Suwar Quran

Surah Al-Ma'arij explained for children, in pictures

People get anxious and stingy, except those who keep up prayer, charity and trust

44 verses · 11 lessons · Juz Tabarak

Meaning from Tafsir Al-Muyassar, simplified for children. Reviewed by Sherif Alkady, 17 October 2026.

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The lessons

  1. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a long staircase made of soft light rising up through layers of high white clouds into a bright sky
    1 · Verses 1–4

    Lord of the ways of ascent

    One of the idolaters asked for a punishment that will surely fall on the disbelievers; nothing can stop it, from Allah, the Owner of the ways of ascent. The angels and Gabriel rise up to Him in a Day as long as fifty thousand years, yet it is light for the believer.

  2. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a calm desert at dusk with a line of mountains on the horizon that look close in the clear air, a single palm tree standing still
    2 · Verses 5–7

    Beautiful patience

    So be patient, O Messenger, with a beautiful patience that does not complain. They see the Day of Resurrection as far away, but We see it as near.

  3. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: soft tufts of coloured wool drifting slowly over an empty plain under a dark copper-coloured sky
    3 · Verses 8–10

    Like wool

    On that Day the sky will be like murky oil, and the mountains like fluffed-up coloured wool, and no close friend will ask about his friend, because everyone is busy with himself.

  4. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a large old balance scale standing alone on an empty plain at dusk, one pan raised high and empty
    4 · Verses 11–14

    If only he could ransom

    They will see one another, yet no one can help anyone. The criminal will wish he could ransom himself from the punishment with his children, his wife, his brother, the family that sheltered him, and everyone on earth, and then be saved.

  5. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a locked treasure chest overflowing with gold left alone in a dark empty cave, a faint orange glow at the cave mouth
    5 · Verses 15–18

    He gathered and hoarded

    No! It is a blazing Fire that strips away the skin of the head with its heat. It calls those who turned away from the truth and left obedience, and gathered wealth and locked it away without giving Allah's right from it.

  6. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a young sapling bending in a strong wind on a hill under grey clouds, while a calm blue sky opens on the far side
    6 · Verses 19–21

    Created impatient

    Man was created anxious and impatient: when something bad touches him he panics, and when something good touches him he keeps it from others.

  7. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a prayer rug on a clean floor beside a woven basket of bread and dates placed ready by an open doorway, morning light
    7 · Verses 22–25

    Except those who pray

    Except those who pray, who keep up their prayer always, and those in whose wealth there is a known share for the poor who ask and for the deprived who do not ask.

  8. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a woven cloth travel bundle tied with rope and a leather water skin resting by an old wooden door at dawn, a sandy track leading away outside
    8 · Verses 26–28

    They believe in the Day

    And those who believe in the Day of Judgement and get ready for it with good deeds, and those who fear their Lord's punishment; no one should feel safe from their Lord's punishment.

  9. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a small wooden box with a brass key kept safely on a tidy shelf, morning light through a window
    9 · Verses 29–35

    Keepers of their trusts

    And those who guard themselves from what is forbidden, who keep their trusts and their promises, who give their testimony truthfully, and who guard their prayer: they will be honoured in gardens.

  10. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: a long curved horizon of sand dunes where the sun glows at several points along the edge at dawn, soft pink and gold sky
    10 · Verses 36–41

    By the Lord of the easts and wests

    What is wrong with the disbelievers, hurrying around you in groups on your right and left? Does each of them hope to enter Paradise? No! We created them from what they know. I swear by the Lord of the easts and wests that We can replace them with people better than them.

  11. Paper-cut picture from Surah Al-Ma'arij: an hourglass on a sand dune at dusk with the last grains of sand falling, long shadows across the desert
    11 · Verses 42–44

    That Day

    So leave them to chatter in falsehood and play until they meet their promised Day: the Day they come out of the graves hurrying, eyes lowered, covered in humiliation. That is the Day they were promised.

Surah Al-Ma'arij at a glance

Surah Al-Ma'arij is a Makki surah with 44 verses; it is number 70 in the mushaf, in juz 29 (Juz Tabarak), and starts on page 568.

Order in the mushaf
70
Number of verses
44 verses
Makki or Madani
Makki (revealed in Makkah)
Juz
29 (Juz Tabarak)
Starts on page
568
What its name means
Al-Ma'arij are the ways of ascent, the high steps the angels climb: Allah is «Lord of the ways of ascent», the Most High.

Classification, verse count and page numbers follow the Madinah Mushaf (Hafs from Asim, Kufi count).

Word meanings in Surah Al-Ma'arij for kids

Meanings from Tafsir Al-Muyassar, in simple words.

سَآئِلٌۢ
someone who asked for the punishment (Verse 1)
دَافِعٌۭ
anyone to stop it (Verse 2)
ٱلْمَعَارِجِ
Lord of the ways of ascent, high and majestic (Verse 3)
تَعْرُجُ
ascend (Verse 4)
وَٱلرُّوحُ
Jibril, peace be upon him (Verse 4)
صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا
patience with no panic or complaint (Verse 5)
كَٱلْمُهْلِ
like molten oil (Verse 8)
كَٱلْعِهْنِ
like fluffed wool (Verse 9)
حَمِيمٌ
a close friend or relative (Verse 10)
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ
they will see them (Verse 11)
يَفْتَدِى
ransom himself (Verse 11)
وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ
and his wife (Verse 12)
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ
and his clan (Verse 13)
تُـْٔوِيهِ
that sheltered him (Verse 13)
هَلُوعًا
impatient and anxious (Verse 19)
جَزُوعًۭا
full of panic (Verse 20)
مَنُوعًا
holding back from giving (Verse 21)
دَآئِمُونَ
keep it up at all times (Verse 23)
حَقٌّۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ
a known share: the zakah (Verse 24)
وَٱلْمَحْرُومِ
the one who is in need but does not ask (Verse 25)
مُّشْفِقُونَ
afraid (Verse 27)
رَٰعُونَ
keep faithfully (Verse 32)
بِشَهَٰدَٰتِهِمْ قَآئِمُونَ
stand by their testimony truthfully (Verse 33)
قِبَلَكَ
toward you (Verse 36)
مُهْطِعِينَ
rushing with necks stretched out (Verse 36)
عِزِينَ
in scattered groups (Verse 37)
بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
outrun (Verse 41)
يَخُوضُوا۟
sink into their falsehood (Verse 42)
ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ
the graves (Verse 43)
سِرَاعًۭا
rushing (Verse 43)
يُوفِضُونَ
hurrying (Verse 43)
تَرْهَقُهُمْ
covers them (Verse 44)

Check your understanding of Surah Al-Ma'arij: questions for kids

Read the question, think, then tap the answer you choose.

  1. 1. How long is the day in which the angels ascend?

  2. 2. What is beautiful patience?

  3. 3. What will the mountains be like on the Day of Resurrection?

  4. 4. What is a person like when good comes to him?

  5. 5. Who are excepted from panic and stinginess?

  6. 6. Who is «the deprived» in the surah?

  7. 7. What do the believers keep, as the surah says?

Questions parents ask

What is a simple explanation of Surah Al-Ma'arij for children?

It begins with someone who asked for the punishment that will fall on the disbelievers, and tells the Prophet, peace be upon him, to be beautifully patient. Then it describes the Day when the mountains are like fluffed wool and no friend asks about his friend. It tells that people panic when something bad touches them and keep the good from others, except those who pray, keep up their prayer, give to the poor and keep their trusts.

What is «beautiful patience»?

It is patience that does not complain. Allah told the Prophet, peace be upon him, to be beautifully patient with the deniers.

What is the lesson of Surah Al-Ma'arij?

That people get anxious and stingy, except those who keep up prayer, charity and trust, keep their promises and speak the truth. They will be honoured in gardens.

Why is Surah Al-Ma'arij called by this name?

Al-Ma'arij are the ways of ascent, the high steps the angels climb: Allah is «Lord of the ways of ascent», the Most High.

What are the main facts about Surah Al-Ma'arij?

Surah Al-Ma'arij is a Makki surah with 44 verses; it is number 70 in the mushaf, in juz 29 (Juz Tabarak), and starts on page 568. Its big idea: People get anxious and stingy, except those who keep up prayer, charity and trust.

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