تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ 4
Translations
The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
Transliteration
Ta'ruju al-mala'ikatu wa ar-ruhu ilayhi fi yawmin kana miqdaruhu khamseena alfa sanah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the ascension of the angels and the Spirit (Jibril) to Allah on the Day of Judgment, which will be measured as fifty thousand years in earthly time. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this to mean that what humans perceive as an extremely long duration on the Day of Judgment will be compressed and swift in the sight of Allah, emphasizing the incomprehensible nature of divine time and the vastness of the Day of Judgment's events. The 'Spirit' (ar-ruh) is understood by most scholars to refer to Jibril (Gabriel), the chief of angels, leading the ascension of all angels with their records of human deeds.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Ma'arij is a Meccan surah that deals with the realities of the Day of Judgment and its terrors. This ayah appears in the context of describing the events of Yawm al-Qiyamah (Day of Resurrection), where disbelievers deny the resurrection and mock the believers' faith in it. The surah was revealed to strengthen the believers' conviction in the afterlife amid Meccan opposition.
Related Hadiths
In Sahih Muslim, there is a hadith from Abu Hurairah where the Prophet (ﷺ) mentions that fifty thousand years will be required for people to be judged on the Day of Judgment. Additionally, in Sunan Ibn Majah, the Prophet describes the intensity and duration of the Day of Judgment, reinforcing the Quranic message of this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the Day of Judgment, though seemingly impossibly long, represents a reality beyond human temporal understanding, and should inspire profound consciousness of Allah's omniscience and the weight of accountability. The mention of angels recording and ascending with our deeds should motivate righteous conduct in this life, knowing that every action is witnessed and will be presented before Allah.