The Ascending Stairways

سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابٖ وَاقِعٖ

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٞ

To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ

[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent

تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمٖ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٖ

The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years

فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرٗا جَمِيلًا

So be patient with gracious patience

إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدٗا

Indeed, they see it [as] distant

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبٗا

But We see it [as] near

يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ

On the Day the sky will be like murky oil

وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ

And the mountains will be like wool

وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمٗا

And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ

They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children

وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ

And his wife and his brother

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ

And his nearest kindred who shelter him

وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ

And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him

كَلَّآۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ

No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell]

نَزَّاعَةٗ لِّلشَّوَىٰ

A remover of exteriors

تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ

And collected [wealth] and hoarded

۞إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا

Indeed, mankind was created anxious

إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعٗا

When evil touches him, impatient

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا

And when good touches him, withholding [of it]

إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ

Except the observers of prayer

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ

Those who are constant in their prayer

وَٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقّٞ مَّعۡلُومٞ

And those within whose wealth is a known right

لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ

For the petitioner and the deprived