سورة المعارج
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ﴿١﴾لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ﴿٢﴾مِّنَ اللَّـهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ ﴿٣﴾تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ ﴿٤﴾فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا ﴿٥﴾إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا ﴿٦﴾وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا ﴿٧﴾يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ ﴿٨﴾وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ ﴿٩﴾وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ﴿١٠﴾يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ ﴿١١﴾وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ ﴿١٢﴾وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ ﴿١٣﴾وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ﴿١٤﴾كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ﴿١٥﴾نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ ﴿١٦﴾تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٧﴾وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ ﴿١٨﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ﴿١٩﴾إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا ﴿٢٠﴾وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا ﴿٢١﴾إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٢٢﴾الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ ﴿٢٤﴾لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ ﴿٢٥﴾وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٢٦﴾وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ ﴿٢٨﴾وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٣٠﴾فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ ﴿٣١﴾وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾أُولَـٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ﴿٣٧﴾أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ ﴿٣٨﴾كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٩﴾فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ﴿٤١﴾فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
سورة المعارج
Surah Al-Ma^arij
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ﴿١﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:1] An asker asked for the chastisement to befall the blasphemers;
One of the blasphemers who is Annadr Ibn Al Harith said: “If this is the truth revealed unto you then let the sky shower stones upon us or let a torture befall us”, as mentioned in Surah Al Anfal,32. Or it could be the prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, supplicated to Allah for the torure may befall the blasphemers.
Abu Ja^far, Nafi^ and Ibn ^Amir, they recited “sa’ala” without a “hamzah”.
لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ﴿٢﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:2] Inevitably upon the disbelievers, which none can avert,
The torture was asked to befall the blasphemers. And it was said that the meaning of the ayah is that a suppliant made a supplication and requested a torture to befall the blasphemers. An-Nasa’iyy and others reported about Ibn ^Abbas, may Allah accept his deeds, that “sa’ala sa’ilun” is in reference to an-Nadir ibn Al-Harith, that he said, Oh Allah if that was the truth revealed from you, let the sky rain stones. So the ayah was revealed and an-Nadir was killed during the Battle of Badr.
Inevitably the torture shall befall them whether they asked for it or not; either in this world through killing, or in the hereafter because in the hereafter the torture shall befall them with no one to avert it from them. And Ibn Al Mundhir reported about al-Hasan who said, the ayah was revealed so the people would ask upon whom the requested torture shall befall, and Allah revealed upon the blasphemers with no one to avert it from them.
مِّنَ اللَّـهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ ﴿٣﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:3] From Allah, Lord of the Skies; the Ascending paths of the angels.
Torture from Allah shall befall the blasphemers with no one to avert it from them. Allah is the Owner of the heavens wherein the angels have ascending paths from one sky to another. And it was said that Allah is the owner of the endowments and the giving.
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ ﴿٤﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:4] The angels and Gabriel-the spirit ascend unto the skies—the places honored to Him– in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years:
The angels and Jibril, ^alayhissalam, ascend to the place honored by Allah which is the sky, the habitat of the angels. And the sky is a place wherefrom the blessings and the mercies descend.
Jibril was specifically mentioned immediately thereafter to highlight his honor and merit. And it was said the place is the ^Arsh–ceiling of Paradise. The ayah does not have the meaning claimed by those who attribute bodily attributes to Allah, who said that Allah resides on the Throne al-^Arsh, may Allah protect us from that, rather Allah the Glorified is clear from place and from direction. Using the preposition to (ila), does not necessitate the meaning that the angels end at a place where Allah is at. Allah ta^ala informed us about Prophet Ibrahim ^alayhissalam, that he said, I am going to the place where Allah ordered me to go, and he had gone from Iraq to the countries of ash-Sham. Definitely Allah the Glorified was not in the countries of ash-Sham since the definite clause established that Allah is clear of directions and of places. Rather the preposition “ila rabbi” designates the honor of the place pursued. And likewise the meaning in the term “ilayhi”, in the previous ayah. Al-Kasa’iyy recited “ya^ruju” with a “ya’” instead of a “ta. ’”
Allah made the length of the Day of Judgment fifty thousand years long by the measure of the years of this world; that is from the time of resurrection until the account of one is settled. This lengthy duration is applicable to the blasphemer but not the believers who to them the duration will be similar to the duration between Dhuhr and ^Asr prayer times. It was said that the meaning of the ayah is that the angels ascend from the lower end of the Earth to the ceiling of Paradise in a day that would have been fifty thousand years long had someone other than them would have ascended. Also it was said that on the Day of Judgment there will be fifty stations the waiting duration at each will be one thousand years.
Imam Ahmad narrated from the route of Abu Sa^id al-Khudriyy, may Allah accept his deeds, who said, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam was asked and so he said: by Allah who owns my soul, that day shall be lessened for the believer in such a way that it would be less than an obligatory prayer that he was obligated to perform in this world. Also, Imam Ahmad narrated from the route of Abu Sa^id al-Khudriyy, may Allah accept his deeds, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam said, on the Day of Judgment the blasphemer shall be confronted with a day the length of which is fifty thousand years by the measure of the doings in this world, and the blasphemer shall see Hellfire and believe that it shall capture him when he is still forty thousand years in walking distance away from it.
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا ﴿٥﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:5] But be patient O Muhammad and endure the harm of the unbelievers and let it not stop you from conveying the Message.
The statement of Annadr Ibn Al Harith whereby he asked for the torture to descend was a manner of mockery and belying the revelation which disturbed the messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alyhi wa sallam. The Aya orders the prophet to be patient the kind of patience which is tireless and free of protest to other than Allah. Hence the ayah means, be patient with the harm of those blasphemers who associate partners with Allah and don’t let their harm discourage you from conveying the message that Allah ordered you to convey to them.
Ibnul Jawziyy said, the interpreters mentioned that tireless patience came down before the order to fight came about, and then it was abrogated by the Ayah of as-Sayf, that is the ayah that carries the orders of fighting. This was claimed by some and among them Ibn Zayd.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا ﴿٦﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:6] The unbelievers see the Day of Judgment indeed as a far-off event that will not occur:
Those who associate partners with Allah see the torture of the Day of Judgment as impossible to happen. And Allah informed that they see that day very distant because they disbelieved in it and they denied the resurrection after death, and they denied the reward and the punishment.
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا ﴿٧﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:7] While We (Allah) behold it quite near and certainly will occur:
The “nun-We” refers to Allah glorifying Himself, and the meaning is that We, Allah, know that it is close, that is the happening of the Day of Judgment will inevitably happen and everything else that is due to happen is close.
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ ﴿٨﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:8] The Day that the sky will be like murky sediment of olive oil,
On that day the sky shall be like the murky sediment of olive oil and it was said like the colorful meltdown of silver.
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ ﴿٩﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:9] And the mountains shall be like clumps of flakes of many colored wool
And the mountains shall be like the clumps of wool of different colors, because the mountains have different colors so if it was demolished and blown into the atmosphere, it would resemble the clumps of wool when the wind blows it around. Allah likened it to the wool in reflection of its weakness and softness. And it was said Allah likened it to the wool in terms of its lightness and movement.
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ﴿١٠﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:10] And On that great Day, no friend will ask after the affairs of a friend for being occupied with his own,
On that day a relative shall not ask about his relative due to being occupied by his own affairs due to the severity and dire matters that occur on that Day. The saying of Allah tabaraka wa ta^ala in Surat ^Abasa reflect the meaning that on that Day the person shall fly from his brother and mother and father and companion and children; each one of them on that Day shall be occupied by his own affairs.
Al Baziyy and Al Burjumiyy said it means a relative shall not be held accountable for his relative and shall not be tortured for his sins.
Abu Ja^far recited “wala yus’al” with a “damma” on the “ya’”.
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ ﴿١١﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:11] Though they will be given sight of each other. The blasphemer man will long to be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by sacrificing his children,
On that Day they shall see them, that is the man shall see his father and his brother and his relative and his tribe and shall not be able to ask them nor talk to them due to being occupied by his own affairs. The blasphemer shall wish that he would be ransomed from the torture of the Day of Judgment by his children, the most dear to his heart among his relatives in this world, and he would not be able to.
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ ﴿١٢﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:12] And by his spouse and his brother,
And by his wife and his brother.
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ ﴿١٣﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:13] And by the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter,
And by his tribe that embrace him and he resorts to it.
وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ﴿١٤﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:14] And by all those that are on earth, (wishing) then (that) this might redeem him.
And wish to be ransomed by all of those on earth among the people so that he would be safe from the torture of Allah. That is the blasphemer would wish that he would be able to ransom himself by any of those and had he been able to do it he would have done it.
Allah the Glorified started by mentioning the children, then the wife, then the brother to let it be known to His worshippers that due to the severe hardships that will befall the blasphemer on that Day, had he found a way to ransom himself by the most beloved people to his heart in this world and the closest to him in kinship, he would have done so.
Ibnu Hibban narrated from the route of ^Uqbah ibnu ^Amir, he said, I have seen the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam, say: “the sun shall come close to Earth and the people shall sweat, some of them their sweat will reach their ankles and some to half their shins and some to their knees and some to the mid thighs and some to the waist and some to the necks and some to the middle of their mouths, and he made a gesture with his hand bridling his mouth” and he said, “I have seen the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam, make such a gesture, and for some their sweat will cover them, and he made the gesture with his hand to signify that.”
Ibnu Hibban narrated also from the route of ^Abdullah ibnu Mas^ud may Allah accept his deeds, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam, said, the blasphemer shall be bridled by the sweat on the Day of Judgment, so he will say: Oh Allah relieve me even if You place me in Hellfire.
So this would be the status of the blasphemer who shall call out so that Allah will admit him into Hellfire as a result of the severity of what happens on that lengthy day of distress and agony when he stands to settle his account. So how would it be if he enters the fire of Hell? As to the pious believer, Allah shall shade him in the shade of al-^Arsh, when that will be the only shade. We ask Allah for safety in this world and in the hereafter.
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ﴿١٥﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:15] By no means will he be redeemed! For surely he would encounter the fervid Fire of Hell!-
Surely the wishes of the blasphemer to be ransomed shall not be fulfilled and he shall not escape the torture of Allah for Allah has prepared for the blasphemer on the Day of Judgment a fervid fire.
نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ ﴿١٦﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:16] Plucking out the skin of his head right to the skull!-
A fire that will pluck out the skin on the head of the blasphemer then restores it again. It was said that would pluck out the extremities of the blasphemer such as the hands and the feet. The meaning of the ayah contains that the intensity of the fire plucks out the extremities of the body and then those extremities would be recreated again continuously without an end.
Most of the scholars recited “nazza^atun” with a “damma” which means the fire is the one that affects the plucking and Hafs recited “nazza^tan” with a “fathah.”
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٧﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:17] It calls with words, him who blasphemed and turned and fled from truth, and claims him as the bird claims the seeds,
Allah creates the power of speech in the fire as well as in the body parts and the fire will invite to it those who turned away in this world from believing in Allah and His Messenger and being obedient. And the call of Hellfire would be, “come to me o one who associates partners with Allah, o blasphemer,” and thus would capture them as the bird picks the grains.
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ ﴿١٨﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:18] And amassed wealth then hoarded it and did not spend it in the ways of Allah.
And likewise would invite those who compiled wealth into their own containers and abstained from spending it in the ways of Allah.
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ﴿١٩﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:19] Surely man is created of an anxious miserly temperament
Certainly the human being was created miserly attached to wealth. And the explanation of this ayah comes in the the explanation of the following ayah.
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا ﴿٢٠﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:20] Being greatly impatient when evil afflicts him
If man was afflicted with evil he would be greatly scared and impatient.
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا ﴿٢١﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:21] And miserly when good befalls him
And when goodness befalls the human being and becomes wealthy would be stingy and not spend his wealth in the ways of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam said, “one of the most evil things a man encounters is being impatient when afflicted with hardships and evil and miserly with his wealth he doesn’t spend it in the ways of Allah.” This hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud and others. And al-Hafidh, the Jurisprudent, Muhammad Murtada az-Zabidiyy, the Hanafiyy scholar, may Allah endow His mercy upon him said in his book Sharh al-‘ihya’, the meaning of “one of the most evil things a man encounters” that is among his ill manners, and “Shuhhun Hali^” means miserly, very careful with his money, and “al-jaza^” means scared that it would be lost and “jubnun khali^” a cowardice that plucks his part away out of fear of the rest of the creation. Imam al-^Iraqi said this hadith of the Propeht was narrated by Abu Dawud from the route of Abu Hurayrah with a good chain of narration. This hadith was also narrated by al-Bukhariyy in his book at-Tarikh and al-Hakim in his book an-Nawadir and ibn Jarir in his book at-Tahlil and al-Bayhaqiyy in his book ash-Shuyu^. And ibn Tahir said it has a continuous chain of narration. This is the end of the statement of az-Zabidiyy.
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٢٢﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:22] Save those believers who pray,
However those who are believers and pray are excluded from that.
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:23] Those who remain steadfast to their prayer at its designated times;
They are the believers who are excluded and Allah attributed the good attributes of being patient to them. The meaning excluded are those who obey Allah in what Allah ordained obligatory upon them such as the prayers that they consistently perform at the prescribed times and do not leave it out.
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ ﴿٢٤﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:24] And those in whose wealth are the obligatory Zakat; the acknowledged right of Allah.
Those who pay, out of their money, the Zakat due on them.
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ ﴿٢٥﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:25] For the needy who asks and him who is prevented by his self pride and dignity from asking;
They pay it for the needy person who asks out of poverty and for the needy whose dignity prevents him from asking and it was said other than that.
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٢٦﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:26] And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
They are the believers who believe firmly in the Day of Judgment, that is, they believe in the Resurrection and the Assembly and the Reward and the settlement of accounts.
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:27] And those who are fearful of the chastisement of their Lord—thus do the obligations and refrain from the prohibitions.
They are the believers in this world who feared the torture of Allah so they were steadfast in performing the obligations and do not cross the boundaries.
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ ﴿٢٨﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:28] Surely the chastisement of their Lord is (a thing) not to be felt secure of—and are floating between fear of chastisement and hope for mercy.
No one is ought to feel entirely safe of the punishment of Allah, rather one ought to be in a state in between being fearful and being hopeful; fearful of the torture of Allah and hopeful of the mercy of Allah.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:29] And those who guard and preserve their private parts and chastity,
They are the ones who protect their private parts from the prohibitions such as adultery and the like. Al-Bukhariyy narrated in his book of as-Sahih about the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam, that he said, “the one who guarantees to me what is in between his jaws, that is the tongue, and what is between his legs, that is the private parts, I shall guarantee Paradise for him.”
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٣٠﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:30] Except with their wives and the women whom their right hands possess,- for then they are not to be blameworthy,
That is except for the women that Allah made lawful for them among the wives and the slave woman. Hence with such woman he is not blameworthy for enjoying them through sexual intercourse and other.
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:31] But those who seek to trespass beyond this; those are they who are transgressors;
As to those who seek beyond that, having sexual intercourse with other than the wife or the slave woman, they are the ones who are unjust and cross the boundary of what is halal to what is haram.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:32] And those who honor their trusts and are faithful to their covenant with Allah,-
They are the people who stand by the matters with which they have been entrusted whether sayings or doings or convictions or matters with which they are entrusted by others. Included in that is doing all the obligations and leaving out the prohibitions so one ought to fulfill all of that. And by safekeeping the things with which others have entrusted them. And they keep the promises that they make to Allah, they do not waist it, rather they perform it and implement it as Allah ordained and as Allah made obligatory upon them. Ibn Kathir alone recited “bi’amanatihim” that is without the “alif.”
وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:33] And those who are upright and carry out firm in their testimonies,
They are those who do not hold back their testimonies, rather they testify before the judges, without bias toward a relative or a descendant of the prophet or a strong person against a weak one, in a precise unchanged manner. This testimony is among the entrusted matters and it was specifically mentioned because of its merit because the rights of people are safe-kept through it and leaving it out would waste the rights of people.
Ibn Kathir and Nafi^ and Abu Amr and Ibn ^Amir and Hamzah and al-Kasa’iyy and Abu Bakir from the route of ^Asim they recited “bishahadatihim” and Hafs from the route of ^Asim recited “bishahadatihim” with an “alif”.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:34] And those who are attentive and keep a guard on performing their prayer,
The prayer was mentioned again to highlight its importance. They are those who perform the five obligatory prayers at their due times while fulfilling their conditions and integrals and recommendations.
أُولَـٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:35] These will dwell in the Gardens of Bliss, honored.
Those who are attributed with such attributes they shall be in the gardens of Paradise enjoying the generosities that Allah will endow upon them.
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:36] O Muhammad Now what is the matter with the Unbelievers that they rush in disbelief madly around you,
Therefore what is the matter with those who disbelieve in you o Muhammad, who rush to belie you? And it was said they rush to hear from you so that they may hold you at fault and mock you. And it was said they rush to you stretching their necks, gazing at you, the manner the enemies would look.
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ﴿٣٧﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:37] On to your right hand and on the left, in circles and groups?
Those blasphemers come from the right side of the Prophet and from his left side in separated circles and in sessions of larger groups turning away from you and from the Book of Allah.
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ ﴿٣٨﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:38] Does every man of them desire that he should be made to enter the garden of bliss similar to the believers?
Is it the case with these blasphemers that each and every man of them aspires to enter Paradise and enjoy it as the Muslims will do?
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٩﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:39] By no means! For We (Allah) have created them out of the sperm- chewed like bite of meat-clot, they know! lo the garden of bliss is due upon proper belief.
Definitely they shall not enter Paradise.
They do know that they are created from the sperm that turn into a chewed like bite of meat that turned into a clot just as the rest of their humankind were created. Hence they do not have a merit by which they deserve Paradise, rather Paradise is earned through belief and doing good deeds and the mercy of Allah the Exalted.
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:40] Indeed, I swear by the Lord of the Eastern rising-places and the Western setting-places of the sun that We (Allah) are powerful-
I do make adjuration by the Lord of the eastern rising places and the western setting places of the sun of every day. We (Allah) have the power to destroy them.
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ﴿٤١﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:41] And can replace them by others better than them. And we (Allah) are not to be defeated and overcome.
Allah said what means:We (Allah) have the power to destroy them and to create others who are better than them who will be more obedient to Allah. And indeed we are not powerless to destroy them and exchange them with others better than them. Indeed nothing escapes our power and we are not powerless to carry out any matter that we will.
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:42] Therefore leave them alone to plunge in vain talk and play about, until the Day of Judgment when they encounter that Day of theirs with which they are threatened with torture;
So leave these liars alone to plunge and fiddle with the matters of their world until such a time when they face the torture that they were promised on the Day of Judgment. Ibn Al Jawziyy said some scholars of interpretation said this ayah is abrogated by the ayah of as-Sayf, the Sword. And should we say that this ayah contains the threat of Allah with the torture of the Day of Judgment, then there is no grounds for abrogation.
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:43] The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as if they were rushing to the post of their idols.
It is the day when they shall exit their graves quickly when they hear the final sounding of the horn to answer the caller. The meaning therein is that they shall exit their graves quickly to the place of assembly as if they are rushing to the idols that they used to worship. Again, the meaning of the ayah is that they shall exit their graves quickly, rushing to the caller just as they used to rush to the idols that they used to worship to touch them. The people of the era of ignorance used to come to such idols to aggrandize them and worship them.
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
[Al-Ma^arij 70:44] Their eyes cast down; disgrace covering them all over! Such is the Day which they are promised.
They shall come, lowering their gazes without looking up because of the torture of Allah that they expect troubled and burdened with disgrace on the Day of Judgment, the day they disbelieved will come, on which they were promised the torture.