073- AL-MUZZAMMIL
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
# O thou enwrapped! # Stand vigil at night, save a little, # half of it or reduce it a little, # or add to it; and recite the Quran in a measured pace. # Truly We shall soon cast upon thee a weighty Word. # Truly the vigil of the night is firmest in tread and most upright for speech. # For truly by day you have lengthy affairs. # So remember the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with complete devotion— # Lord of the East and the West, there is no god but He, so take Him as a guardian. # Bear patiently that which they say and take leave of them in a beautiful manner. # Leave to Me the deniers living in luxury, and be gentle with them for a while. # Truly with Us are fetters and Hellfire, # food that chokes and a painful punishment— # on a day when the earth and the mountains shake, and the mountains will be like heaps of shifting sand. # We have indeed sent you a messenger as a witness concerning you, just as We sent unto Pharaoh a messenger. # But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a torrential seizing. # So if you disbelieve, how will you guard against a day that would make children gray-haired? # The sky shall be rent asunder thereon. His Promise shall be fulfilled. # Truly this is a reminder; so let him who will, take a way unto his Lord. # Truly thy Lord knows that thou dost stand vigil well-nigh two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those who are with thee; and God measures out the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep count of it and has relented unto you; so recite that which is easy for you of the Quran. He knows that some of you will be sick, while others travel upon the earth, seeking God’s Bounty, and others fight in the way of God. So recite that which is easy of it, perform the prayer, give the alms, and lend unto God a goodly loan—whatever good you send forth for your souls, you will find it with God better and greater in reward. And seek God’s Forgiveness. Truly God is Forgiving, Merciful.
Commentary
# O thou enwrapped!
# Stand vigil at night, save a little,
1–2 Enwrapped refers to the Prophet’s wrapping himself in his cloak after the first revelation; see the introduction to Sūrah 96. According to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, thou enwrapped (al-Muzzammil) is one of the seven names by which the Prophet said he was called in the Quran; the others are Muhammad (3:144; 33:40; 47:2; 48:29), Aḥmad (61:6), Ṭā Hā (20:1), Yā Sīn (36:1), thou who art covered (al-Muddaththir; 74:1), and servant of God (ʿAbd Allāh; 72:19; IA, Q). Thou enwrapped is understood by most as a reference to the Prophet’s wrapping himself in his cloak in awe of the new revelation that had come upon him (see 74:1c). But in the context of this sūrah, it can also be seen as an injunction from God to throw off one’s bedding and stand in prayer, as in 17:78–79, as if God were calling, “O thou who art sleeping” (IK). Before the five daily prayers were revealed, night vigil was the common practice of the Prophet and his small group of followers, who would reportedly stand in prayer until their feet swelled. The practice was then eased in v. 20 and was made explicitly supererogatory in 17:79: And keep vigil in prayer for part of the night, as a supererogatory act for thee. Regarding the benefits of night vigil, a famous ḥadīth says, “Every night during the last third of the night, our Lord descends to the Heaven of this earth and says, ‘Who calls upon Me that I might answer him? Who asks of Me that I might give to him? Who seeks My Forgiveness that I might forgive him?’” Night vigil is also a supererogatory practice that the Quran attributes to the upright among the People of the Book: Among the People of the Book is an upright community who recite God’s signs in the watches of the night, while they prostrate (3:113); for other references to night vigil see 11:114; 21:20; 20:130; 25:63–64; 50:40; 52:49; 73:6, 20; 76:26.
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# half of it or reduce it a little,
# or add to it; and recite the Quran in a measured pace.
3–4 These are the first verses in the chronological order of revelation to explicitly enjoin reciting the Quran as a form of worship, an injunction that appears frequently (e.g., 18:27; 27:92; 29:45). The command to recite the Quran in a measured pace can be seen as an injunction for all Muslims or as one that applies specifically to the Prophet, indicating that he is to deliver the revelation to others in a measured pace. In this way the Prophet’s manner of recitation reflects the manner that God ascribes to Himself in 25:32: And We have recited it unto thee in a measured pace. Regarding the Prophet’s manner of recitation, his wife Umm Salamah is reported to have said, “He used to divide his recitation verse by verse” (IK), meaning that he would pause at the end of each verse. The Prophet enjoined his followers to recite the Quran, saying, “Adorn the Quran with your voices” (IK), and “Whosoever does not chant the Quran is not one of us” (IK). Many aḥādīth speak of the benefits of reciting the Quran, among them, “Whosoever recites the Quran fluently is with the honorable and obedient scribes [i.e., the angels], and whosoever recites it with difficulty shall receive a double reward”; “Never does a group gather in one of the houses of God, reciting the Book of God and contemplating it, but that peace descends upon them, mercy surrounds them, the angels encircle them, and God remembers them in His gathering.” Regarding the different levels of recitation, a famous ḥadīth states, “The believer who recites the Quran is like a citrus fruit; its fragrance is pleasing and its taste is sweet. The believer who does not recite the Quran is like a dried date; it has no fragrance, but its taste is sweet. The hypocrite who recites the Quran is like basil; its fragrance is sweet, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is like bitter apple [colocynth]: it has no fragrance and its taste is bitter.”
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# Truly We shall soon cast upon thee a weighty Word.
5 A weighty Word refers to the Quran itself. The Word of God is said to be weighty both in the obligations that it entails for the Prophet and his followers (IK, Sy) and in the weight of good that will be placed in the scales on the Day of Judgment for one who follows it and recites it (Sy). According to several accounts, the weight of the Quran was not merely figurative. The Prophet’s wife ʿĀʾishah reported that the Prophet would perspire when the revelation came upon him, even on a cold day (IK). On another occasion she said, “When the revelation came upon the Prophet while he was on his mount, it was like a blow to the camel’s neck” (IK).
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# Truly the vigil of the night is firmest in tread and most upright for speech.
6 Vigil of the night translates nāshiʾat al-layl, which literally means “rising at night” (Ṭ). In this sense, it could also refer to the ascension of the spirit or the heart. That night vigil is firmest in tread means that it leaves the strongest impression on the heart (Ṭs) and is most conducive to establishing harmony between the hearing and the heart for the purpose of comprehending the Quran (JJ). It can also be understood to mean “firmer in tread,” meaning that the night is better than the day for vigil, recitation, and memorization of the Quran (Ṭ). Others understand the verse to mean, “The one who rises at night” (Ṭ), meaning one who prays at night. Tread translates waṭaʾ, which in variant readings is read wiṭāʾ, meaning “agreement,” “cooperation,” or “congruence.” This is understood to mean that night is the best time for realizing agreement, cooperation, and congruence between the heart, ear, and tongue (Ṭ). That night is most upright for speech means that it is the best time for recitation of the Quran (Q, Ṭ).
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# For truly by day you have lengthy affairs.
7 Lengthy af airs refers to the responsibilities that prevent one from having time for extensive devotions during the day (JJ) or to God’s granting an extensive expanse of time for worldly matters, thus implying the responsibility to devote a part of the night to prayer (IK).
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# So remember the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with complete devotion—
8 Once believers have finished with their affairs, they should devote themselves to God, as in 94:7: So when thou art free, exert thyself (IK). Some say the command remember the Name of thy Lord means to recite the basmalah (In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful), at the beginning of Quranic recitation (JJ), while others see it as an exhortation to remember God at every moment of every day (Aj), since the remembrance of God is surely greater (29:45). Devote translates tabattal, which literally means “to sever” or “to cut off.” It is thus interpreted to mean cutting oneself off from everything other than the remembrance of God (Aj).
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# Lord of the East and the West, there is no god but He, so take Him as a guardian.
9 God is also referred to as Lord of the East and the West in 26:28; see also 2:115, 142; 37:5; 55:17; 70:40. One is to take Him as a guardian because only God suf ices as a Guardian (4:81, 132, 171; 33:3, 48; see also 17:65), indicating that in the end one can only entrust one’s affairs to God.
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# Bear patiently that which they say and take leave of them in a beautiful manner.
10 This is similar to other verses that counsel the Prophet to be patient (e.g., 16:127; 20:130; 38:17; 46:35; 50:39; 52:48; 70:5; 86:17). If at the time of this revelation the Prophet had not yet begun to preach publicly, as most commentators maintain, it most likely refers only to the few individuals whom he had approached in private. Take leave of them in a beautiful manner indicates taking leave for the sake of God (Ṭ).
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# Leave to Me the deniers living in luxury, and be gentle with them for a while.
# Truly with Us are fetters and Hellfire,
11–12 Leave to Me the deniers (cf. 68:44: 74:11) indicates that it is not for the Prophet to be concerned about those who do not accept God’s message once he has delivered it to them, as God will deal with them properly in time. Be gentle with them for a while is a command to grant them respite, indicating both that they should be granted the opportunity to embrace Islam and follow the Prophet and that, if they do not, God will soon requite them for their disbelief, both in this life, through the victory of the Muslims over the Quraysh, and in the Hereafter with fetters and Hellfire. It could also indicate that they should be allowed to continue in their ways, as they will be requited for their deeds in the end, as in 31:24: We grant them enjoyment a little, then We compel them toward a grave punishment (IK).
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# food that chokes and a painful punishment—
13 Food that chokes may refer to any of the forms of vile and unpleasant food that are provided for the people of Hellfire, including the tree of Zaqqūm (44:43; cf. 37:62; 56:52), a vile thorn (88:6), filth, which none eat, save the iniquitous (69:36–37), and thorns of fire, which can be neither vomited nor ingested (JJ), or else to all of them collectively.
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# on a day when the earth and the mountains shake, and the mountains will be like heaps of shifting sand.
14 That the earth and the mountains will shake and be destroyed on the Day of Judgment is one of the apocalyptic inversions mentioned in several verses, such as 69:14, where the earth and mountains are borne away and ground up in a single grinding, and 70:9 and 101:5, where the mountains are likened to carded wool (see also 18:47; 52:10; 56:5–6; 81:3); see 56:5–6c.
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# We have indeed sent you a messenger as a witness concerning you, just as We sent unto Pharaoh a messenger.
# But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a torrential seizing.
15–16 In this verse, the pronoun you may refer to the disbelievers (Āl), the people of Makkah (JJ), or humanity in general. That the Messenger is sent as a witness concerning you indicates that he will bear witness concerning human beings, either for them or against them on the Day of Judgment (Ṭ). It can also be understood to mean “as a witness against you,” meaning that he will bear witness to their disbelief and opposition on the Day of Resurrection (Aj, Āl, Bḍ, Z). That Muhammad is likened to Moses implies that the Quraysh are likened to Pharaoh’s people, thus indicating that they will suffer the same fate (IK). Given the early date of this sūrah, this reference also shows that the pre-Islamic Arabs were familiar with the story of Moses and Pharaoh or at least its general outline. A torrential seizing indicates one that is severe or evil (Ṭ); elsewhere it is said of Pharaoh and his people that God seized them with a devastating blow (69:10), and such is the seizing of thy Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Surely His seizing is painful, severe (11:102).
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# So if you disbelieve, how will you guard against a day that would make children gray-haired?
17 This verse could also be read, “How will you reverence on a day that would make children gray-haired?” (R, Z), indicating that those who disbelieve will not have the opportunity to turn their hearts from disobedience to reverence on the Day of Resurrection. The hair of children turns gray from fear and awe (Ṭ), indicating that the events of this day would make the young old. This is an example of apocalyptic inversion (see sūrahs 81 and 82), in which the order of this world is inverted on the Day of Resurrection. Here the inversion relates to the human order, as children’s hair turning gray implies the loss of the strength and vitality associated with youth, while in the next verse, the inversion applies to the created order in general.
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# The sky shall be rent asunder thereon. His Promise shall be fulfilled.
18 That the sky or Heaven shall be rent asunder is repeated in 42:5; 55:37; 69:16; 84:1, though the Arabic in each case is slightly different; also see 25:25; 82:1.
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# Truly this is a reminder; so let him who will, take a way unto his Lord.
19 This verse is repeated in 76:29. The Quranic message is referred to in these verses and elsewhere as a reminder, indicating that it is available to provide guidance for all those willing to reflect (IK, R). In this verse, reminder translates tadhkirah, which can also mean “admonition” (Āl, Ṭ). This refers to either the Quran as a whole (Ṭ) or this particular sūrah (IK, R). So let him who will indicates human beings who choose the path of faith in God and obedience to Him (Ṭ). The phrase could also be interpreted with God as the subject of the verb will, meaning, “So let whomsoever He wills, take a way,” since you do not will but that God wills (76:30; IK). When read in the context of this sūrah, take a way unto his Lord can be seen as a reference to the practices it enjoins, that is, night vigil (tahajjud) and Quranic recitation.
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# Truly thy Lord knows that thou dost stand vigil well-nigh two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those who are with thee; and God measures out the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep count of it and has relented unto you; so recite that which is easy for you of the Quran. He knows that some of you will be sick, while others travel upon the earth, seeking God’s Bounty, and others fight in the way of God. So recite that which is easy of it, perform the prayer, give the alms, and lend unto God a goodly loan—whatever good you send forth for your souls, you will find it with God better and greater in reward. And seek God’s Forgiveness. Truly God is Forgiving, Merciful.
20 The form of night vigil mentioned in the first sentence relates to that enjoined in vv. 1–8 (JJ). Most likely revealed some twelve months after those verses, the present verse revoked the obligatory status of the night vigil and made it voluntary (Ṭ). A group of those who are with thee refers to the small group of Companions who emulated the Prophet’s practice at that time, standing in prayer until their feet were swollen (JJ, Ṭ). After the first sentence, this verse changes from addressing the Prophet in the second-person singular to addressing the Prophet and his Companions in the second-person plural. You will not keep count of it indicates that the Prophet’s Companions would not all be able to perform the obligation in full (Ṭ). Therefore, He has relented unto you by lessening the requirement to stand in vigil and allowing them to recite as much of the Quran as is easy for them in prayer (JJ, Ṭ). According to some, those who know the Quran should still recite a minimum of fifty or one hundred verses (Ṭ), or even just five (IK). For those who are sick, traveling, or fighting, performing the night vigil is difficult, so they need only perform that which is easy of it, that is, whatever is not too taxing. The mention of fighting in this verse has caused some to surmise that it is from the Madinan period, as fighting did not begin until then. Others see it as foreshadowing the travails that the early Muslim community would face (IK). Perform the prayer refers to the obligatory daily prayers (Ṭ). This verse contains the first mention of alms (zakāh) in the chronological order of revelation. Some interpret it as a reference to the obligatory alms (zakāh; Ṭ), but since the specific form of zakāh was not institutionalized at this time, it may refer to charity in general. Some say that the requirement to pay alms was established during the Makkan period, but that the specifics were not established until the Madinan period (IK); for an explanation of zakāh, see 23:4c. To lend unto God a goodly loan (2:245; 5:12; 57:11, 18; 64:17) indicates expending effort and wealth for the cause of religion; see 57:11c; 57:18c. Here and in 5:12 lending a goodly loan is connected with the duties of prayer and almsgiving. Whatever good you send forth for your souls refers to all good deeds performed by believers in this life (Ṭ); see 5:80; 75:13c; 82:5c. You will find it with God better and greater in reward indicates that what one spends in the way of God in this life is better than what one keeps for oneself or leaves behind as an inheritance (IK). It also alludes to the manner in which good deeds are increased in the Hereafter, as in 2:261: The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that of a grain that grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. And God multiplies for whomsoever He will (see also 2:245, 4:40; 6:160; 10:26; 64:17).
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