وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ 4
Translations
And [by] the night when it passes,
Transliteration
Wa-al-layli idha yasri
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is part of the opening oaths of Surah Al-Fajr, where Allah swears by the night as it passes or departs. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret 'yasri' (يسر) to mean the night's passage or flow, emphasizing the divine signs evident in the cyclical nature of day and night. This oath sets the stage for the surah's themes of divine justice and the consequences of rejecting Allah's guidance, as the alternation of night and day symbolizes the constancy of divine order and reckoning.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Fajr is a Meccan chapter revealed during the early period of Islam, characterized by powerful oaths about divine signs in creation. The opening verses (1-4) invoke four cosmic phenomena—the dawn, ten nights, the even and odd—as witnesses to divine truth. This serves as a rhetorical device to emphasize the gravity of the message that follows regarding accountability and the fate of those who reject faith.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this specific ayah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best prayer is that offered in the night,' which relates thematically to the blessing and significance of night mentioned in the Quran. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3545)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that the natural cycles surrounding us—day and night—are not mere accidents but divine signs inviting us to reflect on Allah's wisdom and perfect creation. We should pause to recognize these everyday miracles as evidence of divine order and accountability in our lives.