Surah 28 Al-Qasas — Ayah 72
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلنَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍۢ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ
Say, "Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the day continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you a night in which you may rest? Then will you not see?"
qul ara-aytum in jaʿala l-lahu ʿalaykumu l-nahāra sarmadan ilā yawmi l-qiyāmati man ilāhun ghayru l-lahi yatīkum bilaylin taskunūna fīhi afalā tub'ṣirūna
Word by word
- قُلْ qul Say
- أَرَءَيْتُمْ ara-aytum Have you seen
- إِن in if
- جَعَلَ jaʿala Allah made
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah made
- عَلَيْكُمُ ʿalaykumu for you
- ٱلنَّهَارَ l-nahāra the day
- سَرْمَدًا sarmadan continuous
- إِلَىٰ ilā till
- يَوْمِ yawmi (the) Day
- ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ l-qiyāmati (of) the Resurrection
- مَنْ man who
- إِلَـٰهٌ ilāhun (is the) god
- غَيْرُ ghayru besides
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- يَأْتِيكُم yatīkum who could bring you
- بِلَيْلٍۢ bilaylin night
- تَسْكُنُونَ taskunūna (for) you (to) rest
- فِيهِ ۖ fīhi in it
- أَفَلَا afalā Then will not
- تُبْصِرُونَ tub'ṣirūna you see
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Night and Day are among the Blessings of Allah and are Signs of Tawhid
Allah reminds His servants of His favors towards them by subjugating for them the night and day, without which they could not survive. He explains that if He made the night continuous, lasting until the Day of Resurrection, that would be harmful for them and would cause boredom and stress. So He says:
(which god besides Allah could bring you light) meaning, `with which you could see things and which would bring you relief'
(Will you not then hear) Then Allah tells us that if He had made the day continuous, lasting until the Day of Resurrection, that would also be harmful for them and their bodies would get tired from so much movement and activity. Allah says:
(which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest) meaning, `to rest from your work and activity.'
(Will you not then see It is out of His mercy) towards you,
(that He has made for you the night and the day) He created both,
(that you may rest therein) during the night,
(and that you may seek of His bounty) during the day, by traveling, moving about and working.
(and in order that you may be grateful.) So that you may give thanks to Allah by performing all kinds of acts of worship at night and during the day. Whoever misses something during the night can make it up during the day, and vice versa. This is like the Ayah,
(And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.) (25:62). And there are many similar Ayat.