Surah Al-Lail 92:1
ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ
By the night when it covers
Tafsir of Al-Lail 92:1
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 92:1
Surah Al-Layl (The Night)
1 (Surah Al-Layl) 1
Twenty-one verses, Meccan.
(Surah Al-Layl) Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This Surah was revealed concerning Abu Bakr and his spending for the Muslims, and concerning Umayyah ibn Khalaf, his stinginess, and his disbelief in Allah. However, even if this is the case, its meanings are general for all people. Do you not see that Allah Almighty said:
{Indeed, your efforts are diverse.} (Al-Layl: 4)
And He said:
{So I have warned you of a Fire that blazes.} (Al-Layl: 14)
It is narrated from Ali (peace be upon him) that he said: "We went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to a funeral. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sat down, and we sat around him. He said: 'There is no soul among you that breathes except that Allah has already known its place in Paradise or the Fire.' We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, shall we then rely [on this knowledge]?' He replied, 'Work, for everyone is facilitated for what he was created for.'"
{So as for he who gave and feared [Allah], * And believed in the best [reward], * We will surely facilitate for him the path to ease.} (Al-Layl: 7, 5)
This Hadith clarifies the generality of this Surah.
9569
{By the night when it covers,} * {And by the day when it shines forth,}
Chapter: The Night (Al-Layl)
Verse 1: By the night as it envelops (Wa-l-layli idhā yaghashā)
Know that the Almighty swears by the night, during which every living creature retires to its shelter, and the turmoil of creation subsides. Sleep envelops them—a rest that Allah has made for their bodies and nourishment for their spirits.
Then He swears by the day as it shines forth (tajallā), because when the day arrives, the darkness that was in the world is unveiled by its light. It becomes the time when people move about for their livelihoods, birds leave their nests, and creeping things emerge from their hiding places.
If time were entirely night, earning a living would be impossible. If it were entirely day, rest would cease. Rather, the benefit lies in their alternation, as He the Exalted says: {And it is He who made the night and the day successive replacements} (Al-Furqan: 62), and {And He subjected the sun and the moon} (Ibrahim: 33).
As for His saying, {By the night as it envelops}: Know that the Almighty did not mention the object (maf'ūl) of yaghashā (envelops).
It could refer to:
- The sun, as in His saying: {By the night as it covers it [the sun]} (Ash-Shams: 4).
- The day, as in the verse following this one: {And the day as it shines forth}.
- Everything that the night conceals with its darkness, as in {When it covers with darkness} (Al-Falaq: 3).
And His saying, {And the day as it shines forth} (wa-n-nahāri idhā tajallā), means it appears by the removal of the night's darkness, or it appears and is revealed by the rising of the sun.