73- Surat Almuzzammil

73- Surat Almuzzammil

20 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)

A'auzu Bellahi mena ash-shytani ar-rajim

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan

Bismi Ellahi Ar-rhmani Ar-rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Ya ayyuha almuzzammil (1).

O You! who wraps himself.

Qumi al-layla ella qaleela (2).

Stand at night, except a little.

Nesfahuo aw enqus menhuo qaleela (3).

Half of it, or lessen from it a little.

 

Aw zed alayhi wa ratteli Alqurana tartteela (4).

Or add to it, and recite the Quran with a measured recitation.

Inna sa-nulqi alaiyka qawlan thaqeela (5).

Indeed, We will cast upon You a heavy saying.

Inna nashe'ata al-layli hiya ashadduo wat'an wa aqwamuo qeela (6).

Indeed, the rising at the night is more straight, and more suitable for word.

Inna laka fee alnahari sabhan taweela (7).

Indeed, for You in the day, is a long emptiness.

Wa ezkuri esma Rabbika wa tabattal ellayhi tabteela (8).

And remember the name of Your Lord, and devote to Him with devotion.

Rabbuo almashreqi wa almaghrebi la Illaha ella huwa fa-ttakhezhu wakeela (9).

The Lord of the east and the west, there is no God but He, so take Him as a Guardian.

Wa esber ala ma yaquluona wa-hjurhum hajran jameela (10).

And be patient over what they say, and avoid them, a beautiful avoidance.

Wa zarni wa almukazzebeena auli alna'mati wa mahhelhum qaleela (11).

And leave Me with the deniers, possessors of plenty, and give them a little respite.

Inna ladayna ankalan wa jaheema (12).

Indeed, We have shackles, and burning fire.

Wa ta'aman za ghussatin wa azaban aleema (13).

And food that chokes and a painful punishment.

Yawma tarjufuo alarduo wa aljebaluo wa kanati aljebaluo kathiban maheela (14).

On the day when the earth and the mountains will quake, and the mountains will become a heap of sand, pouring down.

Inna arsalna elaykum rasulan shahedan alaykum kama arsalna ela Fir'awna rasula (15).

Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger, as a witness upon you as We sent to Pharaoh a Messenger.

Fa assa Fir'awna alrasuola fa akhaznahuo akhzan wabeela (16).

But Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, so We seized him a severe seizure.

Fa kayfa tattaquona in kafartum yawman yaj'aluo alweldana sheeba (17). 

Then how will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, a day that will make the children gray haired.

Alsama'uo munfaterun behi kana wa'duhuo maf'oula (18).

The sky will break apart therefrom, His promise is to be fulfilled.

Inna hazehi tazkeratun fa man sha'a ettakhaza ela Rabbehi sabeela (19).

Indeed, this is a reminder, so whomever wills may take to his Lord a way.

Inna Rabbaka ya'lamuo annaka taqumuo adna men thuluthayi al-layli wa nesfahuo wa thuluthahuo wa ta'efatun mena allazeena ma'aka wa Allahu youqadderuo al-layla wa alnahara alema an lan tuhsuhu fataba alaykum fa-qra'uo ma tayassara mena alqurani alema an sayakunuo menkum marda wa akharuona yadrebuona fee alardi yabtahguona men fadli ellahi wa akharuona youqateluona fee sabeeli ellahi fa-qra'uo ma tayassara menhu wa aqeemuo alssalata wa atuo alzakata wa aqreduo Allaha qarddan hasanan wa ma tuqddemuo le-anfusikum men khayrin tajeduhuo enda Allahi huwa khayran wa a'azama ajran wa estaghferuo Allaha inna Allaha ghafuorun raheem.

Indeed, Your Lord knows that You stand less than two-thirds of the night and half of it and a third of it and a group of those who are with you, and Allah determines the night and the day. He knows that you will not count it, then He turned to you in forgiveness, so recite as much of the Quran as is easy possible, He knows that there will be among you those who are ill, and others travelling in the land seeking the bounty of Allah, and others fighting in the way of Allah, so recite as much of it as is easy possible, and establish the prayer, and give the Zakah (Charity), and loan to Allah a goodly loan, and whatever you will send forth for yourselves of good, you will find it with Allah is better and greater in reward, and seek forgiveness of Allah, indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most merciful.

Simplified interpretation: 

 Surat Almuzzammil was a command from Allah to His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) to pray at night, to read the Holy Quran and to be patient with the harm of the polytheists, and then Allah eased it for the Muslims and made the night prayer a voluntary prayer for He knows the state of His servants from the sick, those who seek their livelihood, and those who fight in the way of Allah. And it bears likeness of Surat Almuddaththir as a threat from Allah to the polytheists of a painful punishment awaits them as well as some scenes of the day of resurrection.

 Allah commanded His messenger in the first four verses and says "O You! who wraps himself, stand at night, except a little, half of it, or lessen from it a little, or add to it, and recite the Quran with a measured recitation", where Allah commanded Him in the state He was in to pray the night prayer (Alqiyam), and this command was for Him Alone, and this similar to Aya (79) of Surat Alisraa "And from part of the night, pray with it as additional worship for you", and Allah gave him the choice between praying half of the night with an increase or a decrease, and there is nothing wrong with that, and He commanded him to recite the Quran with a measured recitation, that is, do not to read the Quran quickly, but rather read it slowly and clearly while reflecting on the meanings of it.

 So Our Prophet used to pray at night and as mentioned in narration of Urwa "That was informed by Aisha, Allah's Messenger went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque and some men prayed behind Him, in the morning , the people spoke about it, and then a large number of them gathered and prayed behind Him on the second night, in the next morning the people again talked about it and on the third night the mosque was full with a large number of people, Allah's Messenger came out and the people prayed behind Him. On the fourth night the mosque was overwhelmed with people and could not accommodate them, but the Prophet came out only for the morning prayer (Alfajr), when the morning prayer was finished, He addressed the people and said: "Amma ba'du, your presence was not hidden from Me, but I was afraid lest the night prayer (Qiyam) should be enjoined on you, and you might not be able to carry it on". So Allah's Messenger died and the situation remained like that (individual prayer).

 Then Allah says to His Messenger in the next three verses (5-7) "Indeed, We will cast upon You a heavy saying, indeed, the rising at the night is more straight, and more suitable for word, indeed, for You in the day, is a long emptiness", where the revelation is a heavy word whether it is related to the Holy Quran in general or to the night prayer, the commitment to both is heavy, and Allah says that the the rising for the prayer at night is more straight, and more suitable for correct reading and supplication. So when Our Prophet was asked which prayer is best after the obligatory (Fard), He said: the night prayer. And as mentioned above, the night prayer was a command to Our Prophet alone, so Allah says to Him that He have in the day a long emptiness for sleep or for the needs of the day.

 And then Allah commanded Him in the next two verses (8,9) and says "And remember the name of Your Lord, and devote to Him with devotion, The Lord of the east and the west, there is no God but He, so take Him as a Guardian", that is, when you finish fulfilling the need of the day Do more remembrance of Allah, and devote yourself to worshipping Him alone and this is similar to the last two verses of Surat Alsharh (7,8) "So when you have finished, strive hard, and to Your Lord direct Your intention", then Allah describes Himself and says that He is The Lord of the east and the west, there is no God but He, and commanded our Prophet to take Him a disposer of all of His affairs, and to rely upon Him alone, and these two commands of worshiping Allah, and relying upon Him alone has been mentioned in the last verse of Surat Hud Aya (123) "So worship Him and rely upon Him".

 And Allah commanded Him as well in Aya (10) to be patient over what the pagans of Quraish say about Him and the Holy Quran, and to avoid them a beautiful avoidance, and this command was clear in Surat Alkafiruon when Allah commanded Him to say to them "For you is your religion, and for Me is my religion", and it was said that this verse was abrogated later when Allah commanded the believers to fight the polytheists in more than one verse as in Surat Alhajj Aya (39), Surat Altawbah Aya (36), and Surat Alanfal Aya (57), where Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Ibn Umar "I have been ordered to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, and offer the prayers perfectly, and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from Me except for Islamic laws, and then their reckoning will be done by Allah" (Sahih Albukhari 25).   

 And then Allah threatens the polytheists in the next four verses (11-14) and said leave Me O Muhammad with the deniers those I granted them with wealth, luxury, and pleasure in the worldly life, and give them a little respite until the painful torment comes to them, where Allah prepared for them in the Hereafter shackles, burning fire, food that chokes where it is stuck in the throat, does not go down to the stomach nor come out of the mouth, and a painful punishment. And this will happen on the day of resurrection when the earth and the mountains will quake, move and disturbs. And the mountains will become a heap of sand, pouring down where it will be blown up that day as mentioned in Surat Almursalaat.

 Then Allah threatens whoever denies His Prophet Mohammad with the fate that pharaoh faced when he denied the Prophet Moses and says to Quraish "Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger, as a witness upon you as We sent to Pharaoh a Messenger, but Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, so We seized him a severe seizure" Ayat (15,16), where as mentioned in Surat Alnazi'at Allah took Pharaoh with a deterrent torment for the first (the worldly life) and the last (the hereafter). And our Prophet will be a witness upon them on the day of resurrection.

 And Allah says to them as a kind of reprimand "Then how will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, a day that will make the children gray haired, the sky will break apart therefrom, His promise is to be fulfilled, indeed, this is a reminder, so whomever wills may take to his Lord a way" Ayat (17-19), that is, how you will save yourselves while your are denying Allah's Messenger, and denying the day of resurrection that makes the children gray, and the sky will break apart from the severity of its horror and its anguish, and Allah assures that His promise is to be fulfilled and that day is inevitable. So  whomever wills may take to his Lord a way to His mercy by believing in Him and obeying Him.

 The last verse came to abrogate what was mentioned at the beginning of this Surah about the obligation of the night prayer where Allah says to His Messenger that He knows that He stand for prayer less than two-thirds of the night and sometimes half of it and sometimes a third of it and a group of those who are with him as mentioned above, and Allah determines the night and the day by hours and times. Allah knows that they will not be able to keep up so long praying at night, then He turned to them in mercy and forgiveness, and eased the prayer for them and made it a voluntary prayer and commanded them to recite as much of the Quran as is easy possible that He knows that there will be among them those who are ill, and others travelling in the land seeking the bounty of Allah, and others fighting in the way of Allah, and says again so recite as much of it as is easy possible. Also He commanded them to establish the obligatory prayer, and to give the Zakah (Charity), and to loan to Allah a goodly loan (spending in the way of Allah), and Allah says whatever you will send forth for yourselves of good, you will find it with Allah is better and greater in reward, and seek forgiveness of Allah, indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most merciful.

No one Knows its interpretation except Allah