"Truly thy Lord knows that thou dost stand vigil well-night two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those who are with thee; and God measures out the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep count of it and has relented unto you; so recite that which is easy for you of the Quran. He knows that some of you will be sick, while others travel upon the earth, seeking God's Bounty, and others fight in the way of God. So recite that which is easy of it, perform the prayer, give the alms, and lend unto God a goodly loan - whatever good you send forth for your souls, you will find it with God better and better in reward. And seek God's Forgiveness, Truly God is Forgiving, Merciful."
Quran 73:20
al_Muzzammil, "The Enwrapped One," is the 73rd surah. This particular passage is one of the single longest verses in the Quran. It relates to the concept of night vigils, which Nasr explains: "Before the five daily prayers were revealed, night vigil was the common practice of the Prophet, and his small group of followers, who would reportedly stand in prayer until their feet swelled. The practice was then eased in v.20 was made explicitly supererogatory in 17:79." Again, supererogatory means that an act is beneficial but is not required. We've referenced this before, but the classic example would be if you went to as mosque around prayer time you would see people praying by themselves both before and after the more formal part of the prayer (when people are lined up behind one person reciting); the more structured part would be the required act, and the individual prayers before and after would be the supererogatory acts. This is one of those times in the evolution of the faith where an attempt is made to make the faith, if not "easier," but more focused on what is important: "So recite that which is easy of it, perform the prayer, give the alms, and lend unto God a goodly loan . . ." Even in these early stage this notion of a self-regulating emphasis on moderation was present.
Quran 73:20
al_Muzzammil, "The Enwrapped One," is the 73rd surah. This particular passage is one of the single longest verses in the Quran. It relates to the concept of night vigils, which Nasr explains: "Before the five daily prayers were revealed, night vigil was the common practice of the Prophet, and his small group of followers, who would reportedly stand in prayer until their feet swelled. The practice was then eased in v.20 was made explicitly supererogatory in 17:79." Again, supererogatory means that an act is beneficial but is not required. We've referenced this before, but the classic example would be if you went to as mosque around prayer time you would see people praying by themselves both before and after the more formal part of the prayer (when people are lined up behind one person reciting); the more structured part would be the required act, and the individual prayers before and after would be the supererogatory acts. This is one of those times in the evolution of the faith where an attempt is made to make the faith, if not "easier," but more focused on what is important: "So recite that which is easy of it, perform the prayer, give the alms, and lend unto God a goodly loan . . ." Even in these early stage this notion of a self-regulating emphasis on moderation was present.
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