In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful
Holy Quran
Surah 74 Al-Muddaththir
(The One Wrapped Up)
Interpretation of
the Meanings of the Noble Quran in English Language
by A.Yusuf Ali
1 O thou wrapped up (in a
mantle)! 5778
2 Arise and deliver thy warning!
3 And thy Lord do thou magnify!
4 And thy garments keep free from stain! 5779
5 And all abomination shun! 5780
6 Nor expect in giving any increase (for thyself)!
5781
7 But for thy Lord's (Cause) be patient and constant! 5782
8 Finally when the Trumpet is sounded
9 That will be that Day a Day of Distress 5783
10 Far from easy for those without Faith.
11 Leave Me alone (to deal) with the (creature) whom I created (bare
and) alone! 5784 5785
12 To whom I granted resources in abundance
13 And sons to be by his side! 5786
14 To whom I made (life) smooth and comfortable!
15 Yet is he greedy that I should add (yet more) 5787
16 By no means! For to Our Signs he has been refractory!
17 Soon will I visit him with a mount of calamities! 5788
18 For he thought and he plotted
19 And woe to him! how he plotted! 5789
20 Yea woe to him! how he plotted!
21 Then he looked round;
22 Then he frowned and he scowled;
23 Then he turned back and was haughty;
24 Then said he: "This is nothing but magic derived from of
old;" 5790
25 "This is nothing but
the word of a mortal!"
26 Soon will cast him into Hell-Fire! 5791
27 And what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire is?
28 Naught doth it permit to endure and naught doth it leave alone! 5792
29 Darkening and changing the color of man!
30 Over it are Nineteen. 5793
31 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 the Lord except
He and this is no other than a warning to mankind. 5794 5795 5796 5797
Introduction
Name
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 Quran to be revealed to the Holy Prophet (upon
whom 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 Holy 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
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 Surah by Ibn Hishan
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 perform 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, tbe 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 Quranic Surahs revealed successsively,
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 spellbinding and unique Revelations of
the Quran in their assemblies on the occasion of Hajj,
his message would reach every part of
In
conclusion, it has been explicitly stated: Allah does not stand in need of
anybody's faith that He may fulfil his conditions.
The Quran 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.
Notes
5778 In
these wonderful early verses there is a double thread of thought: (1) A
particular occasion or person is referred to; (2) a general spiritual lesson is
taught. As to (1), the Prophet was now past the stage of personal
contemplation, lying down or sitting in his mantle; he was now to go forth
boldly to deliver his Message and publicly proclaim the Lord: his heart had
always been purified, but now all his outward doings must be dedicated to
Allah, and conventional respect for ancestral customs or worship must be thrown
aside; his work as a Messenger was the most generous gift that could flow from
his personality, but no reward or appreciation was to be expected from his
people, but quite the contrary; there would be much call on his patience, but
his contentment would arise from the good pleasure of Allah. As to (2), similar
stages arise in a minor degree in the life of every good man, for which the
Prophet's life is to be a universal pattern. (74.1)
5779 Possibly,
in its immediate application, there is a reference to the dirt and filth which
the Pagans used to throw at the Prophet to insult and persecute him. (74.4)
5780 Rujz or Rijz: abomination: usually
understood to refer to idolatry. It is even possible that there was an idol
called Rujz. But it has a wider signification, as
including a mental state opposed to true worship, a state of doubt or
indecision. (74.5)
5781 The
legal and commercial formula is that you give in order to receive. And usually
you expect to receive what is worth to you a little more than you give. The
spiritual consideration is that you give, but expect nothing from the receiver.
You serve Allah and Allah's creatures. (74.6)
5782 Our
zeal for Allah's Cause itself requires that we should not be impatient, and
that we should show constancy in our efforts for His Cause. For we have faith,
and we know that He is All-Good, All-Wise, and All-Powerful, and everything
will ultimately be right. (74.7)
5783 The
Sinner's course is now shown in contrast to the Seeker's. The Sinner may be
self-complacent now: but what will be his position when the Reckoning comes?
Not easy, indeed a Day of Distress! (74.9)
5784 The
question of Justice and Punishment to men is for Allah alone. For man at his
best can see only one side of truth, and only Allah is All-Knowing. He alone
can judge the limits of Justice and Mercy. (74.11)
5785 Man's
adventitious advantages-wealth, power, position, talents-are not due to his own
merits. They are gifts from Allah, Who created him. In himself he came bare and
alone. (74.11)
5786 The
great ones of the earth may have wealth, a large following, sons
by their side to defend them and do their bidding and man-power to help them in
their battles. Life may be smooth and agreeable to them. But their
responsibility is to Allah. (74.13)
5787 The
Sinner takes Allah's gifts as if they were his right. The more he gets, the
more is he greedy. Yet to Allah's Signs and revelations he is wilfully deaf or even openly rebellious. But he is only
preparing the way for his own undoing. (74.15)
5788 "A
mount of calamities" or disasters: may be understood as a phrase for
cumulative disasters. (74.17)
5789 Cf. li. 10: "Woe to the falsehood-mongers!" (74.19)
5790 The
Commentators understand the reference to be to Walid ibn Mugaira, who was a wealthy
Sybarite, Pagan to the core, and an inveterate enemy to the holy Prophet. He
and Abu Jahl did all they could, from the beginning
of the preaching of Islam, to abuse and persecute the Preacher, to run down his
doctrine, and to injure those who believed in it. But the meaning for us is
much wider. There are Walids in all ages. They cannot
understand divine inspiration, and seek to explain its wonderful influence over
the lives of men by some such unmeaning formula as "magic". The
eternal Hope is to them mere human delusion! (74.24)
5791 The
Sinner's perversity can only end in the Fire of Punishment. It enters his very
being. See next note. (74.26)
5792 He
is in a state in which he neither lives nor dies (lxxxvii.
13). Looked at in another way, the things that in a good man are meant to last
and grow, are for the sinner destroyed, and no part of his nature is left
untouched. The brightness of his very manhood is darkened and extinguished by
sin. (74.28)
5793 The
figure nineteen refers to angels appointed to guard Hell. See verse 31 below
and the corresponding note. (74.30)
5794 Cf. lxvi. 6, and n. 5540. There was a
great volume of angelology in the religious literature of the People of the
Book (i.e., the Jews and Christians) to whom (among others) an appeal is made
in this verse. The Essenes, a Jewish brotherhood with
highly spiritual ideas; to which perhaps the prophet Jesus himself belonged, had an extensive literature of angelology. In the Midrash also, which was a Jewish school of exegesis and
mystical interpretation, there was much said about angels. The Eastern
Christian sects contemporary with the birth of Islam had borrowed and developed
many of these ideas, and their mystics owed much to the Gnostics and the
Persian apocalyptic systems. In the New Testament the relation of the angels
with Fire is referred to more than once. In Rev. ix.
11 we have "the angel of the bottomless pit, whose naine
in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon". In Rev. xiv. 18 there is an "angel which had power over
fire", and in Rev. xvi. 8 an angel has "power ... given unto him to scorch men with
fire". In the Old Testament (Daniel vii. 9-10) the essence of all angels
is fire: thousand thousands of them issued as a fiery stream from before the
Ancient of Days, whose "throne was like the fiery
flame, and His wheels as burning fire". (74.31)
5795 The
significance of numbers is a favourite theme with
some writers, but I lay no stress on it. In Christian theology the number of
the Beast, 666, in Rev. xiii. 18 has
given rise to much controversy, and may refer only to the numerical value of
the letters in the name of the Roman Emperor Nero. In our own literature I
think that we ought to avoid too much insistence on speculative conjectures. (74.31)
5796 There
are four classes of people mentioned here. (1) The Muslims will have their
faith increased, because they believe that all revelation is from Allah Most
Merciful, and all His forces will work in their favour.
(2) The People of the Book, those who had received previous revelations of an
analogous character, the Jews and Christians, had numerous sects disputing with
each other on minute points of doctrine; but they will now, if they believe,
find rest from controversies in a broad understanding of scripture. (3) Those
in whose hearts is a disease (see ii. 8-10, notes 33-34), the insincere ones,
the hypocrites, will only be mystified, because they believe nothing and have
rejected the grace and mercy of Allah. (4) The Unbelievers have frankly done
the same and must suffer similar consequences. (74.31)
5797 It
is a necessary consequence of moral responsibility and freedom of choice in man, that he should be left free to stray if he chooses to
do so, in spite of all the warning and the instruction he receives. Allah's
channels of warning and instruction-his spiritual forces-are infinite, as are
His powers. No man can know them. But this warning or reminder is addressed to
all mankind. All things are referred to Allah. But we must not attribute evil
to Him. In iv. 79 we are expressly told that the good
comes from Allah, and the evil from ourselves. (74.31)
Holy Quran
Surah 74 Al-Muddaththir
(The One Wrapped Up)
Interpretation of the
Meanings of the Noble Quran in English Language by A.Yusuf Ali
32 Nay verily: by the Moon 5798
33 And by the Night as it retreateth 5799
34 And by the Dawn as it shineth forth
35 This is but one of the mighty (Portents) 5800
36 A warning to mankind
37 To any of you that chooses to press forward or to follow behind 5801
38 Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. 5802
39 Except the Companions of the Right Hand. 5803
40 (They will be) in Gardens (of Delight); they will question each
other
41 And (ask) of the Sinners:
42 "What led you into
Hell-Fire?"
43 They will say: "We were not of those who prayed;"
44 "Nor were we of those who fed the indigent;"
45 "But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers;"
46 "And we used to deny the Day of Judgment"
47 "Until there came to us (the Hour) that is
certain." 5804
48 Then will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them.
49 Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from
admonition? 5805
50 As if they were affrighted asses
51 Fleeing from a lion!
52 Forsooth each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of
revelation) spread out! 5806
53 By no means! But they fear not the Hereafter.
54 Nay this surely is an admonition:
55 Let any who will keep it in remembrance! 5807
56 But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is
the Lord of Righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness. 5808
Notes
5798 An
oath in human speech calls in evidence something sacred in the heart of man. In
Allah's Message, also, when delivered in human language, solemn emphasis is
indicated by an appeal to something striking among the Signs of Allah, which
will go straight to the human heart which is addressed. In each case the symbol
of the appeal has reference to the particular point enforced in the argument.
Here we are asked to contemplate three wonderful phenomena, and they lead up to
the conclusion in verse 38. (1) The moon, next after the sun, is the most
striking luminary to our sight. Its reflected light has for us even a greater
mystery than the direct light of the sun, which looks to us like pure fire. The
moon was worshipped as a deity in times of darkness. But in reality, though she
rules the night, her rays are only reflections, and are wanting in warmth and
vitality. So every soul which looks up to a mere creature of Allah for a sort
of vicarious salvation is in spiritual darkness or error; for the true source
of spiritual light and life is Allah, and Allah alone. For (2) the Night and
(3) the Dawn, see the following note. (74.32)
5799 (2)
The Night when it is illuminated by the Moon is light in a sense, but it is
really dark and must give place to (3) the Dawn when it comes, as the harbinger
of the Sun. So in spiritual matters, when every soul realises
its own responsibility, it will look less and less to reflected lights, and
through the beauty of a dawn-like awakening, will be prepared more and more for
the splendour of the light of Allah Himself, the goal
of the Heaven of our dreams. (74.33)
5800 "This
is but one," etc. There are numerous Signs of Allah, of which Judgment is
one, and one of the mightiest portents. Or the reference may be to the waning
of the Moon, the decline of the night, and the glorious sunrise, as tokens or
symbols of the world renewed when the present transitory world passes away.
According to some commentators "This" here refers to Hell. (74.35)
5801 Three
interpretations are possible. (1) Those pressing forward may be the Righteous,
and those following behind may be the laggards, the Unbelievers, who reject
Allah's love, care, and mercy. (2) Men of two kinds of temperament may be
referred to: those who are always in the van and those who are always in the
rear. Allah's Message is open to both. But there may be a danger to both: in
the one case, over-confindence, or hope in wrong
things: in the other case missing great opportunities so that their spiritual
lives may be "bound in shallows and in miseries". Extremes should be
avoided. (3) Or it may mean that the warning is effective only for those
willing to move forwards or backwards, as the case may be, but is lost on the
inert or the lethargic. For our moral and spiritual progress, we have in some
cases to go forwards, but in some cases we have to retreat from false positions.
The hopeless case is that of the obstinate man, whose heart is so dead that he
dares not advance to the right or withdraw from the wrong. (74.37)
5802 Cf. lii. 21. Man cannot shift his responsibility to vicarious saviours or saints. His redemption depends upon the grace
of Allah, for which he should constantly and whole-heartedly strive by means of
right conduct. If he does so he will be redeemed and he will join the
Companions of the Right Hand. (74.38)
5803 Cf.
n. 5223 to lvi. 3, and see lvi.
27-38. The Companions of the Right Hand will be the Righteous or the Blessed in
the Hereafter. Their grounds of merit will be Prayer, Charity, Earnestness, and
Faith in Allah's just Judgment: all of which are within the reach of the
humblest Seeker. They are not separate acts or virtues, but are all
inter-connected. At Judgment, the pledge of their soul will be redeemed by
Allah's Grace at the Taking of the Account. (74.39)
5804 Cf.
xv. 99, and n. 2018. The Hour that is Certain is usually taken to the Death. (74.47)
5805 If
the Day of Judgment is inevitable, it is strange that men should not heed a
plain warning, but go on as if they were thoughtless and obstinate asses
stampeding from a lion. Instead of heeding the warning, they try to avoid it.
They are frightened at Allah's Word. (74.49)
5806 Cf.
xvii. 93: "Until thou send down to us a book, that
we could read." The Unbelievers pretend in ridicule that they would
believe if a special message written on open scrolls and addressed to them
severally were brought to them by a miracle! There is a disease in their hearts
and understandings. The Teacher's warning is plain, and enough for any
reasonable man who has the will to seek Allah. (74.52)
5807 The Qur-an itself is the
admonition-the latest among the revealed Books of Allah. If man has the will to
learn, he will keep the Message always before Him, and Allah's grace will help
him to carry it out in his conduct. (74.55)
5808 Righteousness
as well as Forgiveness have their source in Allah's
Will. Man's Righteousness has no meaning except in relation to the universal
Will. For Taqwa see n. 26 to ii. 2. If we take the
word here in the sense of "the fear of Allah", the translation would
be: "He alone is worthy to be feared, and He alone is entitled to grant
Forgiveness." (74.56)
End of Surah
Al-Muddaththir