Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah centers on proving the absolute certainty of the Day of Judgment and the impending punishment, which the polytheists challenged Allah to hasten. It establishes monotheism through proofs of creation, describes the terrifying ascent of the angels and the long duration of the Final Day, and contrasts the virtuous deeds of the believers with the arrogance of the deniers.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus. 

Context: The surah was revealed to answer the arrogant challenge of a polytheist who scoffed at the threat of punishment and requested that Allah bring it upon them immediately.

Chronology: It is counted as the 78th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah and before al-Naba’.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah is known by three names: "Sūrat al-Maʿārij" (The Ascending Stairways) due to this word appearing in ayah 3; "Sūrat Sa’ala Sā’il" (A Questioner Asked); and "Sūrat al-Wāqiʿ" (The Occurring/Inevitable) due to the opening ayah.

Ayah Count: 44 ayahs (Majority) or 43 (Shām).

Surah Overview:

• Threatening the disbelievers with the inevitability of punishment and establishing the reality of the Day of Judgment. [1-7]
• Describing the overwhelming terrors of the Day of Judgment, such as the sky becoming molten brass and the mountains resembling colored wool. [8-18]
• Establishing the duration and majesty of Allah (who possesses the ways of ascent) and the vastness of His dominion. [3-4]
• Describing the arrogance of the polytheists who mocked the Prophet (ﷺ) and rushed from their graves on the Day of Judgment. [36-44]
• Highlighting the virtues of the believers that grant them eternal honor and contrasting them with the faults of the disbelievers. [22-35]
• Detailing the necessary spiritual virtues: maintaining prayer, spending from wealth [24], guarding one's chastity, and fulfilling trusts. [23-35]
• Consoling the Prophet (ﷺ) and commanding him to be steadfast in the face of mockery and rejection. [5]
• Warning the disbelievers that Allah is capable of replacing them with a better people. [40-41]