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

Tafsir of Surah Al-Muddathir

And it is Makki according to the consensus of the people of interpretation.

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿O you who is wrapped up﴾ ﴿Arise and warn﴾ ﴿And your Lord glorify﴾ ﴿And your garments purify﴾ ﴿And uncleanliness avoid﴾ ﴿And do not confer favor to acquire more﴾ ﴿And for your Lord be patient﴾ ﴿So when the trumpet is blown﴾ ﴿That Day will be a difficult day﴾ ﴿For the disbelievers, not easy﴾

The readers have differed regarding "Al-Muddathir" in the same manner as we mentioned in [Al-Muzzammil]. And in the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: [Al-Muddathir] and its meaning is: the one who is wrapped in his garments. And the dither is what a person covers himself with from garments.

People have differed as to why he was called Al-Muddathir. The majority of the interpreters said it is because of what has been reported in Al-Bukhari that "when he ﷺ finished seeing Gabriel, peace be upon him, on a chair between the heavens and the earth, he was terrified by him and returned to Khadijah, saying: 'Wrap me up, wrap me up,' so the verse ﴿ 'O you who is wrapped up'﴾ was revealed." And Aisha said, and Al-Nakha'i and Qatadah said: He was called in a state of wrapping, thus he was addressed in one of his states. It has been narrated that he was wrapped in a cloak. Others said its meaning is: O you who are sleeping. And Ikrimah said: Its meaning is: O you who is wrapped for prophethood and its burdens.

People have differed regarding what was the first to be revealed from the Book of Allah, the Exalted. Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abu Salamah, Al-Nakha'i, and a group said it is ﴿ 'O you who is wrapped up'﴾ the verses. And Al-Zuhri and the majority said: "It is 'Read in the name of your Lord who created,' and this is the most correct, and the hadith at the beginning of Al-Bukhari states this clearly.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Arise and warn" is a call to all creation. Qatadah said, the meaning is: Warn of the punishment of Allah and its occurrences among the nations. And His saying, exalted is He: "And your Lord glorify" means: Magnify Him with worship and spread His law. It has been narrated from Abu Hurairah that some of the believers said: 'With what do we begin our prayer?' So it was revealed: "And your Lord glorify."

The interpreters have differed regarding the meaning of His saying "And your garments purify." Ibn Sirin, Ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, Al-Shafi'i, and a group said it is a command to purify the garments in reality. Al-Shafi'i and others derived from this verse the obligation of washing impurities from the garments. The majority said: These words are a metaphor for purifying actions and the soul. And it is said: So-and-so is pure of garment, and it is said to the wicked: The garment is impure. And from this is the saying of the poet:

And indeed, by the praise of Allah, I do not wear a wicked garment.. nor do I cover myself with treachery.

And another said:

O Allah, indeed, Amr ibn Jahm ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ has been accused of pilgrimage in the garments of darkness.

Meaning: He has been defiled. And Ibn Abbas, Al-Dahhak, and others said: The meaning is: And do not wear it out of treachery or wickedness. And Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, also said: The meaning is: Do not wear it from a foul earning. And Al-Nakha'i said: The meaning is: Purify it from sins. And all of this is a meaning that is close, some of it to others. And Tawus said: The meaning is: He shortened it and rolled it up, and that is a purification for the garments.

The majority of the people read "and the rijs, forsake it" with a kasrah on the ra, while Hafs from Asim, Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Abu Ja'far, Shaibah, Abu Abdur-Rahman An-Nakha'i, Ibn Wathab, Qatadah, Ibn Abu Ishaq, and Al-A'raj read "and the rujz, forsake it" with a dammah on the ra. It was said that both have the meaning intended by them of idols and statues. It was said that it is for idols in general, as stated by Ikrimah, Mujahid, and Az-Zuhri. Ibn Abbas said: "the rijs" is the anger, so the meaning is: forsake what leads to it and necessitates it. Al-Hasan said: every sin is rijs. Jabir narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, explained this verse as referring to the idols. The interpreters differed in the meaning of His saying, the Most High: "And do not give with the intention of receiving more." Ibn Abbas and a group said: Its meaning is: do not give a gift to receive more than it, as if it is from their saying: "Who, when he gives." Al-Dahhak said: This is specific to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and permissible for his nation, but there is no reward for them in it. Al-Makki said: This is the meaning of His saying, the Most High: "And whatever you give of usury to increase in the wealth of people, it does not increase with Allah." (Ar-Rum: 39)

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This meaning is foreign to the meaning of this surah. Al-Naqqash narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that he said: "And do not give with the intention of receiving more": do not say: I called and was not answered. Qatadah narrated that the meaning is: do not boast about your deeds, so in this interpretation there is an encouragement for diligence and a warning. Ibn Zayd said: Its meaning is: and do not boast to the people of your prophethood to receive more reward or gain from them. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is: with Allah, the Most High, through your diligence, you will increase your deeds and you will become impressed by them. All of these are from the boasting which is the counting of the hand and mentioning it. Mujahid said: Its meaning is: and do not weaken, seeking to increase what we have burdened you with from the burdens of the message and seeking to increase in good. This is from their saying: "a weak rope." In the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "And do not give so that you may receive more," and Al-Amash read: "you may receive more" with the ra in the accusative, implying that "that" is understood. Abu Hatim weakened the jasm. Ibn Abu Abilah read: "And do not give, so you may receive more" with the conjunction fa and the jasm. Abu As-Samal read: "And do not give" with one shaddah on the noon.

"And for your Lord, be patient," meaning for the face of your Lord and seeking His pleasure, as you say: I did it for Allah, the Most High. The meaning is: against the lesser of the disbelievers, and against worship, and against desires, and against the responsibilities of prophethood. Ibn Zayd said: and against the war of the red and the black. Indeed, he, blessings and peace be upon him, carried a great matter.

And "the naqqur" is that which he blows into, and it is the horn, as stated by Ibn Abbas and Ikrimah. Khifaf ibn Nudbah said:

If their naqqur appears one day, The people will respond from the east and the west.

And it is "fa'ul" from the word naqr. Abu Hubab said: When Zurarah ibn Awfa reached "So when the horn is blown," he fell down dead. It has been narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said to his companions: "How can I enjoy life while the one with the horn has taken it and bent his forehead, waiting for when he will be commanded to blow?" They were terrified and said: "What should we say, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Say: 'Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best disposer of affairs. Upon Allah we have relied.'"

And a difficult day means: a day of hardship in the affairs that befall the disbelievers. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, described the day as difficult because it is a time period for it. Likewise, its description comes with ease. Al-Hasan read "a hardship" without the letter yā.