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ʾinna nāshiʾata l-layli hiya ʾashaddu waṭʾan wa-ʾaqwamu qīlan
Indeed the watch of the night is firmer in tread and more upright in respect to speech,
— Ali Quli Qarai
73Al-MuzzammilالمزملVerse 6 of 20
The Enshrouded One73. Al-Muzzammilالمزمل
al-Muzzammil
The Enwrapped One
MeccanVerse 6 of 20
Surah al-Muzzammil – Verses 6-7
6. Your nightly prayers are certainly stronger and more steadfastly.
7. And you make prolonged and steadfast efforts by day.
The blessed Verses in question further treat of the nightly prayers and the spiritual growth engendered by the nightly recitation of the blessed Qur’anic Verses. They actually further support the preceding blessed Verses by saying that such Divine Command as to the nightly prayers and the recitation of the Verses entails stronger and more steadfast prayers and spiritual growth.
The Arabic nominal form nashi’a denotes "occurrence," though three connotations are suggested for its contextual meaning herein: the night hours occurring consecutively or particularly the late hours of the night and the break of the day; the nightly standing in prayers and the recitation of the Qur’anic Verses, in which respect it is narrated from the Imam Baqir (as) and the Imam Sadiq (as) that standing late at night to perform nightly prayers is herein intended,11 and according to another tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) concerning the exegesis of the blessed Verse in question, rising from the bed with no intention but to pray to God Almighty is herein intended;12the word implies a spiritual state of sublime exaltation engendered in the heart at such hours at night whose impressions on human soul is of further profundity and lasting.
It is worthy of note, however, that the last two connotations are correlative and the twain are implied herein. The Arabic adverbial form wata’an implies setting foot and also agreement. The Arabic adverbial clause ashaddu wata’an connotes the hardship and the trouble in standing at night for nightly vigilance and prayers. It may also imply the strong and lasting impressions made in human soul in the light of such prayers. At any rate, the latter sounds further befitting. It may also suggest further harmony experienced on such occasions amongst human heart, vision, and hearing actualized at the time of prayers.
The Arabic comparative adjectival form aqwama, cognate with qiyam ("rising") denotes "firmer; more straight." The Arabic passive present verbal form qila herein implies remembrance of God Almighty and recitation of the Holy Qur’an. It is worthy of note that the blessed Verse in question is amongst those Verses that express most eloquently the merits of praying at night and at daybreak when the mind is not so preoccupied with worldly affairs and it may thereby purify and foster human soul. It is herein reflected that human soul is particularly prepared to worship God Almighty and be engaged in reflection and remembering Him.
The blessed Verse 7 reflects that it is owing to the fact that you persevere in your abundant efforts during the day, since you are occupied at all times with guiding people, imparting your Divine Message, and finding solutions to the lives of the individuals and the society; therefore, you do not find adequate opportunities to devote yourself to worshipping God Almighty and you may spend the night in prayer. Another suggested exegesis, which is of more interest and stands in further harmony with the preceding and the following blessed Verses, is that since you have to carry the heavy burdens of you obligations, you may strengthen your soul by your nightly prayers and obtain the required preparedness for embarking upon such great endeavors.
The Arabic nominal form sabh denotes movement and it is also applied to swimming, since the latter entails frequent movements. The human society is seemingly likened to a boundless ocean in which many people are drowning. The waves move toward different directions in the agitated ocean and wondering barks seek a safe haven. The Noble Prophet of the Islamic faith (S) is the only rescue guard and the Holy Qur’an is the only rescue boat in the ocean. Such great swimmer is supposed to prepare himself for such enormous mission that lies in imparting the Divine Call during the day.
Footnotes