1. You who are enwrapped in your clothing! This is a reference to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, meaning the one wrapped up in his garment when Revelation came to him, out of fear of it because of his great awe for it.

2. Stay up to pray at night, except a little,

3. …half of it, or a little less – this is in relation to the whole night. “A little less” is from a half to a third,

4. …or a little more – up to two-thirds, or there is a choice – and recite the Qur’an distinctly – firmly and deliberately.

5. We will impose a weighty Word (the Qur’an) upon you. “Weighty” means that it is awesome, or possibly severe, because of the obligations which it contains.

6. Certainly rising at night to pray has a stronger effect and is more conducive to concentration for the heart to listen and understand the Qur’an, and pronunciation is more distinct.

7. In the daytime much of your time is taken up by business matters and so you do not have time to recite the Qur’an.

8. Remember the Name of your Lord – say, “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” when you begin to recite – and devote yourself to Him completely with worship and reliance on Him alone.

9. Lord of the East and West – there is no god but Him; so take Him as your Guardian and entrust all your affairs to Him.

10. Be steadfast in the face of what they (the unbelievers of Makka) say to harm you, and cut yourself off from them – but courteously. “Avoid them in a way which is without anxiety.” This was before the command came to fight them.

11. Leave the deniers, who live a life of ease, to Me, and tolerate them a little longer. “I will deal with them for you.” This refers to the leaders of Quraysh.

12. With Us there are heavy iron shackles, a Blazing Fire,

13. …and food that chokes – sticks in the throat, which is Zaqqum, or pus or suppuration, or thorns from the Fire which do not go down the throat or come up – and a painful punishment – in addition to the painful punishment which awaits those who denied the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace –

14. …on the Day of Rising when the earth and mountains shake and the mountains become like shifting dunes of sand.

15. We have sent you, people of Makka, a Messenger – Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace – to bear witness against you on the Day of Rising about the disobedience which appeared in you just as We sent Pharaoh a Messenger – Musa, peace and blessings be upon him.

16. But Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, so We seized him with terrible severity.

17. How will you safeguard yourselves and what fortresses will you have if you disbelieve in this world against the punishment of a Day which will turn children grey – their hair will turn grey because of the hardship of that day. One says about a difficult day that the forelocks of children turn grey. It is a metaphor. It is also possible that what is meant is a real sign –

18. …by which heaven will be split apart? That is the Day when the sky will split in two because of its severity. His promise will be fulfilled and will inevitably come to pass.

19. This (these frightening signs) truly is a reminder for creatures, so let anyone who wills take the Way towards his Lord by faith and obedience.

20. Your Lord knows that you stay up nearly two-thirds of the night – or half of it, or a third of it and a group of those with you – some of your Companions. That is how one emulates him. Some of them did not know how much of the night to pray and how much of it to leave, and so they would pray the entire night out of caution. They stood in prayer until their feet were swollen for a year or more. Then Allah lightened it for them, saying: Allah determines the night and day. He knows you will not keep count of it – and that you will not be able to calculate the prayer in it except by praying all of it, and that that is hard for you, so He has turned towards you by making that lighter for you. Recite as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you by praying as much as is feasible. He knows that some of you are ill, and that others are travelling in the land seeking Allah’s bounty through trade and other work, and that others are fighting in the Way of Allah in jihad. It was hard for these three groups to pray at night in the way that has been mentioned, and therefore that was lightened for them so that they should pray as much as was feasible for them. Then that was abrogated by the five obligatory prayers. So recite as much of it as is easy for you. And establish the obligatory prayer, pay zakat and lend a generous loan to Allah by spending more than the obligatory amount of wealth in the cause of good with cheerfulness. Whatever good you send ahead for yourselves, you will find it with Allah as something better than what you leave behind and as a greater reward. And seek forgiveness from Allah; Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful to believers.