Commentary on Surah al-Layl

﴿In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.﴾

﴿By the night when it enshrouds, and by the day when it shines forth, and by the One Who created the male and the female: surely your endeavors are diverse. As for one who gives, is mindful of Allah, and affirms what is best, We shall ease him toward ease. But as for one who is miserly, considers himself self-sufficient, and denies what is best, We shall ease him toward hardship. His wealth will not avail him when he falls.﴾

The opening formula has already been discussed.

﴿By the night when it enshrouds﴾: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, swears by the night when it enshrouds—that is, when it envelops the earth and covers it with its darkness, for enshrouding means covering. ﴿And by the day when it shines forth﴾ means when it emerges and becomes manifest. This occurs with the break of dawn, the light that heralds sunrise. The sun is the sign of the day, just as the moon is the sign of the night.

﴿And by the One Who created the male and the female﴾: According to one of the two interpretations, in which mā is understood as a particle forming a verbal noun, this means: “and by the creation of the male and the female.” According to the other interpretation, it means: “and by the One Who created the male and the female,” namely Allah, Glorious and Exalted. On the first interpretation, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, swears by the creation of the male and the female; on the second, Allah Most High swears by Himself, for He is the One Who created the male and the female.

﴿Surely your endeavors are diverse﴾ means that your deeds are indeed widely divergent.

Thus, Allah, Glorious and Exalted, swears by contrasting things to affirm other contrasting things: night is the opposite of day, the male is the opposite of the female, and endeavors are divided into opposites—righteous and evil. There is thus a fitting correspondence