سورة المدثر

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): يا أَیُّهَا المُدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed!] — this refers to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and فَالمُدَّثِّرُ [the one clothed] is the one who has wrapped his garment around himself.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir ibn Yazid narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that regarding this verse: یَا أَیُّهَا الْمدَّثِّرُ، قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ [O you who are clothed! Arise and warn], he said: "What is meant by al-Muddaththir is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his arising in the time of the Raj'a (Return), in which he will warn people against disobedience to Allah. And in another verse in which Allah says: إِنَّها لَإِحْدَی الْکُبَرِ نَذِیراً لِلْبَشَرِ [Indeed it is one of the greatest [afflictions], a warner to humankind], the intended one is also the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who will return to the world in the Raj'a and warn humankind against disobedience to Allah. Likewise in another verse in which He says: 'And We have not sent you except for all people' (Saba/28), the intended one is that noble one, whom Allah will raise up in the Raj'a for the guidance and fulfillment of the needs of all the people of the world."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Al-Kalbi said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "How many names does Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) have in the Quran?" I said: "Two names, or three." He said: "O Kalbi! He has ten names, [which appear in these verses]: وَ ما مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ [And Muhammad is not but a messenger; messengers have passed on before him]. (Al Imran/144) And [the verse]: مُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ یَأْتِی مِنْ بَعْدِی اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ [bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name is Ahmad]. (Saff/6) [And the verse]: وَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا قامَ عَبْدُ اللهِ یَدْعُوهُ کادُوا یَکُونُونَ عَلَیْهِ لِبَداً [And that when the servant of Allah stood calling upon Him, they were almost upon him in crowds]. (Jinn/19) And طه، ما أَنْزَلْنا عَلَیْکَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقی [Ta Ha. We have not sent down the Quran to you that you be distressed]. (Ta Ha/1-2) And یس وَ الْقُرْآنِ الحَکِیمِ إِنَّکَ لَمِنَ المُرْسَلِینَ عَلی صِراطٍ مُسْتَقِیمٍ [Ya Sin. By the wise Quran, indeed you are one of the messengers, on a straight path]. (Ya Sin/1-4) And ن وَ الْقَلَمِ وَ ما یَسْطُرُونَ ما أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّکَ بِمَجْنُونٍ [Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe, you are not, by the favour of your Lord, mad]. (Qalam/1-2) And یا أَیُّهَا المُزَّمِّلُ [O you who is wrapped up]; (Muzzammil/1) and یا أَیُّهَا الْمدَّثِّرُ [O you who is clothed], and قَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ إِلَیْکُمْ ذِکْراً رَسُولًا [Allah has sent down to you a reminder, a messenger]."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): يا أَیُّهَا الْمدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed!] — that is, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), [who] wrapped the garment around himself.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Jibra'il brought out a piece of silk cloth on which there was writing and said: "Read." I said: "How shall I read when I am unable to read?" [This exchange between the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and Jibra'il was repeated] three times, and on the fourth time Jibra'il said: اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّکَ الَّذِی خَلَقَ. خَلَقَ الْإِنْسانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ وَ رَبُّکَ الْأَکْرَمُ. الَّذِی عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ. عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسانَ ما لَمْ یَعْلَمْ [Read in the name of your Lord who created [the world], the One who created man from a clinging clot! Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous [of all], the One who taught by the pen, and taught man what he did not know!] (Al-Alaq/1-5). Then Allah the Exalted sent down each of Jibra'il and Mika'il with seventy thousand angels, and brought the kursi (throne), and placed a crown upon the head of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and gave the banner of praise into his hand, and said: "Ascend upon it and praise Allah." When he came down from the throne, he came towards Khadijah (peace be upon her), and everything prostrated to him and said in an eloquent tongue: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" When he entered the house, the house became illuminated. Khadijah said: "What is this light?" He said: "This is the light of prophethood. Say: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ [There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah]." Khadijah (peace be upon her) said: "I have known that for a long time." Then she embraced Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Khadijah! I feel cold." So Khadijah (peace be upon her) covered him and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) slept. Then he was called: یا أَیُّهَا المُدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed!]. He rose and placed his finger in his ear and said: اللهُ أَکْبَرُ اللهُ أَکْبَرُ [Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest], and every being that heard it accompanied him.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I shall narrate to you what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) narrated to us. He said: "I was a neighbour of Mount Hira for a month, then I came down from the mountain and entered the valley. Then I raised my head and suddenly I saw him (Jibra'il) in the air upon a throne. I said: 'Cover me, cover me!' So they poured water on me. Allah the Mighty and Majestic revealed this verse: یا أَیُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed!]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Exalted sent the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) as a messenger after forty years of his life had passed, when he had completed forty years and his [bodily] powers had grown firm, so that he would be prepared and capable regarding what he was to warn about. The Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) mission has [several] degrees: the first of them is the truthful dream. The second is what Sha'bi and Dawud ibn Amir have narrated, that Allah the Exalted made Jibra'il accompany His Messenger three years before the prophethood, so that he would hear his voice but not see him, and would teach him one thing after another, yet the Quran was not being sent down upon him. During this period, he had not been sent to the ummah and was [only] a bearer of glad tidings. The third [degree] is the hadith of Khadija and Waraqa ibn Nawfal. The fourth: Allah commanded him to recount the blessings [without warning through them], and gave him permission to mention those blessings — not to warn by them — with these words of His: 'And as for the blessings of your Lord, recount them!' — that is, [recount] the prophethood that has come to you. The fifth [degree] is when the Quran came down upon him with command and prohibition, and thereby the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was sent as a messenger, but was not commanded to proclaim it openly, and [at this time] there was sent down: يا أَیُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed!]. As a result, Ali (peace be upon him) and Khadija (peace be upon her), then Zayd, then Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) accepted Islam. And the sixth [degree]: he was commanded to make the warning general, after it had been private, and to proclaim it openly; and [at this time] there was sent down: 'Openly declare what you have been commanded!' (Hijr/94).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) came down from the mountain and saw a spring of cool water that was sweeter than honey and softer [and more delicate] than butter. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) sat by the spring, and Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and Dardaʾil descended at that place, and Jibra'il said: "Peace be upon you, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) (the one whose praiseworthy qualities are very many)! Peace be upon you, O Ahmad (the one who surpasses others in being praised)! Peace be upon you, O Hamid (the praiser)! Peace be upon you, O Mahmud (the praised)! Peace be upon you, O Taha! Peace be upon you, يا أَیُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ [O you who are clothed]! Peace be upon you, O Malih (the graceful one)!"