Surah 70
Overview
Surah 70, known traditionally as Al-Ma'arij (The Ascending Stairways), is an early Meccan surah that focuses heavily on Islamic eschatology and the stark division of humanity on the Day of Judgment. The text opens by addressing a 'questioner' who doubts the coming retribution, asserting that God's judgment is an unstoppable reality. The surah employs vivid apocalyptic imagery, describing a day when the sky melts like rock, mountains become like fluffy wool, and all human bonds of family and friendship completely dissolve in the face of individual terror. A profound psychological portrait of the unredeemed human is painted: anxious, despondent in trials, and stingy in wealth. In sharp contrast, the text outlines a specific behavioral and ritual checklist for the 'worshipers' who will escape the flames. These requirements include the strict, timely observance of 'contact prayers' (Salat), giving a set portion of wealth to the poor, maintaining chastity (with the notable exception of spouses and 'what is legally theirs'), and keeping one's word. The surah concludes that those who maintain this rigorous standard have 'deserved a position of honor in Paradise,' establishing a clear framework of works-righteousness that stands in direct opposition to the evangelical doctrine of justification by faith alone.
Key Figures
- GOD: Described as the 'Possessor of the highest Height' and the 'Lord of the easts and the wests,' who orchestrates the inevitable retribution and cannot be defeated.
- The Angels: Heavenly beings who climb to God with their reports in a day equaling fifty thousand years.
- The Questioner: An unnamed skeptic or disbeliever who challenges the reality of the coming judgment.
- The Guilty/Disbelievers: Those who hoarded wealth, turned away from truth, and will desperately but fruitlessly attempt to ransom their own families to escape Hellfire.
- The Worshipers/Believers: The righteous who earn Paradise through consistent prayer, charity, chastity, and honesty.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Works-Righteousness (Earned Salvation)
Assertion
Paradise is explicitly earned and deserved through the consistent performance of rituals (Salat), charity, and moral behavior.
Evidence from Text
Except for the worshipers. Who always observe their contact prayers (Salat)... They have deserved a position of honor in Paradise. [070:022-035]
Evangelical Comparison
In Surah 70, salvation is presented as a wage earned through strict adherence to a behavioral checklist. Verses 22-35 detail the specific actions required to avoid Hellfire: consistent and timely prayers, financial charity, sexual restraint, and honesty. Verse 35 explicitly concludes that because of these actions, the believers 'have deserved a position of honor in Paradise.' This is the antithesis of evangelical soteriology. The Bible explicitly denies that anyone can 'deserve' or earn heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.' Romans 4:4 further clarifies that to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due, whereas God justifies the ungodly by faith.
The Inadequacy of Human Ransom
Assertion
On the Day of Judgment, the guilty will desire to offer their children, spouses, siblings, and the whole earth as a ransom to escape punishment, but it will be entirely rejected.
Evidence from Text
...the guilty will wish he could give his own children as ransom, to spare him the retribution of that day. Also his spouse, and his brother... No; it is aflame. [070:011-015]
Evangelical Comparison
The Quran accurately captures the sheer terror of facing a holy God without an advocate, noting that the guilty would gladly sacrifice their most beloved family members to escape the flames. The text rightly asserts that such a human ransom is unacceptable ('No; it is aflame'). Evangelical Christianity agrees that no mere human can pay the ransom for another's soul (Psalm 49:7-8). However, the theological gap lies in God's provision. Where Islam leaves the guilty to burn because no human ransom suffices, the Gospel declares that God Himself provided the acceptable ransom. Jesus Christ gave 'his life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45) and 'gave himself as a ransom for all' (1 Timothy 2:6). The Quranic text highlights the desperate need for a substitute but denies the existence of the only valid One.
Conditional Assurance
Assertion
Even for the righteous worshipers, God's favor and salvation cannot be taken for granted; there is a persistent need for reverence and fear of His requital.
Evidence from Text
They reverence their Lord's requital. Their Lord's requital is not taken for granted. [070:027-028]
Evangelical Comparison
Verse 28 establishes a psychological and spiritual baseline for the Islamic believer: God's requital (reward or punishment) is never guaranteed or 'taken for granted.' Because salvation is contingent upon the continuous, lifelong performance of works (as detailed in the surrounding verses), the believer can never rest in a finished work. This creates a theology of perpetual probation. In contrast, Evangelical Christianity teaches that because salvation rests entirely on the finished, perfect work of Jesus Christ, believers can have absolute assurance of their eternal destiny. 1 John 5:13 states, 'I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.' Romans 8:1 declares, 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text teaches that Paradise is earned through human works and ritual compliance, explicitly denying the concept of a substitutionary ransom, whereas Evangelicalism teaches salvation is a free gift secured by the substitutionary ransom of Jesus Christ.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The fundamental theological gap between Surah 70 and Evangelical Christianity lies in soteriology and Christology. Surah 70 constructs a paradigm of strict works-righteousness. Verses 22-35 provide a checklist of moral and ritual duties—timely prayers, almsgiving, chastity, and honesty—and concludes that those who perform these duties 'have deserved a position of honor in Paradise.' This violates the Evangelical pillar of Sola Fide (faith alone) and Sola Gratia (grace alone). The Bible explicitly condemns the idea that human works can obligate God to grant salvation (Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 2:16). Furthermore, verses 11-14 describe the guilty desperately wishing to offer their families or the whole earth as a 'ransom' to escape Hell, which God rejects. While Islam correctly identifies that sinful humans cannot ransom themselves, it lacks the revelation of the Divine Substitute. Evangelicalism teaches that God Himself provided the perfect, acceptable ransom in the person of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:6, 1 Peter 1:18-19). Because Islam rejects this atonement, it leaves adherents with a heavy burden of performance and a lack of assurance, as explicitly stated in verse 28: 'Their Lord's requital is not taken for granted.'
For All Ages
Imagine you owe a billion dollars to a judge because you broke the law. In this text (Surah 70), the judge says, 'If you pray exactly on time every day, give some money to the poor, and act really good, you will earn your way out of trouble and deserve a reward.' It also says you can't offer anyone else to pay your fine for you. But the Bible teaches something different. The Bible says our debt is so big we can never earn our way out, no matter how much we pray or give. Instead, the Judge's own Son, Jesus, stepped in and paid the billion dollars for us. We don't 'deserve' heaven because of our good deeds; we get to go to heaven because Jesus gave us a free gift when we trust in Him.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Justification by Faith Alone)
The text explicitly claims that Paradise is 'deserved' through the performance of prayers, charity, and moral deeds.
Assurance of Salvation
The text states that God's requital cannot be taken for granted, denying the believer any absolute assurance of their eternal standing.
Christology (Substitutionary Atonement)
The text presents a scenario where a ransom is desperately needed but denies that any acceptable ransom exists, ignoring Christ's finished work.
Biblical Sexual Ethics
Verse 30 permits sexual relations with 'what is legally theirs' (historically understood as slaves/concubines), violating the biblical mandate of strict monogamy and the prohibition of sexual exploitation.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Ransom"
In This Text
A desperate, futile attempt by a guilty human to offer family members or the earth to God to escape Hellfire.
In Evangelicalism
The victorious, acceptable, and finished payment made by Jesus Christ on the cross to satisfy God's wrath and redeem sinners.
"Deserved"
In This Text
Earning a place in Paradise through the consistent performance of good works and rituals.
In Evangelicalism
The only thing humans 'deserve' or earn is death due to sin (Romans 6:23); salvation is entirely unmerited.
"What is legally theirs (Right-hand possessions)"
In This Text
A legal allowance for sexual relations outside of marriage with slaves or concubines owned by the believer.
In Evangelicalism
Sexual relations are strictly confined to a monogamous, heterosexual marriage covenant; sexual use of slaves is entirely condemned as sexual immorality (porneia).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Escaping the terrifying retribution of Hellfire and being granted a position of honor in Paradise.
How Attained: Through strict, consistent adherence to Islamic rituals (Salat), financial charity, sexual restraint, and moral honesty.
Basis of Assurance: There is no absolute assurance; believers must constantly 'reverence their Lord's requital' because it is 'not taken for granted' (v. 28). Assurance is conditional on continuous performance.
Comparison to Sola Fide: Surah 70 is diametrically opposed to Sola Fide. Verse 35 explicitly states that believers 'have deserved' Paradise due to their actions. In contrast, Romans 3:20 states, 'For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight,' and Titus 3:5 says, 'he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.'
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Resort to a gracious patience [070:005]
- Observe contact prayers (Salat) consistently [070:023]
- Set aside part of money for the poor and needy [070:024-025]
- Believe in the Day of Judgment [070:026]
- Reverence the Lord's requital [070:027]
- Keep chastity (restrict sexual relations to spouses or legal possessions) [070:029-030]
- Keep your word and be trustworthy [070:032]
- Give truthful testimony [070:033]
- Observe contact prayers (Salat) on time [070:034]
Implicit Obligations
- Do not hoard wealth or count it obsessively [070:018]
- Do not turn away from God's truth [070:017]
- Overcome natural human anxiety and despondency during adversity [070:019-020]
- Overcome natural human stinginess during times of wealth [070:021]
Ritual Requirements
- Consistent performance of Salat (Islamic ritual prayer) [070:023]
- Strict adherence to the timing of Salat [070:034]
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 28, it says that the Lord's requital is not taken for granted. How do you find peace in your daily life if you can never be entirely sure you've done enough to earn Paradise?
- Verses 11-14 describe a terrifying moment where people want to offer their own families as a ransom to escape judgment. If a human ransom isn't enough to satisfy God's justice, what kind of ransom do you think God would accept?
- Verse 35 says that people 'deserve' a position in Paradise based on their prayers and charity. Have you ever felt like your prayers or charity weren't perfect? What happens if we fall short of deserving it?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Desperate Need for a Ransom
This passage perfectly illustrates the terror of facing God's wrath without a savior. The human instinct is to find a substitute to bear the punishment. While the Quran says no human substitute will work, the Gospel agrees and introduces the Divine Substitute. Jesus is the ransom that the guilty in Surah 70 are desperately looking for.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is placed on a treadmill of continuous ritual performance. Because Paradise must be 'deserved' by consistently observing prayers 'on time' and maintaining strict moral codes, any failure or lapse in discipline directly threatens their eternal destiny.
Verse 28 explicitly commands believers not to take God's requital for granted. This breeds a spiritual psychology where one can never truly rest in God's love or grace, leading to a lifelong, low-grade anxiety about whether one's good deeds will outweigh the bad.
The apocalyptic imagery of the sky melting, mountains turning to wool, and the Hellfire being 'eager to burn' is designed to motivate through sheer terror. Without a mediator or a guaranteed savior, the believer faces this terrifying prospect alone.