Al-Ma'aarij

سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ۱

{ سأل سآئل } دعا داع { بعذاب واقع }.

A petitioner petitioned, a supplicator supplicated [for], an impending chastisement

لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٌ ۲

{ للكفرين ليس له دافع } هو النضر بن الحرث قال «اللهم إن كان هذا هو الحق» الآية.

— which in the case of the disbelievers none can avert: this was al-Nadr b. al-Hārith who said, ‘O God, if this be indeed the truth from You … [then rain down upon us stones from the heaven’ [Q. 8:32],

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِى ٱلْمَعَارِجِ ۳

{ من الله } متصل بواقع { ذي المعارج } مصاعد الملائكة وهي السماوات.

from God (mina’Llāhi is semantically connected to wāqi‘in, ‘impending’), Lord of the Ascensions, the ascension routes of the angels, which are the heavens.

تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ ۴

{ تعرج } بالتاء والياء { الملئكة والروح } جبريل { إليه } إلى مهبط أمره من السماء { فى يوم } متعلق بمحذوف، أي يقع العذاب بهم في يوم القيامة { كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة } بالنسبة إلى الكافر لما يلقى فيه من الشدائد، وأما المؤمن فيكون عليه أخف من صلاة مكتوبة يصليها في الدنيا كما جاء في الحديث.

To Him, to the place in the heaven to which His command descends, ascend (read [feminine person] ta‘ruju or [masculine person] ya‘ruju) the angels and the Spirit, Gabriel, in a day (fī yawmin is semantically connected to an omitted clause, that is to say, ‘[in a day] in which the chastisement befalls them’, on the Day of Resurrection) whose span is fifty thousand years, from the perspective of the disbeliever, on account of the calamities he will encounter in it — but as for the believer, it [the mentioned day] will be easier for him than an obligatory prayer which he performs in this world, as stated in hadīth.

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا ۵

{ فاصبر } وهذا قبل أن يؤمر بالقتال { صبرا جميلا } أي لا جزع فيه.

So be patient — this was [revealed] before he [the Prophet] was commanded to fight — with a graceful patience, that is, one in which there is no anguish.

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُۥ بَعِيدًا ۶

{ إنهم يرونه } أي العذاب { بعيدا } غير واقع.

Lo! they see it, that is, the chastisement, as [being] far off, as never taking place;

وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًا ۷

{ ونره قريبا } واقعا لا محالة.

while We see it [to be] near, taking place without a doubt.

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ ۸

{ يوم تكون السمآء } متعلق بمحذوف أي يقع { كالمهل } كذائب الفضة.

The day when the heaven will be (yawma takūnu’l-samā’u is semantically connected to an omitted clause, implicitly taken to be yaqa‘u, ‘it will take place’) as molten silver,

وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ۹

{ وتكون الجبال كالعهن } كالصوف في الخفة والطيران بالريح.

and the mountains will be as flakes of wool, in terms of [their] lightness and [their] floating about in the wind.

وَلَا يَسْـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا ۱۰

{ ولا يسئل حميم حميما } قريب قريبه لاشتغال كل بحاله.

And no friend will inquire about his friend, [no] relative [will inquire] about his relative, each being preoccupied with his own predicament.

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ ٱلْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍۭ بِبَنِيهِ ۱۱

{ يبصرونهم } أي يبصر الأحماء بعضهم بعضا ويتعارفون ولا يتكلمون، والجملة مستأنفة { يود المجرم } يتمنى الكافر { لو } بمعنى أن { يفتدي من عذاب يومئذ } بكسر الميم وفتحها { ببنيه }.

They will [however] be made to see them, that is, friends will catch sight of one another, recognising one another but refraining from speaking [to one another] (the sentence [yubassarūnahum] is a new [independent] one). The guilty one will desire, the disbeliever will yearn, to ransom himself from the chastisement of that day (read [min ‘adhābi] yawmi’dhin or [min ‘adhābin] yawma’idhin) at the price of his children,

وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَأَخِيهِ ۱۲

{ وصحبته } زوجته { وأخيه }.

and his companion, his wife, and his brother,