Benefits and Virtues of Surah 74 Al-Muddathir

74. Al-Muddaththir

74.1 Narrated Yahya bin Abi Kathir (رضي الله عنه)

I asked Aba Salama bin `Abdur-Rahman about the first Sura revealed of the Qur’an. He replied “O you, wrapped-up (i.e. Al Muddaththir).” I said, “They say it was, ‘Read, in the Name of your Lord Who created,’ (i.e. Surat Al-`Alaq (the Clot).” On that, Abu Salama said, “I asked Jabir bin `Abdullah about that, saying the same as you have said, whereupon he said, ‘I will not tell you except what Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had told us.

Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, “I was in seclusion in the cave of Hiram’, and after I completed the limited period of my seclusion. I came down (from the cave) and heard a voice calling me. I looked to my right, but saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw something. So I went to Khadija (the Prophet’s wife) and told her to wrap me up and pour cold water on me. So they wrapped me up and poured cold water on me.” Then,

﴾ يا أيها المدثر ﴿

O you, (Muhammad) wrapped up!

﴾ قم فأنذر ﴿

Arise and warn

﴾ وربك فكبر ﴿

And your Lord glorify (74:1-3)

(Surat Al Muddaththir) was revealed.”

Sahih al-Bukhari Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 444

74.2 Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah (رضي الله عنه)

While Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was talking about the period of pause in revelation. he said in his narration. “Once while I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw to my surprise, the same Angel as had visited me in the cave of Hira.’ He was sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, Wrap me! Wrap me!” So they covered him and then Allah revealed:

﴾ يا أيها المدثر ﴿

O you, wrapped up!

﴾ قم فأنذر ﴿

Arise and warn

﴾ وربك فكبر ﴿

And your Lord magnify

﴾ وثيابك فطهر ﴿

And your garments purify

﴾ والرجز فاهجر ﴿

And desert the idols (74:1-5)

Abu Salama said, “Rijz are the idols which the people of the pre-Islamic period used to worship.” After this the revelation started coming frequently and regularly.

Sahih al-Bukhari Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 478

74.3 Mufti Shafi Usmani related about

 ﴾ وثيابك فطهر ﴿

And your clothing purify (74:4)

That the Holy Qur’an Says:

﴾ إن الله يحب التوابين ويحب المتطهرين ﴿

Surely Allah loves those who are most repenting, and loves those who keep themselves pure (2:222)

And according to a hadith narrative ‘Cleanliness is half the faith’.

(Ma’ariful Qur’an)

74.4 Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said regarding this Ayah:

﴾ هو أهل التقوى وأهل المغفرة ﴿

He is worthy of fear and adequate for [granting] forgiveness (74:56)

That Allah (عز وجل) said: “I am the most worthy to have Taqwa of, so whoever has Taqwa of Me, not having any god besides Me, then I am most worthy that I forgive him.”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3328

74.5 Ibn Kathir related about

﴾ وما يعلم جنود ربك إلا هو ﴿

And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him (74:31)

That it has been confirmed in the Hadith concerning Al-Isra’ that is reported in the Two Sahihs and other collections, that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said in describing the Frequented House (Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur), which is in the seventh heaven, “Seventy thousand angels enter into it every day and they do not return to it as it is all that is due upon them (one visit in their lifetime).”

74.6 Al-Wahidi recorded

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely…) [74:11-24]. Abu’l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Nu‘aym Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> ‘Abd al-Razzaq> Ma‘mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur’an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it.

Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: “O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) exposing yourself to his message”. He said: “The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest”. Abu Jahl said: “Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him”. He said: “But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me.

By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur’an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others”.

Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely…), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: “Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: ‘The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them’. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: ‘You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?’ They said: ‘No!’ He said: ‘You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?’ They said: ‘No!’

The Quraysh said to al-Walid: ‘What is he, then?’ He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: ‘He is nothing but a sorcerer’, hence Allah’s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned…) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)”.

(Asbab Al-Nuzul)