Surah Al-Muzzammil (المزمل) is a Meccan surah of the Quran with 20 verses. Read, listen and memorize this surah with our interactive tools.
Updated on 07 March 2026 at 4:16 PM
📖 2 min readIndeed, Muhammad, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, is the seal of the prophets and their imam, may God's peace and blessings be upon him. '{As a witness over you}' means that he will testify to what you do, and he will fulfill this testimony when it is requested of him, with the truth, on the day when We take a witness from every community, which is the Day of Judgment. Since this surah was among the first to be revealed, and the religion was weak and its people were in a state of utmost humility and lowliness, it was to be a lesson for them, from the One who decreed it, until the time when the religion became a stranger, just as it was in the beginning. Pharaoh was the most powerful and tyrannical person of his time, and the most skilled at deceiving and plotting, and the Children of Israel were in a state of utmost humiliation and obedience to him. However, when God sent Moses, may God's peace be upon him, to him - Moses, who was raised by Pharaoh after he had ordered the killing of the sons of the Children of Israel, because it was said to him that a child would be born to the Children of Israel who would bring about the downfall of the Copts - God says, warning the Quraysh and the Arabs and others, that whoever has God with him should not be overcome, even if he is the weakest of creation. And warning them to consider the state of this tyrant, who surpasses them in kingdom, multitude of soldiers, and wealth: '{As We sent}' means, with what We have of
How then can you guard yourselves, meaning, how can you find protection to safeguard your souls? Since warning against the cause of the threat is more important as it is a clearer indication of the warner's mercy and more likely to deter from it, He says, pointing to the improbability of their disbelief in Allah despite the intellectual and revelatory evidence presented to them, that it should not occur at all, and it is only mentioned hypothetically: {if you disbelieve}, meaning, if you veil the light of guidance that has been instilled in your nature, leading to faith, and you remain in your state of disbelief. Moreover, the statement implies that He has forgiven their past disbelief, out of mercy and generosity, and will not hold them accountable for it, but only for what they commit after the arrival of the Messenger, peace be upon him. {a day} meaning, it is an example of severity, to the extent that it is said about it {He will make} due to the intensity of its horrors, earthquakes, and calamities {the children} either at birth or near it {gray-haired}, which is a collective term for those whose hair has turned white, and this is a metaphor for the abundance of worries, as it is common for excessive worry to cause premature graying. The meaning is that they will not be able to find protection, no matter how hard they try, to safeguard themselves from the punishment of that day, which is described with the greatest horror, and this is when Allah says: 'O Adam, arise and send forth from every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine to the fire.' The attribution of the making to the day is because it occurs within it, just as the pious person attributes it, and the pious one is the one who is saved from the punishment that occurs within it.
And since it may be that some people exceed in worship and impose hardship upon themselves,
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يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُزَّمِّلُ ﴿١﴾
O you who wraps himself [in clothing],
قُمِ ٱلَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا ﴿٢﴾
Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little -
نِّصْفَهُۥٓ أَوِ ٱنقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا ﴿٣﴾
Half of it - or subtract from it a little
أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلًا ﴿٤﴾
Or add to it, and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation.
إِنَّا سَنُلْقِى عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًۭا ثَقِيلًا ﴿٥﴾
Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word.
إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ ٱلَّيْلِ هِىَ أَشَدُّ وَطْـًۭٔا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا ﴿٦﴾
Indeed, the hours of the night are more effective for concurrence [of heart and tongue] and more suitable for words.
إِنَّ لَكَ فِى ٱلنَّهَارِ سَبْحًۭا طَوِيلًۭا ﴿٧﴾
Indeed, for you by day is prolonged occupation.
وَٱذْكُرِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًۭا ﴿٨﴾
And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion.
رَّبُّ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًۭا ﴿٩﴾
[He is] the Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of [your] affairs.
وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًۭا جَمِيلًۭا ﴿١٠﴾
And be patient over what they say and avoid them with gracious avoidance.
وَذَرْنِى وَٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ أُو۟لِى ٱلنَّعْمَةِ وَمَهِّلْهُمْ قَلِيلًا ﴿١١﴾
And leave Me with [the matter of] the deniers, those of ease [in life], and allow them respite a little.
إِنَّ لَدَيْنَآ أَنكَالًۭا وَجَحِيمًۭا ﴿١٢﴾
Indeed, with Us [for them] are shackles and burning fire
وَطَعَامًۭا ذَا غُصَّةٍۢ وَعَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا ﴿١٣﴾
And food that chokes and a painful punishment -
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَكَانَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَثِيبًۭا مَّهِيلًا ﴿١٤﴾
On the Day the earth and the mountains will convulse and the mountains will become a heap of sand pouring down.
إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًۭا شَـٰهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًۭا ﴿١٥﴾
Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness upon you just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger.
فَعَصَىٰ فِرْعَوْنُ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُ أَخْذًۭا وَبِيلًۭا ﴿١٦﴾
But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a ruinous seizure.
فَكَيْفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِن كَفَرْتُمْ يَوْمًۭا يَجْعَلُ ٱلْوِلْدَٰنَ شِيبًا ﴿١٧﴾
Then how can you fear, if you disbelieve, a Day that will make the children white- haired?
ٱلسَّمَآءُ مُنفَطِرٌۢ بِهِۦ ۚ كَانَ وَعْدُهُۥ مَفْعُولًا ﴿١٨﴾
The heaven will break apart therefrom; ever is His promise fulfilled.
إِنَّ هَـٰذِهِۦ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ سَبِيلًا ﴿١٩﴾
Indeed, this is a reminder, so whoever wills may take to his Lord a way.
۞ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَىِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُۥ وَثُلُثَهُۥ وَطَآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَكَ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرْضَىٰ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ ۚ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًۭا ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍۢ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًۭا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًۭا ۚ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۢ ﴿٢٠﴾
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. And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day. He has known that you [Muslims] will not be able to do it and has turned to you in forgiveness, so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an. He has known that there will be among you those who are ill and others traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah and others fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite what is easy from it and establish prayer and give zakah and loan Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. It is better and greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.