74- Surat Almuddaththir/Tafseer
56 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Ya-ayyuha almuddaththir (1).
O You who covers Himself.
Qum fa-anzir (2).
Stand up and Warn.
Wa-Rabbaka fa-kabbir (3).
And Your Lord, Magnify.
Wa-thiyabaka fa-tahhir (4).
And Your clothes, Purify.
Wal-rujza fa-hjur (5).
And the filth, Avoid.
Wa-la tamnun tastakthir (6).
And Do not bestow favor to acquire more.
Wa li-Rabbika fa-sbir (7).
And for Your Lord, Be patient.
Fa-iza nuqera fee al-naqur (8).
And when the trumpet is blown.
Fa-zaleka yawma-izin yawmun aseer (9).
That day will be a difficult day.
Ala al-kafireena ghayru yaseer (10).
For the disbelievers, not easy.
Zarni wa man khalaqtu waheeda (11).
Leave Me with the one whom I have created alone.
Wa-ja-altu lahu malan mamduda (12).
And I granted him extensive wealth.
Wa baneena shuhuda (13).
And sons, present.
Wa mahhadtu lahu tamheeda (14).
And spread before him, easing.
Thumma yatmau an azeed (15).
Then he desires that I should add more.
Kalla innahu kana le-ayatena aneeda (16).
Nay! Indeed, he has been stubborn towards Our verses.
Sa-aurhiquhu Sa-uda (17).
I will cover him by arduous punishment.
Innahu fakkara wa qaddar (18).
Indeed, he thought and deliberated.
Fa-qutela kayfa qaddar (19).
So may he be destroyed, how he deliberated.
Thumma qutela kayfa qaddar (20).
Then may he be destroyed, how he deliberated.
Thumma nazar (21).
Then he considered.
Thumma abasa wa-basar (22).
Then he frowned and scowled.
Thumma adbara wa-stakbar (23).
Then he turned back and was arrogant.
Fa-qala in haza ella sehrun you'thar (24).
Then said, this is nothing but magic, imitated.
In haza ella qawlu al-bashar (25).
This is nothing but the saying of a human being.
Sa-auslihi Saqar (26).
I will cast him into Saqar.
Wa-ma adraka ma Saqar (27).
And what will make You know what is Saqar?.
La tubqi wa-la tazar (28).
It neither spares nor leaves.
Lawwahatun lel-bashar (29).
Scorching the skins.
Alayha tes-ata ashar (30).
Over it are nineteen.
Wa ma ja-alna as-haba al-nari ella malaikatan wa-ma ja-alna iddatahum ella fitnatan le-llazina kafaru le-yastayqina allazina auto al-kitaba wa yazdada allazina amanu imanan wa-la yartaba allazina auto al-kitaba wal-mu'minuna wa le-yaqula allazina fee qulubehim maradun wa al-kafiruna maza arada Allahu be-haza mathalan ka-zaleka youdellu Allahu man yashau wa-yahdi man yashau wa ma ya'lamu junuda Rabbika ella huwa wa-ma hiya ella zekra lel-bashar (31).
And We have not make the wardens of the Fire except Angels, and We have not fix their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve, that those who were given the Book will be convinced, and those who have believed will increase in faith, and those who were given the Book and the believers will not doubt, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the disbelievers will say What does Allah intend by this as an example?, thus Allah lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills, and none knows the soldiers of Your Lord except Him, and this is nothing but a reminder for the human beings.
Kalla wal-qamar (32).
Nay! By the moon.
Wa al-laili iza adbar (33).
And by the night when it departs.
Wa al-subhi iza asfar (34).
And by the morning when it becomes bright.
Innaha la-ihda al-kubar (35).
Indeed, it is one of the greatest things.
Nazeeran lel-bashar (36).
As a warning to the human beings.
Li-man sahaa menkum an yataqaddama aww yata-akhkhar (37).
To whomever of you wills to proceed or stay behind.
Kullu nafsin bema kasabat rahinah (38).
Every soul for what it has earned will be detained.
Ella as-haba al-yameen (39).
Except the companions of the right.
Fee jannatin yatasa-alun (40).
In gardens, asking one another.
Ani al-mujrimeen (41).
About the criminals.
Ma salakakum fee Saqar (42).
What has brought you to Saqar?.
Qalu lam naku mena al-musalleen (43).
They will say we were not among those who prayed.
Wa-lam naku nut-imu al-miskeen (44).
And we did not feed the needy.
Wa-kunna nakhudu maa al-khaedeen (45).
And we used to indulge in vain talk with those who indulge.
Wa-kunna nukazzebu be-yawmi al-din (46).
And we used to deny the day of Judgment.
Hatta atana al-yaqeen (47).
Until there came to us the certainty.
Fa-ma tanfa-uhum shafa-atu al-shafeen (48).
So there will not benefit them the intercession of intercessors.
Fa-ma lahum ani al-tazkerati mu'rideen (49).
Then what is with them that they are turning away from the reminder.
Ka-annahum humurun mustanfirah (50).
As if they are alarmed donkeys.
Farrat men qaswarah (51).
Fleeing from a lion?.
Bal youredu kullu emri-in minhum an you'ta suhufan munashsharah (52).
But every person of them desires that he would be given spread out scriptures.
Kalla bal la yakhafuna al-akhirah (53).
Nay! But they do not fear the Hereafter.
Kalla innahu tazkirah (54).
Nay! Indeed, it is a reminder.
Fa-man shaa zakarah (55).
So whoever wills will remember it.
Wa-ma yazkuruna ella an yashaa Allahu huwa ahlu altaqwa wa ahlu al-maghfirah (56).
And they will not remember except that Allah wills, He is worthy to be feared, and He is worthy to forgive.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Almuddaththir is a command to initiate the call to worship Allah and to abandon idolatry, as Allah commanded His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to warn of a painful punishment awaiting the infidels. And it is largely revolves around the punishment that the infidels will receive in the Hereafter, as well as the deeds that they used to do, and for which they deserved the painful torment.
Allah Almighty says in the first five verses (1-5) "O You who covers Himself, Stand up and Warn, and Your Lord, Magnify, and Your clothes, Purify, and the filth, Avoid", that is, Allah called out His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH), saying O You who covers Himself, so Allah called Him by the state He was in, then Allah commanded Him to rise up and warn the people of Mecca from a severe punishment that awaited them if they did not believe in the Lord of the worlds, and Allah ordered Him to magnify His Lord, and to purify His clothes, and some commentators had gone beyond the idiomatic meaning of the word "clothes" saying that it means to purify the heart and the soul from sins and misdeeds. And Allah commanded His Messenger to avoid the filth, so Allah commanded Him to desert the idols that the polytheists worshiped, as Allah described the idols saying in Aya (30) of Surat Alhajj {So Avoid the filth of the idols}.
And as narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: "While Allah's Messenger (PBUH) was talking about the period of pause in revelation, He said in His narration, Once while I was walking, all of sudden I heard a voice from the sky, I looked up and saw to my surprise, the same Angel as had visited Me in the cave of Hiraa, He was sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth, I got afraid of Him and came back home and said "Wrap Me, Wrap Me", so they covered him and then Allah revealed {O You who covers Himself, Stand up and Warn, and Your Lord, Magnify, and Your clothes, Purify, and the filth, Avoid, Ayat 1-5}, Abu Slama said that the filth is the idols which the people of Pre-Islamic era (Aljahiliyah) used to worship, after this the revelation started coming frequently and regularly" (Sahih Albukhari 4954).
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (6,7) "And Do not bestow favor to acquire more, and for Your Lord, Be patient", that is, Allah commanded his Messenger (PBUH) not to give a gift and expect something better in return, as His reward is with Allah alone, and Allah commanded Him to be patient with the harm that He will face when conveying the message, and as narrated by Aisha(May Allah be pleased with her), when Gabriel came to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) in the cave Hiraa for the first time, He was trembling till He came upon His wife Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) and said Wrap Me,Wrap Me!, so they covered Him and when the sate of fear was over, He said to Khadijah O Khadijah! What is wrong with Me?, I was afraid that some thing bad might happen to Me, then He told Her the story, Khadijah said ''Nay! But receive the good tidings, By Allah, Allah will never disgrace You, for by Allah, You keep good relations with Your kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, entertain Your guests generously and assist those who are stricken with calamities, then She took Him to Waraqah Bin Naufil, the son of her paternal uncle, Waraqah had been converted to Christianity in the Pre-Islamic period, and used to write Arabic and write of the Gospel in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write, he was an old man, and had lost his eyesight. Khadijah said to him O my cousin! Listen to what your Nephew is going to say, then the prophet (PBUH) described whatever He had seen, Waraqah said this is the same Angel (Gabriel) who was sent to Moses. I wish I were young, and could live up to the time when Your people would drive You out, the Prophet (PBUH) asked Will they drive Me out?, Waraqah said yes, for nobody brought the like of what You have brought, but was treated with hostility. If I were to remain alive till Your day then I would support You strongly, but a short while later Waraqah died (Sahih Albukhari 6982).
Allah Almighty says in the next three verses (8-10) "And when the trumpet is blown, that day will be a difficult day, for the disbelievers, not easy", that is, Allah threatens the disbeliever saying when the trumpet is blown, signaling the beginning of the day of resurrection, as the day of resurrection will come when the trumpet will be blown and it will be blown twice as mentioned in Aya (68) of Surat Alzumar, so that day will be difficult day and not easy for the disbelievers, because they will be certain that there is no escape from the torment of that day.
Allah Almighty says in the next seven verses (11-17) "Leave Me with the one whom I have created alone, and I granted him extensive wealth, and sons, present, and spread before him, easing, then he desires that I should add more, nay! Indeed, he has been stubborn towards Our verses, I will cover him by arduous punishment", that is, Allah addresses His Messenger (PBUH) saying Leave Me with the one whom I have created, alone in his mother's womb, he had neither money nor children, and I granted to him abundant wealth and a present sons, and spread for him livelihood in ease, then he desires that I should add more money and children. But he did not believe in the revelation out of stubbornness and arrogance, thereupon Allah will punish him by arduous punishment (Saud), and it was said that Saud is a mountain in Hellfire that the people of Hellfire will climb.
Allah Almighty says in the next eight verses (18-25) "Indeed, he thought and deliberated, so may he be destroyed, how he deliberated, then may he be destroyed, how he deliberated, then he considered, then he frowned and scowled, then he turned back and was arrogant, then said, this is nothing but magic, imitated, this is nothing but the saying of a human being", that is, Allah tells about the disbeliever who denied the Holy Quran saying that he thought and planned about what he will say about the Holy Quran, so Allah threatens him saying So may he be destroyed, how he deliberated, and Allah repeated it again to confirm the curse and the denial of what he says, also he looked, then he frowned and scowled, then he turned back and was arrogant, and he refused to believe in Allah, and said that Holy Quran is nothing but magic, imitated from witches, and it is not from Allah rather it is the saying of a human being.
Allah Almighty says in the next five verses (26-30) "I will cast him into Saqar, and what will make You know what is Saqar?, it neither spares nor leaves, scorching the skins, over it are nineteen", that is, Allah threatens the one who denies the Holy Quran with another kind of torment saying that He will burn in Saqar, and Saqar is one of the names of Hellfire, and Allah says to His Messenger (PBUH) and what will make you know what is Saqar to glorify the affairs and the horrors that it carries, as it will scorch the skins of human beings, and it will not leave bones, flesh, or blood unless it burn it, and Allah's Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) said in narration of Alnu'man bin Basheer: "The person who will have the least punishment from amongst the companions of the Fire on the day of resurrection, will be a man under whose arch of the feet a smoldering ember will be placed so that his brain will boil because of it" (Sahih Albukhari 6561), then Allah assures that there are nineteen Angels over Hellfire: Malik and eighteen others.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (31) "And We have not make the wardens of the Fire except Angels, and We have not fix their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve, that those who were given the Book will be convinced, and those who have believed will increase in faith, and those who were given the Book and the believers will not doubt, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the disbelievers will say What does Allah intend by this as an example?, thus Allah lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills, and none knows the soldiers of Your Lord except Him, and this is nothing but a reminder for the human beings", that is, Allah has not make the wardens of the Fire except Angels, and He has not fix their number except a trial for those who disbelieve from among the polytheists of Quraish, and that those who were given the Scripture from among the Jews and the Christians will be convinced, and that those who believe in faith will increase in faith and believe that what Muhammad (PBUH) has brought from His Lord is true, because the number of the wardens of Hellfire is nineteen in the Torah and the Gospel, and that those who were given the Book and the believers will not doubt in the truth of that, and that those in whose hearts is a disease of doubt and hypocrisy, and the disbelievers will say What does Allah mean by the number of wardens of Hellfire as an example?, thereupon, Allah confirms that this example is a trial through which Allah lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whoever He wills, and none knows the soldiers of Your Allah whom He created to torture the people of Hellfire except Him, then Allah assures that mentioning Hellfire and its wardens is nothing but a reminder for the human beings.
Allah Almighty says in the next seven verses (32-38) "Nay! By the moon, and by the night when it departs, and by the morning when it becomes bright, indeed, it is one of the greatest things, as a warning to the human beings, to whomever of you wills to proceed or stay behind, every soul for what it has earned will be detained", that is, Allah swears by the moon, by the night when it departs, and by the morning when it becomes bright, it is as if Allah says to the infidels as the night departs and you see the next day before you, the worldly life will pass and you will see Saqar (Hellfire) in front of you as well, so Allah assures that Saqar is one of the greatest things, and Allah cites its example as a deterrence and warning to the human beings, so that whomever wills to proceed in obedience to Allah, or whoever wills to stay behind and persist on disbelief, so man will choose his own path, as every soul will be held accountable for what it has earned of good or evil deeds, and the disbelievers will remain in Hellfire for what they have done of disobedience to Allah in the worldly life.
Allah Almighty says in the next four verses (39-42) "Except the companions of the right, in gardens, asking one another, about the criminals, What has brought you to Saqar?", that is, while the disbelievers will enter Hellfire on the day of resurrection, abiding therein for ever, the companions of the right, who will take their book in the right hand as mentioned in Surat Alinshiqaq, will enter Paradise, abiding therein forever, and they will be in gardens, asking one another about the companions of Hellfire and why they entered Hellfire saying to them What has brought you to Saqar?.
Allah Almighty says in the next five verses (43-47) "They will say we were not among those who prayed, and we did not feed the needy, and we used to indulge in vain talk with those who indulge, and we used to deny the day of Judgment, until there came to us the certainty", that is, the companions of Hellfire will say that what caused them to enter Saqar was that they were not among those who prayed, nor were they among those who fed the needy, who do not find enough food, clothing, or a shelter, but they do not ask the people anything despite their intense need, so they are given what will meet their needs, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "The needy is not the one who asks a morsel or two from the others, but the needy is the one who has nothing and is shamed to beg from people" (Sahih Albukhari 1476). They also used to indulge in vain talk with the vain talkers, and they used to deny the day of resurrection. So they did not obey Allah in what He commanded them to do such as performing the prayer, and feeding the food, and they did not avoid what He forbade them from such as ill talk, and denying the resurrection. They committed these four sins till there came to them the certainty, which is the death and then they realized the fate that awaited them.
Allah Almighty says in the next six verses (48-53) "So there will not benefit them the intercession of intercessors, then what is with them that they are turning away from the reminder, as if they are alarmed donkeys, fleeing from a lion?, but every person of them desires that he would be given spread out scriptures, nay! But they do not fear the Hereafter", that is, the criminals who are the companions of Hellfire will not find any intercessor to intercede for them before Allah in order to take them out of Hellfire, and they will say as mentioned in Aya (100) of Surat Alshu'araa {So we have not any intercessors}, then Allah says as a denunciation what is with them that they are turning away from the Holy Quran, as if they are frightened donkeys, fleeing from a lion, so they are fleeing from the Holy Quran as if they are frightened donkeys fleeing from their enemy, and they want the Holy Quran according to their desires as every person of them desires that he should be given a spread out scriptures, thereupon, Allah assures that if they were given spread out scriptures, they would not believe, for they do not fear the Hereafter, so they do not fear Allah's punishment, nor do they believe in resurrection, reward, and punishment.
Allah Almighty says in the last three verses (54-56) "Nay! Indeed, it is a reminder, so whoever wills will remember it, and they will not remember except that Allah wills, He is worthy to be feared, and He is worthy to forgive", that is, Allah confirms that the Holy Quran is a reminder, and it is not a magic nor a saying of human being as mentioned above in Ayat (24,25), so whoever wills will remember it, but the guidance is related to the will of Allah who is worthy to be feared, and worthy to forgive, and Allah forgives those who feared the standing before Him, and did righteous deeds, and He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.