تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ 16
Translations
Their sides part [i.e., they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.
Transliteration
Tatajāfā junūbuhum 'anil-madāji'i yad'ūna rabbahum khawfan wa-ta ma'an wa-mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the righteous servants of Allah whose sides forsake their beds during the night to stand in prayer, calling upon their Lord with fear and hope, and spending from the provisions Allah has given them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that 'tajāfā junūb' (sides departing from beds) refers to Tahajjud night prayers, demonstrating complete devotion and submission. The phrase 'khawfan wa-ta ma'an' (fear and hope) captures the balanced emotional state of the believers—fear of Allah's punishment and hope for His mercy—which motivates both their worship and their charitable spending.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah As-Sajdah and is part of a passage (32:15-17) describing the characteristics of the believers. The surah emphasizes the signs of Allah in creation and the contrast between the righteous and the heedless, providing encouragement to the early Muslim community facing persecution in Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer' (Sahih Muslim 1163). Additionally, 'Aishah reported that the Prophet would stand in prayer at night until his feet became swollen, saying 'Should I not be a grateful servant?' (Sahih Bukhari 4837).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true faith manifests in consistent night worship and generosity, driven by a balanced awareness of both Allah's justice and His mercy. For modern readers, it emphasizes that spiritual devotion requires sacrifice of comfort and material possessions, with the heart simultaneously aware of accountability and hopeful for divine favor.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهَا خَرُّوا۟ سُجَّدًا وَسَبَّحُوا۟ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ۩
Only those believe in Our verses who, when they are reminded by them, fall down in prostration and exalt [Allāh] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ ۚ إِنَّا مِنَ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ
And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord; then he turns away from them? Indeed We, from the criminals, will take retribution.
أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ نُزُلًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, for them will be the Gardens of Refuge as accommodation for what they used to do.
وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍۭ ۚ بَلْ هُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
And they say, "When we are lost [i.e., disintegrated] within the earth, will we indeed be [recreated] in a new creation?" Rather, they are, in the meeting with their Lord, disbelievers.