Al-Muddathir
Sūrat al-Muddaththir (Arabic: سورة المدثر, "The Cloaked One, The Man Wearing a Cloak") is the 74th sura of the Qur'an with 56 ayat.
Chronology
Most Qur'anic historians agree that this sura was part of the early Meccan revelations. Many well known author’s chronology places Surat al-Muddaththir as the second sura revealed to the Prophet Muhammed including Ibn Kathir, citing the hadith :
Sahih al-Bukhari,Sahih Muslim,Jami` at-Tirmidhi,Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, etc. Although reports exist of revelation order other than second, the thematic elements of preparation for the Day of Judgment and warnings for the non-believers are consistent with other early Meccan suras. According to Sayyid Qutb’s exegesis, the first verses of this sura as well as those of Sura 73 represent the Prophet’s earliest revelations and those which prepare him for the ordeal of revelation.
Structure
Surat al-Muddaththir is structured thematically and chronologically. Containing 56 total verses, this sura was most likely revealed on at least two different occasions and compiled retroactively. Verses 1-30 and 32-56 are composed of short, poetic lines which maintain rhyme structure and the Arabic rhetorical device of parallel construction. This is consistent with the verses of the early Meccan period. Verse 31 is unique in its prose-like syntax and length; it is easily the longest verse of this sura and is a glaring break with the rhyme structure that precedes and follows it. This type of verse is most common in the later Medinan revelations.