Worship and training of the believers

Despite the long gap between the first and second revelations, subsequent revelations came in quick succession after Surah Al-Muddaththir. The next Surah to be revealed was Surah Al- Fatihah.

Surah Al-Muddaththir was not a set of instructions for the Prophet alone. Its message was explicit for the believers as well. In its verses they were given a set of rules to live by, rules that still bind Muslims to the laws of Allah. The Surah teaches the believers how to praise and invoke Allah, some of whose principal attributes are also mentioned in the verses. We learn through it that each person will reap what good or bad he sows in this world, and that he will receive the recompense for it in the next world. It guides one to the way of true success.

Other duties and acts of worship were instituted with subsequent revelations. Once the bedrock of faith in Allah and His Messenger had been firmly established, the believers were instructed to build on their faith with acts of worship. The first duty ordained at the beginning of the Prophet’s mission was Salah (prayer). Jibreel taught the Prophet how to perform prayers and wudu (ablution), and asked him to offer two Rak’ah (units of prayer) morning and evening.