574 Page Notes

73 Surah Al-Muzzamil

Page 574 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 574 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 574 contains the first 19 verses of Surah Al-Muzzammil (Chapter 73).

The title Al-Muzzammil translates to "The Enwrapped One" or "The One Wrapped in Garments." It marks a profound, historical shift in the Prophetic mission. It was revealed at the absolute inception of Islam in Mecca, when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was trembling from the immense shock of receiving early revelation.

The Sunnah provides a wealth of context regarding this page, establishing it as the original, mandatory training manual for the Prophet ﷺ and his core companions before the five daily prayers were even prescribed.

1. Verses 1–4: The Command to Stand at Night and the Swollen Feet

"O you wrapped in garments, stand [in prayer] at night, except for a little—half of it—or subtract from it a little or add to it, and recite the Quran with measured recitation (Tarteel)." (Quran 73:1-4)

The First Training Manual of Islam

Before the night journey (Isra' wal-Mi'raj) made the five daily prayers mandatory, standing in night prayer (Tahajjud) for nearly half or two-thirds of the night was legally compulsory for the early Muslims.

The Sunnah describes the visceral physical toll this page took on the small, early Muslim community as they disciplined their bodies to build spiritual endurance.

Sa'id ibn Hisham asked Mother of the Believers, Aisha (ra), about the night prayer of the Prophet ﷺ. She said: "Have you not read Surah Al-Muzzammil?" He replied, "Yes."

She said: "Verily, Allah made standing at night obligatory at the beginning of this Surah. So the Prophet ﷺ and his companions stood in prayer for an entire year until their feet became swollen, and Allah held back the final verse of this Surah in heaven for twelve months. Finally, Allah revealed the relief at the end of this Surah (Verse 20), rendering the night prayer voluntary (Nafilah) after it had been an unyielding obligation."

Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 746).

2. Verse 4: The Legal Definition of Tarteel

"...and recite the Quran with measured recitation (Tarteel)." (Quran 73:4)

The Art of Pausing and Elongating

The word Tarteel does not mean reciting quickly to finish a chapter; it means to articulate every letter clearly, beautifully, and deliberately. The Sunnah details exactly how the Prophet ﷺ physically practiced this verse.

When Anas ibn Malik (ra) was asked about the recitation style of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he explained: "His recitation was characterized by prolonging the sounds (Madd)." He then demonstrated by reciting: "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim" and he elongated the sound of Bismillah, elongated ar-Rahman, and elongated ar-Rahim.

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 5046).

Ummu Salamah (ra), the wife of the Prophet, was asked about his reading. She described it as: "A recitation punctuated verse by verse—he would stop at the end of every sentence."

Source: Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 1466) and Sunan at-Tirmidhi.

3. Verse 5: The Physical Weight of Revelation

"Indeed, We will cast upon you a weighty word (Qawlan Thaqila)." (Quran 73:5)

Crushing Revelations on Cold Days

The Quran is termed a "weighty word" not just due to its massive moral, legal, and theological responsibilities, but because it caused an actual physical, kinetic weight to settle upon the Prophet’s body whenever it descended.

The Sunnah preserves accounts of his companions observing this phenomenon firsthand.

Aisha (ra) narrated: "I saw the Prophet ﷺ receiving revelation on an intensely cold day, and when the revelation finished, sweat was literally dripping down from his forehead due to the sheer weight of the experience."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 2) and Sahih Muslim.

Zayd ibn Thabit (ra) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ was resting his thigh on my thigh while a portion of revelation descended upon him. His thigh became so heavy that I genuinely feared my own thigh bone was going to crack under the pressure."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 2832).

4. Verse 10: The Etiquette of "Beautiful Avoidance"

"And be patient over what they say and avoid them with a graceful avoidance (Hajran Jamila)." (Quran 73:10)

Winning through Strategic Distance

As the Meccan aristocrats began insulting, mocking, and threatening the Prophet ﷺ during the day, Allah commanded him not to counter-attack with petty insults. He was ordered to execute Hajran Jamila—to step back from toxic environments with total dignity, poise, and absolute peace.

The Sunnah highlights that the Prophet ﷺ maintained this flawless, aristocratic calm even when pagan leaders threw physical filth at him while he was praying. He left their judgment entirely to Allah, exactly as commanded in Verse 11 ("And leave Me to deal with the deniers...").

When the pagan chiefs mocked the Prophet's lineage and character, his companions would get angry, but the Prophet ﷺ would smile and say using the spirit of this verse: "Does it not amaze you how Allah turns away the insults of the Quraysh from me? They insult 'Mudhammam' (the blamed one), whereas I am 'Muhammad' (the praised one)!"

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 3533).