وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ ٱلَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ 37
Translations
And a sign for them is the night. We remove from it the [light of] day, so they are [left] in darkness.
Transliteration
Wa ayatun lahumu al-laylu naslakhu minhu al-nahara fa-idha hum mudhlimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents the alternation of night and day as a sign (ayah) of Allah's power and wisdom for humanity to contemplate. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain that 'naskh' (stripping away) refers to how daylight is gradually removed from the night, leaving people in darkness, demonstrating Allah's perfect control over celestial phenomena. The ayah emphasizes that this daily cycle is not random but a deliberate divine mechanism worthy of reflection as evidence of God's existence and omnipotence.
Revelation Context
Surah Ya-Sin, revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period, focuses on signs (ayat) of Allah's creative power. This ayah is part of a series of cosmic signs presented to the Meccan disbelievers to encourage reflection on divine creation. The surah's context emphasizes natural phenomena as proof of Allah's existence against those who deny the resurrection and divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Reflect upon the creation of Allah, but do not reflect upon His essence, for you will not be able to comprehend it' (Sunan Ibn Majah). This connects to the surah's invitation to ponder creation. Additionally, the Quran's emphasis on night and day as signs appears in multiple hadiths encouraging contemplation of natural cycles.
Themes
Key Lesson
The regular, precise alternation of night and day serves as a constant reminder that we live within an ordered universe created by a wise and powerful God, inviting us to move beyond surface-level existence and contemplate the profound divine signs surrounding us daily. This encourages believers to use reason and observation of nature as pathways to stronger faith and gratitude.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقًا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَن يُنِيبُ
It is He who shows you His signs and sends down to you from the sky, provision. But none will remember except he who turns back [in repentance].
ذَٰلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ وَٱلذِّكْرِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
This is what We recite to you, [O Muḥammad], of [Our] verses and the precise [and wise] message [i.e., the Qur’ān].
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُولِجُ ٱلَّيْلَ فِى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِىٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
Do you not see [i.e., know] that Allāh causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allāh, of whatever you do, is Aware?
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا ءَامِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ ٱلنَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ
Have they not seen that We made [Makkah] a safe sanctuary, while people are being taken away all around them? Then in falsehood do they believe, and in the favor of Allāh they disbelieve?