| Chapter 73 : Surah Al-Muzzammil |
(Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context Like all Meccan Surahs, this Surah also deals mainly with the Divine mission of the Holy Prophet and with the truth of the Quranic revelation. It foretells in brief but very forceful words the eventual triumph of the Holy Prophet and adduces the fulfilment of this prophecy as an argument in support of Life after death and Resurrection. Particular emphasis has been laid on Prayer and remembrance of God which is a most effective means to draw Divine help and succour to prepare the Prophet for the mighty task that lies ahead of him.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَى مِنْ ثُلُثَي اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ وَاللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ عَلِمَ أَنْ لَنْ تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ عَلِمَ أَنْ سَيَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ مَرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا ِلأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ [73:21] Surely, thy Lord knows that thou standest up praying for nearly twothirds of the night, and sometimes half or a third thereof, and also a party of those who are with thee[3157]. And Allah determines the measure[3158] of the night and the day. He knows that you cannot keep its measure, so He has turned to you in mercy. Recite, then, as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you. He knows that there will be some among you who may be sick and others who may travel in the land seeking Allah’s bounty, and others who may fight in the cause of Allah. So recite of it that which is easy for you, and observe Prayer, and pay the Zakat, and lend to Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you send on before you for your souls, you will find it with Allah. It will be better and greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
3150. Zamala-hu means, he carried him behind his back. Zammala, besides the meaning given in the text, means, he ran and went along quickly. Tazammala, lzzammala or lzdamala means, he wrapped himself; he bore, or carried it, namely a load at one time. Muzzammil (or Mutazammil) means, a man wrapped in his garments; one bearing a heavy responsibility (Aqrab, Qadir, Mabani). After his first spiritual experience when the angel of God came to the Holy Prophet with Divine revelation in the Cave Hira', he rushed home very much frightened. The fright was quite natural because the experience was quite novel. The Holy Prophet asked to be wrapped up in a mantle. As wrapping up also implies the sense of joining together and uniting, the meaning of the verse may be something like this, '0 thou who hast been commissioned to unite all the nations of the world under one banner!' The Holy Prophet has been described in the Hadith as Al-Hashir, i.e., joiner and uniter of the nations of the world (Bukhari). The verse may also signify: (1) The Holy Prophet is one who has to go a long distance on the road to awaken humanity to the realization of its high destiny, and, therefore, he has to go fast, i.e., work hard, incessantly and fast. (2) He is one who is to carry a heavy load, a very great responsibility of preaching the Divine Message to the world. The Holy Prophet may have been reminded of his onerous task of preparing a community of God-fearing followers, who, imbued with the same noble ideals and fired with the same unflagging zeal as himself, should help him to convey to mankind the Message of Islam. It is to the onerous duties and responsibilities of the Holy Prophet that reference is made here and not to 3151. The expression, 'a weighty Word,' may signify: 'The Quranic teaching is pregnant with the highest import. It is too weighty to be displaced or dislocated.' No word or letter of the Qur'an can be changed, altered or amended. According to an oft-quoted Hadith, whenever a revelation descended upon the Holy Prophet, he went into a trance and felt a peculiar sensation so that even on an extremely cold day large drops of sweat fell from his forehead and he felt a dead-weight of his body (Bukhari). The Quranic revelation being 'a weighty Word,' the Holy Prophet's paroxysm was due to this sensation. 3152. Getting up at night for Prayer is a potent means of subduing one's self and bringing under effective control one's evil propensities and inclinations. It is the proved experience of all holy men of God that nothing conduces to one's spiritual development so much as Prayer at night. In the stillness and solitude of night a peculiar sort of peace prevails and all nature is quiet, and man; being all alone with his Creator, enjoys special communion with Him and becomes illumined with a special heavenly eminently suited for one to develop strength of character and to make one's speech sane, solid and sound. Effective speech and infinite capacity for hard work are two very necessary qualifications for a Reformer in order to succeed in his mission. Prayer at night helps in the development of these two qualities. Having acquired control over one's mind and tongue one comes to exercise control over others. 3153. Reference in the verse is to the multifarious duties of the Holy Prophet which he performed with alacrity and in doing which he took great pleasure; this being the significance of the word Sabhan (Lane). 3154. The verse refers to the biblical prophecy: 'I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My word in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name; I will require it of him' (Deut. 18: 18, 19). 3155. 'Turn children grey-headed' in the present verse, 'being rent asunder of the heaven' in the next, 'rolling up of heaven' in 21 : 105, and similar other expressions used in the Qur'an (82:2 & 84:2) are metaphors for most calamitous happenings which bring about disastrous changes. 3156. The promise referred to in the verse was the total defeat and destruction of the forces of evil with the Fall of Mecca. 3157. In the opening verse of the Szirah the Holy Prophet was enjoined constantly to pray at night, for, that would give him the necessary strength to discharge the grave responsibility of preaching the Divine Message that was shortly going to devolve on him. In this verse he is assured of Divine pleasure, and is told that he has faithfully carried out God's command about Night-Prayer-not only he, but a party of believers also. The command was not specifically directed to the followers of the Holy Prophet, but being always desirous of following in his footsteps, they copied his example in this respect also. 3158. The sentence, 'Allah determines the measure of the night and the day,' signifies that sometimes nights are long and sometimes they are short and sometimes they are equal. The words, 'you cannot calculate the time accurately,' may apply to Muslims in general. They are told that all of them would not be able to say the Night-Prayer regularly and punctually.
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