Sūrat al-Layl

Meccan. Its verses are 21 (revealed after al-Aʿlā).

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. By the night when it covers.

The "covered" (object):

• It is either the sun, based on His saying: "And the night when it covers it" (al-Shams: 4).
• Or the day, based on His saying: "It covers the day" (al-Ra‘d: 3).
• Or everything that it conceals with its darkness, based on His saying: "When it settles" (al-Falaq: 3).

"When it is revealed" (tajallā):

• It appeared by the departure of the darkness of the night.
• Or it became clear and uncovered by the rising of the sun.

"And He who created":

• The All-Powerful, of immense power, who was able to create the male and the female from a single fluid.
• It is said: They are Adam, peace be upon him, and Eve.
• In the recitation of the Prophet (ﷺ): "And the male and the female."
• Ibn Mas‘ūd recited: "And He who created the male and the female."
• From al-Kisā’ī: "And what He created of the male and the female" (in the genitive case), as a substitution for the place of "what He created," meaning: "And the creation of God, the male and the female." It is permissible to omit the name of God because it is known due to His uniqueness in creation, for there is no creator other than Him.
• It is said: God did not create any living being that is not either male or female. The hermaphrodite (khunthā), even if its status is ambiguous to us, is not ambiguous to God; it is known as either male or female. If someone swore by divorce that he did not meet a male or a female that day, and he met an ambiguous hermaphrodite, he would be a breaker of his oath, because in reality, it is either male or female, even if it is ambiguous to us.

"Diverse" (shattā):

• The plural of shatīt, meaning: Your efforts are scattered and different. The explanation of their difference is detailed in what follows.

5-7. As for he who gives and fears God, and believes in the best [reward], We will facilitate for him the way to ease.