As-salaam wa-alaikum, brothers and sisters.
Summary
Today’s selection is from Surah 74, Al-Muddaththir or The One Wrapped Up, verses 1-31. These verses cover the need for patience in a period of great spiritual stress; the unjust who cause sorrow and suffering now will find themselves in agony in the Hereafter.
Tafseer for this Surah concerns the meaning behind of the word Al-Muddaththir, which was one of the nicknames of the Prophet Muhammad as well as a history of the opponent in this Surah, a man named Walïd bin Mughïrah.
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Verses
Bis-millahi ar-rahman, ar-raheem.
In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful.O Muddaththir (the one enveloped – one of the nicknames of Prophet Muhammad)![1] Stand up and warn.[2] Proclaim the greatness of your Lord,[3] purify your clothes,[4] keep yourself away from uncleanliness,[5] do not favor others to expect a gain,[6] and be patient for the sake of your Lord.[7] 74:[1-7]
When the Trumpet will be sounded,[8] that Day will be a very difficult Day,[9] not easy for the disbelievers.[10] Leave Me and the one (Walïd bin Mughïrah, a staunch opponent of the Prophet) whom I created, alone.[11] I gave him abundant resources,[12] thriving sons,[13] and made his life smooth and comfortable.[14] Yet he hopes that I shall give him more.[15] By no means! Because he has stubbornly denied Our revelations.[16] Soon I shall make him suffer mounting calamities,[17] surely he pondered and devised a plot.[18] May he perish, how he plotted![19] Again, may he perish, how he plotted![20] He looked around,[21] frowned and scowled,[22] then he turned his back in scornful pride[23] and said: “This is nothing but a magic from the old,[24] this is nothing but the word of a human being.”[25] 74:[8-25]
Soon I shall cast him into Saqar.[26] What will make you understand, what Saqar is?[27] It is burning fire which leaves nothing and spares none.[28] It shrivels human flesh.[29] It is guarded by nineteen guards.[30] We have appointed none but angels as wardens of the fire; and We have made their number a trial for the unbelievers, so that the People of the Book may be convinced and the faith of the true believers may be increased, and that no doubts will be left for the People of the Book and the believers, and that those in whose hearts there is a disease and the disbelievers may say: “What could Allah mean by this parable?” Thus, Allah leaves to stray whom He wills and guides whom He pleases. No one knows the forces of your Lord except Himself, and this (Qur’an) is nothing but a reminder to mankind.[31] 74:[27-31]
Ameen.
Tafseer
Concerning the meaning behind “Al-Muddaththir”:
In these early mystic 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 (pbuh) was now past the stage of personal contemplation, lying down or sitting in his mantle; he was now to go forth; boldly 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 personalty, 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 live of every good man, for which the Prophet’s life is to be a universal pattern.
Concerning Walïd bin Mughïrah:
He was a wealthy Sybarite, Pagan to the core, and an inveterate enemy to the Holy Prophet (pbuh). 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 to them is mere human delusion.
This concludes today’s episode of the 17 Verses Podcast. I hope that this selection has helped increase your understanding of the holy Qur’an just a little bit.
Thank you and be well.