**And His saying: {And from the night, glorify Him}** is an indication of *zulfan* (a portion) of the night. The rationale for this is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has two occupations: one is the worship of God, and the second is the guidance of creation. If he guides them and they are not guided, he is told: Attend to your other occupation, which is the worship of the Truth.

**Secondly: Glorify (Tasbīḥ) with the praise of your Lord.** This means to declare Him free from what they say, and do not become weary of their refusal. Rather, remind them of the greatness of God Almighty and declare Him free from polytheism and the inability to bring about what is possible—which is the Resurrection—both before sunrise and before sunset, as these are the times when they gather.

**{And from the night, glorify Him}** means the early parts of the night, as this was also a time when the Arabs gathered. The rationale here is that you should not become weary of their denial, for the Messengers before you were harmed and denied, and they were patient regarding what they were accused of and harmed by.

Based on this, the Almighty's saying **{and after prostrations}** carries a profound benefit, which is pointing to what we mentioned: that the Messenger's occupation involves worship and guidance. Thus, **{and after prostrations}**—meaning immediately following your prostration and worship—glorify your Lord with clear proof when the people gather, so that you achieve worship through prostration and guidance after the prostrations.

**Thirdly:** It could mean: Say *Subḥān Allāh* (Glory be to God). This is because a limited number of phrases have come to mean the utterance of specific words. For example, when we say *kabbir* (say Takbīr), it is used to mean saying *Allāhu Akbar*. When we say *sallim* (say Salutation), it means saying *As-salāmu ‘alaykum*. *Ḥammid* (say Praise) is said to one who says *Al-ḥamdu lillāh*. *Hallel* is said to one who says *Lā ilāha illā Allāh*, and *sabbih* (glorify) is said to one who says *Subḥān Allāh*.

The rationale for this is that these are actions a person repeats in speech, and the need arises to report them. If someone were to say, "So-and-so said *Lā ilāha illā Allāh*" or "So-and-so said *Allāhu Akbar*," the speech would become lengthy. Thus, the need arose to use a single word conveying that meaning, due to the repetition involved in the first method.

The relevance of this interpretation to the context is that their denial of the Messenger, their astonishment at his words, or their mockery would customarily lead the Prophet (peace be upon him) to engage in cursing them, reviling them, and supplicating against them. Therefore, the command is: **"So be patient with what they say, and let your speech, instead of supplicating against them, be the glorification of God and praise of Him."** Do not be like the Companion of the Whale (Yūnus) or like Noah (peace be upon him) who said: **{My Lord, leave not upon the earth any dweller from among the disbelievers}** (Nūḥ: 26). Rather, call to your Lord. If you become weary of that due to their persistence, then occupy yourself with the remembrance of your Lord inwardly.

In this, there are several discussions:

The First Discussion:

God sometimes uses the verb of glorification (*Tasbīḥ*) with the preposition *lām* (لـ), as in **{Allāh glorifies}** (Al-Jumu‘ah: 1) and **{they glorify Him}** (Fuṣṣilat: 38), and sometimes with the preposition *bā’* (بـ), as in **{So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most Great}** (Al-Wāqi‘ah: 74), **{and glorify with the praise of your Lord}** (Ṭā-Hā: 42), and **{Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High}** (Al-A‘lā: 1). What is the difference between them?

We say: The *bā’* is more significant and its precedence is better in this context, like in **{and glorify with the praise of your Lord}**. If we adopt the view that *sabbih* means "Say *Subḥān Allāh*," then the *bā’* signifies accompaniment (*muṣāḥabah*), meaning it is coupled with the praise of God. It is as if He is saying: Say *Subḥān Allāh* and *Al-ḥamdu lillāh*.

If we adopt the view that it means purification (*Tanzīh*), then it means: Declare Him free [from faults] and couple it with His praise, meaning glorify Him and thank Him for granting you success in glorifying Him, for eternal happiness belongs to those who glorify Him. In this case, the object (*maf‘ūl*) is omitted because it is understood without mention, implying: Glorify God *with* the praise of your Lord, meaning while being associated and coupled with His praise.

If we adopt the view that it means "Pray" (*Ṣallī*), it could be a command to recite the Fātiḥah in prayer. It is said, "So-and-so prayed with such-and-such a Sūrah," or "He prayed with *Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad*." Thus, it would mean: Pray with the praise of your Lord, meaning while reciting in it: *Al-ḥamdu lillāhi Rabbil-‘ālamīn*. This is the most distant interpretation.

As for the direct transitive use without a preposition, it is the original form, because *Tasbīḥ* is directly transitive, as its meaning is to distance [the subject] from evil.

As for the *lām* (لـ), there are two possibilities: 1. It is like saying, "I advised him (*naṣaḥtuhu*) and I advised *for* him (*naṣaḥtu lahu*)," and "I thanked him (*shakartuhu*) and I thanked *for* him (*shakartu lahu*)." 2. It is for clarifying the most apparent aspect, meaning: They glorify God while their hearts are purely directed toward the Face of God.

The Second Discussion:

Here, He said: **{and glorify with the praise of your Lord}**, and then He said: **{And from the night, glorify Him}** without the *bā’*. What is the difference between the two places?

We say: The command in both instances is the same under our interpretation that the implied meaning is: Glorify God coupled with the praise of your Lord. This is because "Glorify God" is like saying, "So glorify Him," except that the object was not mentioned. Firstly, because of the indication from **{with the praise of your Lord}**. Secondly, because of the indication from what preceded it.

If we consider the case where **{with the praise of your Lord}** was not mentioned, the second answer [from the previous discussion] applies: If *sabbih* means "Pray," then the first instance is a command to pray, and the second is a command for purification. That is, pray with the praise of your Lord at the appointed time, and during the night, declare Him free from what is unsuitable. In this case, this points to action, remembrance, and contemplation.

**{Glorify}** points to the best of deeds, which is prayer. **{with the praise of your Lord}** points to remembrance (*dhikr*). **{And from the night, glorify Him}** points to contemplation (*fikr*) when the correct path is illuminated, and the purity of the inner self—meaning, declare Him free from all evil through your contemplation, and know that He is only described by attributes of perfection and majesty.

As for **{and after prostrations}**, some of its interpretation has already been mentioned. Another view is that it is an indication to persist in glorification. Thus, **{with the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset *and from the night, glorify Him*}** points to the times of prayer. **{and after prostrations}** means after you have finished the prostration (i.e., the prayer), do not abandon the glorification and purification of God; rather, persist **after prostrations** so that all your time is spent in glorification. This fulfills the meaning of **{And remember your Lord when you forget}** (Al-Kahf: 24) and **{So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship] *And toward your Lord direct your longing*}** (Ash-Sharḥ: 7-8). It has also been recited as **{and the bowing and prostrating ones}**.

The Third Discussion:

What is the rationale for the *fā’* (فـ) in **{So glorify Him}**?

We say: It conveys the emphasis of the command to glorify Him from the night. This is because it implies a condition, as if He is saying: "As for the night, then glorify Him." This is because a conditional statement implies that when the condition is met, the consequence must follow. It is as if God is saying: The daytime is the place of occupation and many distractions, but the night is the place of tranquility and withdrawal, so it is the time for glorification. Or, conversely, the night is the time for sleep, stagnation, and heedlessness, so He said: Do not let the night be for heedlessness; rather, remember your Lord therein and declare Him free [from faults].

The Fourth Discussion:

The word *min* (مِنْ) in **{And from the night}** admits of two interpretations: 1. It is for the beginning of the limit (*ibtida’ al-ghāyah*), meaning: Glorify Him starting from the beginning of the night. In this case, no end limit is mentioned because it varies depending on the prevalence of sleep or lack thereof. One says, "I have been waiting for you *from* the night." 2. It is for partiality (*tab‘īḍ*), meaning: Dedicate a portion of the night to glorification. One says, "He took some of the money," and "Wake up *from* the night," meaning a part of it.

The Fifth Discussion:

To what is **{and after prostrations}** connected by conjunction (*‘aṭf*)?

It is possible that it is connected to what precedes the sunset, as if He said: (And glorify with the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, **and after prostrations**), with **{And from the night, glorify Him}** mentioned in between. In this case, it carries the benefit we mentioned: the command for persistence. It is as if He said: Glorify before sunrise, and when you finish prostrating before sunrise, glorify, and glorify before sunset, and after finishing prostrating before sunset, glorify Him. This would indicate dedicating the night to glorification.

It is also possible that it is connected to **{And from the night, glorify Him}**. In this case, it is connected to both the prepositional phrase and the preposition itself. The implied structure would be: And a portion of the night (**so glorify Him, and after prostrations**).

Then the Almighty said: