Sura al-Muzzammil
This article is an introduction to the Sura al-Muzzammil; to read its text see text:Sura al-Muzzammil.| Jinn | |
|---|---|
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| Sura Number | 73 |
| Juz' | 29 |
| Revelation | |
| Revelation Number | 3 or 4 |
| Makki/Madani | Makki |
| Information | |
| Verse Count | 20 |
| Word Count | 300 |
| Letter Count | 853\ |
Sūra al-Muzzammil (Arabic: سورة المزّمّل) is the seventy third Sura of the Qur'an in the traditional order of compilation and one of the first suras of the Qur'an which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s). It is a Makki sura (it was revealed in Mecca), and one of the Mufassalat suras of the Qur'an. It consists of twenty verses. The sura is called so because the Prophet (s) is addressed as "al-Muzzammil" in its first verse. The main topics of this sura include: calling the Prophet (s) and other Muslims to worship God at nights, recite the Qur'an, and be patient with unbelievers.
Introduction
- Naming
The sura is called so because the Prophet Muhammad (s) is addressed in its first verse as "al-Muzzammil" (bundled up),[1] because he had enfolded himself with cloth after the first revelation of the Qur'an. Some believe that the Prophet's (s) was bundled up because of the heavy mission he was assigned after the Bi'that.[2]
Some people believe that the first verse of Sura al-Muzzammil has made the night prayer obligatory for the Prophet (s) and his Companion. However, the obligation was abrogated by God in the verse twenty, "recite from it as much as is easy".
- Place and Order of Revelation
Sura al-Muzzammil is a Makki sura of the Qur'an which was revealed after Sura al-Qalam. It is one of the al-mufassalat suras of the Qur'an. The sura is the seventy third sura,[3] in the middle of the third hizb of the twenty ninth juz' of the current compilation of Qur'an. Some people take Sura al-Muzzammil to be the forth sura in the chronological order of revelation. Others take it to be the second or the third.
- Number of Verses and Words
Sura al-Muzzammil has twenty verses, three hundred words, and 853 letters. It is one of the al-mufassalat suras (the ones with short and numerous verses).[4]
Content
This sura calls the Prophet (s) and Muslims to perform night prayers and recite the Qur'an. It also recommends the Prophet (s) to be patient with the accusations by unbelievers, such as the accusations that the Prophet (s) is a poet or mad.
The content of this sura can be summarized in the five following topics:
- Calling the Prophet (s) to worship God at nights, recite the Qur'an, and prepare himself for his mission,
- Calling him to be patient, resistant, and tolerant with his opponents,
- The resurrection, sending Prophet Moses (a), to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh's punishment,
- Loosening the obligations declared in the first verses of the sura with regard to night worships,
- Calling people to recite the Qur'an, say prayers, pay the zakat, donate for the sake of God, and istighfar.[5]
| Preparing the grounds for the success of the Prophet (a) in preaching the religion | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| First topic: verses 1-14 Duties of the Prophet (a) for having success in preaching religion | Second topic: verses 15-19 Warning polytheists to accept the Prophet's (a) invitation | Third topic: verses 20 Duties of believers in companionship with the Prophet (a) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| First duty: Verses 1-7 Keeping night vigil and worshipping | First warning: verses 15-16 Consequence of opposing the Prophet (a) in this world | First duty: verse 20 Assigning a part of night to worship | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Second duty: Verse 8 Detachment toward God | Second warning: verses 17-19 Punishment for opposing the Prophet (a) in the hereafter | Second duty: verse 20 Doing obligatory and recommended good deeds | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Third duty: verse 9 Trusting in God in all affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fourth duty: verses 10-14 Forbearing the words and slanders of opposers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Tartil Verse
- "And recite the Qur'an in a measured tone." (verse number 4)
A well-known verse of Sura al-Muzzammil is its forth number which says "recite the Qur'an with 'tartil'". "Tartil" is said to mean "adjustment" and "rhythmic order". Here it refers to the recitation of Qur'anic verses in a slow, distinct way, with a proper pronunciation of the letters, articulation of the words, and reflection in the notions of the verses and their consequences.[7]
Imam Ali (a) is quoted as saying: "pronounce Qur'anic words in a distinct way, do not recite them like poems, and do not separate them. With the recitation of the Qur'an, get your hearts to moan and do not just aim to get to the end of the Sura". According to a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), "'Tartil' consists in asking God to give you the Heaven when you recite a verse of the Heaven, and to take refuge to God when you recite a verse of the Hell". According to another hadith from him, "'Tartil' is to recite the Qur'an in a euphonious way".[8]
Virtues and Features
There are some hadiths concerning the virtues of Sura al-Muzzammil and people who recite it. For example, the one who recites it will be pure in this world and the Afterlife.[9] Or the recitation of Sura al-Muzzammil will ease the difficulties of this world and the Afterlife.
External Links
Notes
- ↑ Khurramshāhī, Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 1259.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 10, p. 567.
- ↑ Maʿrifat, Āmūzish-i ʿulūm-i Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 166.
- ↑ Khurramshāhī, Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 1259.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Barguzīda-yi tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 5, p. 311.
- ↑ Khamagar, Muhammad, Sakhtar-i suraha-yi Qur'an-i karim, Mu'assisa-yi Farhangi-yi Qur'an wa 'Itrat-i Nur al-Thaqalayn, Qom: Nashra, ed.1, 1392 Sh.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Barguzīda-yi tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 5, p. 312.
- ↑ Qirāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 10, p. 264.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 10, p. 565.
References
- Khurramshāhī, Bahāʾ al-Dīn. Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān wa Qurʾān pazhūhī. Tehran: Dūstān-Nāhīd, 1377 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Barguzīda-yi tafsīr-i nimūna. Edited by Aḥmad ʿAlī Bābāyī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1382 Sh.
- Maʿrifat, Muḥammad Hādī. Āmūzish-i ʿulūm-i Qurʾān. [n.p]: Markaz Chāp wa Nashr-i Sāzmān-i Tablīghāt, 1371 Sh.
- Qirāʾatī, Muḥsin. Tafsīr-i nūr. Tehran: Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshā-yi az Qurʾān, 1388 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1406 AH.