Surah Al-Muddaththir (المدثر) is a Meccan surah of the Quran with 56 verses. Read, listen and memorize this surah with our interactive tools.
Updated on 07 March 2026 at 4:16 PM
📖 3 min readHe implied the prolongation of his narration, saying: {then he looked} - that is, into what could repeatedly divert the matter of the Quran. This is an indication of the ugliness of his actions. The manifestation of truth only increases with persistence, whereas repetition in falsehood only leads to weakness and fracture. Since he was one to act in such a manner, the corruption of his opinion became apparent, and he stood, concerned with his own gain, becoming gloomy and doing things that altered his nature without his choice. He said: {then he frowned} - that is, he scowled, and his face darkened, his skin between his eyes puckering in extreme dislike, like a guilty person pondering something without finding a solution, for all means had been exhausted for him, as he could not find any fault in what the Prophet, peace be upon him, had brought. {And he turned away} follows from his frowning, emphasizing it. Perhaps it implies that he scrutinized what was said, weighing it with the scale of thought, and pursued it excessively until it became firmly established in his mind. They said that it is an emphasis if intended as such, but it has also been reported as a single instance. The Qamus states: 'baser' means to frown, 'basara al-haja' means to seek something at an inappropriate time, and 'basara ad-din' means to demand it before its proper time. It is as if, after prolonged contemplation, he began to hasten towards achieving his goal. It is also said that 'baser' means to initiate something. Thus, after frowning, the idea of magic occurred to him, and he began to express what came to him regarding his situation. Ibn Barjan said:
And when the explanation of his stubbornness was completed, the description of the details of his punishment in the Hereafter was established. He said, explaining some of what He understood to be the burden of his ascension: {sāṣulīhu} meaning with a threat that is inevitable and near {saqar} meaning the fiery furnace that has an intense heat which cannot be described, so He will make him enter it and will subject him to its hardships and will melt his brain with it, and will drain his mind and all his faculties with its intense heat, as a punishment for his thinking, which he had conceived and imagined in the layers of his brain in order to burn the livers of the friends and chosen ones of God. And when He established this great and terrible punishment for him, saying: {wa-mā adrāka} meaning, do you know, even if you strive in your search {mā saqar} meaning that the knowledge of this is beyond human understanding and no one can attain it through God's notification, for it is too great for any human to comprehend. And when He established its greatness for him, He added to its greatness by describing its effect without explaining its nature, so He said: {lā tabqā} meaning this saqar will not leave anything that is thrown into it in a state of survival, as it was before.
And turning away from the armies of God, if something from Himself were to be unleashed upon it, it would destroy it: if a stagnant vein were to move or a moving one were to become still, or if a hollow were to become blocked or a blocked passage were to become open, it would perish. And when He mentioned something from the secrets of the marketplace of news about it in a vague manner, it was out of mercy for the servants, in order to open for them a door to submission to what is hidden from their reminder of the command of their Lord, because the incapable one is only able to walk according to the law of wisdom by submitting to the Capable One, otherwise he would destroy himself and not harm anyone else. He specified its affair in the reminder as an emphasis on the notification, as a reminder of the blessing, due to what most of the addressed have of crookedness of character that necessitates rejection and denial, which necessitates the marketplace of speech in the face of affirmation. So He said: {And what is it} - meaning the Fire, which is among the greatest of His armies, may He be exalted and glorified - {except a reminder to humans}, meaning a great reminder for every person who is outwardly visible in their physical form, for their bodies are susceptible to being affected by it, due to what they know of it in their worldly lives. Otherwise, He, may He be exalted and glorified, is capable of bringing into existence what is more severe than it, greater, and more painful, which the creatures do not know.
And the warning: '{kala}' meaning, beware of doubting its terrors, the greatness of its affair, its conditions, and its enormity, for the matter is more vast and greater than what comes to mind. So let the listener be deterred and warned. And when He confined its affair to the remembrance and negated that one should think it has a deficiency in what He has made for it, as a confirmation of the speech, it is an indication of what is in the majority of the addressed, of skepticism and deviation, awakening them from the heedlessness they are in, and alleviating the blame and density they have, and warning them to strive in rectifying their souls with the medicines that He guides them to, to treat the diseases of the hearts. The matter was further confirmed, so He swore by what is a remembrance for the people, and darkness of night does not appear with it, just as the light of the Quran does not appear with the darkness of ignorance. One who has worked with the eye of thought, and has cast the lots of his soul, said: '{walqamar}' meaning, the one that is a sign of the night, guiding those who are lost in its darkness. '{walayli idha adbara}' meaning, when the night passed and turned back, returning from where it came, so its darkness was unveiled and the ignorance disappeared with its unveiling, and the doubts and skepticism were averted with its passing. '{wasubhi idha asfara}' meaning, when the morning came with its light, so knowledge became clear with its arrival, and guidance was attained with its attainment. Or '{dabara}' means 'came', Qutrub said: The Arabs say 'dabarni fulan' meaning, so-and-so came behind me. And when He swore by what He informed them of its remembrances, and confirmed it due to their great denial of its afflictions
And when the Day of Resurrection was of utmost difficulty, and one was preoccupied with oneself, having no knowledge of the details of what was happening to others, the allies of God, when they entered the abode of His generosity, desired knowledge of what was done to their enemies, so they inquired about their state. One of them said to another, 'We have no knowledge.' So God unveiled them, that they might see them in the Fire, as it intensely burned them, in order that God might delight their eyes with their torment, an increase in their bliss and reward, as previously mentioned in {الصافات: ٥١}. The context of the conversation indicated all of this, and God, glorified be He, alluded to it by saying, narrating what their allies would say to them in rebuke.
Undoubtedly, with utmost correctness and without any doubt or uncertainty, He has made His nobles and chosen ones apparent, and has bestowed upon them His precious jewels and finest gifts, and has adorned them with it. Thus, they became His kings and assistants, just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) was when he was created with the Quran. The name of the Resurrection is clearly evident in this, and there is nothing else that can indicate it when the verse is pondered along with what the word 'no' implies, whether it is used to negate an oath or to emphasize, despite being in a state of clarity that does not require oaths, for it is not possible for anyone to deny what is under His control, and they are not able to transgress or act freely in what He has granted them without being held accountable. So, how can it be for the Most Just of Rulers, who has entrusted His servants with multitudes of angels, and they are in charge of directing the cups of death among them at every moment, and taking them from His command to the Barzakh for preparation for the presentation, and driving them in groups after groups back to the earth until the gathering ends in the graves, and resurrecting them with the blowing of the trumpet, to the field of reckoning for reward and punishment? And He has not concealed the knowledge of that from them, until most of creation went astray from it, except by His will, by the dominance of the commanding soul, until the blaming soul became deeply engaged in evil, strongly rebuking for falling short of anything from it. And what He has made clear to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) until he was created, and to whoever among his followers He willed, was only by His will, glorified be He.
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يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ ﴿١﴾
O you who covers himself [with a garment],
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ ﴿٢﴾
Arise and warn
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ ﴿٣﴾
And your Lord glorify
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ ﴿٤﴾
And your clothing purify
وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ ﴿٥﴾
And uncleanliness avoid
وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ ﴿٦﴾
And do not confer favor to acquire more
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ ﴿٧﴾
But for your Lord be patient.
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ ﴿٨﴾
And when the trumpet is blown,
فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ ﴿٩﴾
That Day will be a difficult day
عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍۢ ﴿١٠﴾
For the disbelievers - not easy.
ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًۭا ﴿١١﴾
Leave Me with the one I created alone
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًۭا مَّمْدُودًۭا ﴿١٢﴾
And to whom I granted extensive wealth
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًۭا ﴿١٣﴾
And children present [with him]
وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًۭا ﴿١٤﴾
And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life].
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ ﴿١٥﴾
Then he desires that I should add more.
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا عَنِيدًۭا ﴿١٦﴾
No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.
سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا ﴿١٧﴾
I will cover him with arduous torment.
إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ ﴿١٨﴾
Indeed, he thought and deliberated.
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿١٩﴾
So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿٢٠﴾
Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ﴿٢١﴾
Then he considered [again];
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ ﴿٢٢﴾
Then he frowned and scowled;
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ ﴿٢٣﴾
Then he turned back and was arrogant
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌۭ يُؤْثَرُ ﴿٢٤﴾
And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others].
إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ ﴿٢٥﴾
This is not but the word of a human being."
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ ﴿٢٦﴾
I will drive him into Saqar.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ ﴿٢٧﴾
And what can make you know what is Saqar?
لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ ﴿٢٨﴾
It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing [unburned],
لَوَّاحَةٌۭ لِّلْبَشَرِ ﴿٢٩﴾
Blackening the skins.
عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ ﴿٣٠﴾
Over it are nineteen [angels].
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَـٰٓئِكَةًۭ ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنًۭا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ وَٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ ﴿٣١﴾
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ ﴿٣٢﴾
No! By the moon
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ ﴿٣٣﴾
And [by] the night when it departs
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ ﴿٣٤﴾
And [by] the morning when it brightens,
إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ ﴿٣٥﴾
Indeed, the Fire is of the greatest [afflictions]
نَذِيرًۭا لِّلْبَشَرِ ﴿٣٦﴾
As a warning to humanity -
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ ﴿٣٧﴾
To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ ﴿٣٨﴾
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained
إِلَّآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ ﴿٣٩﴾
Except the companions of the right,
فِى جَنَّـٰتٍۢ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
[Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other
عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٤١﴾
About the criminals,
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ ﴿٤٢﴾
[And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?"
قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤٣﴾
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ ﴿٤٤﴾
Nor did we used to feed the poor.
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾
And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٤٦﴾
And we used to deny the Day of Recompense
حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ ﴿٤٧﴾
Until there came to us the certainty."
فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَـٰعَةُ ٱلشَّـٰفِعِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾
So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾
Then what is [the matter] with them that they are, from the reminder, turning away
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌۭ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌۭ ﴿٥٠﴾
As if they were alarmed donkeys
فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ ﴿٥١﴾
Fleeing from a lion?
بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًۭا مُّنَشَّرَةًۭ ﴿٥٢﴾
Rather, every person among them desires that he would be given scriptures spread about.
كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ﴿٥٣﴾
No! But they do not fear the Hereafter.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ﴿٥٤﴾
No! Indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ ﴿٥٥﴾
Then whoever wills will remember it.
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ﴿٥٦﴾
And they will not remember except that Allah wills. He is worthy of fear and adequate for [granting] forgiveness.