(1–15) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. By the sun and its morning brightness * and by the moon when it follows it * and by the day when it reveals it * and by the night when it covers it * and by the heaven and He who built it * and by the earth and He who spread it * and by a soul and He who fashioned it * then inspired it to know its wickedness and its righteousness * successful indeed is the one who purifies it * and failed indeed is the one who buries it * Thamūd denied the truth because of their transgression * when the most wretched among them sprang forth * Allah’s messenger warned them, ‘Beware of Allah’s she-camel and her turn to drink!’ * But they denied him and hamstrung her, so their Lord crushed them for their sin, leveling them all * and He does not fear its consequences.”
Allah Most High swore by these magnificent signs concerning the soul that succeeds and the other souls that are wicked, saying:
“By the sun and its morning brightness”—meaning its light and the benefits that emanate from it.
“And by the moon when it follows it”—meaning that it follows the sun through its stations and in illumination.
“And by the day when it reveals it”—meaning that it reveals and makes visible all that is upon the face of the earth.
“And by the night when it covers it”—meaning that it covers the face of the earth, leaving everything upon it in darkness.
The regular and flawless succession of darkness and light, and of the sun and moon, over this world—and the way it sustains (1) the welfare of Allah’s servants—is among the greatest proofs that Allah knows all things, has power over all things, and alone deserves worship, while every object worshipped besides Him is false.
“And by the heaven and He who built it.” The word mā may be a relative pronoun, in which case the oath is by the heaven and its Builder, who is Allah—Glorious and Exalted is He. It may instead turn the following clause into a verbal noun, in which case the oath is by the heaven and its construction, which represents the utmost imaginable perfection, precision, and excellence. The same applies to His words, “and by the earth and He who spread it”—meaning that He extended and expanded it, thereby enabling creation to benefit from it in every way (2).
“And by a soul and He who fashioned it.” This may refer to the souls of all animate creatures, as the general wording supports. Alternatively, the oath may specifically refer to the soul of the morally accountable human being, as indicated by what follows.
In either case, the soul is one of His tremendous signs and is truly worthy of being sworn by (3). It is exceedingly subtle and light, swift in transition [and movement], change, influence, and emotional response—including concern, will, intention, love, and hatred. Without it, the body would be nothing more than a lifeless form of no benefit. Fashioning it in this manner (4) is one of Allah’s magnificent signs.
His words, “Successful indeed is the one who purifies it,” mean: the one who purifies his soul of sins, cleanses it of faults, raises it through obedience to Allah, and elevates it through beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.
“And failed indeed is the one who buries it”—meaning the one who conceals his noble soul, which deserves neither suppression nor concealment, by sullying it with vices, sinking into faults, committing sins, abandoning what would perfect and nurture it, and pursuing what disgraces and buries it.
“Thamūd denied the truth because of their transgression”—meaning because of their tyranny, their arrogant rejection of the truth, and their insolent defiance of Allah’s messengers (5).
“When the most wretched among them sprang forth”—meaning the most wretched man of the tribe, [namely] Qudār ibn Sālif, who went to hamstring the she-camel after they had agreed upon it. They commanded him, and he complied with them.
“Allah’s messenger”—Sālih, peace be upon him—warned them: “Beware of Allah’s she-camel and her turn to drink!” That is: Beware of hamstringing Allah’s she-camel, whom He made a magnificent sign for you. Do not repay Allah’s blessing to you—the milk she gives you to drink—by hamstringing her. Yet they denied their prophet Sālih.
“But they denied him and hamstrung her, so their Lord crushed them for their sin.” That is, He destroyed them and engulfed them in His punishment. He sent the blast upon them from above and the earthquake from beneath them, and by morning they lay lifeless upon their knees, with no one among them calling out or answering.
“Leveling them all”—meaning that He made them all equal in punishment (6).
“And He does not fear its consequences”—meaning what follows from it.
How could the One who is all-subduing—whose dominion and governance no creature can escape—and who is wise in everything He decrees and legislates, ever fear?
Completed, and all praise belongs to Allah.
Commentary on Sūrat al-Layl
(It Is Meccan)