Verses 1–18
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ١ لِلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ٢ مِنَ اللَّهِ 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 وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنْجِيهِ ١٤ كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ١٥ نَزَّاعَةً لِلشَّوَىٰ ١٦ تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ١٧ وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ ١٨
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
- A demander asked for a punishment inevitable,
- for the disbelievers there is no deflector for it,
- from Allah, Lord of the Stairways.
- The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him on a day whose span is fifty thousand years.
- So be patient, with a patience that is graceful.
- Indeed they see it to be far off,
- and We see it to be near.
- The day when the sky will be like molten copper,
- and the mountains like [tufts of carded] wool,
- and no friend will inquire about [the welfare of their] friend,
- [though] they will be placed within each other’s sight. The guilty one will wish if he could ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children,
- his spouse and his brother,
- his kin which had sheltered him
- and all those who are upon the earth, so that he may be delivered.
- Never! Indeed it is a blazing fire,
- which strips away the limbs.
- It calls him who turned back [from the truth] and forsook [it],
- and amassed [wealth] and hoarded [it].
Introduction & Commentary
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 44 verses. The theme of this sūrah is a description of the Day of Resurrection, including the grievous punishment that await the disbelievers on that day. The sūrah begins by narrating that someone demanded God’s punishment for the disbelievers. It says that this punishment, which is inevitable, is bound to occur in the near future, though the audience deem it to be far. The chapter then describes the characteristics of that day and the punishment in store therein, except for the believers who adhere to true beliefs and perform the good deeds that are made incumbent upon them.
The above theme of this sūrah resembles the Meccan sūrahs. However, some exegetes have claimed that the verse, and in whose wealth there is a known right (), is Medinan. This makes sense because a known right apparently implies zakāt (poor-rate, prescribed religious tax), which was legislated in Medina, following the Prophet’s migration from Mecca. If this verse is Medinan, it entails that the other fourteen verses in the same set should also be Medinan. That would include verses (except those who perform their daily prayers… They will be in gardens, held in honor). This is based on the contextual unity and the mutual implication between these verses. Meanwhile, these verses are mentioned as an exception to a previous set of verses. Hence, if these verses are Medinan, then at least the three verses before them should also be Medinan: Indeed man, was created fickle, given to anxiety… niggardly [when good comes his way] (). Furthermore, the verse Now what is the matter with those who disbelieve that keep staring at you? () is stated as a consequence of the previous verses, as indicated by the letter fāʾ (so, then, therefore) at the beginning of the verse. And the verses that appear after it until the end of the sūrah are contextually consistent. This entails that from verse 36 onwards should have been revealed in Medina as well.
From another angle, the final part of the chapter is thematically commensurate with the description of the hypocrites who were around the Prophet in Medina: from the left and the right in batches (). The hypocrites were apparent Muslims who had not fully embraced the commands that God had revealed to His Prophet. There are two verses in particular that are most pertinent to the hypocrites, as we shall discuss below: Does each [man] among them hope to be admitted to the garden of bliss? (); to replace [them] by [others] better than them (). We know that the hypocrites emerged in Medina rather than in Mecca. There is no problem with referring to the hypocrites as: Those who disbelieve (). The same description is found in Sūrah al-Tawbah and elsewhere in the Qur’an.
Another indication is that as the exegetes have narrated, this chapter was revealed in response to the claim: O Allah! If this be the truth in Your eyes, rain down upon us stones from the sky, or bring us a grievous punishment (). The context of that verse is clearly Medinan, not Meccan, as we discussed under the verse.
Meanwhile, it is narrated from Imam al-Ṣādiq that a known right () means a fixed share that is allocated voluntarily by the person, not the obligatory zakāt. It is also said that the exegetes unanimously agree that this chapter was revealed in Mecca. However, their consensus is not valid when there is clear evidence against it. Similarly, we cannot rely on the narration from Ibn ʿAbbās saying that this sūrah was revealed after Sūrah al-Ḥāqqah (69, which is Meccan).
سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ١
(70:1) A demander asked (saʾala, from suʾāl) for a punishment (bi-ʿadhāb) inevitable,
What is meant by suʾāl (question, request) here is “demand and appeal,” because the verb is made transitive with the letter bāʾ (lit. with, by; here translated as “for”). Another similar usage is seen in the verse: There they will call (yadʿūna) for every (bi-kull) fruit, in safety () [where the verb yadʿūna (lit. call) means request]. Some exegetes have said that the letter bāʾ here implies special attention and deliberation. Others maintain that the letter bāʾ is zāʾidah (extra, redundant, semantically empty), added only to indicate emphasis. Either way, all these viewpoints imply that the request was out of disbelief and defiance.
Some exegetes have said that the letter bāʾ here is equivalent to the preposition ʿan (about, concerning), as also used in the verse: So ask someone who (fa-isʾal bihi) is well aware about him (). However, the letter bāʾ in verse does not mean ʿan. Further, the context of the following verses—particularly the verse So be patient, with a patience that is graceful ()—is not commensurate with suʾāl in the sense of inquiry. It is not a mere request for knowledge and clarification.
The verse reports a defiant disbeliever’s demand for punishment. The adjective mentioned for the punishment—inevitable—shows in a pejorative way that the request is indeed granted. Another description of this punishment is given in the next verse: there is no deflector for it ().
لِلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ٢
(70:2) for the disbelievers there is no deflector for it,
This verse presents two qualities for the punishment mentioned in the last verse: (1) it is for the disbelievers; and (2) there is no deflector for it. The meaning of the first two verses is: “A demander from amongst the disbelievers asked God to send down a punishment which shall indeed befall. There is no escape from this punishment. It does not fail to strike the disbelievers whether they ask for it or not.” This positive response to their request implies derision and humiliation.
مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ ٣
(70:3) From Allah, Lord of the Stairways (al-maʿārij).
This verse could connect to either deflector () or punishment (). Therefore there are two possible meanings for it: (1) He asked for a punishment that no one is authorized from God to divert it. Obviously, if anyone were to deflect God’s punishment, it could only be someone from Him. (2) He asked for a punishment from God.
Maʿārij is the plural of maʿraj. Here is a list of suggested interpretations for it by the exegetes:
(1) Maʿārij is synonymous with maṣāʿid (means of ascension), which means “ladders.” It refers to the stages traversed by the angels in their ascension toward God. In fact, the following verse interprets what is meant here: The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him on a day… (). God has a hierarchy of steps and stations in the angelic realm (malakūt), through which the angels and the Spirit ascend toward God. This will be according to their proximity to Him; These stations are not merely conventional or mentally constructed positions, but they represent the existential proximity of the angels to the Absolute.
(2) Maʿārij are the stages of ascent of true beliefs and righteous deeds, as per the verses: To Him ascends the good word and He elevates righteous conduct (); Rather, it is your Godwariness that reaches Him ().
(3) Maʿārij are the stations of divine proximity, which the believers attain through their faith and righteous conduct, as the Qur’an says: They have ranks with Allah, and Allah sees best what they do (); They shall have ranks near their Lord, forgiveness and a noble provision (); Raiser of ranks, Lord of the Throne ().
Comment: The last two interpretations can also be reduced to the first one. The stages mentioned here are real existential positions, not mental constructs and social conventions.
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ ٤
(70:4) The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him on a day whose span is fifty thousand years.
Given the verses that follow, a day here is the Day of Resurrection. As some exegetes have explained, that day is described as being fifty thousand years in the sense that if it were to be projected onto this world and mapped to the realm of time, it would last fifty thousand years of this world.
The ascention of the angels and Spirit toward God on that day is part of the return of everything to Him. The Day of Resurrection is a day when the intermediaries and instruments will disappear, and that is exactly the reality of the angels: they serve as intermediaries appointed over the events of this world. As God severs the causal connections between the entities in creation, the angels will return to God and ascend to their stations. That is when they will surround the divine Throne, as God says: and you will see the angels surrounding the Throne (); on the day when the Spirit and the angels stand in an array ().
It is clear that the Spirit (al-rūḥ) in this verse is that which is of the divine command: Say, “The Spirit is of the command of my Lord” (). The Spirit is a being other than the angels, as apparently attested in the verse: He sends down the angels with the Spirit of His command (). Therefore, we should disregard the view that the Spirit in this verse is Gabriel. Yes, Gabriel is called “the Trustworthy Spirit” (al-rūḥ al-amīn) and “the Holy Spirit” (rūḥ al-qudus): brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit upon your heart (); Say, “The Holy Spirit has brought it down duly from your Lord” (). However, both of these titles of Gabriel are qualified [by either Trustworthy or Holy], while the current verse says the Spirit (al-rūḥ) in an unqualified form. The two are not equivalent.
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا ٥
(70:5) So be patient, with a patience that is graceful.
Since the abovementioned request of punishment was out of arrogance and defiance, here God orders the Prophet to be patient. “Graceful patience” means such patience that is free from any sense of fret, complaint or agitation. This command is then justified by saying that the promised day—with its punishment—shall come soon.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا ٦ وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا ٧
(70:6-7) Indeed they see it to be far off, and We see it to be near.
The two pronouns “it” can refer to either the punishment, or the Day of Resurrection (in which the punishment will befall). The first possibility is corroborated by the following verse: The day when the sky will be like molten copper (). “Seeing” here means “belief,” used metaphorically. “Far” means “far from possibility.” Demanding God’s punishment out of arrogance against His religion and rejection of His command is certainly incompatible with belief in the hereafter, even if the person affirms it verbally. God sees it [the punishment, or the day] near, which refers to His knowledge of its occurrence. “Anything that is bound to come is [practically] near.”
These two verses justify the previous command to have a graceful patience. Indeed one would more easily endure difficulties and put up with hardships if one is assured that an improvement is in prospect, and is constantly mindful of it. The verses are effectively saying: “Despite their arrogance and defiant requests of punishment, you bear patiently. Do not mix your graceful patience with complaint or restlessness, because indeed We know that their punishment is very near, though they imagine it to be far off. And what We know never differs from the reality. Rather, what We know is exactly that reality.”
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ ٨
(70:8) The day when the sky will be like molten copper (kal-muhl),
Muhl means “molten metal,” such as molten copper or gold. Other suggested definitions are: (1) “grease residue”; (2) “inferior tar.” Given the context of the verses, the day in this verse identifies the time of a punishment inevitable ().
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ ٩
(70:9) And the mountains like [tufts of carded] wool (kal-ʿihn),
The word ʿihn denotes wool. Perhaps it specifically means “carded wool” here, based on the verse: and the hills will be like carded wool (). Some have defined ʿihn as “red wool.” Others have suggested “dyed wool,” because hills are of different colors: And in the mountains are stripes white and red, of diverse hues, and [others] pitch black ().
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ١٠
(70:10) And no friend (ḥamīm) will inquire about [the welfare of their] friend,
Ḥamīm means “a close friend [or relative] that is kind and caring toward one.” This verse depicts the hardships of that day [of Resurrection]. Everyone will be so preoccupied with themselves that they will totally forget their friends. They will not even inquire about their close friends because of their personal problems.
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ ١١ وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ١٢ وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ ١٣ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنْجِيهِ ١٤
(70:11-14) [Though] they will be placed within each other’s sight. (yubaṣṣarūnahum, from ibṣār) The guilty one will wish (yawaddu, from mawaddah) if he could ransom (yaftadī, from iftidāʾ) himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children, his spouse and his brother, his kin (faṣīlatihi) which had sheltered him and all those who are upon the earth, so that he may be delivered.
Given the context of the verses, the subject and object here are “friends,” mentioned in the last verse. The verb ibṣār (to be shown) is ditransitive, and synonymous with irāʾah (to make someone see something) and īḍāḥ (to clarify something to someone). The meaning is: “Everyone is shown their close friends and relatives, yet they are so preoccupied with their own plight that they do not inquire about their friends.”
This single term (yubaṣṣarūnahum) is an independent sentence which stands on its own. It is stated as a reply to an assumed question. It is as if when the Qur’an says: and no friend will inquire about [the welfare of their] friend (), a question is raised: “Do these friends see each other on that day?” So the verse replies: they will be placed within each other’s sight. Another possibility is that this term serves as an adjective for “friend” (ḥamīman) at the end of the last verse.
Here are three other interpretations for the subject and object here, suggested by some exegetes: (1) The angels will be shown to the disbelievers. (2) The believers will be shown the disbelievers who opposed them in punishment, and this will be soothing to them. (3) The disbelievers will be shown their chiefs and leaders who misguided them. However, all of these are implausible views, without any evidence to support them.
Majmaʿ al-bayān says:
The word mawaddah is homonymous with two meanings: tamannī (to wish, to desire, to yearn) and maḥabbah (to love, to like). For instance, wadadtuhu is used to mean “I desire it” and also “I love him.”
Iftidāʾ (to redeem, to ransom) means “to free something by paying something in exchange for it.”
A qabīlah (tribe) is a group of people who share a common ancestor. A subset of that with a more recent and proximate common forefather is called a faṣīlah (clan, kin).
Faṣīlah is a subset of a tribe, distinguished by a more immediate father than the shared ancestor of the entire tribe.
Concerning mawaddah, it could be that its main and original meaning is “love,” and it implies “wish” as a component of that (called taḍammun and taḍmīn). According to some exegetes, faṣīlah means close relatives from whom one has emerged (faṣala), such as one's closest fathers.
The theme of these verses is escalating the previous discussion by saying, “Not only that, but also…” The punishment of the sinners will be so grievous on that day that they will wish they could pay in ransom their loved ones and closest relatives, such as their children, their spouses, their brothers, their entire clan, and everyone on the face of the earth. So not only they will not have the occasion to inquire about their friends, but they will wish they could hand them over only to redeem themselves.
Yawaddu means yatamanná (wishes, desires, yearns). Al-mujrim (the guilty one, the sinner) is one who is immersed in ijrām (wrongdoing, sin, iniquity), which is more general in scope than a disbeliever.
… if he could ransom himself from the punishment of that day…: This sentence indicates what the guilty one will wish. It serves as the object of the verb yawaddu (will wish). His children are the most beloved individuals to him. His spouse is one with whom he found peace and used to rest. Perhaps he gave priority to her over his own parents. His brother was his equal [in birth] who used to support him. His kin are his closest relatives which had sheltered him. To all of this is added:
… and all those who (man) are upon the earth…: The Arabic particle man (who) here indicates all intelligent beings. So that he may be delivered: This is the meaning of iftidāʾ (to ransom something for another).
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ١٥ نَزَّاعَةً لِلشَّوَىٰ ١٦ تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ١٧ وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ ١٨
(70:15-18) Never (kallā)! Indeed it is a blazing fire (laẓá), which strips away (nazzāʿah) the limbs (lil-shawá). It calls him who turned back [from the truth] and forsook [it], and amassed [wealth] and hoarded [it] (fa-awʿá, from īʿāʾ).
Kallā (never) denotes rejection and prohibition. The pronoun “it”—in Indeed it is—refers to hell or the fire on that day. It is called laẓá since it flares and flames (tatalaẓẓá). Nazzāʿah is an intensive form derived from the verb nazʿ, which means iqtilāʿ (to strip away, to extirpate). Īʿāʾ means placing something—like wealth—in a wiʿāʾ (container, receptacle). Al-Rāghib says:
“Shawá means the peripheries, such as the limbs. Ramāhu fa-ashawāhu means that he shot at him and struck his limbs (shawá).”
Kallā (never, by no means) rejects the sinners’ desire to be delivered from punishment through ransom. The next verses state the reason for this rejection: because it is a blazing fire… (). That is: They cannot ransom themselves in anyway whatsoever because the hell is a blazing fire which burns up the limbs and seeks the guilty ones in order to punish them.
Indeed it is a blazing fire: That fire is marked by being ablaze. This is a quality which hellfire never ceases to have. It is a fire which cannot not be extinguished.
Which strips away the limbs: Hellfire is also marked by burning the limbs and destroying the organs of the people. Its excruciating effects cannot be averted.
It calls him who turned back [from the truth] and forsook [it], and amassed [wealth] and hoarded [it]: Hellfire seeks those who turn away from the divine call to believe in God and worship Him; those who amass wealth, store them in treasures, and refuse to give them in charity to the needy and the deprived. This meaning is commensurate with the following exceptive clauses, which refer to prayer and charity [].
Examining Narrations
- Imam al-Ṣādiq narrated from his fathers: The Messenger of God appointed ʿAlī [as his successor] and said, “For whomever I am a master, so shall ʿAlī be his master” (man kuntu mawlāhu fa-ʿAlī mawlāhu). The news of this spread in all towns.
Nuʿmān b. Ḥārith al-Fahrī came to the Prophet and said, “You commanded us to testify that there is no god but Allah and you are God’s Messenger. You commanded us to [observe] the jihad, the pilgrimage, the fasting, the prayer and the almsgiving. We obliged [to all these]. But you were still not satisfied unless you appointed this boy [as your successor over us], and said, ‘For whomever I am a master, so shall ʿAlī be his master.’ Is this something from yourself or a command from God?”
“By Allah besides Whom there is no god,” the Prophet replied, “this is indeed from God.”
Nuʿmān b. Ḥārith turned away and said, “O Allah, if this be the truth from You, rain down upon us stones from the sky ().” So God threw a stone on his head, which cost his life. Then God revealed: A demander asked for a punishment inevitable ().
Author’s comment: This hadith is narrated through more than one chain of transmission in Shia sources. Some scholars have rejected it as fabricated on the basis that the chapter was revealed in Mecca. However, we already discussed the problem with the chapter being Meccan.
- Concerning verse (A demander asked…) Ibn ʿAbbās said: That was Naḍr b. al-Ḥārith who said: “O Allah, if this be the truth from You, rain down upon us stones from the sky ().”
- Concerning verse (A demander asked…) al-Suddī said: The verse was revealed in Mecca about Naḍr b. al-Ḥārith, who said: “O Allah, if this be the truth from You… ().” His punishment came in the Battle of Badr.
Author’s comment: The same idea has been narrated from [early exegetes] other than al-Suddī. According to some Sunni narrations, the person who said, O Allah, if this be the truth from You… () was al-Ḥārith b. ʿAlqamah, who was from ʿAbd al-Dār [tribe]. Other accounts say that it was Abū Jahl b. Hishām who asked this on the day of Badr. This means that the current chapter must have been revealed in Medina. What is certain is that the chapter was revealed after the revelation of the verse: O Allah, if this be the truth from You… (). We also had a discussion on the theme and connection of the verses.
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said: “Lo! Reckon the deeds of yourselves before God reckons your deeds, for indeed there will be fifty stops on the Day of Resurrection, and each stop will be like a thousand years of your measure [in this world].” Then, he recited the verse: On a day whose span is fifty thousand years ().
- Once the Messenger of God was told [concerning verse ], “Such a long day it shall be!” But the Prophet replied, “By the One Who has the life of Muḥammad in His hand, it will be discounted for the believers, such that it will be lighter for them than an obligatory daily prayer that they prayed in this world.”
- Concerning The day when the sky will be like molten copper (al-muhl) () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: It [al-muhl] means molten lead and copper. The sky will melt in like manner.
- Concerning they will be placed within each other’s sight () Imam al-Bāqir said: They will recognize one another, but will not inquire about each other[’s well-being].
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says concerning which strips away the limbs () says: “It [hellfire] will pluck out their eyes and roast their faces black.” It calls him who turned back [from the truth] and forsook [it] (): “It [hellfire] will drag them [the sinners] toward itself.”
Therefore, the author’s view is that this sūrah was revealed entirely in Medina. Apparently he wrote Meccan at the beginning of the sūrah only in order to reflect the conventional view held by the majority of exegetes. (Trans.) ↩︎
This verse is a complete sentence with an independent meaning, but this independent meaning is itself an attribute for the aforementioned punishment. (Trans.) ↩︎
This is a famous Prophetic narration and proverb that is reported in several Sunni and Shia sources. See hadith number 4 under verses . (Trans.) ↩︎
The meaning would be: “No friend will inquire about the welfare of their friend within their sight.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of Sayyid Abū al-Ḥamad, on the authority of al-Ḥākim Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaskānī, up to Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Fāryābī, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, al-Ḥākim (who has authenticated it) and Ibn Mardawayh. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim. ↩︎
See the author’s “Introduction” above, where he favors the view that the chapter is Medinan. (Trans.) ↩︎
Al-Ṭūsī’s al-Amālī, via its chain of narration. The same idea is also narrated from the Imam in Rawḍat al-kāfī, on the authority of Ḥafṣ b. Ghiyāth. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī. This is also narrated from the Prophet in al-Durr al-manthūr, from several collections of hadith, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of Abū al-Jārūd. ↩︎