Surah Al Layl of the surahs that carry important meanings and teachings that help us understand life and deep meanings, where the sura begins with the testimony of the composition of night and day, and how the night clouds the earth and darkens it, and how the day manifests and illuminates it,
and this exchange between night and day symbolizes the vicissitudes of life and the alternation of circumstances, and the surah reminds us that God did not create male and female except for disparity and difference, and that people compete in the pursuit and initiative in life, and in this article we show the interpretation of Surah Al Layl with an explanation of its virtues.
The history and reasons for the revelation of Surah Al Layl
1- The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah went on to say that Surah Al Layl was revealed in Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and what he spent on Muslims in freeing the necks from his own money to support the people of Islam, and this came in several narrations, including: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) bought Bilal bin Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him) and was a slave owned by Umayyah bin Khalaf with ten ounces of gold and a barda, so the verses were revealed from the beginning of the surah until the Almighty said: “Your quest is different” and the word “saa’i” refers to the pursuit of Abu Bakr and Umayyah bin Khalaf and a difference between them.
2 – In another narration that Abu Bakr used to buy slaves and slaves from their masters disbelievers Quraish to support Islam and save them from torment and abuse, his father reproached him for that by saying: “O my son, if you buy someone who prevents your back”, he replied: I do not want to prevent my back, meaning that the goal of their purchase is to support Islam and Muslims, so God revealed his saying: {And will avoid the pious * who pays his money is purified * and no one has the grace to be rewarded * except for the sake of the face of his Lord Supreme * and will be satisfied}.
3 – ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned in the hadeeth that explains the reason for the revelation of verses from Surah Al Layl: “We were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with a stick in his hand, and he joked on the ground, and then he raised his head, and he said, “There is no one among you except when he wrote his seat from Paradise and his seat from Hell.” It was said, O Messenger of Allah, should we not rely on him? He said, “Do not work and do not eat, for every facilitator of what was created for him and then read: {As for the one who gave and pious * and believed in the good * we will facilitate it to the left * but the one who is stingy and dispensed * and lied with the good * we will facilitate it to the left}.
Virtues of Surah Al Layl
Surat night of the wall of the Meccan joint, and revolves verses about the pursuit of man and his work in the life of the world and the consequences of this work in the hereafter of bliss or hell, and the number of verses of the sura twenty-one verses beginning with the oath, the sura began its verses by saying:
“And the night if it clouds” and therefore the sura was called by this name, where God Almighty swore by the night as one of the natural phenomena in the worldly life; He has after striving in the day and the fatigue and work he suffers in it for this world and the hereafter.
And Surah Al Layl, like the rest of the surahs of the Qur’an, the Muslim receives the reward by reading it at any time and anywhere, the letter with ten good deeds, and this great virtue applies to all Surat Al-Qur’an and all its verses,
but with regard to the special thanks to Surah Al Layl without other surahs, there is no origin for him, which is one of the innovations in religion, including reading Surah Al Layl and Surat Al-Shams seven times in seven consecutive nights, then after daily reading, supplication with the following: “Oh God, make me a relief and a way out.”
Tafsir of Surah Al Layl
وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَغۡشَىٰ (1) وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ (2) وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلۡأُنثَىٰٓ (3) إِنَّ سَعۡيَكُمۡ لَشَتَّىٰ (4) فَأَمَّا مَنۡ أَعۡطَىٰ وَٱتَّقَىٰ (5) وَصَدَّقَ بِٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ (6) فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ (7) وَأَمَّا مَنۢ بَخِلَ وَٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰ (8) وَكَذَّبَ بِٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ (9) فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلۡعُسۡرَىٰ (10) وَمَا يُغۡنِي عَنۡهُ مَالُهُۥٓ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰٓ (11) إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا لَلۡهُدَىٰ (12) وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلۡأٓخِرَةَ وَٱلۡأُولَىٰ (13) فَأَنذَرۡتُكُمۡ نَارٗا تَلَظَّىٰ (14) لَا يَصۡلَىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلۡأَشۡقَى (15) ٱلَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ (16) وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا ٱلۡأَتۡقَى (17) ٱلَّذِي يُؤۡتِي مَالَهُۥ يَتَزَكَّىٰ (18) وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُۥ مِن نِّعۡمَةٖ تُجۡزَىٰٓ (19) إِلَّا ٱبۡتِغَآءَ وَجۡهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ (20) وَلَسَوۡفَ يَرۡضَىٰ (21)
By the Night as it conceals (the light);
By the Day as it appears in glory;
By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female;-
Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse.
So he who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah),
And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,-
We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss.
But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient,
And gives the lie to the best,-
We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery;
Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit).
Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide,
And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning.
Therefore do I warn you of a Fire blazing fiercely;
None shall reach it but those most unfortunate ones
Who give the lie to Truth and turn their backs.
But those most devoted to Allah shall be removed far from it,-
Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification,
And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,
But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High;
And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.
Surah Al-Layl – Tafsir As-Saadi
“By the night when it covers,”
Allah, glorified be He, swears by the night when it envelops the earth and everything on it,
“And [by] the day when it appears,”
And by the day when it unveils the darkness of the night with its brightness,
“And [by] the creation of the male and the female,”
And by the creation of the two genders: male and female,
“Indeed, your efforts are diverse.”
Indeed, your efforts vary between those focused on worldly matters and those focused on the Hereafter.
“As for he who gives and fears Allah,”
As for the one who spends from his wealth and fears Allah in doing so,
“And believes in the best [reward],”
And believes in the best recompense and reward for his deeds,
“We will ease him toward ease.”
We will guide him towards the means of goodness and righteousness and make his affairs easy for him.
“But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need,”
But as for the one who withholds his wealth and considers himself self-sufficient,
“And denies the best [reward],”
And denies the recompense and reward,
“We will ease him toward difficulty.”
We will show him the causes of misery and hardship.
“And his wealth will not avail him when he falls [into ruin].”
And his wealth will not benefit him when he falls into the Fire (of Hell).
“Indeed, upon Us is [its] guidance.”
Indeed, it is upon Us, by Our favor and wisdom, to show the path of guidance that leads to Allah, His Paradise, and to differentiate it from the path of misguidance.
“And indeed, to Us belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].”
And indeed, the dominion of the Hereafter and the first life belongs to Us.
“So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing.”
So I have warned you, O people, and I have made you fear a blazing fire, which is the fire of Hell.
“It will not be touched except by the wretched.”
Only the most wretched will enter it,
“The one who denies and turns away.”
The one who denies the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and turns away from believing in Allah, His Messenger, and obeying them.
“But the righteous one will be kept away from it.”
But the one who is righteous and possesses strong piety will be kept far away from it.
“The one who gives his wealth to purify himself.”
The one who spends his wealth seeking purification and seeking more goodness.
“And none has with him any favor for which he is rewarded.”
And no favor that he possesses will be rewarded unless he gives it in charity.
“Except seeking the countenance of his Lord, the Most High.”
Except for seeking the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High.
“And he is going to be satisfied.”
And he will be granted by Allah in Paradise what satisfies him.
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