Tafsir of Al-Ma'aarij 70:4

"The angels and the Spirit ascend [to Him]..."

That is, Gabriel, peace be upon him, as held by the majority. He is singled out for mention due to his distinction and merit, based on the well-known view that he is the best of the angels. It is also said that he is mentioned merely for honor, even if he were not the best of them—based on the view that Israfil, peace be upon him, is superior to him.

Mujahid said: "The Spirit are angels who are guardians of the angels who guard the children of Adam; they are not seen by the guardian angels, just as we do not see our own guardians."

Others say: "They are a creation that guards the angels absolutely, just as angels guard humanity."

Another view holds: "It is a creature of immense size that stands alone on the Day of Resurrection as a single rank, while all the angels stand in another rank."

Abu Salih said: "They are a creation in the form of people, but they are not people."

Qabisah ibn Dhu'ayb said: "It is the spirit of the deceased when it is taken." Perhaps he intended the deceased believer.

Abdullah [ibn Mas'ud], al-Kisa'i, Ibn Miqsam, and Za'idah (reporting from al-A'mash) recited ya'ruju (with the ya prefix, meaning "it ascends").

"To Him"—some say this means to His Throne, exalted is He, and from where His command descends. Others say this is like the saying of Abraham, peace be upon him: "I am going to my Lord," meaning to the place where He, the Almighty, ordered me to go. It is also said that it refers to the destination of His bounty and generosity, with the speech implying an omitted noun. Others argue it refers to the destination implied by the context, interpreted as the station of the angels in heaven. Most of the predecessors consider this among the mutashabih (allegorical) verses, while maintaining His transcendence, exalted is He, above place, corporeality, and attributes that do not befit the majesty of Divinity.

"In a day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years"—that is, from your years.

The most apparent view is that this relates to "ascend," and the "day" refers to a period of time. It denotes the duration during which people stand for the Lord of the worlds until the people of Paradise are settled in Paradise and the people of the Fire in the Fire—the Day of the Hereafter, which has no end. This is indicated by what Imam Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, Abu Ya'la, Ibn Jarir, and al-Bayhaqi recorded in al-Ba'th from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked about the day whose measure is fifty thousand years: "How long is this day!" He replied, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, it is lightened for the believer until it is easier for him than a prescribed prayer he performs in the world."

There is disagreement regarding the meaning of this quantification. Some say it indicates the perceived length of that day due to its severity, not that it is literally this number in reality. This is reported from Ibn Abbas. The Arabs describe times of hardship and grief as long, and times of ease and joy as short. Examples of this include the poet: "How short is the night when you visit me / While I complain and you complain of its length." And: "Layla and Layla, their difference denies me sleep / By length and length, oh for their moderation! / Layla is generous with length whenever she is stingy / With length, and if she gives it, she is stingy." And: "A day like the shadow of a spear, its length was shortened / By the flowing of wine and the beating of lutes."

To the point that such examples are countless. The saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the aforementioned report—that it is lightened for the believer until it is easier than a prayer—points to this. Likewise, it is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar: "Chairs of gold will be set for the believers on that day, clouds will shade them, and that day will be shortened and eased for them until it is like one of your days here." If this view is taken, one must consider the wisdom behind specifying that number.

Others say it is to be taken literally, and that in that day there are fifty stations, each station being a thousand years of worldly years in reality. Another view is that the fifty is literal, but the meaning is the duration required to dispense justice, equivalent to what would take fifty thousand years of worldly days. This is narrated from Ikrima.

Some suggested that the mentioned measure is a metaphor for the sheer volume of accountings occurring within it, or a metonymy. It is as if it were said: "In a day where accounting is vast and long, such that if it were to occur from someone other than the Swiftest of Accountants, it would take fifty thousand years in the world."

The specification of the angels and the Spirit ascending on that day—even though their ascension occurs at other times as well—is to indicate its immense terror and the fact that all creation will be turned toward God, the Almighty, awaiting His command regarding them.

Regardless, the sentence is a confirmation of the premise for which the speech was intended. It has been said that it relates to "those who deserve" (waqi'), or "the one who asks" (sa'il), if interpreted as "pouring forth" rather than "asking," as it does not occur therein. The "day" in all these interpretations refers back to what was intended previously.

The ascension of the angels and the Spirit "to Him" is a digression while describing Him as "Lord of the Ways of Ascent." Another view is that it relates to "ascend," as is apparent, but the ascension happens in the world; the meaning is: the angels and the Spirit ascend to His Throne, and in a single day of your days, they cover what a human would cover in fifty thousand years if he were to travel through it. This is narrated from Ibn Ishaq, Mundhir ibn Sa'id, Mujahid, and a group; it is also a narration from Ibn Abbas. There is disagreement on defining this distance: some say it is from the face of the earth to the extremity of the Throne; others say from the bottom of the seventh earth to the Throne. It is explained that the thickness of each earth is five hundred years, the distance between each two earths is five hundred years, the distance between the upper earth and the lowest heaven is five hundred years, the thickness of each heaven is the same, as is the distance between any two heavens, and the distance between the highest heaven and the concavity of the Footstool (Kursi) is the same. The total is fourteen thousand years, and from the concavity of the Footstool to the Throne is a journey of thirty-six thousand years, totaling fifty thousand years. This is supported by a report from Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Abbas. Perhaps it is not authentic, though such speed is not improbable for the angels, peace be upon them, for those who understand the speed of light and know that God, the Almighty, is capable of all things.

Some scholars considered this duration as the ascension and descent from the earth to the Throne, and likewise considered it for the distance from the earth to the concavity of the lowest heaven in His saying: "He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the measure of which is a thousand years." Whoever considers one of these two considers here the convex part of the lowest heaven and the earth.

It is said the speech is a clarification of the extreme height of those "Ways of Ascent" and their vastness by way of allegory and imagery, meaning they are at the limit of distance and elevation—spiritually according to some, or physically according to others, without being intended as a literal measurement.

From Ikrima: that this duration is the duration of the world from its creation until the Hour is established, noting that no one knows how much of it has passed and how much remains—meaning the angels ascend to Him during the duration of the world. This requires an authentic report. The apparent meaning is that he intended by "the world" that which is contrasted with the Hereafter, including the Throne and such. This is refuted by the report from Ali, may God honor his countenance, in response to one who asked him when God created the Throne; it indicates that the time passed from the beginning of its creation until today exceeds fifty thousand years by millions of years that only God, the Almighty, can count. Perhaps this is more worthy of acceptance than what Ikrima said.

The truth is that no one knows the beginning of creation or the duration of this structure except God, the Almighty. We know, by the success granted by God, the Almighty, that the world is temporally created, that the earth will be replaced by another earth and the heavens, and that all creation will be brought forth to God, the One, the Subduer.