Surah Al-Muddaththir, The Cloaked One

Surah 74 · 56 verses · revealed at Mecca

Al-Muddaththir opens with the Prophet wrapped in a cloak and being told to get up and warn, and it is among the very first revelations.

Its opening instructions are short and were, at the time, the whole of the task: rise and warn, magnify your Lord, purify your garments, keep away from filth, do not give in order to get more, and be patient for the sake of your Lord.

Its middle is a portrait of one particular man of Mecca, given with a coldness that is unlike anything else in the surah. It describes him being given wealth and sons present with him, and everything made smooth for him, and then wanting more. It describes him thinking and planning, and then says — twice, and almost with a shrug — may he be destroyed for how he planned. Then it watches him frown and scowl and turn away in pride before finally saying that this is nothing but magic handed down.

The surah goes on to describe the Fire and the number of its keepers, and says the number itself was made a test.

Near the end come the questions put to those in the Fire about what brought them there, and their answer: that they did not pray, did not feed the poor, used to talk uselessly with those who talked uselessly, and used to deny the day of judgement. It is one of the most concrete answers the Qur'an gives to that question.

Surah Al-Muddaththir on this site

Every link below has been opened and checked to make sure there is something on the other side.

Read

Listen

Download as PDF

← Al-Muzzammil Al-Qiyamah →