Al-Muzzammil (The Enshrouded One)

20. Your Lord knows that you and also a group of those with you stand [in prayer] at night a little less than two thirds of the night, or half the night, or a third of the night. And Allah measures the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to [precisely] measure it, so He granted you Mercy. Therefore, recite the Qur’an as much as may be convenient to you. He knows that there will be some amongst you who fall sick, others travel [for earning a living], yet others fight in Allah’s Cause. Therefore, recite as much of the Qur’an as may be convenient to you, and perform canonical prayers and give alms, and lend Allah a goodly loan [expend in His Cause]. And [know that] whatever good deeds you send before you for yourselves, you shall find it with Allah, better and greater in Reward. And seek Forgiveness of Allah as Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Gracious.

The blessed Verse in question warns Muslims against being arrogant by doing good deeds like establishing nightly prayers, recitation of the Qur’anic Verses, and helping the poor, since they still need to invoke God Almighty to forgive their sins.

The blessed Verse herein reflects that shedding tears at night in prayer, doing jihad in the day, helping the poor, recitation of the Qur’anic Verses, going on business trips, and doing good righteous deeds are to be accompanied by seeking Divine Forgiving of one’s sins. The preceding Verses urged Muslims to stand in prayer third, half, or two thirds of the night.

The blessed Verse in question is saying that calculating such measurements is hard lying beyond your abilities; as a consequence of which God Almighty forgives you, but you may stand in prayer, establish canonical prayers, and recite the Qur’anic Verses as much as they are convenient to you, particularly when you are sick or you are on some journey.

It is narrated from the Noble Imam Ridha (as) as saying:

“Recite the Qur’an to the extent of your humbleness and purity heart.”1

Traveling for commerce and that aiming at jihad are juxtaposed in the blessed Verse, though the former is this worldly and the latter is otherworldly. It is narrated that if a merchant remembers God Almighty at all times and refrains from fraud, hoarding, selling less than the due measure, and selling at an unlawful higher price, is like a warrior setting foot in the battle field to kill the enemy and safeguard security.¹

Recitation of the Qur’anic Verses is not a religious obligation, but it is highly recommended herein such that the Divine Command as to the same is reiterated twice and is thus accorded particular attention. It is worthy of note that Divine Commands are harmonious with human capacities and they never entail hardships.

It is in this vein that the sick are supposed to perform ritual ablution with soil or sand (tayammum) in lieu of water and they may establish their canonical prayers in the manner convenient to them. The sick are not supposed to take fast, but they should help the poor by paying a certain amount of money or give them a specified amount of goods as a token of atonement (kaffara).

The blessed Verse is saying that God Almighty is All-Aware that you may not make precise calculations; as a consequence of which He forgives your mistakes. The point is that Divine Obligations are convenient to man and they never entail hardships.

The Arabic clause taba ‘alaykum (literally: “He has turned unto you”), according to the majority of Qur’an exegetes, suggests lightening the obligation rather than repenting of one’s sins. It may also be suggested that upon the removal of the obligation, no sin may be committed and it equal Divine Forgiving.

Mention is made of four other Commands at the close of the blessed Verse thereby completing the plan as to self purification, saying:

“Establish canonical prayers; pay alms, lend Allah a goodly loan through expending in His Cause and know that whatever good deeds you send forth for yourselves shall be Rewarded by Allah most befittingly; invoke God Almighty for Forgiveness as He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Gracious.”

These four Obligations, namely establishing canonical prayers, paying alms and expending in Allah’s Cause, invoking God Almighty for Forgiveness, and Recitation of the Qur’anic Verses and reflecting upon them, as mentioned above, constitute a perfect plan aiming at self purification and spiritual growth bearing indubitable impressions on believers at any time, particularly on the threshold of the Islamic faith.

Establishing prayers herein implies the obligatory canonical prayers performed five times a day. By alms, paying the obligatory canonical alms is herein intended. Further, lending God Almighty a goodly loan (qardh al-hasana) connotes the supererogatory expending in Allah’s Cause.

The expression

“lending Allah a goodly loan”

is the most noble expression imaginable in this respect, since God Almighty is the Owner of all the Possessions and He is not expected by no means to request others to lend Him a loan, but He hereby urges the believers to expend and make sacrifices in His Cause and obtain merits by doing such noble deeds and tread the path of spiritual growth and attain perfection.

It is noteworthy that making mention of invoking God Almighty for Forgiveness, as mention at the close of such Divine Commands may reflect that by acting upon such Commands, man may not feel that he is perfect and God Almighty owes them something, but he is supposed to regard himself neglectful at all times and turn toward Him, since no one is able to praise Him most befittingly.

Some Qur’an exegetes maintain that laying emphasis on these Command reflects that the believers may not imagine that lightening the Obligations as to praying to God Almighty and reciting the Qur’anic Verses at night does not apply to other religious obligations, since the latter stand the way they are, namely other religious obligations are not subject to any decrease or lightening.²

O Lord! Grant us all the Blessing of standing in prayers at night, the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, and treading the path of spiritual growth in the light of the Heavenly Light!