سُورَةُ المُدَّثِّرِ
Surah 74 - Al-Muddaththir
The Cloaked One
- 56 verses
- Juz 29
- Pages 575 to 577 of the Mushaf
Al-Muddaththir opens, like the neighbouring surah, on an address that points to its recipient by his posture and never names him. Seven short orders follow one another in six verses: rise, warn, magnify, purify, keep away, give nothing in order to get more, hold firm. Then comes the announcement of a hard day, and a long portrait: a man supplied with wealth and sons, who weighs, settles, scowls, turns his back, and ends by calling what is recited to him learned magic. The fire awaiting him is named, and the number of its keepers given. A single verse, far broader than its neighbours, explains why that number was stated. The close separates two groups and lets the guilty state four reasons themselves.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ
O you who covers himself [with a garment],
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ
Arise and warn
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ
And your Lord glorify
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
And your clothing purify
وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ
And uncleanliness avoid
وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ
And do not confer favor to acquire more
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ
But for your Lord be patient.
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ
And when the trumpet is blown,
فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ
That Day will be a difficult day
عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍۢ
For the disbelievers - not easy.
ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًۭا
Leave Me with the one I created alone
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًۭا مَّمْدُودًۭا
And to whom I granted extensive wealth
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًۭا
And children present [with him]
وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًۭا
And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life].
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ
Then he desires that I should add more.
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِءَايَٰتِنَا عَنِيدًۭا
No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.
سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا
I will cover him with arduous torment.
إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ
Indeed, he thought and deliberated.
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ
Then he considered [again];
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ
Then he frowned and scowled;
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ
Then he turned back and was arrogant
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌۭ يُؤْثَرُ
And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others].
إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ
This is not but the word of a human being."
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ
I will drive him into Saqar.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ
And what can make you know what is Saqar?
لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ
It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing [unburned],
لَوَّاحَةٌۭ لِّلْبَشَرِ
Blackening the skins.
عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ
Over it are nineteen [angels].
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًۭا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ
No! By the moon
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ
And [by] the night when it departs
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ
And [by] the morning when it brightens,
إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ
Indeed, the Fire is of the greatest [afflictions]
نَذِيرًۭا لِّلْبَشَرِ
As a warning to humanity -
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ
To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained
إِلَّآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ
Except the companions of the right,
فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ
[Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other
عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
About the criminals,
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ
[And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?"
قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ
Nor did we used to feed the poor.
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ
And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
And we used to deny the Day of Recompense
حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ
Until there came to us the certainty."
فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَٰعَةُ ٱلشَّٰفِعِينَ
So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ
Then what is [the matter] with them that they are, from the reminder, turning away
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌۭ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌۭ
As if they were alarmed donkeys
فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ
Fleeing from a lion?
بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًۭا مُّنَشَّرَةًۭ
Rather, every person among them desires that he would be given scriptures spread about.
كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَ
No! But they do not fear the Hereafter.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ
No! Indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ
Then whoever wills will remember it.
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ
And they will not remember except that Allah wills. He is worthy of fear and adequate for [granting] forgiveness.
Key verses of the surah
The order that sets the surah going; it takes two words in the Arabic text.
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ
Arise and warn
The longest verse of the surah: it says why a number was given and whom that puts to the test.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًۭا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
A short sentence laying down a general rule, at once followed by the exception stated in the next verse.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained
The start of the guilty ones' answer: four reasons they state themselves, over four consecutive verses.
قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
What is surah Al-Muddaththir about?
Of a warning and its refusal. The text first gives the instruction, then shows in detail how a single individual pushes it away, decision by decision. It ends by letting those who refused speak, and by leaving each free to remember.
Who is the man described in surah Al-Muddaththir?
The text does not name him. It follows him over twenty verses through gestures and states: the fortune received, the appetite for more, the deliberation, the face closing up, the verdict passed on what he hears. No identity is given.
What do the guilty answer in surah Al-Muddaththir?
Four things, in verses 43 to 46, answering a question the people of the right put to them: they did not pray, they did not feed the needy, they joined in empty talk, they held the day of reckoning to be a lie.
How does surah Al-Muddaththir end?
With eight verses that wonder at the turning away and liken it to a stampede of frightened animals. Twice in a row a denial restarts the sentence, before the closing wording: let whoever wishes remember, and the wishing rests with Allah.
Why is surah Al-Muddaththir called that?
“Al-Muddaththir” is rendered “the Cloaked One”. The word appears only in verse 74:1, in the address that opens the text. As with the neighbouring surah, the title holds on to a posture described, and the surah does not say who is meant.
How many verses does surah Al-Muddaththir have?
Surah Al-Muddaththir has 56 verses. It stands at number 74 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.