Surah 74 of 114 · Makki · 56 ayat
Al-Muddaththir المدثر
The Cloaked One
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ
PickthallO thou enveloped in thy cloak,
Yusuf AliO thou wrapped up (in the mantle)!
The agreed readingO you wrapped in your cloak. The commentaries agree the Prophet was addressed while covered in his garment, and carry the same occasion: he had seen the angel and come home shaken, asking to be wrapped up.
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ
PickthallArise and warn!
Yusuf AliArise and deliver thy warning!
The agreed readingArise and warn — the commentaries take it as the charge itself, and the warning as of the Fire for those who will not believe.
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ
PickthallThy Lord magnify,
Yusuf AliAnd thy Lord do thou magnify!
The agreed readingAnd your Lord — proclaim His greatness. The commentaries take it as the answer to what those who set up partners with God ascribed to Him: greatness declared for Him alone.
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
PickthallThy raiment purify,
Yusuf AliAnd thy garments keep free from stain!
The agreed readingAnd your garments — purify them. The commentaries carry both senses together: keep the clothes clean of filth, and keep the self clean of what would soil it.
وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ
PickthallPollution shun!
Yusuf AliAnd all abomination shun!
The agreed readingAnd the defilement — abandon it. The commentaries agree the word was explained as the idols, and that abandoning is to be kept up, not done once.
وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ
PickthallAnd show not favour, seeking wordly gain!
Yusuf AliNor expect, in giving, any increase (for thyself)!
The agreed readingAnd do not give in order to get more — do not make a gift, the commentaries agree, with an eye on a larger return.
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ
PickthallFor the sake of thy Lord, be patient!
Yusuf AliBut, for thy Lord's (Cause), be patient and constant!
The agreed readingAnd for your Lord, be patient — patient, the commentaries gloss, with what is commanded and what is forbidden alike.
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ
PickthallFor when the trumpet shall sound,
Yusuf AliFinally, when the Trumpet is sounded,
The agreed readingFor when the horn is sounded — the second blast, the commentaries agree, the one at which the dead are raised for judgement.
فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ
PickthallSurely that day will be a day of anguish,
Yusuf AliThat will be- that Day - a Day of Distress,-
The agreed readingthat Day is a hard Day — hard, the commentaries gloss, by what is in it rather than by its length.
عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ
PickthallNot of ease, for disbelievers.
Yusuf AliFar from easy for those without Faith.
The agreed readingfor those who refuse, not easy. The commentaries note what the wording implies: it is hard on all, and on the believers it is not hard in the same way.
ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا
PickthallLeave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely,
Yusuf AliLeave Me alone, (to deal) with the (creature) whom I created (bare and) alone!-
The agreed readingLeave Me with the one I created alone — the commentaries agree he came from his mother's womb with neither wealth nor child, and that everything he had was given after.
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًا مَّمْدُودًا
PickthallAnd then bestowed upon him ample means,
Yusuf AliTo whom I granted resources in abundance,
The agreed readingand gave him wealth stretching wide — wide and unbroken, the commentaries gloss: crops, herds and trade together.
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا
PickthallAnd sons abiding in his presence
Yusuf AliAnd sons to be by his side!-
The agreed readingand sons there before his eyes — present with him, the commentaries note, not away from him.
وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًا
PickthallAnd made (life) smooth for him.
Yusuf AliTo whom I made (life) smooth and comfortable!
The agreed readingand smoothed everything out for him — in his living, his standing among people and his years, the commentaries agree; nothing was left rough for him.
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ
PickthallYet he desireth that I should give more.
Yusuf AliYet is he greedy-that I should add (yet more);-
The agreed readingThen he wants Me to give more still. The commentaries mark it as the turn of the passage: everything given, and still nothing owed back.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِـَٔايَٰتِنَا عَنِيدًا
PickthallNay! For lo! he hath been stubborn to Our revelations.
Yusuf AliBy no means! For to Our Signs he has been refractory!
The agreed readingNo. He was set against Our signs — set against them, the commentaries gloss, knowing what they were.
سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا
PickthallOn him I shall impose a fearful doom.
Yusuf AliSoon will I visit him with a mount of calamities!
The agreed readingI shall burden him with a mounting climb — a punishment, the commentaries agree, whose likeness is a slope that is never finished.
إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ
PickthallFor lo! he did consider; then he planned -
Yusuf AliFor he thought and he plotted;-
The agreed readingHe thought, and he measured out — turning over in himself, the commentaries agree, what he might say against the Qur'ān he had just heard.
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
Pickthall(Self-)destroyed is he, how he planned!
Yusuf AliAnd woe to him! How he plotted!-
The agreed readingso may he perish, how he measured! The commentaries read the curse as falling on the measuring itself, and not on the man alone.
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
PickthallAgain (self-)destroyed is he, how he planned! -
Yusuf AliYea, Woe to him; How he plotted!-
The agreed readingAgain, may he perish, how he measured! The commentaries take the repetition as intensifying, the second heavier than the first.
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ
PickthallThen looked he,
Yusuf AliThen he looked round;
The agreed readingThen he looked — looked, the commentaries say, either into the faces of his people or for something in it he could fault.
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ
PickthallThen frowned he and showed displeasure.
Yusuf AliThen he frowned and he scowled;
The agreed readingthen he scowled and glowered — his face drawn tight, the commentaries agree, having found nothing in it to fault and not knowing what to say.
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ
PickthallThen turned he away in pride
Yusuf AliThen he turned back and was haughty;
The agreed readingthen he turned his back and grew proud — turned away from believing, the commentaries gloss, and was too proud to follow.
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ
PickthallAnd said: This is naught else than magic from of old;
Yusuf AliThen said he: "This is nothing but magic, derived from of old;
The agreed readingand said: this is nothing but magic handed down from others — passed on, the commentaries gloss, from the sorcerers before him; the charge admits its power while denying its source.
إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ
PickthallThis is naught else than speech of mortal man.
Yusuf Ali"This is nothing but the word of a mortal!"
The agreed readingthis is nothing but the speech of a man. The commentaries carry the same occasion for these verses: they were said of the Qur'ān by one man among the chiefs of Mecca, after he had heard it and could not answer it.
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ
PickthallHim shall I fling unto the burning.
Yusuf AliSoon will I cast him into Hell-Fire!
The agreed readingI shall burn him in Saqar — one of the names of the Fire, the commentaries agree, and here it is named for him by name.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ
Pickthall- Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! -
Yusuf AliAnd what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire is?
The agreed readingAnd what will make you know what Saqar is? The commentaries read the question as magnifying it: it is not a thing that being told could convey.
لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ
PickthallIt leaveth naught; it spareth naught
Yusuf AliNaught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone!-
The agreed readingIt leaves nothing and it spares nothing — nothing of him is left undestroyed, the commentaries gloss, and nothing about him is let off.
لَوَّاحَةٌ لِّلْبَشَرِ
PickthallIt shrivelleth the man.
Yusuf AliDarkening and changing the colour of man!
The agreed readingscorching the skin of a man. The commentaries agree it destroys and then what it destroyed is restored, so that it never comes to an end.
عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ
PickthallAbove it are nineteen.
Yusuf AliOver it are Nineteen.
The agreed readingOver it are nineteen — nineteen angels set over it as its keepers, the commentaries agree, and the number is given bare, with nothing added to it.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًا وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ
PickthallWe have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made to be a stumbling-block for those who disbelieve; that those to whom the Scripture hath been given may have certainty, and that believers may increase in faith; and that those to whom the Scripture hath been given and believers may not doubt; and that those in whose hearts there is disease, and disbelievers, may say: What meaneth Allah by this similitude? Thus Allah sendeth astray whom He will, and whom He will He guideth. None knoweth the hosts of thy Lord save Him. This is naught else than a Reminder unto mortals.
Yusuf AliAnd We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed their number only as a trial for Unbelievers,- in order that the People of the Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith,- and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the Unbelievers may say, "What symbol doth Allah intend by this?" Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He and this is no other than a warning to mankind.
The agreed readingAnd We made none but angels the keepers of the Fire, and made their number nothing but a trial for those who refuse — so that those given the Book might be certain, and the believers increase in faith, and those given the Book and the believers not doubt, and those with sickness in their hearts and those who refuse might say: what does God mean by this as an example? So God lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the hosts of your Lord but He. And it is nothing but a reminder to humankind. The commentaries carry the occasion together: the number was mocked, and the āyah answers that the keepers are angels, whom no count of men could match.
كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ
PickthallNay, by the Moon
Yusuf AliNay, verily: By the Moon,
The agreed readingNo — by the moon; the commentaries take this and the two after it as one oath, sworn on things they saw every night and every morning.
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ
PickthallAnd the night when it withdraweth
Yusuf AliAnd by the Night as it retreateth,
The agreed readingand the night as it turns away — as it goes, the commentaries gloss, with the day coming on after it.
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ
PickthallAnd the dawn when it shineth forth,
Yusuf AliAnd by the Dawn as it shineth forth,-
The agreed readingand the morning when it grows bright — when it lights up and shows what the night had covered.
إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ
PickthallLo! this is one of the greatest (portents)
Yusuf AliThis is but one of the mighty (portents),
The agreed readingit is one of the greatest things — one of the gravest of calamities, the commentaries gloss, meaning Saqar.
نَذِيرًا لِّلْبَشَرِ
PickthallAs a warning unto men,
Yusuf AliA warning to mankind,-
The agreed readinga warning to humankind — to the whole of it, the commentaries agree, and not to one people rather than another.
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ
PickthallUnto him of you who will advance or hang back.
Yusuf AliTo any of you that chooses to press forward, or to follow behind;-
The agreed readingto whoever of you wishes to go forward or to hold back. The commentaries read the pair as the whole choice: forward by believing, back by refusing.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ
PickthallEvery soul is a pledge for its own deeds;
Yusuf AliEvery soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
The agreed readingEvery soul is held in pledge for what it has earned — held against its own deeds, the commentaries gloss, the way a pledge is held against a debt.
إِلَّآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ
PickthallSave those who will stand on the right hand.
Yusuf AliExcept the Companions of the Right Hand.
The agreed readingexcept the companions of the right hand — who, the commentaries agree, have redeemed their own pledge by what they did, and so are not held.
فِى جَنَّٰتٍ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ
PickthallIn gardens they will ask one another
Yusuf Ali(They will be) in Gardens (of Delight): they will question each other,
The agreed readingIn gardens, they ask one another — asking, the commentaries note, from inside the Gardens and about those who are not there.
عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
PickthallConcerning the guilty:
Yusuf AliAnd (ask) of the Sinners:
The agreed readingabout the guilty — about their state, the commentaries gloss, and about what earned them what they got.
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ
PickthallWhat hath brought you to this burning?
Yusuf Ali"What led you into Hell Fire?"
The agreed readingwhat brought you into Saqar? The question is put to them directly, the commentaries agree, and the answer that follows is their own words.
قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ
PickthallThey will answer: We were not of those who prayed
Yusuf AliThey will say: "We were not of those who prayed;
The agreed readingThey say: we were not of those who prayed — the prayer meant, the commentaries agree, being the one that was owed and not offered.
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ
PickthallNor did we feed the wretched.
Yusuf Ali"Nor were we of those who fed the indigent;
The agreed readingand we did not feed the destitute — did not give out, the commentaries gloss, what was another's due from what they held.
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ
PickthallWe used to wade (in vain dispute) with (all) waders,
Yusuf Ali"But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers;
The agreed readingand we used to wade in with those who waded — going along, the commentaries gloss, with whoever was talking falsehood.
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
PickthallAnd we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
Yusuf Ali"And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
The agreed readingand we used to deny the Day of Judgement — the day of recompense, denied along with everything else they refused.
حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ
PickthallTill the Inevitable came unto us.
Yusuf Ali"Until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain."
The agreed readinguntil the certainty came to us. The commentaries agree the certainty here is death, and that the four admissions together are the whole answer given.
فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَٰعَةُ ٱلشَّٰفِعِينَ
PickthallThe mediation of no mediators will avail them then.
Yusuf AliThen will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them.
The agreed readingSo the intercession of intercessors will not avail them — from no quarter at all, the commentaries agree: not angels, not prophets, not the righteous.
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ
PickthallWhy now turn they away from the Admonishment,
Yusuf AliThen what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition?-
The agreed readingWhat is it with them, turning away from the reminder — the reminder being the Qur'ān itself, and the question asked in astonishment at them.
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌ
PickthallAs they were frightened asses
Yusuf AliAs if they were affrighted asses,
The agreed readingas though they were startled asses — wild asses, the commentaries gloss, bolting in a panic and not looking back.
فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ
PickthallFleeing from a lion?
Yusuf AliFleeing from a lion!
The agreed readingfleeing from a lion? The commentaries agree the likeness is of their flight from hearing it, not of anything in what they heard.
بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًا مُّنَشَّرَةً
PickthallNay, but everyone of them desireth that he should be given open pages (from Allah).
Yusuf AliForsooth, each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of revelation) spread out!
The agreed readingRather, every one of them wants to be handed pages spread open. The commentaries carry the same demand behind it: each wanted his own writing from heaven before he would follow.
كَلَّا بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ
PickthallNay, verily. They fear not the Hereafter.
Yusuf AliBy no means! But they fear not the Hereafter,
The agreed readingNo. Rather they do not fear the Hereafter — and that, the commentaries agree, is why they turn away at all.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌ
PickthallNay, verily. Lo! this is an Admonishment.
Yusuf AliNay, this surely is an admonition:
The agreed readingNo. It is a reminder — an admonition, the commentaries gloss, and the sūrah turns back to the very thing they were fleeing.
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ
PickthallSo whosoever will may heed.
Yusuf AliLet any who will, keep it in remembrance!
The agreed readingso whoever wishes may remember it — may read it and take the warning, the commentaries agree, the ability being there in whoever chooses to.
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ هُوَ أَهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ
PickthallAnd they will not heed unless Allah willeth (it). He is the fount of fear. He is the fount of Mercy.
Yusuf AliBut none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness.
The agreed readingAnd they will not remember unless God wills. He is worthy to be guarded against, and worthy to forgive. The commentaries close the sūrah on the two together: He alone is to be feared, and He alone forgives whoever fears Him.