وَٱلَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ 17
Translations
And [by] the night and what it envelops
Transliteration
Wa-al-layli wa-ma wasaqa
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is an oath by Allah swearing by the night and what it contains or gathers together. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret 'ma wasaqa' (what it gathers/contains) to refer to the stars, creatures, or all that the night encompasses and brings together. The oath emphasizes the divine power manifest in the night and serves as an introduction to the subsequent ayah affirming that the Qur'an is indeed a word from a noble messenger (Jibril).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Inshiqaq, a Meccan surah that addresses the Meccan disbelievers' rejection of the Qur'an and Muhammad's message. The surah opens with oaths (ayaat 1-5) to establish the certainty and truth of the Qur'an's divine origin. The specific historical context involves the early Meccan period when the Prophet faced intense opposition to his proclamation.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly comments on this specific ayah, the theme of Allah's oaths in the Qur'an is discussed in various works of tafsir. Related to the subject of divine signs is the hadith in Sahih Muslim: 'Contemplate the creation of Allah, but do not contemplate the essence of Allah, for you will not be able to comprehend His greatness.'
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should reflect on the night and the wonders it contains as signs of Allah's creative power and as reminders of His greatness, which should strengthen their faith in the divine origin of the Qur'an. This encourages contemplation of creation as a means of deepening one's connection to the Divine.