CHAPTER 74: AL-MUDDATHTHIR (THE CLOAKED ONE / IN THE CLOAK)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 56 verses. It takes its name from the same word in the first verse, which means "the one wrapped in garments." (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/574)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

74/1-10 EXALT ONLY YOUR LORD

Translation

1- O you enveloped in garments,

2- Arise and warn

3- And your Lord magnify

4- And your clothing purify

5- And uncleanness avoid

6- And do not confer favor to acquire more

7- And for your Lord be patient.

8- And when the trumpet is blown,

9- That Day will be a difficult day

10- For the disbelievers - not easy.

Commentary

(1) ‘O you (enveloped) in garments! (Messenger)!’ (O Muhammad) The time for being wrapped up, sleeping, and resting has passed. The time has come to wake up, to appear, to explain that truth, to suffer hardships, to endure troubles, to show the truth to the people, to cleanse the surroundings, and to arise and act with great determination by taking on responsibilities and heavy burdens. (ELMALILI, 8/416)

When the Prophet (pbuh) heard the voice of the angel of revelation in the Cave of Hira and saw him, he began to tremble with fear, immediately came to his family and said, "Cover me, cover me!" They covered him with a cloth and sprinkled cool water. Following this, the first five verses of Surah Al-Muddathir, beginning with the address "O you enveloped in garments!" were revealed. (From Bukhari Tafsir 74/1-5; QUR’AN WAY, 5/494)

(2) ‘Arise and warn.’ Arise from your bed or arise with determination and warn. Warn your tribe against being subjected to Allah's punishment if they do not believe. Or perform the general task of warning without targeting any specific person. (S. HAWWA, 15/430)

(3) ‘And your Lord magnify (exalt).’ Direct your exalting only to your Lord. That is, let no one other than Allah be great in your eyes. When someone other than Allah threatens you, say: "Allahu Akbar: Allah is the Greatest." (S. HAWWA, 15/430)

(4) ‘And your clothing purify.’ (...) Keep yourself or your heart pure from sin and injustice; avoid dirty traits that would prevent the warnings you give from being accepted; adorn yourself with the beautiful morality that will ensure the acceptance of your advice. (...) (ELMALILI, 8/417)

According to the narration from Ibn Jurayj via Ata, and from him via Ibn Abbas, concerning the verse "Purify your clothing," Ibn Abbas said: The Arabs call a person with good character "one with clean clothes." In another narration coming through the same chain, Ibn Abbas said: "Purify your clothes from sins." (S. HAWWA, 15/446)

A person of cause, while performing his duty, will find himself surrounded and enveloped by various dirts, impurities, dregs, and stains. In the midst of these negative conditions, in order to save the soiled without getting soiled himself, and to avoid being stained or splashed with mud while establishing relations with the stained, he needs to be clean in every sense. This directive is a subtle and deeply meaningful emphasis on the conditions of prophethood, the function of calling, and carrying out this duty in various environments, societies, conditions, and hearts. (S. KUTUB, 10/263)

(5) ‘And avoid bad things (uncleanness).’ Even before becoming a prophet, our Prophet (pbuh) had stayed away from polytheism and the abominations that would require being subjected to punishment. His healthy primordial nature (fitrah) had rejected such a deviation, being caught up in such a stained belief, such moral corruptions, and dirty traditions. He was never seen participating in any Jahiliyya practices. Despite this, why is this directive given to him? The aim is to openly announce an irreconcilable difference, a separation of ranks. Because the path of Islam and the current of polytheism are two separate paths that do not meet at any point. In addition, this directive aims to create a sensitive consciousness toward staying away from the dirt of the abominations in question. (S. KUTUB, 10/263)

(6) ‘Do not confer favor to acquire more (expecting more in return).’ Here (...) two meanings are explained: (1) One is in the sense of "mann" (reminding of a favor), meaning "do not remind others of the work, service, or kindness you have done by considering it much, and do not act haughtily in the work you do." (2) The other is in the sense of "mann" meaning kindness and grace, meaning "when you do a kindness, a favor, or a bounty, do not do it with the aim of receiving more from the person you gave to." In other words, do not do kindness by observing worldly trade and goals or by showing off and hypocrisy, like those who give ten pence in charity and expect twenty pence worth of service and respect; do kindness solely for the sake of Allah and do not expect a reward from anyone else. This meaning was narrated from Ibn Abbas. (ELMALILI, 8/417, 418)

(7) ‘And for the sake of your Lord, be patient.’ Endure the torments that will come from them for the sake of Allah's pleasure. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/431)

(8-10) ‘When the Trumpet is blown, that Day will be a difficult day. Not easy for the disbelievers.’ The "blowing" mentioned in the verse is the second blowing for the resurrection of all the dead to be gathered at the place of assembly (mahshar). The Trumpet is blown for the second time: "The Trumpet will be blown (a second time). Then at once they will rise from their graves and hasten toward their Lord." (36/51; cf. 54/7, 79/13-14, 70/43, 69/13, 39/68; I. KARAGOZ,8/302)

Hadith: According to the narration of Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Abbas, he relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said regarding this verse: "The owner of the Trumpet has taken the Trumpet in his mouth, furrowed his brow, and is waiting for the command to blow. How can I rejoice?" The companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "O Messenger of Allah! What then do you command us?" The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Say: 'Hasbunallahu wa ni'mel wakil, ala'llahi tawakkalna': 'Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. We have put our trust in Allah alone.'" (Also narrated by Tirmidhi and Musnad; I. H. BURSEVI 22/453; S. HAWWA, 15/447)

74/11-30 DO YOU KNOW WHAT SAQAR IS?

Translation

11- Leave Me with the one I created alone

12- And to whom I granted extensive wealth

13- And children present [before him]

14- And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life].

15- Then he desires that I should add more.

16- No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.

17- I will cover him with a grueling ascent.

18- Indeed, he thought and deliberated.

19- So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.

20- Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.

21- Then he looked [around].

22- Then he frowned and scowled.

23- Then he turned back and was arrogant

24- And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others].

25- This is not but the word of a human."

26- I will drive him into Saqar.

27- And what can make you know what is Saqar?

28- It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing [unburned].

29- Scorching the skins.

Commentary

(11-14) ‘Leave Me with the one I created alone!’ Commentators have narrated that these verses were revealed about Walid b. Mughira, one of the pagans of Mecca. (Tabari) Walid was one of the leading figures of the Quraysh, had many sons, and was quite wealthy; despite this, instead of being grateful for the blessings Allah bestowed upon him, he was ungrateful to both Allah and the Prophet, and became one of the leaders of those who wanted to stifle Islam. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/495)

‘I granted him extensive wealth,’ meaning much wealth, property, land, and estates, or wealth that was increased and extended through trade. (...) ‘And children present [before him].’ (...) I gave him sons who were always with him, in his sight, who did not need to go here and there for work, and who were present with their father in meetings and locales. Or I gave him sons whose testimony, opinions, and knowledge were sought in important matters. (...) (ELMALILI, 8/419)

‘I spread [everything] before him,’ by creating many means other than wealth and sons, I gave him status, respectability, and luck. Walid was considered a respected person among the Quraysh. (ELMALILI, 8/420)

(15) ‘Then he desires that I should add more.’ Such is his greed. (ELMALILI, 8/420)

(16) ‘No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.’ He stood in obstinacy against the evidence showing the oneness of the Person who gave those blessings or against the verses of the Quran. This is ingratitude. Denying the blessing given is a reason for its cessation, not its increase. (ELMALILI, 8/420)

(17) ‘I will cover him with a grueling ascent.’ In a hadith narrated by Tirmidhi, Hakim, and others, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Sa'ud is a mountain of fire; the disbeliever climbs it for seventy years, then falls into it." (Tirmidhi Sifatu Jahannam 3; No: 2702). (ELMALILI, 8/420)

(18-25) ‘Indeed, he thought and deliberated.’ Because of his distance from faith, We brought him (Walid b. Mughira) closer to a severe punishment. He thought and deliberated. That is, he pondered what to say about the Quran when asked, and what kind of word to fabricate. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/435) ‘So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated!’ ‘Kutile: may he be destroyed’ (...) Although it is originally a curse (...) it is sometimes used (...) to mock and make fun of; here it is used in the sense of insult and belittlement by describing the praises of those who liked his thought. (ELMALILI, 8/421) ‘Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated!’ This repetition serves both to emphasize the insult and to indicate that the deliberation mentioned in both verses is different. (ELMALILI, 8/421)

‘Then he looked... then he frowned and scowled. Then he turned back and was arrogant’ He turned away from the truth he had understood, turned his back on faith, and turned his face to disbelief; he was arrogant and proud, not fearing Allah; he could not bring himself to accept the truth due to his pride and acted with the air of a person who knows everything. (ELMALILI 8/421) ‘He said: This is not but magic imitated.’ That is, this is a magic that Muhammad (pbuh) narrated from others, namely from those before him. Therefore, he said, ‘This is not but the word of a human.’ It is not the word of Allah. (S. HAWWA, 15/435)

According to the narration, Walid b. Mughira listened to Surah 'Ha-Mim as-Sajda' from the Prophet and was affected. His brother Abu Jahl, perceiving this, turned him back with insulting words. Walid suggested that the words "madman, soothsayer, poet, liar" attributed to Muhammad would not be consistent, but since it separated a person from his family, children, and slave, it would be appropriate to call him a "magician/sorcerer," and this suggestion was accepted. The Messenger of Allah, saddened by this news, came home and wrapped himself in his garment, whereupon the first 24 verses of this surah were revealed. (From Baydawi; H. DONDUREN, 2/926, 927)

(26-28) ‘I will drive him into Saqar.’ ‘And what can make you know what is Saqar?’ ‘It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing.’ The word "saqar" in verse 26 is one of the names of fire and is stated to express one of the parts of Hell with heavy punishment. (Shawkani) Verses 27-28 give details about "saqar" as "a terrible place that shows no mercy to anything, burns those thrown into it, and scorches the human skin." (QUR’AN WAY, 5/496)

(29) ‘Scorching the skins.’ (Levvâha) It expresses the meanings of being thirsty for skin, or constantly scorching skins, darkening faces, or always watching for humans and attacking humans. From Ibn Abbas, the meaning of "constantly scorching skins, darkening faces" has been narrated. (ELMALILI, 8/423)

74/30-31 NONE KNOWS THE SOLDIERS OF YOUR LORD EXCEPT HIM

Translation

30- Over it are nineteen [angels].

31- 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 may be convinced and those who have believed may increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers may not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers may 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.

Commentary

(30) ‘Over it are nineteen.’ The word explaining what this "nineteen" refers to is not mentioned. However, from the next verse, it is understood that these are the angels who are the guardians of that Hell, namely the "Zabaniyah." Although some have wanted to explain the secret and wisdom of this number by analyzing and classifying the spiritual and moral forces of human beings, the truth is that it is especially explained in the second verse that this is not a matter of intellect but a matter of absolute faith, for the sake of a trial. Therefore, one should testify that this is a bit of absolute divine news that must be believed with unconditional faith and say, "Allah knows its interpretation and meaning." (ELMALILI, 8/423)

When this verse was revealed, Abu Jahl, imagining the nineteen guards as humans, said to the youth of Quraysh, "You are iron wrestlers; is every 10 of you incapable of catching 1 of them?" Upon Abu’l-Ashad b. Usayd saying "I will take care of 17 of them," verse 31 was revealed: "We have made the keepers of the Fire only angels." (cf. Tahrim 66/6; from Tirmidhi; H. DONDUREN, 2/927)

‘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.’ It is clear that the phrase "ashab-ı nar" in this verse refers to the keepers and guardians who possess and protect that Fire, and the purpose is the Zabaniyah angels who are called "keepers of Hell" and described in Surah At-Tahrim as "Over it are angels, stern and severe... they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded." (Tahrim 66/6) and whose chief is Malik. It is also clear that the phrase "their number" in this verse refers to the mentioned "nineteen." That is, the fact that their number is nineteen, or that it is reported as a mystery and a secret by only giving the number nineteen without specifying whether it refers to individuals or types, is only for the sake of a calamity and trial for the disbelievers. The benefit of this is explained in the section starting with "liyesteykine 'llezine...". (ELMALILI, 8/424)

‘And that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers may say, 'What does Allah intend by this?'‘ Nasafi interpreted this verse as follows: "What does Allah intend by this interesting number? What does He desire by making the number of angels nineteen instead of twenty? They say, 'If the Quran were from Allah, it would not include this deficient number.'" In fact, their aim is total denial and to say that the Quran is not from Allah. (S. HAWWA, 15/436)

There are two different views on who "those in whose hearts is hypocrisy" are: (a) These are the hypocrites (munafiqun); although there were no hypocrites in the Meccan period, the verse reported that such a group would emerge in the future. Indeed, there was a significant group of hypocrites in the Medinan period. (b) They are the pagans who remained in hesitation about believing in the Prophet. (Razi, Shawkani; QUR’AN WAY, 5/497)

‘Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills,’ He leaves astray whom He wills among His servants because He knows they will choose misguidance and the paths leading to it; ‘and guides whom He wills.’ He guides whom He wills among His servants because He knows they will choose guidance and the paths leading to it. (S. HAWWA, 15/437)

‘None knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him.’ In the Isra hadith narrated from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in the Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim and in other hadith books besides these, He said about the characteristics of the Bayt al-Ma'mur located in the seventh heaven: "Seventy thousand angels enter it every day. They do not return until the Day of Resurrection." (S. HAWWA, 15/450)

74/32-47 WHAT HAS DRIVEN YOU INTO THIS SCORCHING FIRE?

Translation

32- No! By the moon

33- And [by] the night when it departs

34- And [by] the morning when it brightens,

35- Indeed, it [the Fire] is of the greatest [afflictions]

36- A warning to humanity—

37- To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind.

38- Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained

39- Except the companions of the right,

40- [Who will be] in gardens, questioning

41- About the criminals,

42- [Saying], "What put you into Saqar?"

43- They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,

44- Nor did we used to feed the poor.

45- And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],

46- And we used to deny the Day of Recompense

47- Until there came to us the certainty [death]."

Commentary

(32-37) ‘No! (The disbelievers do not take heed). By the moon...’ The word "kella" (No!) here is a particle of rebuke within the flow of the narrative. It expresses a rebuke for the disbelievers and hypocrites because they doubted the content of the verses sent to them and caused others to doubt as well. (S. HAWWA, 15/440, 441)

By the "Moon" due to its many benefits, by the night when it departs, and by the morning when it brightens; ‘Indeed, it (Saqar) is one of the greatest.’ That is, undoubtedly Saqar is one of the greatest [calamities]. Nasafi says: "The meaning of the verse is that Saqar is one of the hells. Among them, Saqar is unique in its greatness. It has no equal." (S. HAWWA, 15/441); that is, it is one of the greatest disasters. (ELMALILI, 8/427)

‘To warn (or as a warning) to humanity,’ or as a warner to man. Some have stated that this is linked to the beginning of the surah, meaning "Arise as a warner." (ELMALILI, 8/427)

(38) ‘Every soul is a pledge for what it has earned.’ That is, it is a pledge (rehin) before Allah for its earnings as a debtor. Its happiness or misery corresponds to its earnings. If a person works, does good deeds, and pays their debts to Allah, they save themselves. (ELMALILI, 8/427)

The fact that every soul is held as a pledge for its deeds in the 38th verse expresses that responsibility is personal; every person will receive reward or punishment on the Day of Reckoning according to their faith and obedience in the world, and their future—that is, saving themselves from being a pledge—depends on this. In short, what will provide eternal salvation or lead to eternal disaster for a person is the truth or falsehood of the belief they adopt, and whether their deeds are in accordance with or contrary to the divine will. Even the closest relatives cannot save those whose belief is vain and whose deeds are corrupt; as a matter of fact, Prophet Noah could not save his own son, and Prophet Abraham could not save his own father. (cf. Hud 11/45-46; Tawba 9/114; QUR’AN WAY, 5/500)

‘Except the companions of the right.’ (...) Those whom the Quran calls "ashab-ı yemin" (companions of the right) are the fortunate ones who lived a life within the framework of belief, worship, morality, and transactions with which Allah is pleased, passed away to the hereafter with that faith, and were given their book of deeds from their right hand at the place of gathering; they will save their souls from being a pledge and enter paradise. (cf. Waqi'a 56/8, 27-40; Haqqa 69/19-24) Those outside of these are the "ashab-ı shimal" (companions of the left) who will receive their books of deeds from the left side and be thrown into hell. (cf. Waqi'a 56/9, 41-56; Haqqa 69/25-37; O. CELIK, 5/291)

(40-47) ‘(They) are in gardens. They ask the criminals.’ They ask each other or they ask the criminals: ‘What has driven you into Saqar?’ That is, what is the thing that put you into Saqar? (S. HAWWA, 15/442) They say: ‘We were not of those who prayed.’ ‘Nor did we feed the poor.’ We did not give food to the poor, nor did we seek a way to fill their stomachs. That is, we did not recognize Allah's command, nor did we have mercy on His servants. ‘And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged in it.’ We would lose ourselves and dive into vain talk, useless deeds, unnecessary words for or against this or that person, along with the heedless who dived into empty things related to pleasure and enjoyment. ‘We used to deny the Day of Judgment.’ We did not believe, they said. The main reason for not praying, not looking after the poor, and diving into vanity with those who do so is this lack of faith, this disbelief. ‘Until that certainty (namely death) came to us,’ we continued in this state. However, they said that when death came, we fully understood that the Day of Recompense was true. (ELMALILI, 8/430)

"Those who dive into vanity": Idolaters, deniers, those who deny the Prophet and the Quran, calling them poets, liars, or madmen; those who call the Quran magic, poetry, fabrication, or fables of the ancients are those who dive into vanity. (I. KARAGOZ,8/315)

74/48-56 THEY STILL TURN AWAY FROM THE REMINDER

Translation

48- So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.

49- Then what is [the matter] with them that they are, from the reminder, turning away

50- As if they were alarmed donkeys

51- Fleeing from a lion?

52- Rather, every person among them desires that he [himself] be given pages spread open [from Allah].

53- No! But they do not fear the Hereafter.

54- No! Indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder.

55- Then whoever wills will remember it.

56- And they will not remember except that Allah wills. He is worthy of fear and adequate for forgiveness.

Commentary

(48) ‘So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.’ Whether these intercessors are from the angels, the prophets, or the righteous people. This is because only believers are eligible for intercession, not disbelievers. This verse is evidence for the existence of intercession for believers on the Day of Resurrection. (S. HAWWA, 15/442)

(49-51) ‘Then what is [the matter] with them that they are turning away from the reminder, as if they were alarmed donkeys fleeing from a lion?’ The comparison made here reveals that the reaction shown by the deniers toward the Prophet and his message is so unconscious, foolish, crude, and ill-mannered that it is not expected of a normal human being. According to what is told in the commentaries, a group from Abu Jahl and his supporters addressed the Prophet (pbuh), saying: "We will not believe in you unless you bring a book, a document written by Allah in the name of each of us, commanding us to follow you." Verse 52 expresses these desires of theirs. According to verse 53, the main reason for their negative attitude is their lack of belief in the hereafter. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/501)

(52, 53) ‘Rather, every person among them desires that he [himself] be given pages spread open (from Allah).’ These men are jealous of our Prophet. They cannot stomach that Almighty Allah has chosen Him and sent revelation to Him. Everyone wants to be the one who attains this level, desiring with an irresistible urge that a book ready to be presented and read to people be sent down to himself. As is known, the prominent members of the Quraysh found it strange that the revelation bypassed them and descended to our Prophet, and they did not hesitate to reveal these feelings by saying, "If only this Qur'an had been sent down to a great man from the two cities." The verse we read must be pointing to this jealousy and intolerance. (S. KUTUB, 10/276, 277)

‘No!’ This expression carries the meaning of rejecting their desire to be given "pages spread open" mentioned in the previous verse. Because they requested this not to find guidance and the right path, but out of their stubbornness and arrogance. (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/493)

‘Actually, they do not fear the Hereafter.’ The last two verses constitute the two reasons for not accepting the warning. These are: (1) Envy of the warner, (2) Not believing in the hereafter. (S. HAWWA, 15/443)

(54) ‘Indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder.’ Nasafi says: "Allah rebuked them because of their turning away from the reminder and stated that the Qur'an is a sufficient and clear reminder." (S. HAWWA, 15/443)

(55) ‘Then whoever wills will remember it.’ That is, he places the Qur'an before his eyes. Through it, he attains the happiness of this world and the hereafter. Because it is a book that provides both types of happiness. (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/493)

(56) ‘(And yet) they will not take heed except if Allah wills. He is the one worthy of being obeyed with respect, and He is the possessor of forgiveness.’ He is the One to be feared and protected from His punishment, and He is the One who will forgive. Whoever does not fear Him is not protected (guarded) from anything (...) in either the hereafter or the world; no one other than Him can forgive sins or protect. Therefore, the beginning of all wisdom is the fear of Allah and the love of Allah. (ELMALILI, 8/431)

Hadith: According to the narration from Anas b. Malik (ra), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) read this verse and said: "Your Lord says: 'I am worthy of being feared. Let not another deity be taken along with Me. Whoever fears Me and does not take another deity along with Me, I am worthy of forgiving him.'" (From Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Nasai, and Ahmad Musnad No: 12442; S. HAWWA, 15/452)