17:12 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

يقول تعالى: { وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ } أي: دالتين على كمال قدرة الله وسعة رحمته وأنه الذي لا تنبغي العبادة إلا له. { فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ } أي: جعلناه مظلما للسكون فيه والراحة، { وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً } أي: مضيئة { لِتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ } في معايشكم وصنائعكم وتجاراتكم وأسفاركم. { وَلِتَعْلَمُوا } بتوالي الليل والنهار واختلاف القمر { عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ } فتبنون عليها ما تشاءون من مصالحكم. { وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا } أي: بينا الآيات وصرفناه لتتميز الأشياء ويستبين الحق من الباطل كما قال تعالى: { مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ }

يمتن تعالى على خلقه بآياته العظام، فمنها مخالفته بين الليل والنهار ليسكنوا في الليل وينتشروا في النهار للمعايش والصنائع والأعمال والأسفار، وليعلموا عدد الأيام والجمع والشهور والأعوام، ويعرفوا مضي الآجال المضروبة للديون والعبادات والمعاملات والإجازات وغير ذلك، ولهذا قال: {لتبتغوا فضلا من ربكم}: أي في معايشكم وأسفاركم ونحو ذلك، {ولتعلموا عدد السنين والحساب}، فإنه لو كان الزمان كله نسقاً واحداً وأسلوباً متساوياً لما عرف شيء من ذلك، كما قال تعالى: {قل أرأيتم إن جعل اللّه عليكم الليل سرمدا إلى يوم القيامة مَن إله غير اللّه يأتيكم بضياء؟ أفلا تسمعون}، وقال تعالى: {وهو الذي جعل الليل والنهار خلفة لمن أراد أن يذكر أو أراد شكورا}، وقال تعالى: {وله اختلاف الليل والنهار}، وقال: {يكور الليل على النهار ويكور النهار على الليل} الآية، وقال تعالى: {فالق الإصباح وجعل الليل سكنا والشمس والقمر حسبانا ذلك تقدير العزيز العليم}، ثم إنه تعالى جعل لليل آية، أي علامة يعرف بها، وهي الظلام وظهور القمر فيه، وللنهار علامة، وهي النور وطلوع الشمس النيرة فيه، وفاوت بين نور القمر وضياء الشمس ليعرف هذا من هذا، كما قال تعالى: {هو الذي جعل الشمس ضياء والقمر نورا وقدره منازل لتعلموا عدد السنين والحساب ما خلق الله ذلك إلا بالحق}، وقال تعالى: {يسألونك عن الأهلة قل هي مواقيت للناس والحج} الآية. قال ابن جريج عن عبد اللّه بن كثير في قوله: {فمحونا آية الليل وجعلنا آية النهار مبصرة} قال( ظلمة الليل وسدف النهار، وعن مجاهد: الشمس آية النهار، والقمر آية الليل. وقال ابن عباس: كان القمر يضيء كما تضيء الشمس، والقمر آية الليل، والشمس آية النهار، فمحونا آية الليل السواد الذي في القمر. وقال قتادة: كنا نحدث أن محو آية الليل سواد القمر الذي فيه، وجعلنا آية النهار مبصرة أي منيرة، وخلق الشمس أنور من القمر وأعظم، وقال ابن عباس: {وجعلنا الليل والنهار آيتين} قال: ليلاً ونهاراً، كذلك خلقهما اللّه عزَّ وجلَّ.

The Night and Day are Signs of the Great Power of Allah

Allah reminds us of the great signs that He created, including the alternation of the night and day, so that people may rest at night, and go out and earn a living, do their work, and travel during the day, and so that they may know the number of days, weeks, months and years, so they will know the appointed times for paying debts, doing acts of worship, dealing with transactions, paying rents and so on. Allah says:

لِتَبْتَغُواْ فَضْلاً مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(that you may seek bounty from your Lord,) meaning, in your living and travels etc.

وَلِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ

(and that you may know the number of the years and to count.) If time stood still and never changed, we would not know any of these things, as Allah says:

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ الَّيْلَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِضِيَآءٍ أَفَلاَ تَسْمَعُونَ - قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ أَفلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُواْ فِيهِ وَلِتَبتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

(Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the night continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you light Will you not then hear" Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest Will you not then see" It is out of His mercy that He has made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and that you may seek of His bounty - and in order that you may be grateful.) (28:71-73)

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ فِى السَّمَآءِ بُرُوجاً وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجاً وَقَمَراً مُّنِيراً - وَهُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُوراً

(Blessed be He Who has placed the big stars in the heaven, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun), and a moon giving light. 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.) (25:61-62)

وَلَهُ اخْتِلَـفُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

(and His is the alternation of night and day.) 23:80

يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْـلَ عَلَى النَّهَـارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّـهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ وَسَخَّـرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُـلٌّ يَجْرِى لاًّجَـلٍ مُّسَـمًّى أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ

(He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running (on a fixed course) for an appointed term. Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) 39:5

فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَاناً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

((He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for reckoning. Such is the measuring of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) (6:96),

وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ - وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَـا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(And a sign for them is the night. We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness. And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) (36:37-38) Allah has made the night a sign having distinguishing features by which it is known. These features include the darkness and the appearance of the moon. The day also has distinguishing features by which it is known; the light and the appearance of the shining sun. He made a distinction between the light of the moon and the light of the sun, so that they may be distinguished from one another, as Allah says:

هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ

(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon a light and measured out for it stages that you might know the number of years and to count (periods of time). Allah did not create this but in truth.) 10:5 until,

لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ

(Ayat for those people who keep their duty to Allah, and fear Him much.) 10:6

يَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ

(They ask you about the crescent moons. Say: "These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage.") 2:189

فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً

(Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night (with darkness) while We have made the sign of the day illuminating,) Ibn Jurayj reported that `Abdullah bin Kathir commented on this Ayah: "It means the darkness of the night and the twilight of the day." Ibn Jurayj reported that Mujahid said: "The sun is the sign of the day and the moon is the sign of the night.

فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ

(We have obliterated the sign of the night) this refers to the moon's blackness, which is how Allah has created it."

وَجَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ

(And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat.) Ibn Abi Najih reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "By night and day, this is how Allah created them, may He be glorified."

And We made the night and the day two signs both indicators of Our power. Then We effaced the sign of the night extinguishing its light with darkness so that you might repose therein the annexation āyata’layli ‘the sign of the night’ is explicative and made the sign of the day sight-giving in other words one in which it is possible to see because of the light; that you may seek therein bounty from your Lord by earning your livelihood and that you may know by both day and night the number of years and the reckoning of the times of the day and everything that might be needed We have detailed very distinctly We have explained clearly.

Commentary

In the verses cited above, first it was declared that the alternation of night and day was a sign of the most perfect power of Allah Ta` ala. Then it was said that there was great wisdom in the making of the night dark and the day, bright. As for the wise consideration behind the making of the night dark, it was not mentioned at this place. It has, however, been mentioned in other verses that the darkness of the night is appropriate and conducive to sleep and rest. The divine arrangement is such that humans and animals go to sleep in the darkness of that very night. In fact, the whole world sleeps simultaneously in harmony with its night. Had different people been scheduled to sleep at different timings, the noises made by those awake and those working at jobs would have turned the sleep of the sleeping into a nightmare.

As for the day being bright, it has two elements of wisdom. Firstly, one can earn his living in the light of the day and natural light is needed for jobs, businesses and industries. Secondly, the alternation of night and day helps one know the number of years, for instance, the completion of three hundred and sixty days tells us that a full year has gone by.

Similarly, other calculations are also related to the alternation of night and day. If this variation of night and day were not there, it would have been difficult to fix the wages of the wage earner, the employment of the employee and the time duration of transactions.