73al-MuzzammilThe Robed Oneسُورَةُ المزمل

O you who are robed [in your apparel]!

Keep yourself wide awake [in devotion to Us] at night, except for a short period [of the night] —

A half of it or make it a little less than that,

Or add to it [at your discretion]; and [throughout that time] recite the Qur’an tranquilly and distinctly.

Behold, We shall project upon you an onerous declaration —

Verily, the nighttime initiative [of God-reverence] is more demanding and [thus carries with it] a more meticulous assertion [of Allah’s revealed truths],

Whereas, during daytime you, indeed, have a long stretch [of social responsibilities].

But [regardless of day or night, always] be conscious when invoking the name of your Sustainer, and [withal] be especially devoted to Him.

The Sustainer of the dawn of light and the dusk of light [is Allah]; there is no deity/authority except He: thus, be keen on taking Him as the One you trust,

And have patience with what they [the God-deniers] are saying [as they express their objections to Allah and you], and keep away from them in a pleasant manner.

Leave Me, alone, [to deal] with those who attribute lies to Us — those who have it all [worldly power and wealth] — and let them linger on for a short while:

For, the fact of the matter is, We have in Our possession [prepared for them] heavy metallic fetters [to chain them with], and an inferno,

And food that chokes, and a painful affliction

On a Day when the earth and the mountains will shake, and the mountains will turn into mounds of slush!

Verily, [O people], We have sent to you an apostle [Muhammad] who shall testify about you [and your decisions concerning the divine message that was sent to you], just as We sent an apostle to Pharaoh [to guide and warn him]:

Consequently, Pharaoh went against the apostle [We sent to him] and We took hold of him in a ghastly way [his horrible drowning].

How, then, will you, after having denied Allah, evade a Day on which [the horror of that Day will cause] the hair of children to turn grey,

[A Day] on which the skies shall fracture, and His promise [of final accountability] has been fulfilled?

This, truly, is a reminder: and the choice [now] is for anyone to espouse a path that leads to his Sustainer!

Indeed, [O Prophet], your Sustainer knows that you are up [calling upon Allah] for less than two-thirds of the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, along with some of those who are with you [in faith and feat]. And Allah appreciates night and day [efforts], He knows that you will not be able to sustain it [all the hours of the night calling on Him]: and so He has granted you His reprieve; thus, recite however much from the Qur’an you can with ease. He knows that among you there will be those who are ill and others who are out traveling [in the land to make a living] and seeking Allah’s bounty, and others who are [on military assignments] fighting on a course of action [leading to] Allah: recite, therefore, as much of it [the Qur’an] as will not strain you [when there are immediate responsibilities you have to tend to], and standardize the ṣalāh and organize the zakāh, and [thus] lend unto Allah a genuine loan: for whatever good you do [in your worldly pursuits] toward yourselves, you shall find it much better [in benefit] with Allah and of a most enormous reward. And ask Allah for forgiveness: behold, Allah is always forgiving, always merciful.