Skip to content
Quran MP4
Create video

Surah 70

Surah Al-Ma'arij (The Ascending Stairways)

المعارج

Also written: Maarij

Surah Al-Ma'arij (المعارج) is surah 70 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 44 ayahs, was revealed in Mecca (Meccan), and its name means “The Ascending Stairways”.

Read in Arabic & EnglishPrint / Save as PDF
Number
70
Ayahs
44
Revelation
Meccan
Meaning
The Ascending Stairways

Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.

About Surah Al-Ma'arij

Al-Ma’arij, “The Ascending Stairways”, is a Meccan surah that begins with someone mockingly demanding the punishment he was warned of. It describes God as the Lord of the ways of ascent, by which angels rise to Him on a day of immense length, counsels the Prophet to “beautiful patience”, and then offers a candid portrait of human nature — and of the people of prayer who rise above it.

Main themes

  • The challenge and the ascent (70:1–7): a questioner asks for a punishment that cannot be averted; angels and the Spirit ascend to God in a day whose length is fifty thousand years. The Prophet is told to show sabr jamil, patience without complaint — they see the Day as far off, but God sees it as near.
  • The Day of no ransom (70:8–18): the sky like molten metal and the mountains like tufts of wool; no friend asks after a friend, and the guilty would ransom himself with his children, spouse, brother, clan and everyone on earth.
  • Human nature (70:19–21): a person is created restless — anxious when harm touches him and withholding when good comes his way.

The exceptions

70:22–35 name those who are free of this: people constant in prayer; those who recognise a known right in their wealth for the one who asks and the one deprived; who believe in the Day of Judgement and fear their Lord’s punishment; who guard their chastity; who keep trusts and promises; who stand firm in their testimony; and who safeguard their prayers. The list begins and ends with prayer, and these people are promised honour in gardens. A similar list opens Surah Al-Mu'minun (23).

The final verses (70:36–44) describe the deniers crowding around the Prophet in groups and ask whether each of them hopes to enter Paradise unearned. The questioner of the first verse is identified by several commentators as a leader of the Quraysh, though reports differ.

Frequently asked questions

What does Al-Ma'arij mean?
The Ascending Stairways or ways of ascent, describing God as the Lord of the paths by which angels rise to Him (verse 3).
Which verse mentions a day of fifty thousand years?
Verse 4 of Surah Al-Ma'arij.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Ma'arij?
44.
How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Ma'arij?
Surah Al-Ma'arij has 44 ayahs. It is surah number 70 in the Quran and is Meccan.
Can I read Surah Al-Ma'arij in English or save it as a PDF?
Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
Is Surah Al-Ma'arij the same as Surah Maarij?
Yes. Maarij and Al-Ma'arij are different English spellings of the same surah name, المعارج.

Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.

Making a video of Surah Al-Ma'arij

Surah Al-Ma'arij has 44 ayahs, so most videos use a passage from it rather than the whole surah. Choose the ayahs you want on the new-project page; one to five ayahs suit a Reel or Short, while longer passages work better in 16:9 for YouTube.

In the editor, the Online Recitations tab lists the reciters Quran Foundation provides for this surah. See how to create a Quran video for the full steps.

Create a video from Surah Al-Ma'arij

Free · no account needed · MP4 export

Surah Al-Ma'arij in Arabic with English meaning

Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.

  1. سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابࣲ وَاقِعࣲ ۝١

    70:1A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

  2. لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعࣱ ۝٢

    70:2To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer

  3. مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ ۝٣

    70:3[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent

  4. تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمࣲ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةࣲ ۝٤

    70:4The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years

  5. فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرࣰا جَمِيلًا ۝٥

    70:5So be patient with gracious patience

  6. إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدࣰا ۝٦

    70:6Indeed, they see it [as] distant

  7. وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبࣰا ۝٧

    70:7But We see it [as] near

  8. يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ ۝٨

    70:8On the Day the sky will be like murky oil

  9. وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ۝٩

    70:9And the mountains will be like wool

  10. وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمࣰا ۝١٠

    70:10And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend

  11. يُبَصَّرُونَهُمۡۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُ لَوۡ يَفۡتَدِي مِنۡ عَذَابِ يَوۡمِئِذِۭ بِبَنِيهِ ۝١١

    70:11They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children

  12. وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ۝١٢

    70:12And his wife and his brother

  13. وَفَصِيلَتِهِ ٱلَّتِي تُـٔۡوِيهِ ۝١٣

    70:13And his nearest kindred who shelter him

  14. وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعࣰا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ ۝١٤

    70:14And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him

  15. كَلَّآۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ۝١٥

    70:15No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell]

  16. نَزَّاعَةࣰ لِّلشَّوَىٰ ۝١٦

    70:16A remover of exteriors

  17. تَدۡعُواْ مَنۡ أَدۡبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ۝١٧

    70:17It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]

  18. وَجَمَعَ فَأَوۡعَىٰٓ ۝١٨

    70:18And collected [wealth] and hoarded

  19. ۞إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا ۝١٩

    70:19Indeed, mankind was created anxious

  20. إِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ جَزُوعࣰا ۝٢٠

    70:20When evil touches him, impatient

  21. وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلۡخَيۡرُ مَنُوعًا ۝٢١

    70:21And when good touches him, withholding [of it]

  22. إِلَّا ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ ۝٢٢

    70:22Except the observers of prayer

  23. ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ دَآئِمُونَ ۝٢٣

    70:23Those who are constant in their prayer

  24. وَٱلَّذِينَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقࣱّ مَّعۡلُومࣱ ۝٢٤

    70:24And those within whose wealth is a known right

  25. لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ ۝٢٥

    70:25For the petitioner and the deprived

  26. وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ ۝٢٦

    70:26And those who believe in the Day of Recompense

  27. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ ۝٢٧

    70:27And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord

  28. إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمۡ غَيۡرُ مَأۡمُونࣲ ۝٢٨

    70:28Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe

  29. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ ۝٢٩

    70:29And those who guard their private parts

  30. إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ ۝٣٠

    70:30Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed

  31. فَمَنِ ٱبۡتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡعَادُونَ ۝٣١

    70:31But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors

  32. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِأَمَٰنَٰتِهِمۡ وَعَهۡدِهِمۡ رَٰعُونَ ۝٣٢

    70:32And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive

  33. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمۡ قَآئِمُونَ ۝٣٣

    70:33And those who are in their testimonies upright

  34. وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ ۝٣٤

    70:34And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer

  35. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ فِي جَنَّـٰتࣲ مُّكۡرَمُونَ ۝٣٥

    70:35They will be in gardens, honored

  36. فَمَالِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ قِبَلَكَ مُهۡطِعِينَ ۝٣٦

    70:36So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muhammad]

  37. عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ ۝٣٧

    70:37[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups

  38. أَيَطۡمَعُ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيࣲٕ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن يُدۡخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمࣲ ۝٣٨

    70:38Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure

  39. كَلَّآۖ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٣٩

    70:39No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know

  40. فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغَٰرِبِ إِنَّا لَقَٰدِرُونَ ۝٤٠

    70:40So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings that indeed We are able

  41. عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيۡرࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَسۡبُوقِينَ ۝٤١

    70:41To replace them with better than them; and We are not to be outdone

  42. فَذَرۡهُمۡ يَخُوضُواْ وَيَلۡعَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يُلَٰقُواْ يَوۡمَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٢

    70:42So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised

  43. يَوۡمَ يَخۡرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ سِرَاعࣰا كَأَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ نُصُبࣲ يُوفِضُونَ ۝٤٣

    70:43The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening

  44. خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةࣱۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ ۝٤٤

    70:44Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised