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Surah 73 · Makkah · 20 āyāt

Phase 01 · Ḥirāʾ and the first call(c. 13–11 BH) — view in timeline

Al-MuzzammilThe Enshrouded One

المزمل

Among the earliest revelations, addressed to the Prophet ﷺ wrapped in his cloak. It opens with a call to stand most of the night in prayer and recite the Qur'an with tartīl, preparing him to carry 'a weighty word'. It then turns to patience with the mockery of Quraysh, warns by the example of Pharaoh's fate with Mūsā عليه السلام, and closes with a long final āyah — revealed much later — that eases the night-prayer obligation into something lighter, alongside prayer, zakāh, and charity.

Why it was revealed

The Prophet ﷺ had just begun receiving revelation and would wrap himself in his cloak (izdimāl) from the awe and weight of what was descending upon him. Allah addressed him not by name but as 'O you who is enshrouded', and set him a nightly training in prayer before the far heavier task of daʿwah began.

ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها said: when this surah was revealed, they used to stand in prayer at night as they stood in Ramaḍān, until Allah revealed the lightening at the end of it — a whole year later — after which the standing became voluntary after having been obligatory.

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 746; Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1305

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

Revelationc. 13–12 BH · Age c. 40 · Makkah

The weight of early revelation

In the first years after Ḥirāʾ, the Prophet ﷺ would be overcome by the descent of waḥy and wrap himself in his garment; Allah addresses him here by that state, 'O enshrouded one'.

Recalled in āyah 1

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُزَّمِّلُ

O you who wraps himself [in clothing],

Ibn Kathīr on 73:1

THEME 01Āyāt 1–4

The call to stand at night

Allah addresses His Messenger ﷺ as 'the enshrouded one' and commands him to rise in prayer through most of the night — half of it, or a little less, or a little more — as the opening act of prophetic preparation.

1

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُزَّمِّلُ

O you who wraps himself [in clothing],

2

قُمِ ٱلَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little,

3

نِّصْفَهُۥٓ أَوِ ٱنقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا

half of it - or subtract from it a little,

4

أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا

or add to it, and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation.

From the tafsīr

Al-muzzammil is one wrapped in his garment; he is commanded to rise for most of the night in prayer, a discipline given to him before the burden of the message was placed fully upon him.

— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

The choice of half, less, or more shows flexibility within a serious commitment — a floor of devotion rather than an exact, rigid measure.

— Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān

Key takeaways

  • Great tasks are preceded by quiet, private preparation.
  • The night is singled out because the heart is most present and least distracted then.
  • A wide range (half, less, more) shows Allah wants sincerity of intent, not scrupulous exactness.

Reflect

What in your day could you move to the quiet of the night for the sake of focus?

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Question 1 of 2

What does al-muzzammil describe about its addressee?

Question 2 of 2

What range of the night is he ﷺ commanded to spend in prayer?

THEME 02Āyāt 4–5

Tartīl and the weighty word

The Prophet ﷺ is told to recite the Qur'an with tartīl — slow, clear, deliberate recitation — because he is about to be given 'a weighty word', a description of the Qur'an itself and of the responsibility of carrying it.

4

أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا

or add to it, and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation.

5

إِنَّا سَنُلْقِى عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا

Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word.

From the tafsīr

Tartīl al-Qurʾān means reciting it slowly, letter by letter, with reflection, not rushing — as ʿAlī رضي الله عنه explained tartīl to mean clear articulation of the letters and knowledge of the stops.

— Ibn Kathīr

'A weighty word' (qawlan thaqīlan) refers to the Qur'an's weight in meaning, in the obligations it brings, and even physically upon the Prophet ﷺ at the moment of revelation.

— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

Key takeaways

  • Recitation is not a race; tartīl trains the heart to receive meaning, not just sound.
  • Something can be a mercy and still be heavy — weight and blessing are not opposites.
  • Night prayer is preparation for the weight of daytime responsibility.

Reflect

Do you recite to finish quickly, or to let the words settle?

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What does tartīl al-Qurʾān mean as explained by the mufassirūn?

Question 2 of 2

What is meant by the description qawlan thaqīlan in āyah 5?

THEME 03Āyāt 8–11

Patience and beautiful separation

Between the discipline of night prayer and the trials of daʿwah, the Prophet ﷺ is told to remember his Lord's name and devote himself fully to Him, to be patient over what the deniers say, and to leave them with a 'beautiful separation' — while Allah Himself deals with the arrogant deniers of blessing.

8

وَٱذْكُرِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا

And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion.

9

رَّبُّ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا

[He is] the Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of [your] affairs.

10

وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيلًا

And be patient over what they say and avoid them with gracious avoidance.

11

وَذَرْنِى وَٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ أُو۟لِى ٱلنَّعْمَةِ وَمَهِّلْهُمْ قَلِيلًا

And leave Me with [the matter of] the deniers, those of ease, and allow them respite a little.

From the tafsīr

'Hajrahum hajran jamīlā' — leave them with no harshness, no revenge sought, and no reproach; a departure without bitterness, entrusting the matter to Allah.

— Ibn Kathīr

'The deniers, possessors of ease' refers to the leaders of Quraysh given comfort and wealth in this world, who used that ease to reject the message rather than thank for it.

— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān

Key takeaways

  • Remembrance of Allah's name and devotion to Him are the fuel for patience with people.
  • 'Beautiful separation' is dignified distance, not a slammed door of anger.
  • Worldly ease is not proof of Allah's approval — it can be exactly what blinds someone to truth.

Reflect

Can you disagree with someone and still leave them 'beautifully'?

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What does 'hajran jamīlā' (a beautiful separation) mean?

Question 2 of 2

To whom does 'ulī an-naʿmah' among the deniers refer?

THEME 04Āyāt 15–18

The warning: Pharaoh's example

Allah sent Quraysh a Messenger ﷺ just as He sent Mūsā عليه السلام to Firʿawn. Firʿawn disobeyed the messenger and was seized with a ruinous seizure — a warning that if the Day of Judgement is disbelieved in, it will make children grey-haired and split the sky asunder.

15

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا شَٰهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًا

Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness upon you just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger.

16

فَعَصَىٰ فِرْعَوْنُ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُ أَخْذًا وَبِيلًا

But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a ruinous seizure.

17

فَكَيْفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِن كَفَرْتُمْ يَوْمًا يَجْعَلُ ٱلْوِلْدَٰنَ شِيبًا

Then how can you fear, if you disbelieve, a Day that will make the children grey-haired?

From the tafsīr

The parallel is deliberate: just as a messenger came to Firʿawn and he denied him and was destroyed, a messenger has come to Quraysh, so let them fear the same fate for the same denial.

— Ibn Kathīr

'A day that will make the children grey-haired' expresses the sheer terror of the Day of Judgement — a horror so severe it would age even the young, described here to move the heart to fear and preparation.

— Al-Saʿdī

Key takeaways

  • History's patterns repeat: rejecting a clear messenger has consequences across time.
  • Fear of the Last Day is meant to move the heart, not merely inform the mind.
  • A warning delivered through someone else's story is often received more calmly than a direct rebuke.

Reflect

What modern 'ease' plays the role Pharaoh's power played for him?

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What effect does āyah 17 attribute to the Day of Judgement?

Question 2 of 2

What purpose does mentioning Mūsā and Firʿawn serve in āyāt 15–16?

THEME 05Āyāt 20

The concluding relief and its rulings

The long final āyah, revealed roughly a year after the surah's opening, eases the obligation of extended night prayer — acknowledging that some will be sick, others travelling for Allah's bounty, and others striving in His cause — and instead commands whatever of the Qur'an is easy, alongside establishing prayer, giving zakāh, and offering a good loan to Allah.

20

فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ

So recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an.

From the tafsīr

Allah knows none can precisely count the night hours, so He turned to them in mercy and lightened the command to 'recite what is easy of the Qur'an' — the obligation of lengthy qiyām was lifted, though voluntary night prayer remained recommended.

— Ibn Kathīr

The āyah names three excuses that justify easing a hardship: illness, travel for provision, and striving (jihād) in Allah's cause — each shows that the sharīʿah accommodates real human circumstance.

— Al-Qurṭubī

Key takeaways

  • Allah's legislation moves toward ease once a lesson has been firmly instilled.
  • Sickness, travel, and striving in His cause are all legitimate grounds for concession in worship.
  • Prayer, zakāh, and charity ('a good loan to Allah') are named together as the enduring core of practice.

Reflect

Where do you need to replace guilt over an ideal with acceptance of a lawful ease?

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Which situations justify the concession described in āyah 20?

Question 2 of 2

What did āyah 20 change about the earlier command of qiyām al-layl?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ز م ل

āyāt 1

to wrap, to bear a burden wrapped up

  • مُزَّمِّلone wrapped in a garment
  • زَامِلa carrier, bearer of a burden

ق و م

āyāt 2, 6, 20

to stand, to rise, to establish

  • قُمْstand!
  • قِيَامstanding
  • أَقْوَمmore upright, most suitable

ر ت ل

āyāt 4

to arrange in order, to recite slowly and distinctly

  • رَتِّلْrecite slowly!
  • تَرْتِيلmeasured, clear recitation
  • رَتَلeven, well-arranged (of teeth)

ث ق ل

āyāt 5

to be heavy, weighty

  • ثَقِيلheavy
  • ثِقْلa weight, a burden
  • أَثْقَالburdens

ب ت ل

āyāt 8

to cut off, to devote oneself wholly

  • تَبَتَّلْdevote yourself fully!
  • بَتُولone wholly devoted (a title of Maryam and Fāṭimah)

ه ج ر

āyāt 10

to separate, to leave, to migrate

  • ٱهْجُرْleave / separate from!
  • هِجْرَةmigration
  • مُهَاجِرone who migrates

ك ذ ب

āyāt 11

to lie, to deny

  • مُكَذِّبdenier, one who calls a lie
  • كِذْبa lie
  • تَكْذِيبdenial

ي س ر

āyāt 20

to be easy, to become manageable

  • تَيَسَّرَit became easy
  • يُسْرease
  • مَيْسَرَةa state of ease, affordability

Carry this with you

  • Great missions are prepared for in the quiet of the night, not only in the noise of the day.
  • Recitation with reflection outweighs recitation for speed.
  • Patience with mockery is paired with dignified, unembittered distance, not silence out of weakness.
  • History's rejection of messengers is a warning meant to move the heart, not just inform the mind.
  • Allah's commands move toward ease once their lesson has taken root in the heart.
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Al-Muzzammil · Patience and beautiful separation

What does 'hajran jamīlā' (a beautiful separation) mean?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol