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Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
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Translators: Ahmed Ali ● Amatul Rahman Omar ● Daryabadi ● Faridul Haque ● Hamid S. Aziz ● Maulana Mohammad Ali ● Pickthall ● Sarwar ● Shakir ● Yusuf Ali
Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
Name
The Surah has been so designated after the
word al-muzzammil occurring in the very first verse. This is only a name and not
a title of its subject matter.
Period of Revelation
The two sections of this Surah were revealed in two separate periods.
The first section (vv. 1-19) is unanimously a Makki Revelation, and this is
supported both by its subject matter and by the traditions of the Hadith. As for
the question, in which specific period of the life at Makkah it was revealed, it
is not answered by the tradition, but the internal evidence of the subject
matter of this section helps to determine the period of its revelation.
First, in it the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been instructed to the
effect: "Arise during the night and worship Allah so that you may develop the
capability to shoulder the heavy burden of Prophethood and to discharge its
responsibilities." This shows that this Command must have been given in the
earliest period of the Prophethood when training was being imparted to the Holy
prophet by Allah for this office.
Secondly, a Command has been given in
it that the Qur'an be recited in, the Tahajjud Prayer for half the night, or
thereabout. This Command by itself points out that by that time at least so much
of the Qur'an had been revealed as could be recited for that long.
Thirdly, in this section the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been exhorted
to have patience at the excesses being committed by his opponents, and the
disbelievers of Makkah have been threatened with the torment. This shows that
this section was revealed at a time when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
had openly started preaching Islam and the opposition to him at Makkah had grown
active and strong.
About the second section (v. 20) although many of the
commentators have expressed the opinion that this too was sent down at Makkah,
yet some other commentators regard it as a Madani Revelation, and this same
opinion is confirmed by the subject matter of this section. For it mentions
fighting in the way of Allah, and obviously, there could be no question of it at
Makkah; it also contains the Command to pay the obligatory zakat, and it is
fully confirmed that the zakat at a specific rate and with an exemption limit (nisab)
was enjoined at Madinah.
Theme and Subject Matter
In the first seven verses the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been
commanded to the effect: "Prepare yourself to shoulder the responsibilities of
the great Mission that has been entrusted to you; its practical form is that you
should rise during the hours of night and stand up in Prayer for half the night,
or for a little more or less of it."
In vv. 8-14, he has been exhorted to
the effect: "Devote yourself exclusively to that God Who is the Owner of the
whole universe. Entrust all your affairs to Him with full satisfaction of the
heart. Bear with patience whatever your opponents may utter against you. Do not
be intimate with them. Leave their affair to God: He Himself will deal with
them."
Then, in vv. 15-19, those of the people of Makkah, who were
opposing the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) have been warned, so as to say:
"We have sent a Messenger to you just as We sent a Messenger to the Pharaoh.
Just consider what fate the Pharaoh met when he did not accept the invitation of
the Messenger of Allah. Supposing that you are not punished by a torment in this
world, how will you save yourselves from the punishment for disbelief on the Day
of Resurrection."
This is the subject matter of the first section. The
second section, according to a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, was sent
down ten years later, and in it the initial Command given in connection with the
Tahajjud Prayer, in the beginning of the first section, was curtailed. The new
Command enjoined, "Offer as much of the Tahajjud Prayer as you easily can, but
what the Muslims should particularly mind and attend to is the five times
obligatory Prayer a day:, they should establish it regularly and punctually;
they should discharge their zakat dues accurately; and they should spend their
wealth with sincere intentions for the sake of Allah. In conclusion, the Muslims
have been exhorted, saying: "Whatever good works you do in the world, will not
go waste, but they are like the provision which a traveler sends up in advance
to his permanent place of residence. Whatever good you send up from the world,
you will find it with Allah, and the provision thus sent up is much better than
what you will have to leave behind in the world, and with Allah you will also
get a much better and richer reward than what you have actually sent up before."
1To address the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) with these words and
then to command him to rise and keep standing in the Prayer at night, shows that
at the tune he either lay asleep, or had wrapped himself up in a sheet in order
to go to sleep. Here, to address him with "O you who sleeps covered up" instead
of with "O Prophet, or O Messenger", is a fine way of address, which by itself
gives the meaning: "Gone is the time when you used to enjoy peaceful sleep at
will; now you lie under the burden of a great mission, whose demands and duties
are different as well as onerous.
2This can have two meanings:
(1) "Pass the night standing up in the Prayer and spend only a little of it in
sleep"; and
(2)"there is no demand from you to pass the whole night in
the Prayer, but have rest as well and spend a little part of the night in
worship too."
But in view of the theme that follows the first meaning
seems to be more relevant, and the same is supported by Ad-Dahr: 26, in which it
has been said: "Prostrate yourself before Him in the night and glorify Him
during the long hours of night."
3This is an explanation of the duration
of time commanded to be spent in worship. In it the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
peace) was given the option to spend half of the night in the Prayer, or a
little less than that, or a little more than that. But the style shows that half
the night has been regarded as preferable, for the measure is the same, which
may be decreased or increased, as the people may like and choose.
4"Recite the Qur'an ......": Do not recite it quickly and in haste, but slowly
and distinctly: pause at every verse so that the mind understands the meaning
and purport of Divine Revelation well and takes effect from it. if it contains
the mention of Allah's Being and Attributes, it may awe-inspire the heart with
His glory and majesty; if it expresses His mercy, the heart may be filled with
feelings of gratitude to Him; if it mentions His wrath and His punishment, the
heart may be overwhelmed by fear of Him; if it enjoins something or forbids
something, one may understand what has been enjoined and what has been
forbidden. In short, the recital does not only consist in uttering the words
with the tongue, but it should involve thoughtful consideration of the meaning.
When Hadrat Anas was asked about the Holy Prophet's method of reciting the
Qur'an, he replied: The Holy Messenger stretched the words when reciting them.
For example, when he recited Bismillah ir-Rahman it-Rahim he would stretch and
prolong the sound of Allah, Rahman and Rahim (Bukhari). When Hadrat Umm Salamah
was asked the same question, she replied that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
peace) recited every verse separately and distinctly and observed a pause at the
end of every verse. For instance, he recited AI-hamdu-lillah-i Rabb-il'alamin,
and paused, then recited ar-Rahman ir-Rahim, and paused, and then recited
Malik-i yaum id-di'n. "(Musnad Ahmad, Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi). In another
tradition, Hadrat Umm Salamah has stated that the Holy Prophet recited each word
distinctly and clearly. (Tirmidhi, Nasa'i). Hadrat Hudhaifah bin Yaman says:
"Once I stood beside the Holy Prophet in the Night Prayer to see how he recited
the Qur'an. I noticed that he glorified Allah where He should be glorified,
invoked and supplicated Allah where He should be invoked and supplicated, and
sought refuge of Allah where His refuge should be sought." (Muslim, Nasa'i).
Hadrat Abu Dharr has stated that once during the Night Prayer when the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be peace) came to the sentence: In to adhdhib-hmn ... (If You
punish them, then they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, then You are
Almighty, All-Wise), he went on repeating it over and over again until it became
dawn." (Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari).
5That is, "You are being commanded to
stand up in the Night Prayer because We are going to send down on you a weighty
word, to bear the burden of which you must develop necessary power in yourself,
and you can develop this power only by abandoning your ease and comfort of the
night and by standing up in the Prayer and passing half the night or thereabout
in the worship of your Lord. "The Qur'an has been called a weighty Word also for
the reason that acting on its commands, demonstrating its teaching practically,
extending its invitation in the face of the whole world, and bringing about a
revolution in the entire system of belief and thought, morals and manners,
civilization and social life, according to it, is indeed the weightiest task any
human being ever has been charged with: It has been called a weighty Word also
because bearing the burden of its revelation was a difficult and heavy duty.
Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit says: "Once Revelation came down upon the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be peace) in a state when he was resting his head upon my knee. I
felt such a pressure of the weight on my knee that I thought it would break."
Hadrat `A`ishah says: "I have seen the state of the Holy Prophet's receiving
Revelation during intense cold, drops of perspiration started falling from his
forehead." (Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i): In another tradition
Hadrat `A`ishah has stated: "Whenever Revelation came down on the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be peace) while he was riding on his she-camel, the she-camel would
be forced to rest her chest on the ground and could not move until the
Revelation was over." (Musnad Ahmad. Hakim, Ibn Jarir).
6About the
meaning of the word nashi'at al-lail, as used in the original, the commentators
and lexicographers have expressed four different viewpoints:
(1) That
nashi'at implies the person himself who rises at night;
(2) that it
implies the hours of night;
(3) that it means the rising by night; and
(4) that it does not only apply to the rising in the night but rising after
having had some sleep,
Hadrat `A`ishah and Mujahid have adopted this
fourth viewpoint.
7The word ashaddu wat'an as used in the Text is so
vast in meaning that it cannot be explained in any one sentence. Its one meaning
is: As the rising for worship by night and standing up for a long tithe in the
Prayer is against human nature and the self of man seeks ease and comfort at
that time. this act is an exercise which is most effective in controlling and
disciplining the self. The person who governs himself by this method and gains
dominance over his body and mind becomes able to use his power in the way of
God, can work more efficiently and firmly to make the message of true Faith
prevail in the world. The second meaning is: This is a very effective means of
producing harmony and concord between the heart and the tongue, for during these
hours of the night none else intervenes between the servant and his God, and
whatever man utters with his tongue in this state, is the very voice of his
heart. The third meaning is: This is a very efficacious means of bringing about
conformity between the exterior and the interior of man, , for the person who in
the solitude of the night would abandon his comfort and ease and arise for
worship, would do so only out of sincerity: there can be no tinge of display and
hypocrisy in this. The fourth meaning is: As this worship is harder on man than
the worship of the daytime, it develops steadfastness in him: he is enabled to
walk in the path of God more firmly and can face and endure the hardships of
that way with greater constancy and determination.
8Literally: "Makes
the speech most upright and sound." But the purport is to say that at that time
man can read the Qur'an with greater peace of mind, attention and understanding.
lbn `Abbas has explained it thus: "That it is the most suitable time for man to
ponder over the Qur'an well.” (Abu Da'ud).
9After making mention of the
occupation of the daytime, the exhortation to "remember the name of your Lord"
by itself gives the meaning: "Never be heedless of the remembrance of your Lord
even when you are deeply involved in your worldly occupations, and continue. to
commemorate His name in one way or another at all times." (For explanation, see
E.N. 63 of Surah AI-Ahzab).
10" Wakil is a person in whom one has
complete faith; so much so that one can entrust all one's affairs to him with
full satisfaction of the heart. Thus, the verse means: "Do not feel distressed
at the hardships that you are experiencing at the storm of opposition that has
been provoked by your invitation to we Faith. Your Lord is He Who is the Owner
of the East and the West, (i.e. of the whole universe) besides Whom no one else
possesses the powers of Godhead. Entrust your affair to Him and be satisfied
that He will fight your case, He will deal with your opponents, and He will look
after all your interests well. "
11"Depart from them" does not mean
"Break off all ties with them and stop preaching to them", but it means; "Do not
have intimate and friendly relations with them: disregard their foolish behavior
and their nonsense." However, you should do so without showing any grief, anger
or temper but gracefully like a noble person, who would disregard the abusive
remarks of a mean person without minding them at all. This should not create the
misunderstanding that the Holy Prophet's conduct was any different from it;
therefore, Allah gave him this instruction. As a matter of fact, the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be peace) was already following this very mode of conduct;
this instruction was given in the Qur'an so as to tell the disbelievers: "It is
not due to any weakness on the part of the Prophet that he is not responding to
what you are saying against him, but Allah Himself has taught His Messenger to
adopt this noble way of conduct in response to your foolish behavior. "
12These words clearly contain the sense that the people who were actually
denying the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in Makkah and were inciting the
common people to oppose and resist him by stirring up prejudices and by deceit
and fraud were the well-to-do, prosperous and affluent people, for it was their
interests, which were being hit by Islam's message of reform. The Qur'an tells
us that this was not peculiar only to the Holy Prophet's case but in every age
this very class of the people have been the main obstacle to every movement of
reform. For example, see Al-A`raf; 60, 6b, 75, 88; Al-Mu'minun: 33; Saba; 34 35;
Az-Zukhruf: 23.
13Heavy fetters in Hell will not be put on the
criminals' feet to stop them from escape but in order that they are not able to
stand up and move; these will not be used to prevent their escape but as an
instrument of their torment.
14Since at that time the cohesive force to
bind the parts of the mountains together will cease to work, first they will
become like crumbling dunes of fine sand, then because of the earthquake which
will be shaking the earth; the sand will scatter and shift and the whole earth
will turn into an empty level plain. This last state has been described in Ta
Ha: 105-107, thus: "They ask you: where will the mountains go on that Day? Say:
My Lord will reduce them to fine dust and scatter it away. He will turn the
earth into an empty level plain, wherein you will neither see any curve no
crease."
15The address now turns to the disbelievers of Makkah, who were
denying the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and persecuting him relentlessly.
16Sending the Holy Prophet to be a witness over the people also means
that he should testify to the Truth by his word and deed before them in the
world and also that in the Hereafter when Allah's Court is established, he will
testify that he had presented the whole Truth before the people in the world.
(For further explanation, see E.N. 144 of Al-Baqarah, E.N. 64 of An-Nisa', An-Nahl:
84, 89, E.N. 82 of Al-Azab, E.N. 14 of Al-Fath).
17That is, "In the
first place, you should be afraid that if you do not accept the invitation of
the Messenger sent by Us, you will have to meet the same evil end in this world,
which the Pharaoh has already met in consequence of this very crime. But even if
no torment is sent on you in the world, how will you save yourselves from the
punishment of the Day of Resurrection?"
18About this verse in which
reduction has been made in the injunction concerning the Tahajjud Prayer, there
are different traditions. Musnad Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Da'ud have related a
tradition, on the authority of Hadrat `A'ishah, saying that this second command
was sent down one year after the first command, and the standing up in the
Prayer at night was made voluntary instead of obligatory. Another tradition
which Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have related, again on the authority of Hadrat
`A'ishah, says that this command came down 8 months after the first command, and
a third tradition which Ibn Abi Hatim has related again from her, says that it
came down 16 months later. Abu Da'ud, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have cited the
period of one year from Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas. But Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair
has stated that it was sent down ten years later. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim). In
our opinion this last view is most sound, for the subject-matter of the first
section clearly shows that it was sent down in Makkah and that too in the
earliest stage when at the most four years might have passed since the advent of
Prophethood. Contrary to this, this second section, .in view of the express
evidence of its subject matter, seems to have been revealed at Madinah when
fighting had started with the disbelievers and the zakat also had been enjoined
as an obligatory duty. On this basis inevitably the two sections should have
been sent down at an interval of at least ten years between them.
19Although the initial command to the Holy Prophet was to keep standing up in
the Prayer for half the. night, or thereabout, it was difficult to compute the
time precisely in the absorption of the Prayer, especially when there were no
watches either to measure time accurately; therefore, sometimes two thirds of
the night passed in the prayer and sometimes only one-third of it.
20In
the initial command only the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was addressed and
only he was instructed to stand up in the Prayer by night. But since the Muslims
at that time were ardently desirous of following him in everything he did and of
earning more and more good and virtues, many of the Companions also performed
this Night Prayer regularly.
21As the Prayer is prolonged due mainly to a
lengthy recital of the Qur'an, it is said: "You may recite as much of the Qur'an
as you easily can in the Tahajjud Prayer This would automatically cause the
Prayer to be shortened" . Although the words here are apparently in the
imperative mood, it is agreed by all that Tahajjud is not an obligatory but a
voluntary Prayer. In the Hadith also it has been explained that on an inquiry by
a person the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) replied: "Five times Prayer in
the day and night is obligatory on you. He asked: Is anything besides this also
binding on me? The Holy Prophet said: No, unless you may like to offer something
of your own accord. " (Bukhari, Muslim).
This verse also shows another
thing. Just as the bowing (ruku ) and prostration (sajdah.) are obligatory in
the Prayer, so is the recital of the Qur'an. For just as Allah at other places
has used the words ruku' and sajdah for the prayer, so here He has mentioned
recital of the Qur'an, which implies its recital in the Prayer. If somebody
objects to this conclusion, saying: When the Tahajjud Prayer itself is
voluntary, how can recital of the Qur'an in it be obligatory? The answer is:
Even in case of the voluntary Prayer it is incumbent on one to fulfil all the
pre-requisites of the Prayer and to perform all its basic elements and
obligatory parts. No one can say that in case of the voluntary Prayer, purity of
the garments and body, ablutions and concealment of the satar (minimal part of
the body to be covered) are not obligatory, and the standing up and sitting and
performance of ruku`and sajdah also in it are only voluntary.
22Traveling to earn one's living by lawful and permissible methods has been
described in many places in the Qur'an as the seeking of Allah's bounty.
23Here, the way Allah has made mention of seeking pure livelihood and
fighting in the Way of Allah together and declared these two, besides the
compulsion on account of illness, as reasons for exemption from the Tahajjud
Prayer, or concession in it, shows how meritorious it is in Islam-to earn one's
livelihood by lawful methods. In the Hadith, Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas`ud has
reported that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) said: "The person who came
to a city of the Muslims with food grains and sold it at the rate of the day,
will attain to a place nearest to Allah, and then the Holy Prophet recited this
very verse." (lbn Marduyah), Hadrat 'Umar once said: "Except for fighting in the
way of Allah, the state in which I would love to be overtaken by death, is the
state when I am overtaken by it while passing through a mountain pass in search
of livelihood and then he recited this very verse." (Baihaqi, Shu ab al-Iman).
24Commentators are agreed that this implies observance of the obligatory
Prayer five times a day and giving away of the obligatory zakat.
25Ibn
Zaid says this implies spending one's wealth in the cause of Allah besides the
zakat, whether it is in the cause of fighting in the way of Allah, or for
helping the needy, or for public utilities, or other good works. The meaning of
giving to Allah a good loan has been explained at several places above. See E.N
267 of AI-Baqarah, E.N. 33 of Al-Ma'idah, E.N. 16 of Al-Hadid).
26It
means: "Whatever you have sent forward for the good of your Hereafter is more
beneficial for you than that you withheld in the world and did not spend in any
good cause for the pleasure of Allah. According to a Hadith reported by Hadrat
'Abdullah bin Mas`ud the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) once asked: "Which of
you has a greater love for his own wealth than for the wealth of his heir? The
people said: There is none among us, O Messenger of Allah, who would not have
greater love for his own wealth than for the wealth of his heir. He said:
Consider well what you are saying. The people submitted: This indeed is our
considered opinion, O Messenger of Allah. Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: Your
own property is only that which you have sent forward (for the good f your
Hereafter), and whatever you held back indeed belongs to the heir." (Bukhari.
Nasa'i, Musnad Abu Ya`la).