The central part of this sūra illustrates a difficult literary phenomenon that occurs frequently in the Quran. The sūra mentions the number nineteen and then seems to attempt to explain what this means. By itself, the explanation fails to clarify the meaning, and there is nothing in the context of the sūra or elsewhere in the Quran to shed light on the mystery.

You, cloaked one! Arise and warn! The sūra begins with a series of short commands to the “cloaked one,” supposedly the messenger, in a manner similar to the previous sūra.