(1–11) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. O you who are wrapped in garments! * Stand in prayer at night, except for a little— * half of it, or a little less than that, * or add to it—and recite the Quran slowly and distinctly. * Indeed, We shall cast upon you a weighty Word. * Indeed, rising at night makes a stronger impression and is more conducive to proper recitation. * During the day you have prolonged activity. * Remember the Name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with complete devotion. * Lord of the east and the west—there is no deity worthy of worship except Him—so take Him as your Guardian. * Be patient over what they say, and withdraw from them graciously. * Leave Me with the deniers, those who live in luxury, and grant them a little respite.”

Al-Muzzammil (“the one wrapped in garments”) means one covered in his clothes, like “the cloaked one.” This description applied to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when Allah honored him with His message and began by sending down [His revelation through the sending of] Gabriel to him. He beheld something the like of which he had never seen, and none but the messengers could remain steadfast before it. When he saw Gabriel, peace be upon him, he was overtaken at the beginning of this (1) by alarm. He went to his family and said, “Wrap me up! Wrap me up!” while his whole body trembled. Gabriel then came to him and said, “Recite.” He replied, “I cannot recite.” Gabriel pressed him tightly until he reached the limit of his endurance, persistently urging him to recite, and so he recited, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah then granted him steadfastness and thereafter sent revelation to him continuously, until he attained a station no other messenger had ever attained.

Glory be to Allah! How vast the difference between the beginning of his prophethood and its culmination! For this reason, Allah addressed him by the description that had applied to him at the outset.

Here Allah commanded him to perform the acts of worship pertaining to him personally. He then commanded him to remain patient in the face of the harm inflicted by his enemies (2), and thereafter to proclaim His command openly and publicly call them to Allah. Here He commanded him to perform the noblest act of worship—prayer—at the most emphatically prescribed ⦗893⦘ and excellent time: the night vigil.

Out of His mercy, the Most High did not command him to spend the entire night in prayer. Rather, He said, “Stand in prayer at night, except for a little.”

He then specified its duration, saying, “half of it, or a little less than that”—that is, less than half, making it a third or thereabouts.

“Or add to it”—that is, add to the half, making it two-thirds or thereabouts. “And recite the Quran slowly and distinctly.” Through such measured recitation of the Quran, reflection and contemplation are attained, hearts are stirred by it, Allah is worshiped through its verses, and one prepares oneself fully for it. For He said, “Indeed, We shall cast upon you a weighty Word.” That is, We shall reveal to you this weighty Quran, whose meanings are momentous and whose qualities are sublime. Anything of such a nature deserves that one prepare oneself for it, recite it in a measured manner, and reflect upon all that it contains.

He then mentioned the wisdom behind commanding him to pray at night, saying, “Indeed, rising at night”—that is, praying during the night after sleep—“makes a stronger impression and is more conducive to proper recitation.” In other words, it is more conducive to attaining (3) the Quran’s intended purpose: the heart and tongue act in unison when engaging with the Quran (4), distractions are fewer, one understands what one is saying, and the matter proceeds aright. This is unlike the daytime, during which this purpose cannot be achieved (5). Hence He said, “During the day you have prolonged activity”—that is, you move about attending to your needs and livelihood, which preoccupies the heart and prevents it from becoming entirely free.

“Remember the Name of your Lord.” This includes every form of remembrance. “And devote yourself to Him with complete devotion.” That is, dedicate yourself wholly to Allah, the Most High. Devoting oneself to Allah and turning penitently to Him means that the heart detaches itself from created beings and becomes filled with love for Allah and for everything that draws one near to Him and brings one closer to His pleasure.

“Lord of the east and the west.” These are generic nouns encompassing [all] the points of sunrise and sunset. He, the Most High, is therefore the Lord of every point of sunrise and sunset, of all the lights that appear through them, and of everything in the higher and lower worlds whose well-being depends upon those lights. He is the Lord, Creator, and Disposer of all things.

“There is no deity worthy of worship except Him.” That is, none is worthy of worship but He of the Most Exalted Countenance, who alone deserves to be singled out for love, veneration, reverence, and honor. Hence He said, “So take Him as your Guardian”—that is, as the Protector and Disposer of all your affairs.

After Allah had commanded him specifically to pray and generally to remember Him—acts that develop in the servant a strong capacity to bear burdens and undertake demanding deeds (6)—He commanded him to remain patient over what his obstinate opponents said about him, how they insulted him and reviled what he had brought, and to press on with Allah’s command, allowing no one to deter him or turn him back. He also commanded him to withdraw from them graciously: to withdraw whenever sound interests required it, without inflicting any harm. He was thus to respond to them (7) by keeping his distance and turning away from them and from their hurtful words. He also commanded him to debate with them in the best manner.

“Leave Me with the deniers.” That is, leave Me alone with them, for I shall exact retribution from them. Even if I grant them respite, I shall not neglect them. The words “those who live in luxury” mean those blessed with comfort and wealth, who became transgressive when Allah expanded His provision for them and supplied them from His bounty. As the Most High said, “No indeed! Man certainly transgresses because he sees himself as self-sufficient.”

Then He warned them of the punishment He had in store, saying: