The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

c
had taken to the right way, We would have given them
a
Unseen beings.
b
They were listening for hints of what might come next, but in verse 
10 they say they
are no longer able to know the future (cf. verse 
26 below).
c
The Meccan Arabs.

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abundant water to drink –
–
17a test for them
a
–– but anyone who turns
away from his Lord’s Revelation will be sent by Him to spiralling
torment. 
18Places of worship are for God alone–– so do not pray to
anyone other than God –
–
19yet when God’s Servant
b
stood up to
pray to Him, they pressed in on him. 
20Say, ‘I pray to my Lord alone;
I set up no partner with Him.’
21Say, ‘I have no control over any
harm or good that may befall you.’
22Say, ‘No one can protect me
from God: I have no refuge except in Him. 
23I only deliver [what I
receive] from God –
– only His messages.’
Whoever disobeys God and His Messenger will have Hell’s Fire
as his permanent home: 
24when they are confronted by what they
have been warned about, they will realize who has the weaker pro-
tector and the smaller number. 
25Say, ‘I do not know whether what
you have been warned about is near, or whether a distant time has
been appointed for it by my Lord.’
26He is the One who knows what
is hidden. 
27He does not disclose it except to a messenger of His
choosing. He sends watchers to go in front and behind 
28to ensure
that each of His messengers delivers his Lord’s message: He knows
all about them, and He takes account of everything.
a
In the Qur
an, plenty is as great a test as privation (see 21: 35), if not greater (see
10: 21–2).
b
Muhammad.
The Qur
an
72: 17
394

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73. ENFOLDED
A sura that is part very early Meccan, part Medinan (verse 
20). This verse
describes how God relaxed the early regime of devotion 
first imposed on the
Prophet (in verses 
1–9) to prepare him for the weighty message. The Prophet is
urged to be patient (verses 
10–11), told of the punishment that awaits the
Meccan disbelievers in Hell (verses 
12–14), and reminded of the punishment
that befell Pharaoh in this life (verses 
15–16).
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1You [Prophet], enfolded in your cloak! 2Stay up throughout the
night, all but a small part of it, 
3half, or a little less, 4or a little more;
recite the Qur
an slowly and distinctly: 5We shall send a momentous
message down to you. 
6Night prayer
a
makes a deeper impression and
sharpens words ––
7you are kept busy for long periods of the day––
8so celebrate the name of your Lord and devote yourself wholeheart-
edly to Him. 
9He is Lord of the east and west, there is no god but
Him, so take Him as your Protector, 
10patiently endure what they
say, ignore them politely, 
11and leave to Me those who deny the truth
and live in luxury. Bear with them for a little while; 
12We have
fetters, a blazing 
fire, 13food that chokes, and agonizing torment in
store for them 
14on the Day when the earth and the mountains will
shake. The mountains will become a heap of loose sand.
15We have sent a messenger to you [people] to be your witness, just
as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh, 
16but Pharaoh disobeyed the
messenger and so We in
flicted a heavy punishment on him. 17So if
you disbelieve, how can you guard yourselves against a Day that will
turn children’s hair grey, 
18a Day when the sky will be torn apart?
God’s promise will certainly be ful
filled. 19This is a reminder. Let
whoever wishes take the way to his Lord.
20[Prophet], your Lord is well aware that you sometimes spend
nearly two-thirds of the night at prayer –– sometimes half, sometimes
a third –– as do some of your followers. God determines the division
of night and day. He knows that you will not be able to keep a
a
Or ‘the hours of night’/‘getting up at night’.

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measure of it and He has relented towards all of you, so recite as
much of the Qur
an as is easy for you. He knows that some of you
will be sick, some of you travelling through the land seeking God’s
bounty, some of you 
fighting in God’s way: recite as much as is easy
for you, keep up the prayer, pay the prescribed alms, and make God
a good loan. Whatever good you store up for yourselves will be
improved and increased for you. Ask God for His forgiveness, He is
most forgiving, most merciful.