Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:20
سُورَةُ المُزَّمِّلِ · Meccan · Verse 20 of 20
۞ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَىِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُۥ وَثُلُثَهُۥ وَطَآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَكَ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرْضَىٰ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ ۚ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًۭا ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍۢ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًۭا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًۭا ۚ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۢ
Translation
[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 measure of it and He has relented towards all of you, so recite as much of the Quran 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.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This ayah, from Surah al-Muzzammil, opens a window into Allah’s profound mercy and understanding, transitioning from an earlier, rigorous command for night prayer to a more lenient approach. It speaks directly to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and through him, to his companions and all believers, acknowledging their efforts while easing their burden.
Allah's Knowing Eye
The verse begins with the emphatic phrase, "إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ" (Indeed, your Lord knows). The word "إِنَّ" (inna, indeed) emphasizes Allah's comprehensive and continuous knowledge, affirming His awareness of the Prophet's dedicated night vigils. The term "أَدْنَىٰ" (adna), often meaning "closer" or "nearer," is used here by scholars like al-Zamakhshari and al-Razi to mean "less." This subtle choice implies that even "less than two-thirds" of the night still signifies a significant, dedicated portion, highlighting the Prophet's deep commitment to worship. Different readings of "وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ" (wa nisfahu wa thuluthahu, and half of it and a third of it) reveal the varying, yet consistent, patterns of the Prophet's devotion, all within Allah's encompassing knowledge. The next phrase, "وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ" (And Allah measures the night and the day), places Allah's name first to underscore His *exclusive* ability to truly comprehend and ordain the precise measures of time, a task beyond human capacity.
Mercy and Leniency
The verse then explains, "عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ" (He knows that you will not be able to precisely keep track of it, so He turned to you with mercy). The word "تُحْصُوهُ" (tuhsoohu) comes from the root for counting pebbles, signifying the precise calculation or complete endurance of something. Scholars like Ibn Ashur explain this as a metaphor for the human inability to maintain such intense, meticulously timed worship consistently, given the natural fluctuations of night lengths and human limitations. Thus, "فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ" (fataba alaykum), meaning "He turned to you with mercy," represents Allah's concession and lifting of the burden, not a forgiveness of sin, but a compassionate easing of a demanding obligation. This leads to the command, "فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ" (So recite what is easy for you from the Qur'an). Scholars like al-Razi clarify that "recite the Qur'an" here is a metonymy (a part representing the whole), meaning "perform prayer as is easy for you," since Qur'an recitation is a core part of prayer. This concise wording beautifully encourages both prayer and devotion to the Qur'an within it.
Diverse Duties, Equal Reward
Allah then offers further, distinct reasons for this leniency, repeating "عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم" (He knows that there will be among you) instead of simply connecting the phrases. This repetition, as Ibn Ashur notes, emphasizes a new set of circumstances: "مَّرْضَىٰ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ" (the sick, and others traveling throughout the land seeking Allah's bounty, and still others fighting in the cause of Allah). The phrase "يَضْرِبُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ" (yadriboona fil ard, they strike/travel in the land) vividly captures the active, often arduous, nature of travel for livelihood. This beautiful equivalence drawn by Allah between those seeking honest provision and those striving in His cause highlights the spiritual value of all beneficial endeavors. All these diverse conditions make prolonged night prayer difficult, hence the renewed directive: "فَٱقْرَءُوا۟ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ" (so recite what is easy for you from it).
Investing in the Hereafter
The verse concludes with an encouragement for all good deeds: "وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍۢ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًۭا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًۭا" (And whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, better and greater in reward). The imagery of "sending forth for yourselves" makes good deeds an act of personal investment, like sending provisions ahead for a journey, ensuring benefit upon arrival in the Hereafter. The emphatic "هُوَ خَيْرًۭا" (huwa khayran, it is better) uses a specific grammatical structure (dameer fasl, separating pronoun) to stress that what you find with Allah is not just good, but *supremely better* than anything worldly. Finally, "وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۢ" (And seek forgiveness from Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) serves as a comforting reminder. The use of "غفور" (Ghafur) and "رحيم" (Rahim) in their intensive forms promises abundant forgiveness and mercy, encouraging believers to always turn to Allah, knowing He will accept their pleas for pardon for any shortcomings.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:20 is discussed in 18 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Migration (Hijrah) (key verse)
- Divine Decree (Qadar) (key verse)
- Seeking Forgiveness (Istighfar)
- Economy (Iqtisad)
- Miserliness (Bukhl)
- Travel (Sayr)
- Names of Allah (Asma Allah al-Husna)
- Homes (Buyut)
- Hajj
- Preservation (Hifz)
- Goodness (Khayr)
- Remembrance (Dhikr)
- Usury (Riba)
- Questioning (Su'al)
- Wealth (Mal)
- Salvation (Najah)
- Daytime (Nahar)
- Deeds (Amal)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:20 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.