The Wrapped One

This early surah prepares the Prophet for the mighty teachings yet to be revealed and the challenges ahead.

The Prophet is told to find comfort in patience and prayer.

We should never give up.

The arrogant disbelievers are warned of a horrible punishment in Jahannam.

Allah always makes it easy for the believers to worship Him.

When the idol-worshippers first heard that the Prophet began to receive revelations from Allah, they started to make fun of him. They even called him 'a crazy man' and 'a magician.' So he became very upset and disappointed when he heard what they said. This surah came down to tell him, 'Don't give up.' He is asked to stand up and deliver the message, seeking comfort in patience and prayer. He is promised that Allah Himself will deal with those idol-worshippers who are giving him a hard time. (Recorded by Imam At-Tabarani)

In 1986, a 34-year old Indian-Canadian Muslim lawyer (named Enam Bukhari) had a medical condition that left him in the hospital for a long period of time. At some point, his heart stopped, and his doctors thought he actually died, but Allah kept him alive. His doctors then said that he would be lucky if he lived another week. He couldn't breathe, talk, or move on his own, so he had to sit on a wheelchair and use a machine to breathe. He couldn't open his eyes, so they had to tape them open when he was not asleep. He loved to read, but was very frustrated when he had to wait for his wife to turn the page for him. His life was very difficult, but he never gave up. It took him a few years to train himself to speak with an air-tube stuck up his throat. He went back to university, got a master's degree, and started a successful law office in the Niagara Region. Although he spent the rest of his life on a wheelchair and couldn't move or breathe on his own, Enam became known for his community service and charity work. I met him a few times, and visited him in his house in the city of St. Catharines, Ontario with a group of youth from the local masjid to hear his story in person. When I asked him for advice, he said, 'Do a small good deed every day. If you don't busy yourself with good, you will get busy with evil.' Enam Bukhari passed away in 2016, and I was honoured to lead his janazah (funeral prayer).

If a Muslim prays 5 times a day, pays zakah, fasts in Ramadan, and goes for hajj, the Prophet said that Allah will give them Jannah. (Recorded by Imam Al-Bukhari & Imam Muslim) However, if someone wants to be raised in rank in Jannah, they should do some optional acts of worship, known as sunnah or nafl. This includes praying extra salah at night, fasting Mondays and Thursdays, giving sadaqah, and doing umrah. This is why the Prophet and his companions used to pray at night, according_to this surah.