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RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Ladders

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Annotated Qur'an
Sura 70: The Ladders
Word-by-word translation
Alternate translations and related tafsirs
Alternate translations
Previous sura Following sura


Qur'an 70:1[edit]

A questioner questioned the imminent torment.

Qur'an 70:1 Notes[edit]

With so many outlandish claims and little evidence supporting them in this book, people are right to question the torment that would come from an all-merciful deity described in this book.

Qur'an 70:2[edit]

For the disbelievers; none can repel it.

Qur'an 70:2 Notes[edit]

Without any actual evidence, this is just an empty threat. How kind of a perfectly benevolent god to start this chapter with empty threats and asserting them instead of actually providing evidence.

Qur'an 70:3[edit]

From God, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.

Qur'an 70:3 Notes[edit]

From that same Merciful being who brags about his benevolence ad nauseam?

Qur'an 70:4[edit]

Unto Him the angels and the Spirit ascend on a Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years.

Qur'an 70:4 Notes[edit]

Does the round earth orbit some sun fifty thousand times during a single day-spin? How does that work?

Qur'an 70:5[edit]

So be patient, with sweet patience.

Qur'an 70:5 Notes[edit]

Is anyone skeptical of your ridiculous claims? Just be patience and stick with the "truth" even when you see no evidence for it.

Qur'an 70:6[edit]

They see it distant.

Qur'an 70:6 Notes[edit]

Many simply don't see it at all. It seems no more real than Ragnarök or Samsara to most people.

Qur'an 70:7[edit]

But We see it near.

Qur'an 70:7 Notes[edit]

God sees this barbaric afterlife as near? Was he not the one who made it in the first place and guaranteed it at a predestined time? The wording here seems weak considering this god's supposed omniscience.

Qur'an 70:8[edit]

On the Day when the sky will be like molten brass.

Qur'an 70:8 Notes[edit]

This verse also implies a solid sky. Is the imagery here supposed to be literal or metaphorical?

Qur'an 70:9[edit]

And the mountains will be like tufted wool.

Qur'an 70:9 Notes[edit]

Seriously, are we to read this chapter's description of the end times 'literally' or 'metaphorically'? This perfectly clear book does not make this perfectly clear.

Qur'an 70:10[edit]

No friend will care about his friend.

Qur'an 70:10 Notes[edit]

No friend will care about his friend? Not even the most virtuous, loving people to ever live? Would the loving, merciful god who created them seriously do this to them?

Qur'an 70:11[edit]

They will be shown each other. The criminal wishes he would be redeemed from the punishment of that Day by his children.

Qur'an 70:11 Notes[edit]

This evil overlord is always capable of being a merciful deity as he says constantly. The simple notion that anybody would be so terrified of infinite torture is more than enough to disprove this god's claims.

Qur'an 70:12[edit]

And his spouse, and his brother.

Qur'an 70:12 Notes[edit]

God states this clearly as if this is to be taken as unavoidable fact. People would be so terrified and broken that their love for their own family goes out the window in the impossible apocalypse.

Qur'an 70:13[edit]

And his family that sheltered him.

Qur'an 70:13 Notes[edit]

How exactly would the fair consequences of a finite lifetime be such unimaginable torture forever? How is this justice or mercy?

Qur'an 70:14[edit]

And everyone on earth, in order to save him.

Qur'an 70:14 Notes[edit]

These continued superlatives exist to terrify believers into obedience to a horrific cosmic despot.

Qur'an 70:15[edit]

By no means! It is a Raging Fire.

Qur'an 70:15 Notes[edit]

Allah the Merciful made the Raging Fire and chose to use it as an infinite punishment for finite crimes. Allah also predestined these "criminals" to be exactly as each and every one of them is.

Qur'an 70:16[edit]

It strips away the scalps.

Qur'an 70:16 Notes[edit]

"Did this book terrify and traumatize you enough? No? I can stuff some more graphic verses here because these are more helpful than actual evidence."

Qur'an 70:17[edit]

It invites him who once turned his back and fled.

Qur'an 70:17 Notes[edit]

It invites those whom Allah made completely incapable of doing the right thing, thus predestining them to a fate far worse than any of his creations can imagine. Allah and not any humans or demonic entities did that.

Qur'an 70:18[edit]

And accumulated and hoarded.

Qur'an 70:18 Notes[edit]

Greed may be an immense problem, but the solution is not a horrifying and ridiculous threat.

Qur'an 70:19[edit]

Man was created restless.

Qur'an 70:19 Notes[edit]

Man was created restless by the same god revealing these verses.

Qur'an 70:20[edit]

Touched by adversity, he is fretful.

Qur'an 70:20 Notes[edit]

Thank this god for creating humanity in this way!

Qur'an 70:21[edit]

Touched by good, he is ungenerous.

Qur'an 70:21 Notes[edit]

God mentioned greed in this chapter already, implying here that this describes humanity at large when so many humans are generous regardless of how much or how little we have.

Qur'an 70:22[edit]

Except the prayerful.

Qur'an 70:22 Notes[edit]

Many atheists are generous and can handle hardships in their lives.

Qur'an 70:23[edit]

Those who are constant at their prayers.

Qur'an 70:23 Notes[edit]

Also, several devout Muslims maintain their prayers and sincere beliefs in Allah while still exhibiting this fretfulness and greed.

Qur'an 70:24[edit]

And those in whose wealth is a rightful share.

Qur'an 70:24 Notes[edit]

Other translations are clearer in stating that this verse describes generosity. The original untranslated verse would be clear if it and the very next verse were just a singular verse and not split.

Qur'an 70:25[edit]

For the beggar and the deprived.

Qur'an 70:25 Notes[edit]

Even... even those who may not believe in this ridiculous pack of nonsense?

Qur'an 70:26[edit]

And those who affirm the Day of Judgment.

Qur'an 70:26 Notes[edit]

Right...

Qur'an 70:27[edit]

And those who fear the punishment of their Lord.

Qur'an 70:27 Notes[edit]

Fearing the punishment of a being more merciful, more loving, than any human to ever live... that is apparently a virtue.

Qur'an 70:28[edit]

Their Lord’s punishment is not to be taken for granted.

Qur'an 70:28 Notes[edit]

Allah continually fails to conclusively demonstrate that he even is a lord, much less that his threats are remotely real.

Qur'an 70:29[edit]

And those who guard their chastity.

Qur'an 70:29 Notes[edit]

Chaste or promiscuous, nobody deserves to be tortured based on that.

Qur'an 70:30[edit]

Except from their spouses or those living under their control, for then they are free of blame.

Qur'an 70:30 Notes[edit]

Those living under their control count. Also, this author-forsaken book treats promiscuity as a greater sin than forcing people to keep living under their control. Also, does this author care about consent?

Qur'an 70:31[edit]

But whoever seeks to go beyond that—these are the transgressors.

Qur'an 70:31 Notes[edit]

Adults of sound mind consent enthusiastically and are apparently transgressors. Slavers abusing their power over slaves are not transgressors. This book sucks.

Qur'an 70:32[edit]

And those who honor their trusts and their pledges.

Qur'an 70:32 Notes[edit]

The Quran was not a moral revelation to anybody back when Muhammad was alive. This feels like a gut-punch coming after it condones sex slavery.

Qur'an 70:33[edit]

And those who stand by their testimonies.

Qur'an 70:33 Notes[edit]

...

Qur'an 70:34[edit]

And those who are dedicated to their prayers.

Qur'an 70:34 Notes[edit]

Those who try communicating with a nonexistent being so hard that they actually hear a reply and convince themselves that their god is speaking to them...

Qur'an 70:35[edit]

These will be honored in Gardens.

Qur'an 70:35 Notes[edit]

Meanwhile, virtuous people who care too much about their fellow humans to believe in a god condoning slavery... those people get a fate far worse than they could imagine.

Qur'an 70:36[edit]

What is with those who disbelieve, stretching their necks towards you.

Qur'an 70:36 Notes[edit]

This verse was not clearly translated judging by multiple translations saying wildly different things. In any case, it seems to mention some specific disbelievers back during the lifetime of Muhammad and not disbelievers at large.

Qur'an 70:37[edit]

From the right, and from the left, banding together?

Qur'an 70:37 Notes[edit]

Disbelievers in a ridiculous fairy tale coming together for any reason? How outrageous!

Qur'an 70:38[edit]

Is every one of them aspiring to be admitted into a Garden of Bliss?

Qur'an 70:38 Notes[edit]

Allah should know that he specifically created them unable to actually believe in this fictional garden. They simply have no reason to believe that this specific deity exists or created them at all, much less that this same deity punishes them based purely on whether they believed this tall tale.

Qur'an 70:39[edit]

No indeed! We created them from what they know.

Qur'an 70:39 Notes[edit]

Allah claimed throughout this book that they cannot actually know because Allah prevented them from knowing.

Qur'an 70:40[edit]

I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests, that We are Able.

Qur'an 70:40 Notes[edit]

Allah apparently swears... to himself...

Qur'an 70:41[edit]

To replace them with better than they, and We are not to be outdone.

Qur'an 70:41 Notes[edit]

Is this that Great Replacement Theory?

Qur'an 70:42[edit]

So leave them to blunder and play, until they meet their Day which they are promised.

Qur'an 70:42 Notes[edit]

Uh huh...

Qur'an 70:43[edit]

The Day when they will emerge from the tombs in a rush, as though they were hurrying towards a target.

Qur'an 70:43 Notes[edit]

God supposedly made this message perfectly clear.

Qur'an 70:44[edit]

Their eyes cast down; overwhelmed by humiliation. This is the Day which they were promised.

Qur'an 70:44 Notes[edit]

A cosmic despot promised it all without proving it, so this apparent promise must surely be real and not just archaic inanity.