Subject Matter and Contents
As mentioned above, the first revelation sent to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ consisted of the opening five verses of Surah Al-Alaq, in which only this much was said:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created — created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is Most Generous — He who taught by the pen — taught man what he did not know.”
This was the first experience of the descent of revelation, which came to the Prophet ﷺ suddenly and unexpectedly. In this initial message he was not informed of the great mission upon which he had been appointed, nor of what he was to do next. Only a preliminary introduction was given, and then he was left for a period of time so that the intense weight this first experience had placed upon his spirit might ease, and so that he might become mentally prepared to receive future revelation and shoulder the responsibilities of Prophethood.
After this interval, when the descent of revelation resumed, the opening seven verses of this Surah were revealed — and in them, for the first time, he was commanded to rise and warn the people of God about the consequences of the path they were following, and to proclaim the greatness of Allah in a world where the drums of others’ greatness were being beaten loudly. Along with this, he was directed that the work now before him demanded his life be absolutely pure in every respect, and that he devote himself with complete sincerity to the reform of Allah’s creation, setting aside all worldly gain. Finally, in the concluding passage, he was counselled to bear with patience whatever difficulties and hardships he encountered in the performance of this duty, for the sake of his Lord.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began preaching Islam in compliance with this divine command and started reciting the successive Surahs of the Quran as they were revealed, Makkah was thrown into a state of uproar and a storm of opposition arose. A few months had passed in this condition when the season of Hajj arrived, and the people of Makkah grew anxious. Pilgrims would be coming from all corners of Arabia — and if Muhammad ﷺ were to go from camp to camp meeting the arriving pilgrims, and were to stand at gatherings throughout the Hajj reciting the incomparably powerful and moving words of the Quran, his call would reach every corner of Arabia and there was no telling how many people might be moved by it.
The chiefs of Quraysh therefore convened a conference in which it was decided that, as soon as the pilgrims began arriving, a propaganda campaign against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ should be launched among them. Once this was agreed upon, Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah addressed those present and said: “If you all say different things about Muhammad ﷺ to the people, our collective credibility will be destroyed. Agree on one thing that all of you will say together.”
Some suggested: “We will call him a soothsayer (kahin).” Al-Walid said: “No, by God, he is no soothsayer. We have seen soothsayers — the way they mutter and the kind of rhyming phrases they string together bear no resemblance whatsoever to the Quran.”
Others said: “Then let us call him a madman (majnun).” Al-Walid said: “He is not a madman either. We have seen the mad and the insane. The incoherent speech and erratic behaviour that afflict a person in that state are hidden from no one. Who would believe that what Muhammad ﷺ presents is the raving of a madman, or that a person in a fit of madness could say such things?”
People said: “Then we will call him a poet (sha’ir).” Al-Walid said: “He is not a poet either. We are acquainted with every genre of poetry, and no genre of poetry can be applied to this speech.”
People said: “Then let him be called a sorcerer (sahir).” Al-Walid said: “He is not a sorcerer either. We know sorcerers and we are familiar with the methods they employ. That label too does not fit Muhammad ﷺ.”
Then Al-Walid said: “Whatever of these things you say, people will recognise it as an unjust accusation. By God, there is great sweetness in this speech — its roots run deep and its branches are laden with fruit.”
At this, Abu Jahl pressed Al-Walid hard and said: “Your people will not be satisfied with you until you say something about Muhammad.” Al-Walid said: “Let me think.” After reflection he said: “The closest thing that can be said is this — tell the Arabs: this man is a sorcerer; he presents a kind of speech that separates a man from his father, his brother, his wife and children, and his entire family.” Everyone accepted Al-Walid’s proposal.
Then, according to a coordinated plan, delegations of Quraysh spread out among the pilgrims during the Hajj season and began warning the incoming visitors: “A man has arisen here who is a powerful sorcerer — his sorcery drives wedges between family members; beware of him.” But the result of all this was that the Quraysh themselves spread the name of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ throughout all of Arabia.
(This portion of the account — that Al-Walid made this statement under pressure from Abu Jahl — is reported through ’Ikrimah and has been cited by Ibn Jarir in his Tafsir.)

This is the very episode upon which the second portion of this Surah offers its commentary. The arrangement of its contents is as follows:
Verses 8–10 warn the deniers of truth that they will see the evil consequence of what they are doing today on the Day of Resurrection.
Verses 11–26 — without naming Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah — describe what blessings Allah had bestowed upon this man and how he repaid them with outright hostility to the truth. A complete picture is drawn of his inner mental struggle: on one hand, in his heart he had become convinced of the truthfulness of Muhammad ﷺ and the Quran; on the other, he was unwilling to endanger his position and prestige among his people. So not only did he refuse to believe, but after a prolonged inner battle with his own conscience, he ultimately arrived at this conclusion: that in order to prevent people from believing in this speech, it must be labelled as sorcery. Having exposed this blatant moral corruption, the passage declares that despite this conduct, this man still expects to be further blessed and rewarded — whereas he has now made himself deserving not of reward but of Hell.
Verses 27–48 describe the terrors of Hell and explain what kind of character and conduct make a person deserving of it.
Verses 49–53 then lay bare the real root of the disease afflicting the disbelievers: because they have no fear of the Hereafter and consider this worldly life to be everything, they flee from the Quran as wild donkeys flee in terror from a lion, and they put forward all manner of irrational conditions for believing — whereas no matter what condition of theirs might be fulfilled, so long as they deny the Hereafter they cannot advance a single step on the path of faith.
Finally, it is stated plainly that Allah has no need of anyone’s faith such that He should go about fulfilling their conditions. The Quran is a general admonition that has been placed before all. Whoever wishes may accept it. Allah is worthy of being obeyed and feared, and it is His way that whoever adopts a disposition of Taqwa and God-consciousness — He forgives that person, however many acts of disobedience he may have committed before.

Links for themes of groups of verses

Surah Al-Muddaththir, verses 1–7 with footnotes):multi lingual urdu, Arabic, Hindi etc

Surah Al-Muddaththir 74:8-10: Multilingual, Urdu, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali & Arabic

Verses 11-25

SURAH AL-MUDDATHTHIR 74:11-25 WITH MAWDUDI’S COMMENTARY:Intellectual arrogance versus sincere seeking

Surah Al-Muddaththir 74:26–31 with Mawdudi’s Commentary

Surah Al-Muddaththir (74:32–37): Translation & explanation

Surah Al-Muddaththir (74:38-48): Translation & explanation

Surah Al-Muddaththir (74:49-56): Translation & explanation