Al-Isra: (12) And We have made the night and the day...

In this verse, there are several issues to consider:

Issue 1: Regarding the Coherence of the Arrangement (Nathm)

There are several perspectives on the coherence of this verse following the preceding one:

First View: Since the preceding verse established the divine favors concerning religion (the Qur'an), this verse follows by mentioning the divine favors concerning worldly life: {And We have made the night and the day two signs}. Just as the Qur'an is composed of clear (muhkamat) and ambiguous (mutashabihat) verses, time is composed of day and night. The clear verses are like the day, and the ambiguous ones are like the night. Just as the purpose of religious obligation (taklīf) is not complete without mentioning both the clear and the ambiguous, the full benefit of time is not realized without both day and night.

Second View: Since the preceding verse stated that this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright (al-latī hiya aqwam)—which is the mention of proofs for monotheism (Tawhīd) and prophethood—it is appropriate to follow this by mentioning proofs for Tawhīd, which are the wonders of the upper and lower worlds.

Third View: Since the preceding verse described humanity as being hasty (ʿajūl)—moving from one state to another—this verse clarifies that all states in this world are characterized by transition: the transition from light to darkness and vice versa, and the transition of the moon's light from waxing to waning and vice versa. (And Allah knows best.)

Issue 2: Regarding the Statement {And We have made the night and the day two signs}

There are two main opinions on this:

First Opinion: The intended meaning of the "two signs" (āyatayn) is the night and the day themselves. This means Allah made them proofs for creation regarding both religious and worldly interests.

• For Religion: Each one is the opposite of the other, yet they follow each other perpetually. This is a strong proof that they do not exist by themselves but must have an Agent who manages and measures them with specific proportions.
• For the World: Worldly interests are not fulfilled without night and day. If there were no night, there would be no rest and repose. If there were no day, there would be no earning and transacting in matters of livelihood.

Then the Almighty said: {Then We erased the sign of the night}. Under this interpretation, the attribution (iḍāfah) in "the sign of the night and the day" is for specification (tabyīn). The meaning is: We erased the sign which is the night, and made the sign which is the day illuminating. This is similar to saying, "the essence of the thing and its self," or "He entered the lands of Khurasan," meaning the lands that are Khurasan.

Second Opinion: The intended meaning is that Allah made the two luminaries (nīray) of the night and the day as signs, referring to the Sun and the Moon. Thus, "We erased the sign of the night" refers to the Moon.

There are two interpretations regarding the "erasure of the Moon":

1. The First Interpretation: It refers to the waxing and waning of the Moon's light. It first appears as a crescent, then its light continuously increases until it becomes a full moon, then it gradually decreases until it returns to the state of maḥq (new moon). This decrease is the "erasure."
2. The Second Interpretation: It refers to the spots/blemishes (kalf) that appear on the Moon's face. It is narrated that the Sun and the Moon were equal in light and radiance, so Allah sent Gabriel (peace be upon him), who struck the Moon's face with his wing, thus obscuring its light.

The linguistic meaning of maḥw (erasure) is the removal of a trace.

The Preference: I hold that applying maḥw to the First Interpretation (waxing/waning) is more appropriate. This is because the purpose mentioned later, {that you may seek bounty from your Lord and know the number of years and the reckoning}, is connected to what preceded it—the erasure of the sign of the night and making the sign of the day illuminating. The erasure of the night's sign (the Moon's changing light) directly affects the seeking of Allah's bounty. The cause for achieving this state varies according to the Moon's light conditions. Experts observe that the variation in the Moon's light magnitude has a great effect on the world's affairs and interests, such as the tides of the seas and the effects noted by physicians in their books. Furthermore, the waxing and waning of the Moon's light establish the months, and the recurrence of months establishes the lunar years, as stated: {and to know the number of years and the reckoning}. Thus, it is established that applying maḥw to the waxing and waning is preferable.

Further Consideration: If we apply maḥw to the spots (kalf) on the Moon's face, this too is a mighty proof confirming the Muslim belief in the Origin (Mabda') and the Return (Ma'ād).

• Proof for the Origin: Philosophers consider the Moon's body to be simple and uniform in nature, meaning its attributes should be uniform. The existence of varying states caused by the "erasure" indicates that this is not due to nature but because the Willful Agent (al-Fāʿil al-Mukhtār) specifically endowed some parts with strong light and others with weak light. This proves that the world's administrator is a Willful Agent, not a necessary being by nature (mūjib bi-dhātih). The best philosophical explanation offered is that small, less luminous bodies, like stars embedded in the celestial spheres, are resting on the Moon's face. Since these bodies are less luminous than the Moon's body, they appear as spots. However, this does not serve the opponent's purpose, because if the Moon's body is uniform, why would these dark bodies settle in some parts and not others? A similar argument applies to the stars: if the celestial sphere is a simple, uniform body, why should the star settle in one specific location rather than any other? This indicates that the specialization of that star to that specific place in the sphere is due to the specialization of the Willful Agent. All these proofs aim to demonstrate that the influencer in the universe is a Willful Agent, not a necessary being by nature. (And Allah knows best.)

Regarding the statement {And We have made the night and the day two signs}:

1. First View: The meaning of the day being "illuminating" (mubṣir) is that it is luminous (mudī’), because illumination is the cause of sight (ibṣār). Thus, the name of the effect (sight) is used for the cause (illumination).
2. Second View (Abu 'Ubaydah): It is said that "the day has become mubṣir" when people can see in it. Similar to saying a man is mukhbath if his companions are wicked, or a man is muḍaʿʿaf if his offspring are weak. Thus, "the day is mubṣir" means its inhabitants have sight.

Note that Allah mentioned the benefits of night and day in many verses, such as: {And We made the night a covering, And We made the day a time for livelihood} (An-Naba: 10-11), and {It is He who made for you the night that you may rest therein and the day that you may see} (Al-Qasas: 73).

Then the Almighty said: {that you may seek bounty from your Lord}, meaning that you may see how to conduct your affairs, {and know the number of years and the reckoning}.

The reckoning is built upon four levels: hours, days, months, and years. The count (ʿadad) is for the years, and the reckoning (ḥisāb) is for what is less than years (months, days, and hours). Beyond these four levels, there is only repetition, just as they arranged counting into four levels: units, tens, hundreds, and thousands, beyond which there is only repetition. (And Allah knows best.)

Then He said: {And We have explained everything in detail}. The meaning is that since Allah mentioned the states of the two signs (night and day)—which are proofs for Tawhīd on one hand, and great favors from Allah for worldly life on the other—and since He explained their states and detailed the aspects of guidance to the Creator and the great favors upon creation contained within them, this constitutes a beneficial detailed explanation and a complete clarification. Therefore, He said: {And We have explained everything in detail}, meaning everything you need for the interests of your religion and your worldly life, We have explained and clarified it. This is like His saying: {We have not neglected anything in the Book} (Al-An'am: 38), and {And We have sent down to you the Book as a clarification of everything} (An-Nahl: 89), and {It destroys everything by the command of its Lord} (Al-Ahqaf: 25). The use of the verbal noun (maṣdar) {in detail} (tafṣīlan) is for emphasizing and confirming the statement, as if He is saying: We explained it truly, and We explained it in the manner that leaves nothing more to be added. (And Allah knows best.)

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