Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:18

Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:18)

وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ And in the early morning hours, they seek forgiveness.

• Significance of Early Morning Forgiveness: This indicates that they used to perform the night vigil (Tahajjud) and strive hard, desiring their deeds to be more abundant and sincere than what they achieved. They seek forgiveness for any perceived shortcomings. This is the conduct of the noble person: they bring the utmost form of generosity, yet consider it insufficient and apologize for any deficiency. Conversely, the ignoble person brings little, magnifies it, and boasts about it.

• A More Subtle Interpretation: Since Allah mentioned that they slept little (هَجَعُوا قَلِيلًا), and sleeping is a natural requirement, He then said: {يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ} (they seek forgiveness). This implies they seek forgiveness for that small amount of sleep they took.

• Another Subtle Point (Answering a Question): Allah praised them for sleeping little, but He did not praise them for staying awake excessively. He did not say, "They used to stay awake often during the night." What is the wisdom behind this, given that staying awake involves more effort and striving than sleeping?
  • Answer: This points to the fact that their sleep itself was a form of worship, as Allah praised them for sleeping little. That little sleep led them to another act of worship: seeking forgiveness in the early morning hours. This also prevented them from becoming self-admiring or arrogant.

Discussion One: The Preposition 'Bā' (بِ)

• The Issue: The preposition bā' (بِ) is used here for time (ظرفية), even though it is not typically used for time in the same way as fī (فِي).
  • Answer: Some grammarians state that prepositions can substitute for one another. For time, one might say: "I left for ten remaining [days]" (لعشر بقين), or "at night" (بالليل), or "in the month of Ramadan" (في شهر رمضان). Thus, lām (ل) and bā' (بِ) are used, as is fī (فِي). The same applies to place: "I resided in the city" (أقمت بالمدينة) or (وفيها).

• The Deeper Analysis: Prepositions have different meanings, just as nouns and verbs do. However, prepositions are not independent in conveying meaning, whereas nouns and verbs are. There is a degree of separation and difference between some prepositions, similar to how bayt (house) and maskan (dwelling) differ, or sakana (to reside) and makatha (to stay).

• The Relationship between Bā' and Fī: The bā' primarily denotes adhesion/attachment (الإلصاق). Something established in a place is attached to it, and an action is attached to a time.
  • When one says, "He traveled during the day" (سار بالنهار), it means his traveling was attached to/conjoined with the daytime.
  • Similarly, {وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ} means their seeking forgiveness was attached to and concurrent with the early morning hours, because whatever occurs in a time is concurrent with it.

• Difference in Meaning: Does this difference in preposition imply a difference in meaning? Yes.
  • Saying, "I stood up at night (قمت بالليل) and sought forgiveness at dawn (استغفر بالأسحار)," conveys information about both actions. This is more indicative of the action occurring with the very first part of the time period than saying, "I stood up in the night (قمت في الليل)," because the latter implies the time period was encompassed by the action.
  • Similarly, "I resided in the city (أقمت بالبلدة)" does not necessarily imply the person was entirely surrounded by the city, whereas "I resided in it (أقمت فيها)" suggests enclosure.
  • Therefore, saying, "I resided in the town (أقمت بالبلدة)" and "I sought forgiveness at dawn (بالأسحار)" is more general than saying "I stood up in it (قمت فيه)," because someone who stands in a time is necessarily with that time, but someone who is with a time is not necessarily encompassed by it throughout.

• Implication for the Verse: {وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ} indicates they never let a time pass without worship. They do not sleep at night, and with the very first part of dawn, they seek forgiveness. This implies they seek forgiveness without having committed a sin beforehand, because when they become alert at dawn, the time is not one for sinning.

• Further Clarification on Time Specification: Some times cannot take the bā'. For example, one does not say, "I left on Friday (خرجت بيوم الجمعة)," but rather "in Friday (في يوم الجمعة)."
  • Answer: Every action that occurs within a time is concurrent with it. Leaving on Friday is concurrent with that time. The difference lies in generality versus specificity (الإطلاق والتقييد).
  • If you say, "I left during our day (بنهارنا)" or "during the night of Friday (بليلة الجمعة)," it sounds awkward. However, saying, "I left on a lucky day (بيوم سعد)" or "He left on an unlucky day (بيوم نحس)" is acceptable.
  • The reason: Day and night, when unqualified, are general, allowing the use of bā'. When they are qualified and specified (like Friday), the use of bā' ceases. If the specificity is removed by making the noun indefinite ("a day like that"), the use of bā' returns.
  • The secret is that specific times like "Friday," "this hour," or "that night" contain attributes/specificities beyond just the time itself. These specificities are numerous and complex. For example, when you say "this man," the general concept is "man." If you say "the tall man," it approaches specificity but is not fully specific. If you say "the ascetic (الزاهد)," he is distinguished from the ignorant. If you say "Ibn Amr," he is distinguished from the sons of Zayd, Bakr, Khalid, etc. The specific designation encompasses all these unique attributes that converge only in that individual.
  • Therefore, a specified time contains elements beyond mere time. An action is an event concurrent with time, not originating from time. Thus, fī (فِي) is correct for specific times (e.g., في يوم الجمعة), as the general (time) is contained within the specific. Bā' (بِ) is used for general times where the action is simply attached. (The discussion on the preposition lām (ل) is deferred.)

• The Word {هُمْ} (They): This pronoun is not without benefit.
  • Al-Zamakhshari's View: Its benefit is to restrict the seekers of forgiveness to them alone (انحصار), implying that due to their perfection in seeking forgiveness, no one else seeks it. It is like saying, "So-and-so is the scholar" due to his eminence in knowledge. This is sound.
  • Another Benefit: Since {وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ} is connected to {كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ} (51:17), if the affirmation were not emphasized by {هُمْ}, the meaning could be understood as: "And at dawn, they seek forgiveness little (قليلاً ما يستغفرون)." Just as saying, "So-and-so rarely harms people, and he does good," might imply he rarely harms but also rarely does good. However, saying, "He rarely harms, and he does good (وهو يحسن)" removes that ambiguity, clarifying that he rarely harms but frequently does good.

• Meanings of Forgiveness (Istighfār):
  1. Seeking Forgiveness through Utterance: Asking for pardon by saying, "Our Lord, forgive us" (ربنا اغفر لنا).
  2. Seeking Forgiveness through Action: At dawn, they perform another act seeking pardon, such as prayer or other acts of worship. (This is the most common view among exegetes.)
  3. The Most Unusual Meaning: Forgiveness in the sense of istihsād (as in استحصد الزرع - the crop ripens when its harvest time comes). It is as if, at dawn, they become deserving of forgiveness, and the time for their forgiveness arrives.
     • Objection: Why did Allah delay their forgiveness until dawn?
     • Response: The angels of night and day converge at the time of dawn, making it a witnessed time (الوقت المشهود). Allah then declares publicly before them: "I have forgiven My servant." (The first meaning is more apparent, the second is more famous among commentators.)

وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ And in their wealth was a due share for the one who asks and the one who is deprived.