Al-Ma'arij: (4) The angels and the Spirit ascend...

Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The Status of the Spirit (Rūḥ)

Know that it is the custom of Allah in the Qur'an that whenever the angels are mentioned in the context of awe and warning, the Spirit is mentioned separately after them, as in this verse and in His saying: {The Day the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks} (An-Naba': 38).

This implies that the Spirit is greater in station than the angels.

There is a subtlety here: In the context of ascending (as in this verse), Allah mentions the angels first and the Spirit second. However, in the context of standing forth (as in {The Day the Spirit and the angels will stand forth}), He mentions the Spirit first and the angels second.

This suggests that the Spirit is first in the degree of descent and last in the degree of ascent.

Based on this, some of those who experience divine unveiling (mukāshifūn) have stated: The Spirit is a great Light, the closest of lights to the Majesty of Allah. From it branch out the spirits of all other angels and humans, who are at the lowest stages of the spiritual mansions. Between these two extremes (the closest Light and the lowest spirits) are the ascents (ma'ārij) of the ranks of the angelic spirits and the paths (madārij) of the sacred lights. None knows their quantity except Allah.

As for the apparent meaning held by the theologians—that the Spirit is Gabriel (peace be upon him)—we have already established this issue in the exegesis of {The Day the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks} (An-Naba': 38).

Issue 2: Arguments for Allah Being in a Location

Those who assert that Allah is in a location, either on the Throne or above it, use this verse as evidence in two ways:

1. The verse indicates that Allah is described as possessor of ascents (dhū al-ma'ārij), which would only be true if He were in a higher direction.
2. His saying: {The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him (ilayhi)}. This indicates that the ascent of the angels and the Spirit is directed toward Him, which necessitates that He is in a higher direction.

The Response:

Since proofs have established the impossibility of Allah being in a location or a direction, interpretation (ta'wīl) must be employed.

As for describing Allah as dhū al-ma'ārij (possessor of ascents), we have already discussed the interpretations regarding this.

As for the preposition ilā (to/toward) in {The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him}, it does not refer to a physical location. Rather, it means the culmination of matters reaches His Will, similar to His saying: {And to Allah returns all affair} (Hūd: 123). It means the return to the place of honor and dignity, like His saying: {Indeed, I am going to my Lord} (As-Sāffāt: 99). This can also be an indication that the Abode of Reward is the highest and most elevated of places.

Issue 3: The Meaning of the Day of Fifty Thousand Years

The majority hold that {in a Day} is related to the verb ascend (ta'ruj), meaning the ascent occurs in such a Day.

Muqātil said that it is related to His saying: {a punishment about to befall} (Al-Ma'ārij: 1). If this is the case, there is fronting and delaying in the verse. The intended meaning would be: A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall on a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years.

Under the first interpretation (that the Day relates to the ascent), that Day is either in the Hereafter or in this world. If it is in the Hereafter, then that length of time is either actual or estimated. These are the interpretations carried by this verse, and we will detail them:

The First View: The meaning is that this ascent occurs on a Day in the Hereafter, the Day of Resurrection, whose length is fifty thousand years. This is the view of Al-Hasan. He said that it does not mean its length is only that much, because if it were, it would have a final limit, and Paradise and Hell would cease to exist upon reaching that limit, which is impossible. Rather, it means the standing for judgment until the people are separated lasts fifty thousand years of the years of this world. Then, the inhabitants of Hell will settle into the depths of the Fire—may Allah protect us from it.

Know that this duration applies only to the disbeliever, not to the believer. The evidence for this is the verse and the Hadith.

• The Verse: His saying, the Exalted: {The inhabitants of Paradise that Day will be in the best of stations and the best of resting places} (Al-Furqān: 24). They agree that this resting place (maqīl) and station (mustaqarr) is Paradise.
• The Hadith: What is narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about the length of this Day. He replied: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it will be lightened for the believer until it is lighter upon him than a prescribed prayer he performs in this world."

Some people said that even though this standing is long, it will be a cause for increased joy and comfort for the people of Paradise, and a cause for increased sorrow and grief for the people of Hell.

The Response: The Hereafter is the Abode of Recompense, so the reward of the deserving must be hastened. The Abode of Reward is Paradise, not the place of standing. Therefore, the length of the standing must be specified for the disbelievers.

The Second View: This duration occurs in the Hereafter, but as an estimation (taqdīr), not as an actual occurrence (taḥaqquq). The meaning is: If the most intelligent of creation were tasked with that judgment and governance, they would remain occupied for fifty thousand years, yet Allah completes that judgment and governance in the span of half a day of this world's days. Similarly, the angels ascend to places that would take someone from this world fifty thousand years to ascend to, yet they ascend there in a short hour. This is the view of Wahb and a group of commentators.

The Third View: This is the view of Abu Muslim: This Day is the entirety of this world's Day, from the moment Allah created everything until the end of annihilation. Thus, Allah clarifies that in the Day of this world, there must be an ascent and descent of angels, and this Day is measured as fifty thousand years. This does not necessitate that the time of the Resurrection becomes known, as we do not know how much has passed or how much remains.

The Fourth View: The estimation of the verse is: A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall from Allah on a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years. Then, it is possible that the intent is the stretching out (istiṭālah) of that Day due to its severity upon the disbelievers. It is also possible that the intent is the estimation (taqdīr) of its duration. Under this view, the intent is not to estimate the punishment by this measure, but rather to alert to the long duration of the punishment. It is also possible that the punishment asked about by that questioner is measured by this duration, and then Allah transfers him to another type of punishment afterward.

Addressing a Counter-Argument: If it is argued: Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrated that Ibn Abbas was asked about this verse and about His saying: {in a Day the measure of which is a thousand years} (As-Sajdah: 5). He replied: "They are days that Allah has named; He knows them best how they are, and I dislike saying about them what I do not know."

If it is argued: What is your reconciliation between these two verses?

Our Response: Wahb answered this by saying: The distance between the lowest part of the universe and the highest ledges of the Throne is a journey of fifty thousand years. And the distance from the highest part of the lowest heaven to the earth is a journey of one thousand years, because the width of each heaven is five hundred years, and the space between the bottom of the heaven and the floor of the earth is another five hundred. Therefore, His saying {in a Day} refers to a day of this world, which is the measure of one thousand years if they were to ascend to the lowest heaven, and the measure of one thousand years if they were to ascend to the highest parts of the Throne.

! 7 < { So be patient with beautiful patience. } > 7 !