The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 357
General Remarks CHAPTER 74 AL-MUDDATHTHIR (Revealed before Hijrah) By common consent this Sūrah was one of the first two or three revealed at Mecca. This and the preceding Surah (Al-Muzzammil) seem to be "twins" as they are closely linked in regard to the time of revelation and their tone and tenor. The present Surah, in fact, complements the subject matter of its predecessor. The J (Muzzammil) of the previous Sūrah, immersed in devotional prayers and contemplation, and passing through a period of intense preparation for the attainment of spiritual perfection, had developed from that into (Muddaththir) i. e. the Destroyer of sin and Vanquisher of the forces of evil, the Deliverer of mankind, their Leader, Guide and Warner. From that time onward, the Prophet's life was no more his own. It was devoted to God, and to mankind. He preached Divine Message with unswerving purpose, in the face of insult, opposition and persecution. The Surah opens with a firm command to the Holy Prophet to stand upright, proclaim the truth he has and warn those who would not accept it- those whom wealth, power and position had rendered spiritually blind and deaf that the day of Divine punishment would be a day of extreme distress for them; they would burn in the fire of Hell. They are further told that they would suffer punishment because they did not offer prayers or feed the poor- duties which they owed to God, and man- -and because also they ignored the Divine Message and indulged in vain pursuits, persisting in the denial of the Day of Judgement till death overtook them. The Surah ends on the note that the Quran is but a Reminder and an Exhortation. He who will accept its Message will accept it for the betterment of his own soul and he who will reject it, would do so to his own detriment. 3253