قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَآءٍ ۖ أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ 71
Translations
Say, "Have you considered: if Allāh should make for you the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allāh could bring you light? Then will you not hear?"
Transliteration
Qul araaytum in jaala Allahu alaikumu allayla sarmaadan ila yawmi alqiyamati man ilahun ghayru Allahi yaatikum bidiyain afala tasmaun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a rhetorical question challenging the disbelievers to imagine if Allah made the night eternal until the Day of Judgment, who besides Allah could bring them light? The verse emphasizes Allah's complete control over the natural world and highlights the dependence of all creation upon His provision. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi note this serves as evidence for Allah's oneness (tawhid) through the contemplation of His creative power and the impossibility of any other deity replacing Him.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Qasas, a Meccan chapter that emphasizes monotheism and Allah's divine attributes through narratives and rhetorical arguments. The verse is part of a series of logical proofs presented to the Meccan disbelievers (28:71-73), using observable phenomena of day and night to demonstrate that only Allah possesses the power to sustain creation.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly references this specific ayah, it relates thematically to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most perfect believer in faith is the one whose character is finest and who is kindest to his wife' - emphasizing reflection on Allah's blessings. Additionally, hadith collections encourage contemplating Allah's signs in creation (ayat) as mentioned in multiple Quranic contexts.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to reflect deeply on Allah's complete mastery over creation and the impossibility of any other source of guidance or provision, strengthening our conviction in His oneness. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder to recognize our absolute dependence on Allah and to appreciate His blessings of light, life, and sustenance as unequivocal proofs of His unique divinity.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
إِنِّى وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِىَ لِلَّذِى فَطَرَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Indeed, I have turned my face [i.e., self] toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allāh."
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلنَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ
Say, "Have you considered: if Allāh should make for you the day continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allāh could bring you a night in which you may rest? Then will you not see?"
۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.