)
5681 Cf.
xviii. 29 (where the wrong-doer will have a drink like melted
brass in Hell); and xliv. 45, (where his food will be
like molten brass). Here the appearance of the sky is compared to molten
brass, or, as some understand it, like the dregs of oil. What is conveyed by
the metaphor is that the beautiful blue sky will melt away. (70.8)
5682 Cf. ci. 5. where the metaphor of
carded wool is used. The mountains which seem so solid will be like flakes of
wool driven by the carder's hand. (70.9)
5683 The
world as we know it win have so completely passed away that the landmarks in
the heavens and on earth will also have vanished. Not only that,
but the human relationships of mind and heart will have been transformed
by sin into something ugly and dreadful. The sinners will be so overcome with
terror at the realisation of their personal
responsibility that they will desert their most intimate friends, and indeed
their very sight of each other will add to their agony. (70.10)
5684 The
sinner will offer his children, his family, his kinsmen, who had sheltered and
protected him,-in fact everything on earth that he could-as a ransom for
himself. Such would be his selfishness and his agony. (70.11)
5685 What
would not the sinner give for his own deliverance! But nothing could save him.
The Fire of Hell would be roaring for him! (70.14)
5686 It
would be a Fire not only burning his body, but reaching right up to his brains
and his understanding and-as is said in civ. 7-his
heart and affections also. In other words the Fire will burn into his inmost
being. (70.16)
5687 The
analysis of sin is given in four master-strokes, of which the first two refer
to the will or psychology of the sinner, and the last two to the use he makes
of the good things of this life. (1) Sin begins with turning your back to the
Right, refusing to face it squarely, running away from it whether from cowardice
or indifference. (2) But Conscience and the sense of Right will try to prevent
the flight; the Grace of Allah will meet the sinner at all corners and try to
reclaim him; the hardened sinner will deliberately turn away his face from it,
insult it, and reject it. (3) The result of this psychology will be that he
will abandon himself to greed, to the correction of riches, and the acquisition
of material advantages to which he is not entitied;
this may involve hypocrisy, fraud, and crime. (4) Having acquired the material
advantages, the next step will be to keep others out of them, to prevent
hoarded wealth from fructifying by circulation, to conceal it from envy or
spite. This is the spiritual Rake's Progress. (70.17)
5688 Man,
according to the Plan of Allah, was to be in the best of moulds (xcv. 4). But in order to fulfil
his high destiny he was given free-will to a limited extent. The wrong use of
this free-will makes his nature weak (iv. 28), or hasty (xvii. 11), or unpatient, as here. That becomes his nature by his own act,
but he is spoken of as so created because of the capacities given to him in his
creation. (70.19)
5689 In
adversity he complains and gets into despair. In prosperity he becomes arrogant
and forgets other people's rights and his own shortcomings. Cf. xli. 49-50. (70.21)
5690 The
description of those devoted to Prayer is given in a number of clauses that
follow, introduced by the words "Those who..." "Devoted to
Prayer" is here but another aspect of what is described elsewhere as the
Faithful and the Righteous. Devotion to prayer does not mean merely a certain
number of formal rites or prostrations. It means a complete surrender of one's
being to Allah. This means an earnest approach to and realisation
of Allah's Presence ("steadfastness in Prayer"); acts of practical
and real charity; and attempt to read this life in terms of the Hereafter; the
seeking of the Peace of Allah and avoidance of His displeasure; chastity;
probity true and firm witness; and guarding the prayer. (verse
34). (70.22)
5691 See
n. 5001 to li. 19. True charity consists in finding
out those in real need, whether they ask or not. Most frequently those who ask
are idle men who insolently wish to live upon others. But all cases of those
who ask should be duly investigated, in case a little timely help may set the
erring on the way. But the man with wealth or talent or opportunity has the
further responsibility of searching out those in need of his assistance, in
order to show that he holds all gifts in trust for the service of his fellow-
creatures. (70.25)
5692 A
true fear of Allah is the fear of offending against His holy Will and Law, and
is therefore akin to the love of Allah. It proceeds from the realisation that all true peace and tranquillity
comes from attuning our will to the universal Will and that sin causes discord,
disharmony, and displeasure,-another name for the Wrath of Allah. (70.27)
5693 I.e.,
that the punishment of sin may come suddenly at any time, when you least expect
it. (70.28)
5694 Cf. iv. 24. (70.30)
5695 For
obligations of trusts and covenants, express or implied, see n. 682 to v. 1.
They are just as sacred in ordinary everyday life as they are in special
spiritual relationships. In addition, our life itself, and such reason and
talents as we possess, as well as our wealth and possessions are trusts, of
which we must fulfil the duties punctiliously. (70.32)
5696 If
we know any truth of any kind, to that we must bear witness, as affecting the
lives or interests of our fellow-beings,-firmly, not half-heartedly, without
fear or favour, even if it causes loss or trouble to
us, or if it loses us friends or associates. (70.33)
5697 We
began with "steadfastness in prayer" in verse 23 above, and after a
review of various aspects of the good man's fife, close with the guarding of
worship. (70.34)
Holy Quran
Surah 70 Al Ma’arij (The
Ways of Ascent)
Interpretation of
the Meanings of the Noble Quran in English Language by A.Yusuf Ali
36 Now what is the matter with the Unbelievers that they rush madly
before thee 5698
37 From the right and from the left in crowds?
38 Does every man of them long to enter the
39 By no means! For We have created them out
of the (base matter) they know! 5699
40 Now I do call to witness the Lord of all points in the East and
the West that We can certainly 5700 5701 5702
41 Substitute for them better (men) than they; and We
are not to be defeated (in Our Plan).
42 So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about until they
encounter that Day of theirs which they have been promised! 5703
43 The Day whereon they will issue from their sepulchers in sudden
haste as if they were rushing to a goal-post (fixed for them) 5704
44 Their eyes lowered in dejection ignominy covering them (all over)!
Such is the Day the which they are promised!
Notes
5698 Before
thee. The Unbelievers did not believe in a Hereafter. When the Bliss of the
Hereafter was described, as in the last verse, they ridiculed it and pretended
to be running in for it as in a race. They are here rebuked in the same tone of
sarcasm. (70.36)
5699 The
animal part of man is nothing to be proud of, and they know it. It is by
spiritual effort, and long preparation through a good life that a man can rise
above the mere animal part of him to his high dignity as a spiritual being, and
his noble destiny in the Hereafter. (70.39)
5700 For
the form of adjuration, cf. lxix.
38, n. 5665; also lvi. 75.
Here the witness placed before us by Allah is His own power and glory
manifested in the splendour of sunrise and sunset at
different points through the solar year. (70.40)
5701 See
n. 4034 to xxxvii. 5. If Allah has such power in the wonderful phenomena of the
rising of the sun at varying points, repeated year after year, can you not see
that He can easily substitute better men than you Unbelievers and blasphemers?
(70.40)
5702 The
transition from the singular "I" to the plural "We" may be
noted. See n. 56 to ii. 38. (70.40)
5703 Their
talk, their scepticism, is vain, because all spiritual
evidence is against it; it is like the foolish play of people who do not think
seriously. But the tremendous Day of Judgment and Reality will come, as
described in the next two verses. (70.42)
5704 Now
there will be a definite Goal-post or Banner or Standard of Truth fixed, which
all must acknowledge. But they will acknowledge it in shame and dejection. For
the time for their repentance and amendment will then have passed. (70.43)
End of Surah
Al-Ma’arij