Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 47

(Ayah 47) ➊ {وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا …: ’’ سُبَاتًا ‘‘} and {’’ سَبْتٌ ‘‘} (n, ḍ) are verbal nouns, meaning comfort, tranquility, to cut off. The style of speech, as a form of iltifat, has shifted back from the first person to the third person. After mentioning shade and sunlight, night and day are mentioned. Since both parts of the sentence, {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} and {’’ الَّذِيْ ‘‘}, are definite, it creates the meaning of exclusive attribution, i.e., He alone is the maker of night and day, no one shares with Him. When you also admit that in making even a moment of night or day, no one has any share, then how can anyone else become the provider or helper of anything within them? In {’’ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ‘‘}, attention is drawn to the fact that Allah has made this system of sunlight, shade, night, and day for you; He is free of need from everything. Making the night a garment means that light could have disturbed your comfort, so He made the night dark, which, like a garment, covers everything. There are countless religious and worldly benefits in the darkness of night; only one who is familiar with the pleasure of a warrior, a worshipper awake at night, the delight of knowledge, or the joy of a lofty purpose can appreciate it. However, there is one benefit from which no one is deprived, nor can anyone be independent of it, and that is sleep, which, like death, cuts off all your movement and takes you into the valley of complete tranquility, removes your fatigue, and repairs the wear and tear of your entire body. See Surah Al-An'am (6:60) and Az-Zumar (39:42).

➋ In {وَ جَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُوْرًا : ’’ نُشُوْرًا ‘‘} there are two meanings: one is that sleep is a kind of death, and waking up in the day is an example of rising on the Day of Resurrection. Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would go to bed, he would say: [ بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوْتُ وَ أَحْيَا ] "In Your name, I die and I live." And when he would wake up, he would say: [ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَ إِلَيْهِ النُّشُوْرُ ] [ بخاري، الدعوات، باب ما یقول إذا نام : ۶۳۱۲ ] "All praise is for Allah, who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection." The second is that the night is for rest and the day is for work and seeking Allah's bounty. In the verse, there is evidence for Allah's oneness, an expression of His power over the Resurrection, and a reminder of His blessing. And see Surah Al-Qasas (28:73).

47-1. That is, clothing; just as clothing covers the human body, in the same way, the night covers you in its darkness.

47-2. The meaning of "sabat" is to cut. Sleep cuts the human body off from action, which brings comfort to it. According to some, "sabat" means to stretch or spread out; in sleep, a person lies down, which is why it is called "sabat." (Aysar al-Tafasir and Fath al-Qadeer)

47-3. That is, sleep, which is the sister of death; during the day, a person wakes up from this sleep and rises again for work and trade. In a hadith, it is mentioned that when the Prophet ﷺ would wake up in the morning, he would recite this supplication: (اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ الَّذِیْ أحْیَانا بَعْدَ مَا اَمَاتَنا وَاِلَیْہِ النُّشُوْرُ) "All praise is for Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the gathering."

And He it is Who has made the night a covering for you, and sleep for rest, and has made the day [59] a time for rising.

[59]
The Signs of Allah Almighty in Sleep:

One of the blessings of Allah Almighty is that He has made the night dark and covering everything, so that people, tired and exhausted from the day, can rest at night. The darkness and quiet environment of the night are very conducive for rest. The sleep of the night is also a special blessing of Allah, and the value of this blessing should be asked from the one who cannot sleep at night. There are many signs of Allah Almighty even in this sleep. Due to working and exertion throughout the day, some cells of the body are burnt by heat. When a person sleeps, new cells are produced in place of the burnt ones, and when this process is complete, the person wakes up and, refreshed, becomes capable of working the next day. The more tired a person is, the deeper and longer his sleep will be, so that the loss of his burnt cells can be compensated. Sometimes, as a sign of deep sleep, a person snores—this is another sign of Allah—and sometimes he sees dreams. Now, if one starts pondering over the reality of dreams, one becomes lost in the vastness of this astonishing marvel of Allah Almighty, that what wonders Allah has placed within the human being. The superficial point that comes to mind from this verse is that Allah has made the day for work and the night for rest. Now, if a person reverses this—works at night and rests during the day—the results cannot be favorable for him, and his health will not remain intact for long.