2. The
Unbelievers, the which there is none to ward off,-
3. (A Penalty) from
Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.
4. The angels and the spirit ascend
unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years:
5.
Therefore do thou hold Patience,- a Patience of beautiful (contentment).
6. They see the (Day) indeed as a far-off (event):
7. But We see it
(quite) near.
8. The Day that the sky will be like molten brass,
9. And the mountains will be like wool,
10. And no friend will ask after
a friend,
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,
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:
15. By no means! for it would be the
Fire of Hell!-
16. Plucking out (his being) right to the skull!-
17. Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from the
Right).
18. And collect (wealth) and hide it (from use)!
19. Truly
man was created very impatient;-
20. Fretful when evil touches him;
21. And niggardly when good reaches him;-
22. Not so those devoted to
Prayer;-
23. Those who remain steadfast to their prayer;
24. And
those in whose wealth is a recognised right.
25. For the (needy) who asks
and him who is prevented (for some reason from asking);
26. And those who
hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment;
27. And those who fear the
displeasure of their Lord,-
28. For their Lord's displeasure is the
opposite of Peace and Tranquillity;-
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,
31. But those who
trespass beyond this are transgressors;-
32. And those who respect their
trusts and covenants;
33. And those who stand firm in their testimonies;
34. And those who guard (the sacredness) of their worship;-
35. Such
will be the honoured ones in the Gardens (of Bliss).
36. Now what is the
matter with the Unbelievers that they rush madly before thee-
37. From
the right and from the left, in crowds?
38. Does every man of them long
to enter the Garden of Bliss?
39. By no means! For We have created them
out of the (base matter) they know!
40. Now I do call to witness the Lord
of all points in the East and the West that We can certainly-
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!-
43. The
Day whereon they will issue from their sepulchres in sudden haste as if they
were rushing to a goal-post (fixed for them),-
44. Their eyes lowered in
dejection,- ignominy covering them (all over)! such is the Day the which they
are promised!
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, practice
honesty in all their dealings, fulfill their pledges and trust and bear true
witness, will have a place of honor 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."'