Surah al-Shams—Meccan. (1)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

“By the sun and its morning brightness; by the moon as it follows it; by the day as it reveals it; by the night as it covers it; by the heaven and He who built it; and by the earth and He who spread it.”

“By the sun and its morning brightness”: Mujahid and al-Kalbi said: its light. The morning brightness is when the sun rises and its light becomes clear. Qatadah said: it is the whole of the daytime. Muqatil said: its heat, as in His saying in Surah Ta-Ha, “nor will you suffer from the sun’s heat”—that is, the heat will not harm you.

“By the moon as it follows it”: that is, it follows the sun. This occurs during the first half of the month: when the sun sets, the moon follows it in illumination and succeeds it with its light. Al-Zajjaj said: this is when it becomes full—that is, when its light is complete, following the sun in giving light—and this occurs on the bright moonlit nights.

“By the day as it reveals it”: that is, when it dispels the darkness. This is an allusion to something unmentioned, since it is already understood.

“By the night as it covers it”: that is, it covers the sun when it sets, and so the horizons grow dark.

“By the heaven and He who built it”: al-Kalbi (2) said: that is, by the One who built and created it, just as in His saying, “Marry such women as are lawful for you” [al-Nisa 4:3]—meaning, those who are lawful for you.

Ata said: by the One who built it. Al-Farra and al-Zajjaj said: the word ma carries the meaning of a verbal noun; that is, “by its construction,” just as in His saying, “because my Lord has forgiven me” [Ya-Sin 36:27].

“And by the earth and He who spread it”: He spread it out.