Tafseer of The Enshrouded One · Al-Muzzammil · 73:8
And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The Exalted, whose remembrance is sublime, says: ( وَاذْكُرِ ) "And remember", O Muḥammad, ( اسْمَ رَبِّكَ ) "the Name of your Lord" — so call upon Him by it; ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) "and devote yourself wholly to Him in complete devotion". He says: turn yourself entirely to Him, devoting yourself wholly for your needs and your worship, to the exclusion of all else besides Him. This is derived from their expression: "tabattaltu hādhā al-amr" (I have devoted myself wholly to this matter). From this also, the mother of ʿĪsā, the son of Maryam, is called "al-Batūl", on account of her complete devotion to Allah. And it is said of the worshipper who has turned away from the world and its causes toward the worship of Allah: "qad tabattala" (he has devoted himself wholly). From this too is the ḥadīth that is related from the Prophet ﷺ: "that he forbade utter withdrawal (al-tabattul, celibacy)".
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Miqsam, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar, except that he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Khālid, on the authority of Abū Yaḥyā al-Makkī, concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in asking and supplication.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Zāʾida related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself wholly and exert yourself.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he says: devote the worship and the supplication sincerely to Him.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, something similar.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: devote yourself sincerely to Him in complete sincerity.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: ( وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا ) he said: that is, free yourself for His worship. He said: devote yourself wholly, and how excellent is complete devotion (al-tabattul) to Allah! And he recited the word of Allah: فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ "So when you are free, then exert yourself" (94:7); he said: when you are finished with the jihād, then exert yourself in the worship of Allah, وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ "and to your Lord direct your longing" (94:8).
