Surah 74. Al-Muddaththir

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!¹

  - Mohammad Asad

The expression muddaththir (an abbreviated form of mutadaththir) signifies "one who is covered [with something]" or "enfolded [in something]"; and all philologists point out that the verb dathara, from which the above participial noun is derived, may equally well have a concrete or abstract connotation. Most of the commentators understand the phrase "O thou enfolded one" in its literal, concrete sense, and assume that it refers to the Prophet's habit of covering himself with a cloak or blanket when he felt that a revelation was about to begin. Razi, however, notes that this apostrophe may well have been used metaphorically, as an allusion to Muhammad's intense desire for solitude before the beginning of his prophetic mission (cf. introductory note to surah {96}: and this, according to Razi, would explain his being thus addressed in connection with the subsequent call, "Arise and warn" - i.e., "Give now up thy solitude, and stand up before all the world as a preacher and warner."

O Muddaththir (the one enveloped - one of the nicknames of Prophet Muhammad)!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O you covered up 'in your clothes'!

  - Mustafa Khattab

O thou enveloped in thy cloak,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O thou wrapped up (in a mantle)! ⁵⁷⁷⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In these wonderful early verses there is a double thread of thought: (1) A particular occasion or person is referred to; (2) a general spiritual lesson is taught. As to (1), the Prophet was now past the stage of personal contemplation, lying down or sitting in his mantle; he was now to go forth boldly to deliver his Message and publicly proclaim the Lord: his heart had always been purified, but now all his outward doings must be dedicated to Allah, and conventional respect for ancestral customs or worship must be thrown aside; his work as a Messenger was the most generous gift that could flow from his personality, but no reward or appreciation was to be expected from his people, but quite the contrary; there would be much call on his patience, but his contentment would arise from the good pleasure of Allah. As to (2), similar stages arise in a minor degree in the life of every good man, for which the Prophet's life is to be a universal pattern.

Arise and warn!

  - Mohammad Asad

Stand up and warn.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Arise and warn 'all'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Arise and warn!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Arise and deliver thy warning!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And thy Sustainer's greatness glorify!

  - Mohammad Asad

Proclaim the greatness of your Rabb,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Revere your Lord 'alone'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Thy Lord magnify,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thy Lord do thou magnify!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And thine inner self purify!²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "thy garments (thiyab) purify": but almost all the classical commentators point out that the noun thawb and its plural thiyab is often metonymically applied to that which a garment encloses, i.e., a person's "body" or, in a wider sense, his "self" or his "heart", or even his "spiritual state" or "conduct" (Taj al-'Arus). Thus, commenting on the above verse, Zamakhshari draws the reader's attention to the well-known idiomatic phrases tahir ath-thiyab (lit., "one who is clean in his garments") and danis ath-thiyab ("one who is filthy in his garments"), and stresses their tropical significance of "free from faults and vices" and "vicious and perfidious", respectively. Razi states with approval that "according to most of the [earlier] commentators, the meaning [of this verse] is, 'purify thy heart of all that is blameworthy'".

purify your clothes,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Purify your garments.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Thy raiment purify,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thy garments keep free from stain! ⁵⁷⁷⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Possibly, in its immediate application, there is a reference to the dirt and filth which the Pagans used to throw at the Prophet to insult and persecute him.

And all defilement shun!

  - Mohammad Asad

keep yourself away from uncleanliness,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Continue to' shun idols.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Pollution shun!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And all abomination shun! ⁵⁷⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Rujz or Rijz: abomination: usually understood to refer to idolatry. It is even possible that there was an idol called Rujz. But it has a wider signification, as including a mental state opposed to true worship, a state of doubt or indecision.