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سُورَةُ المَعَارِجِ · 70:1
MeccanRevelation order ٧٩Juzʾ ٢٩Page ٥٦٨

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌۢ بِعَذَابٍۢ وَاقِعٍۢ

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Saheeh International · EN

A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen

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Introduction

This is āyah 1 of Sūrat Al-Ma'aarij (The Ascending Stairways), the 79th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 29. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
79 of 114
Surah
Al-Ma'aarij (70)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) [70:1]. This verse was revealed about al-Nadr ibn al-Harith when he said [as reported in the Qur�an] (O Allah! if this be indeed the truth from Thee, then rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom!) [8:32], and so he prayed against himself and asked for chastisement. He got what he asked for at the Battle of Badr when he was killed in captivity. And the verse (A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) was revealed about him.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ - لِلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ - مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ - تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ - فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا - إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا - وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا (1. A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall)(2. Upon the disbelievers, which none can avert,)(3. From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent.)(4. The angels and the Ruh ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.)(5. So be patient, with a good patience.)(6. Verily, they see it (the torment) afar off.)(7. But We see it near.) A Request to hasten the Day of Judgement سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ (A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall) This Ayah cont…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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