المدثر
Al Muddaththir
Verses
56
Revelation
Makki
Period
Early Makkan
Surah No.
74 / 114
Al-Muddaththir is widely regarded as the second or third revelation, when the Prophet was commanded to rise and warn. The surah sets out the core requirements of prophethood: warn, glorify Allah, purify the garments and soul, shun idols, and be patient. It then narrates the fate of a specific opponent who heard the Quran, acknowledged its power privately, but publicly called it magic – and was thereafter condemned. The surah introduces the nineteen guardians of Hell and the purpose of their number as a test for the disbelievers.
أسباب النزول
After the initial revelation of Al-'Alaq, a period of silence in revelation followed (the fatra). When revelation resumed, Al-Muddaththir was revealed – some accounts place it as the second surah. The specific condemnation verses (11-25) were revealed in response to al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah who, after hearing the Quran, declared privately it was unlike any human poetry or magic, but then publicly called it "al-sihr" (magic) to sway the Makkans against the Prophet.
“O you who covers himself – arise and warn, and your Lord glorify, and your clothing purify, and uncleanliness avoid.”
The prophetic commissioning in five commands: rise, warn, glorify, purify, abandon. This sequence captures the entire programme of prophetic mission in a set of brief imperatives.
“And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels.”
Part of the divine explanation of the nineteen guardians – chosen to be angels rather than humans so that no claim of overpowering them could be entertained, and their number serves as a trial of faith.