Sūrah Al-Muzzammil The Enshrouded One: Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī Qurʾānic Rulings and Law

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahAl-MuzzammilMeccanNight prayer initial obligation and its subsequent lightening

Key Fiqh IssueQiyām al-layl night prayer: formerly farḍ, now sunnah (naskh)Sunnah muʾakkadah nowUnique case of Qurʾānic abrogation from obligation to recommendation

School ComparisonAll schools: qiyām al-layl now sunnah; Witr: Ḥanafī (wājib), Mālikī (sunnah), Shāfiʿī (sunnah), Ḥanbalī (wājib/sunnah disputed)Sunnah / Wājib (Witr disputed)Witr obligation is the most contested remaining issue

Uṣūl PrincipleNaskh al-farḍ ilā l-nadb abrogation from obligation to recommendation is establishedRecognized naskh typeProves that Qurʾānic obligations can be reduced by later Qurʾānic text

Al-Qurṭubī documents this surah's unique naskh (abrogation) within itself: verses 1-4 commanded night prayer (approximately half the night); verse 20 lightened this command "Allah will lighten it for you; read what is easy of the Qurʾān." This intra-surah abrogation is one of the clearest examples of naskh al-farḍ ilā l-nadb (abrogating an obligation down to a recommendation) establishing that Islamic obligations can be modified by later revelation.

The practical legal consequences: qiyām al-layl is now sunnah muʾakkadah strongly recommended but not obligatory. The most significant ongoing dispute concerns witr prayer (an odd-number rakaʿah prayer that concludes the night prayer): the Ḥanafī school classifies witr as wājib (a level between sunnah and farḍ) deliberately missing it is sinful and requires make-up; the Mālikī and Shāfiʿī schools classify it as sunnah muʾakkadah; the Ḥanbalī school has two positions, leaning toward wājib. Al-Qurṭubī notes the Ḥanafī witr position is based on strong prophetic hadiths emphasizing its importance.

قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا Qumi l-layla illā qalīlā Meaning: "Stand [in prayer] the night, except a little" Al-Qurṭubī: the initial command "qum" (stand) in the imperative establishes the original obligation; "illā qalīlā" (except a little) gives slight flexibility; this verse is the pre-abrogation obligation that was then lightened by verse 20.

عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ʿAlima an lan tuḥṣūhu fa-tāba ʿalaykum fa-qraʾū mā tayassara mina l-Qurʾān Meaning: "He knew that you would not be able to do it, so He turned to you so read what is easy of the Qurʾān" Al-Qurṭubī: "fa-tāba ʿalaykum" (He turned to you in mercy) this is the abrogating verse; divine mercy is the stated reason for the abrogation; al-Qurṭubī derives that divine law is calibrated to human capacity obligations are not designed to be impossible.

Qiyām al-layl (night prayer) was initially farḍ on Muslims (pre-abrogation period); abrogated to sunnah muʾakkadah by verse 20 of this same surah.
Naskh al-farḍ ilā l-nadb is an established uṣūl category obligations can be reduced to recommendations by later revelation; this surah is the primary example.
Witr prayer legal status: Ḥanafī (wājib sinful to miss deliberately); Mālikī and Shāfiʿī (sunnah muʾakkadah); Ḥanbalī (disputed between wājib and sunnah).
Al-Qurṭubī derives that divine legislation is calibrated to human capacity verse 20's mercy-based abrogation establishes that the legal system accommodates human limitations.
The minimum qiyām al-layl after abrogation: "read what is easy of the Qurʾān" even a brief recitation at night fulfills the sunnah; the obligation level has been permanently reduced.

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