3 Preface مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي المَعارِجِAhmed AliFrom God, the Lord of the steps (of progression),1 Al-ma‘arij. Though literally ‘Lord of steps;’ metonymically it means the Lord of progression, one who raises things from a starting point to their perfection. See 32:5 where it has been used in its verbal form ya‘ruj to signify this evolution, thus affirming the dynamic principle of the human psyche – progression and ascension, which, spiritually, would imply nearness, or drawing close, to the Supreme Being.