| No. | Transliteration | English | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yaaa ayyuhal muddassir | O thou wrapped up (in the mantle)! | يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ |
| 2. | Qum fa anzir | Arise and deliver thy warning! | قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ |
| 3. | Wa rabbaka fakabbir | And thy Lord do thou magnify! | وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ |
| 4. | Wa siyaabaka fatahhir | And thy garments keep free from stain! | وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ |
| 5. | Warrujza fahjur | And all abomination shun! | وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ |
| 6. | Wa laa tamnun tastaksir | Nor expect, in giving, any increase (for thyself)! | وَلَا تَمْنُنْ تَسْتَكْثِرُ |
| 7. | Wa li Rabbika fasbir | But, for thy Lord´s (Cause), be patient and constant! | وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ |
| 8. | Fa izaa nuqira fin naaqoor | Finally, when the Trumpet is sounded, | فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِي النَّاقُورِ |
| 9. | Fazaalika yawma 'iziny yawmun 'aseer | That will be- that Day - a Day of Distress,- | فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ |
| 10. | 'Alal kaafireena ghairu yaseer | Far from easy for those without Faith. | عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ |
| 11. | Zarnee wa man khalaqtu waheedaa | Leave Me alone, (to deal) with the (creature) whom I created (bare and) alone!- | ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا |
| 12. | Wa ja'altu lahoo maalam mamdoodaa | To whom I granted resources in abundance, | وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا |
| 13. | Wa baneena shuhoodaa | And sons to be by his side!- | وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا |
| 14. | Wa mahhattu lahoo tamheeda | To whom I made (life) smooth and comfortable! | وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا |
| 15. | Summa yat ma'u an azeed | Yet is he greedy-that I should add (yet more);- | ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ |
| 16. | Kallaaa innahoo kaana li Aayaatinaa 'aneedaa | By no means! For to Our Signs he has been refractory! | كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا |
| 17. | Sa urhiquhoo sa'oodaa | Soon will I visit him with a mount of calamities! | سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا |
| 18. | Innahoo fakkara wa qaddar | For he thought and he plotted;- | إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ |
| 19. | Faqutila kayfa qaddar | And woe to him! How he plotted!- | فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ |
| 20. | Summa qutila kaifa qaddar | Yea, Woe to him; How he plotted!- | ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ |
| 21. | Summa nazar | Then he looked round; | ثُمَّ نَظَرَ |
| 22. | Summa 'abasa wa basar | Then he frowned and he scowled; | ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ |
| 23. | Summaa adbara wastakbar | Then he turned back and was haughty; | ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ |
| 24. | Faqaala in haazaaa illaa sihruny yu'sar | Then said he: "This is nothing but magic, derived from of old; | فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ |
| 25. | In haazaaa illaa qawlul bashar | "This is nothing but the word of a mortal!" | إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ |
| 26. | Sa usleehi saqar | Soon will I cast him into Hell-Fire! | سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ |
| 27. | Wa maaa adraaka maa saqar | And what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire is? | وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ |
| 28. | Laa tubqee wa laa tazar | Naught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone!- | لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ |
| 29. | Lawwaahatul lilbashar | Darkening and changing the colour of man! | لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ |
| 30. | 'Alaihaa tis'ata 'ashar | Over it are Nineteen. | عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ |
| 31. | Wa maaja'alnaaa As-haaban naari illaa malaaa 'ikatanw wa maa ja'alnaa 'iddatahum illaa fitnatal lillazeena kafaroo liyastaiqinal lazeena ootul kitaaba wa yazdaadal lazeena aamanooo eemaananw wa laa yartaabal lazeena ootul kitaaba walmu'minoona wa liyaqoolal lazeena fee quloo bihim maradunw walkaafiroona maazaaa araadal laahu bihaazaa masalaa; kazaalika yudillul laahu mai yashaaa'u wa yahdee mai yashaaa'; wa maa ya'lamu junooda rabbika illaa hoo; wa maa hiya illaa zikraa lil bashar | And We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed their number only as a trial for Unbelievers,- in order that the People of the Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith,- and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the Unbelievers may say, "What symbol doth Allah intend by this?" Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He and this is no other than a warning to mankind. | وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ |
| 32. | Kallaa walqamar | Nay, verily: By the Moon, | كَلَّا وَالْقَمَرِ |
| 33. | Wallaili id adbar | And by the Night as it retreateth, | وَاللَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ |
| 34. | Wassub hi izaaa asfar | And by the Dawn as it shineth forth,- | وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ |
| 35. | Innahaa la ihdal kubar | This is but one of the mighty (portents), | إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى الْكُبَرِ |
| 36. | Nazeeral lilbashar | A warning to mankind,- | نَذِيرًا لِلْبَشَرِ |
| 37. | Liman shaaa'a minkum any yataqaddama aw yata akhkhar | To any of you that chooses to press forward, or to follow behind;- | لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ |
| 38. | Kullu nafsim bima kasabat raheenah | Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. | كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ |
| 39. | Illaaa as haabal yameen | Except the Companions of the Right Hand. | إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ |
| 40. | Fee jannaatiny yata saaa'aloon | (They will be) in Gardens (of Delight): they will question each other, | فِي جَنَّاتٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ |
| 41. | 'Anil mujrimeen | And (ask) of the Sinners: | عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ |
| 42. | Maa salakakum fee saqar | "What led you into Hell Fire?" | مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ |
| 43. | Qaaloo lam naku minal musalleen | They will say: "We were not of those who prayed; | قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ |
| 44. | Wa lam naku nut'imul miskeen | "Nor were we of those who fed the indigent; | وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ |
| 45. | Wa kunnaa nakhoodu ma'al khaaa'ideen | "But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers; | وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ |
| 46. | Wa kunnaa nukazzibu bi yawmid Deen | "And we used to deny the Day of Judgment, | وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ |
| 47. | Hattaaa ataanal yaqeen | "Until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain." | حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ |
| 48. | Famaa tanfa'uhum shafaa'atush shaafi'een | Then will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them. | فَمَا تَنْفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ |
| 49. | Famaa lahum 'anittazkirati mu'rideen | Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition?- | فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ التَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ |
| 50. | Ka annahum humurum mustanfirah | As if they were affrighted asses, | كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُسْتَنْفِرَةٌ |
| 51. | Farrat min qaswarah | Fleeing from a lion! | فَرَّتْ مِنْ قَسْوَرَةٍ |
| 52. | Bal yureedu kullum ri'im minhum any yu'taa suhufam munashsharah | Forsooth, each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of revelation) spread out! | بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًا مُنَشَّرَةً |
| 53. | Kallaa bal laa yakhaafoonal aakhirah | By no means! But they fear not the Hereafter, | كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ لَا يَخَافُونَ الْآخِرَةَ |
| 54. | Kallaaa innahoo tazkirah | Nay, this surely is an admonition: | كَلَّا إِنَّهُ تَذْكِرَةٌ |
| 55. | Fa man shaaa'a zakarah | Let any who will, keep it in remembrance! | فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ |
| 56. | Wa maa yazkuroona illaaa any yashaaa'al laah; Huwa ahlut taqwaa wa ahlul maghfirah | But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness. | وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ |
Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
The Surah takes its name from the word al- muddaththir in the first verse.
This also is only a name, not a title of its subject matter.
Period of Revelation
The first seven verses of this Surah belong to
the earliest period at Makkah. Even according to some traditions which have been
related in Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad, etc., on the authority of
Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah, these are the very earliest verses of the Qur'an to
be revealed to the Holy Prophet (upon whoa be peace). But the Muslim Ummah
almost unanimously agreed that the earliest Revelation to the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be peace) consisted of the first five verses of Surah Al-Alaq (XCVI)
However, what is established by authentic traditions is that after this first
Revelation, no Revelation came down to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) for
quite some time. Then, when it was resumed, it started with theme verses of
Surah Al- Muddaththir. Imam Zuhri has given the following details of it:
"Revelation to the Holy Prophet remained suspended for quite some time, and it
was such a period of deep grief and distress for him that he started going early
to the tops of the mountains to throw himself down from them. But whenever he
stood on the edge of a peak, the Angel Gabriel would appear and tell him that he
was Allah's Prophet. This would console him and restore to him full peace of
mind." (Ibn Jarir).
After this Imam Zuhri relates the following tradition
on the authority of Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah:
"The Ho]y Messenger of
Allah describing the period of falrat al-wahi (break in revelation) said: One
day when I was passing on the way, I suddenly heard a call from heaven. I raised
my head and saw that the same Angel who had visited me in the Cave of Hira was
sitting on a throne between heaven and earth. This struck terror in my heart,
and reaching home quickly, I said: 'Cover me up, cover me up'. So the people of
the house covered me up with a quilt (or blanket). At that time Allah sent down
the Revelation: Ya ayyuhal-Muddaththiru... From then on revelation became
intense and continuous." (Bukhari, Muslim Musnad Ahmad, Ibn Jarir).
The
rest of the Surah (vv. 8-56) was revealed when the first Hajj season came after
public preaching of Islam had begun in Makkah. This has been fully well
described in the Sirah by Ibn Hisham and we shall cite it below.
Theme and Subject Matter
As has been explained above, the earliest
Revelation to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) consisted of the first five
verses of Surah Al-Alaq, in which it had been Said: "Read (O Prophet), in the
name of your Lord, Who created: created man from a clot of congealed blood.
Read: and your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught knowledge by the pen, taught
man what he did not know."
This was the first experience of Revelation
met with suddenly by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace). in this message it
was not told what great mission he had been entrusted with and what duties he
had to perk form in future. He was only initiated into it and then left alone
for a time so that the great strain this experience had caused should pass away
and he should mentally become prepared to receive the Revelation and perform the
prophetic mission in the future. After this intermission when Revelation Was
resumed, the first seven verses of this Surah Were revealed:In these he Was for
the first time commanded to arise and warn the people of the consequences of the
way of life they were following and to proclaim the greatness of God in the
world where others were being magnified without any right. Along with that he
was given this instruction: The demand of the Unique mission that you have to
perform, now is that your life should be pure in every respect and you should
carry out the duty of reforming your people sincerely irrespective of any
worldly gain. Then, in the last sentence, he was exhorted to endure with
patience, for the sake of his Lord, all the hardships and troubles that he might
have to face while performing his mission.
In the implementation of this
Divine Command when the Holy Messenger of Allah began to preach Islam and recite
the Qur'anic Surahs revealed successively, the people of Makkah felt alarmed,
and it provoked a great storm of opposition and hostility. A few months passed
in this state until the Hajj season approached. The people of Makkah feared that
if Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) started visiting the caravans of the
pilgrims coming from all over Arabia at their halting places and reciting the
spell binding and unique Revelations of the Qur'an in their assemblies on the
occasion of Hajj, his message would reach every part of Arabia and influence
countless people. Therefore, the Quraish chiefs held a conference and settled
that they would start a propaganda campaign against the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be peace) among the pilgrims as soon as they arrived.
After they had
agreed on this, Walid bin al-Mughirah said to the assembled people: "If you said
contradictory things about Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings),
we all would lose our trust among the people. Therefore, let us agree upon one
opinion, which we should all say without dispute.
Some people said that
they would call Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) a
soothsayer. Walid said: "No, by God, be is not a soothsayer. We have seen the
soothsayers: what they murmur and what they utter has no remote resemblance with
the Qur'an.”
Some other people said: "Then we say he is possessed." Walid
said: He is not a possessed one: we have seen mad and insane people; the way one
talks disjointedly and behaves foolishly in that state is known to all: who
would believe that what Muhammad (upon whom be peace) presented was the
incoherent speech of a madman?”
The people said: "Then we say he is a
poet.” Walid said: "No, he is not a poet, for we know poetry in all its forms,
and what he presents conforms to no form of it.”
The people said: "Then
he is a sorcerer.” Walid said: "He is no sorcerer either: we have seen sorcerers
and we also know what methods they adopt for their sorcery. This also does not
apply to Muhammad.”
Then he said: "Whichever of these things you said
about Muhammad, it would be known to be a false accusation. By God, his speech
is sweet, his root is deep and his branches are fruitful.” At this Abu Jahl
urging on Walid said: "Your people will never be pleased with you unless you say
something about Muhammad.” He said: "Let me think over it awhile.”
Then,
after prolonged thought and consideration, he said: "The nearest thing to the
truth is that you tell the Arabs that he is a sorcerer, who has brought a
message by which he separates a man from his father; and from his brother, and
from his wife and children, and from his family.” They all agreed on what Walid
had proposed.
Then, according to a scheme the men of Quraish spread among
the pilgrims in the Hajj season and they warned everyone they met of the sorcery
of Muhammad (upon whom be peace) and of his stirring up divisions in the
families by it." But the result was that by their this plan the Quraish chiefs
themselves made the name of the Holy Messenger known throughout Arabia. (Ibn
Hisham, pp. 288-289. That Walid had made this proposal on the insistence of Abu
Jahl has been related by Ibn Jarir in his Tafsir on the authority of Ikrimah).
This same event has been reviewed and commented upon in the second section
of this Surah. The sequence of its contents is as follows:
In vv. 8-10
the deniers of Truth have been warned, saying: "You will see the evil result of
what you are doing today on the Resurrection Day."
In vv. 11-26, without
naming Walid bin al-Mughirah, it has been told how Allah had blessed him and how
inimical he proved to be to true Faith. In this connection, his mental conflict
has been portrayed, telling that, on the one hand, he was fully convinced of the
truth of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and the Qur'an,
but, on the other, he did not want to risk his leadership and position among his
people. Therefore, not only he did not believe himself but after a
long-drawn-out conflict with his conscience he also came out with the proposal
that in order to restrain the people from believing the Qur'an should be branded
as magic. After exposing his evil nature, it has been said: "Notwithstanding
such evil inclinations and misdeeds, this person desires that he should be
further blessed, whereas he has now become worthy of Hell, and never of further
blessings."
In vv. 27-48, the dreadfulness of Hell has been depicted and
it has been explained as to people of what character and morals really deserve
it.
In vv. 49-53, the root cause of the disbelievers' aversion has been
pointed out, saying: "Since they are fearless of the Hereafter, and look upon
this worldly life as an end in itself, they flee from the Qur'an as though they
were wild asses fleeing away from the lion: therefore, they propose unreasonable
conditions for believing, whereas even if each and every condition of theirs was
fulfilled, they could not advance even an inch on the way of Faith with their
denial of the Hereafter."
In conclusion, it has been explicitly stated:
Allah does not stand in need of anybody's faith that He may fulfill his
conditions. The Qur'an is an admonition that has been presented before the
people openly; now whoever wills may accept it. Allah has a right that the
people should fear His disobedience and He alone has the power to forgive the
one who adopts piety and an attitude of God consciousness even though one may
have committed many acts of disobedience in the past.