Bayian: November 2023

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Muzamil Ayah 20

73:20 Truly, your Lord knows that you stay up praying nearly two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those with you. And Allah determines the duration of the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to measure it, so He has pardoned you. Thus, recite as much as you can from the Quran. He knows that some of you are sick, others travel in the land, seeking some of the bounty of Allah, and others fight for the sake of Allah. Thus, recite as much as you can of it, perform the prayer, give the zakat, and lend Allah a good loan. Whatever good you shall forward to yourselves, you shall find it with Allah. It is better and has a greater reward. And seek forgiveness from Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

Relationship with the Previous Part

After bringing into view the conditions of the righteous and the miserable and warning the disbelievers of the severe punishment of Allah on the Day of Judgment, surah Al-Muzamil is concluded with referring to some guidelines and instructions.

Tafsir

73:20 Truly, your Lord knows that you stay up praying nearly two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those with you. And Allah determines the duration of the night and the day.

Allah, Exalted be He, informs His Prophet Messenger Muhammad that He knows that he and his companions pray in the night. They sometimes pray less than two-thirds of the night and pray half or a third of the night at other times. Allah, Exalted be He, determines the duration of the night and the day. He fully knows how many hours pass and remain of the day and the night.

The intended meaning is to demonstrate the mercy of Allah on Messenger Muhammad and the believers as He accepts that they pray a little part of the night even less than a third of the night.

He knows that you are unable to measure it, so He has pardoned you.

Allah, Exalted be He, knows that the believers cannot measure exactly the duration of the night and the day and how many hours pass and remain of them. It will be difficult for them to measure them. Thus, Allah, out of His mercy and bounty, has pardoned the believers. They can pray whatever part of the night and pray as much as they can, even two units of the prayer.

Thus, recite as much as you can from the Quran.

Pray as much as you want and recite as much as you can from the Quran in the night.

He knows that some of you are sick, others travel in the land, seeking some of the bounty of Allah, and others fight for the sake of Allah. Thus, recite as much as you can from the Quran.

O believers, pray as much as you can in the night. Allah, Exalted be He, knows that you cannot measure exactly the duration of the night and some of you have excuses that prevent them from praying in the night. Thus, He has made it easy for you and pardoned you, as He knows that some of you are sick, others travel in the land, seeking some of His bounty, and others fight for His sake. Allah has mercy on you and He has not made praying in the night obligatory on you. Thus, you should recite the Quran as much as you when pray.

Mentioning seeking lawful sustenance and fighting for the sake of Allah in the same ayah indicates that the reward of both acts is great as long as one is sincere and does them for the sake of Allah.

Qatada, said, ‘[He knows that some of you are sick, others travel in the land, seeking some of the bounty of Allah, and others fight for the sake of Allah. Thus, recite as much as you can from the Quran.] Allah made praying in the night obligatory on the believers at the beginning of surah Al-Muzamil. Thus, Messenger Muhammad and his companions prayed in the night for a year until their feet swelled. Allah did not reveal the final part of surah Al-Muzamil for twelve months. Then, He revealed the pardon at the end of the surah. Thus, praying in the night became voluntary after it was obligatory on the believers.’

Thus, recite as much as you can of it, perform the prayer, give the zakat, and lend Allah a good loan. Whatever good you shall forward to yourselves, you shall find it with Allah. It is better and has a greater reward.

Exhorting to recite as much as of the Quran is repeated to establish and emphasize the fact that Allah wants to make prayer in the night easy for the believers.

O believers, pray and recite as much as you can of the Quran in the night, perform the prayer constantly at its appointed time while doing your best to fulfill all its obligatory requirements, and give the zakat to those who deserve it. And lend Allah a good loan by helping the needy and the poor. You shall find the positive outcome of giving and helping the needy. Whatever righteous deed you perform in the life of this world – you will find its reward in the Hereafter with Allah and it will be better than what you performed in the life of this world. Indeed, the reward of Allah is better and greater than what you offer and give in the life of this world.

Giving and helping the needy is likened to lending Allah, Exalted be He, a loan to show that the outcome of it will come back to the giver, and it will be multiplied by Allah, as He has promised that He will multiply the rewards of the good-doers as much as He wants by His bounty and mercy.

Qatada, said, ‘[Thus, recite as much as you can of it, perform the prayer, give the zakat…] The obligatory prayer and the zakat are mandatory and there is no excuse not to perform them. Thus, you must perform them for the sake of Allah, Exalted be He.’

And seek forgiveness from Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

O believers, seek forgiveness from Allah and ask Him to pardon your sins. Repent of your sins and do righteous deeds as much as you can. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful. He forgives the sins of those who sincerely repent of their sins and ask Him to have mercy on them.

Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Muzamil Ayah 20

• In the beginning, Messenger Muhammad and the believers were commanded to pray in the night. Then, praying in the night becomes voluntary for Muslims.

• It is obligatory to pray the five obligatory prayers and give the zakat to those who deserve it.

• It is recommended to perform different kinds of voluntary acts of worship, such as reciting the Quran.

• The believer should seek forgiveness from Allah at all times.

• Allah is merciful. He has pardoned the believers and made praying in the night voluntary after it was obligatory.

• Those who seek lawful sustenance for themselves and their dependents will attain a great reward as Allah mentions them with those who fight for His sake, which has a great reward from Allah.

• The believer should perform righteous acts for the sake of Allah, who will reward him immensely.