575 Page Notes

 73 Surah Al-Muzzamil (continued)

Page 575 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

74 Surah Al-Muddaththir

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 575 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Muzzamil

Page 575 of the Quran is unique because it is entirely occupied by a single, monumental verse: Surah Al-Muzzammil (Chapter 73), Verse 20.

This concluding verse is one of the longest in the Quran. It functions as a profound act of divine relief, systematically rolling back the rigorous, exhausting night-prayer constraints imposed at the start of the chapter. It serves as a beautiful lens into Islamic legal history, showing how Allah balances spiritual discipline with the practical vulnerabilities of human life—such as physical illness, professional travel, and defensive warfare.

The Sunnah and canonical Hadith provide vital textual proof for the historical weight, legal mechanics, and spiritual wisdom contained on this page.

1. The Legal Abrogation: From Absolute Duty to Voluntary Mercy

"Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two-thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you... He knows that you will not be able to count it, so He has turned to you in mercy. So recite what is easy for you of the Quran..." (Quran 73:20)

The Twelve-Month Spiritual Boot Camp

As noted by the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (ra), early Muslims spent an entire year standing until their legs physically ruptured because they lacked clocks or timers to measure exactly when "half the night" had passed. To err on the side of caution, they often stood for nearly the entire night.

Verse 20 descended to permanently repeal this staggering physical burden, downgrading Tahajjud from a compulsory (Fard) pillar to a highly rewarded, voluntary masterwork (Nafilah).

Aisha (ra) narrated: "Allah made standing at night obligatory at the beginning of this Surah (Al-Muzzammil). The Prophet ﷺ and his companions practiced it strictly for one year until their feet swelled, and Allah withheld the final verse of this Surah in heaven for twelve months. Finally, Allah revealed the relief at the end of this Surah (Verse 20) on this page, rendering the night prayer voluntary after it had been an unyielding obligation."

Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 746) and Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 1305).

2. Equating Honest Economic Labor with J___d

"...He knows that there will be among you those who are sick and others traveling through the land seeking of the bounty of Allah and others fighting in the cause of Allah..." (Quran 73:20)

The Spiritual Elevation of the Honest Merchant

Allah explicitly outlines three valid reasons why humanity cannot spend all night praying: physical illness, traveling to earn an honest living ("seeking of the bounty of Allah"), and military defense ("fighting in the cause of Allah").

Remarkably, this verse structurally groups the righteous merchant side-by-side with the frontline defender. The Sunnah emphasizes this profound elevation of ethical commerce.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said regarding this specific dynamic: "The person who brings food grains to a city of the Muslims and sells it at the honest market rate of the day, his status will be near to Allah like a martyr," and then the Prophet ﷺ recited this very verse of Surah Al-Muzzammil as textual proof.

Source: Preserved in classical exegesis (Tafsir Ibn Kathir) and Al-Wahidi’s Asbab al-Nuzul.

3. The Definition of a "Goodly Loan" (Qardan Hasana)

"...and establish prayer and give Zakat and loan to Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you send forward for yourselves—you will find it with Allah. It is better and greater in reward..." (Quran 73:20)

Sending Wealth Forward Before Your Heirs Inherit It

The verse switches gears at the bottom of the page to remind Muslims that wealth kept in this world is ultimately lost or inherited by others, while wealth given to charity is a "goodly loan" safely deposited into their eternal accounts.

The Sunnah provides a direct psychological commentary on this closing phrase.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ once turned to his companions and asked: "Which of you loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?"

They replied, "O Messenger of Allah, there is none among us who does not love his own wealth more."

The Prophet ﷺ corrected them, explicitly using the philosophy of Verse 20: "Know well what you are saying! Your true personal wealth is only that which you have sent forward (to the Hereafter through charity), whereas the wealth you hold back and store up belongs entirely to your heirs."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 6442) and Sunan an-Nasa'i.

4. The Final Blueprint: Ending with Istighfar

"...And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Quran 73:20)

Closing Acts of Worship with Repentance

The very last sentence of this page commands the believer to conclude their high-level spiritual investments with Istighfar (seeking forgiveness). This established a foundational baseline in the Sunnah: a Muslim should never become arrogant about their prayers or charity.

The Prophet ﷺ directly implemented this by making repentance the automatic anchor immediately following any major act of worship.

Thawban (ra) reported: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his formal prayer, he would immediately seek forgiveness three times (saying: Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah) before uttering any other supplication."

Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 591).

Surah Al-Muddaththir

Page 575 transitions dynamically from the long, concluding legal relief of Surah Al-Muzzammil directly into the opening 18 verses of Surah Al-Muddaththir (Chapter 74), "The Cloaked One."

While Surah Al-Muzzammil establishes the Prophet's internal, nighttime spiritual training framework, Surah Al-Muddaththir contains the historic external call to action. It marks the precise chronological moment the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to transition from personal reflection to public warning.

The Sunnah maps out this page with unparalleled historical clarity, documenting both the terrifying celestial event that triggered it and the psychological breakdown of the Meccan elite who opposed it.

1. Verses 1–5: The Angel on the Horizon and the Resumption of Revelation

"O you enveloped in garments, arise and warn! And magnify your Lord! And purify your garments! And keep away from ar-Rujz [the idols]!" (Quran 74:1-5)

The First Practical Commands After the Interruption (Fatrat al-Wahy)

After the very first revelation in the Cave of Hira ("Read! In the name of your Lord..."), the divine voice went entirely silent for a painful period of several months. The Prophet ﷺ fell into deep anxiety, wondering if heaven had abandoned him.

The Sunnah captures the sudden, earth-shaking resumption of the message that produced this exact page.

Jabir ibn Abdullah (ra) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ speaking about the period of the pause in revelation (Fatrat al-Wahy). The Prophet ﷺ said:

"While I was walking, I suddenly heard a voice from the sky. I lifted my eyes upward and there was the exact same Angel who had visited me at the Cave of Hira! He was sitting majestically on a chair suspended between the sky and the earth. I became so utterly terrified of him that I fell to the ground.

I rushed home to my family and gasped, 'Cover me! Wrap me up in blankets!' So they covered me up. It was at that exact micro-moment that Allah revealed the opening verses of this page: 'O you enveloped in garments, arise and warn...' After this event, the revelation resumed with immense intensity and followed in rapid, unbroken succession."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 161).

2. Verse 8: The Sounding of the Trumpet

"Then, when the Naqur [the Trumpet] is sounded..." (Quran 74:8)

The Prophet’s Anxiety for the Cosmic Alarm

The Naqur mentioned on this page refers directly to the cosmic Horn blown by the Angel Israfil to signal the systematic collapse of the physical universe.

The Sunnah notes that the Prophet ﷺ lived with an acute, daily awareness of this specific verse, which deeply impacted his composure.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "How can I relax or enjoy comforts when the Angel of the Horn (Israfil) has already placed the trumpet to his lips, inclined his ear intently, and tilted his forehead forward, waiting anxiously for the command to blow so he can sound it?"

The companions were deeply shaken and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what should we say then?" He replied, "Say: 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs (Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal Wakeel).'"

Source: Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2424) and Musnad Ahmad.

3. Verses 11–18: The Arrogant Deliberation of Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah

"Leave Me alone with the one I created lonely... Then he re-contemplated and determined. May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined!" (Quran 74:11, 18)

The Psychological Profile of a Defiant Elite

Verses 11 through 18 focus heavily on a real historical figure: Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah (the billionaire chief of the Makhzum clan and father of the famous future general Khalid ibn al-Walid).

The Sunnah explicitly documents the specific backroom political meeting that triggered the revelation of this targeted divine condemnation.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) narrated that Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah came to the Prophet ﷺ, and when the Prophet recited the Quran to him, Al-Walid's heart physically softened. He went back to his tribe and confessed: "By Allah, I have just heard words that are unlike the words of men or Jinn. It has a sweetness, it possesses an elite beauty, and it crushes everything beneath it!"

Hearing this, the pagan leader Abu Jahl grew furious. He went to Al-Walid and manipulated him, saying, "Your people are gathering money to give to you because they see you begging the Prophet for food, and they think you are selling out your ancestry."

Stung in his aristocratic pride, Al-Walid reacted defensively. He hosted a large banquet for the Quraysh to brainstorm a unified PR attack against Islam. He sat silently—contemplating, looking bad-tempered, and scowling—before finally declaring, "This Quran is nothing but ancient magic recycled from the past."

This exact sequence of physical posturing and cynical plotting ("for he contemplated and determined...") was documented by Allah and laid bare on page 575.

Source: Preserved in Al-Hakim’s Mustadrak (2/507), Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, and detailed in Tafsir Ibn Kathir.