Section 1: Verses 1–35
Thematic progression across verses 1–35
سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابࣲ وَاقِعࣲ 1
Sa ala saaa'ilum bi'azaa binw-waaqi
A questioner questioned the imminent torment
لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعࣱ 2
Lilkaafireen laisa lahoo daafi
For the disbelievers; none can repel it
مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ 3
Minal laahi zil ma'aarij
From God, Lord of the Ways of Ascent
تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمࣲ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةࣲ 4
Ta'rujul malaaa'ikatu war Roohu ilaihi fee yawmin kaana miqdaaruhoo khamseena alfa sanah
Unto Him the angels and the Spirit ascend on a Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years
فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرࣰ ا جَمِيلًا 5
Fasbir ssabran jameelaa
So be patient, with sweet patience
إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدࣰ ا 6
Inaahum yarawnahoo ba'eedaa
They see it distant
وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبࣰ ا 7
Wa naraahu qareebaa
But We see it near
يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ 8
Yawma takoonus samaaa'u kalmuhl
On the Day when the sky will be like molten brass
وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ 9
Wa takoonul jibaalu kal'ihn
And the mountains will be like tufted wool
وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمࣰ ا 10
Wa laa yas'alu hameemun hameemaa
No friend will care about his friend
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ 11
Yubassaroonahum; ya waddul mujrimu law yaftadee min 'azaabi yawma'izim bibaneeh
They will be shown each other. The criminal wishes he would be redeemed from the punishment of that Day by his children
وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ 12
Wa saahibatihee wa akheeh
And his spouse, and his brother
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ 13
Wa faseelathil latee tu'weeh
And his family that sheltered him
وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعࣰ ا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ 14
Wa man fil ardi jamee'an summa yunjeeh
And everyone on earth, in order to save him
كَلَّآۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ 15
Kallaa innahaa lazaa
By no means! It is a Raging Fire
نَزَّاعَةࣰ لِّلشَّوَىٰ 16
Nazzaa'atal lishshawaa
It strips away the scalps
تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ 17
Tad'oo man adbara wa tawallaa
It invites him who once turned his back and fled
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ 18
W jama'a fa aw'aa
And accumulated and hoarded
۞إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا 19
Innal insaana khuliqa haloo'aa
Man was created restless
إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعࣰ ا 20
Izaa massahush sharru jazoo'aa
Touched by adversity, he is fretful
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا 21
Wa izaa massahul khairu manoo'aa
Touched by good, he is ungenerous
إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ 22
Illal musalleen
Except the prayerful
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ 23
Allazeena hum 'alaa Salaatihim daaa'imoon
Those who are constant at their prayers
وَٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقࣱّ مَّعۡلُومࣱ 24
Wallazeena feee amwaalihim haqqum ma'loom
And those in whose wealth is a rightful share
لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ 25
Lissaaa 'ili walmahroom
For the beggar and the deprived
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ 26
Wallazeena yusaddiqoona bi yawmid Deen
And those who affirm the Day of Judgment
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ 27
Wallazeena hum min 'azaabi Rabbihim mushfiqoon
And those who fear the punishment of their Lord
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمۡ غَيۡرُ مَأۡمُونࣲ 28
Inna 'azaaba Rabbihim ghairu maamoon
Their Lord’s punishment is not to be taken for granted
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ 29
Wallazeena hum lifuroo jihim haafizoon
And those who guard their chastity
إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ 30
Illaa 'alaaa azwaajihim aw maa malakat aymaanuhum fainnahum ghairu maloomeen
Except from their spouses or those living under their control, for then they are free of blame
فَمَنِ ٱبۡتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡعَادُونَ 31
Famanib taghaa waraaa'a zaalika fa ulaaa'ika humul 'aadoon
But whoever seeks to go beyond that—these are the transgressors
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمۡ وَعَهۡدِهِمۡ رَٰعُونَ 32
Wallazeena hum li amaa naatihim wa 'ahdihim raa'oon
And those who honor their trusts and their pledges
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمۡ قَآئِمُونَ 33
Wallazeena hum bishahaadaatihim qaaa'imoon
And those who stand by their testimonies
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ 34
Wallazeena hum 'alaa salaatihim yuhaafizoon
And those who are dedicated to their prayers
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ فِي جَنَّٰتࣲ مُّكۡرَمُونَ 35
Ulaaa'ika fee jannaatim mukramoon
These will be honored in Gardens
Section 2: Verses 36–44
Thematic progression across verses 36–44
فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ قِبَلَكَ مُهۡطِعِينَ 36
Famaa lil lazeena kafaroo qibalaka muhti'een
What is with those who disbelieve, stretching their necks towards you
عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ 37
Anil yameeni wa 'anish shimaali 'izeen
From the right, and from the left, banding together
أَيَطۡمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيࣲٕ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُدۡخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمࣲ 38
Ayatma'u kullum ri'im minhum anyyudkhala jannata Na'eem
Is every one of them aspiring to be admitted into a Garden of Bliss
كَلَّآۖ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ 39
Kallaaa innaa khalaq nahum mimmaa ya'lamoon
No indeed! We created them from what they know
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ 40
Falaaa uqsimu bi Rabbil mashaariqi wal maghaaribi innaa laqaadiroon
I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests, that We are Able
عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيۡرࣰ ا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَسۡبُوقِينَ 41
Alaaa an nubaddila khairam minhum wa maa Nahnu bimasbooqeen
To replace them with better than they, and We are not to be outdone
فَذَرۡهُمۡ يَخُوضُواْ وَيَلۡعَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُواْ يَوۡمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ 42
Fazarhum yakhoodoo wa yal'aboo hattaa yulaaqoo yaw mahumul lazee yoo'adoon
So leave them to blunder and play, until they meet their Day which they are promised
يَوۡمَ يَخۡرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ سِرَاعࣰ ا كَأَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ نُصُبࣲ يُوفِضُونَ 43
Yawma yakhrujoona minal ajdaasi siraa'an ka anna hum ilaa nusubiny yoofidoon
The Day when they will emerge from the tombs in a rush, as though they were hurrying towards a target
خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةࣱۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ 44
Khaashi'atan absaaruhum tarhaquhum zillah; zaalikal yawmul lazee kaanoo yoo'adoon
Their eyes cast down; overwhelmed by humiliation. This is the Day which they were promised
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah Al-Ma'aarij.
Chapter 108 | Enlightening Points Deduced from the Holy Quran about Leadership with Divine Authority)
46ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله فِي قَوْلِ الله تَعَالَى سَأَلَ سائِلٌ بِعَذابٍ واقِعٍ. لِلْكافِرينَ بِوَلايَةِ عَلِيٍّ لَيْسَ لَهُ دافِعٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ هَكَذَا وَالله نَزَلَ بِهَا جَبْرَئِيلُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه )
46. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn sulayman from his father from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah about the words of Allah, the Most High. “Someone has (needlessly) demanded to experience the torment (of God), (70:1) which will inevitably seize the unbelievers (in Imam Ali’s Leadership with Divine Authority).” (70:2) The Imam then said, “This, by Aallah, how Jibril brought to The Holy Prophet (s.a.).”