Surah Adh-Dhaariyat (51) — Ayah 17

(Ayah 17) {كَانُوْا قَلِيْلًا مِّنَ الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ: ’’هَجَعَ يَهْجَعُ هُجُوْعًا‘‘} (fa) sleep, night sleep, light sleep, all three meanings are included. Two meanings have been given for {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘}, one is that {’’ مَا ‘‘} is maṣdariyyah (forming a verbal noun) and the meaning is that they used to sleep for a very small part of the night. Ibn Kathir has narrated this meaning from Ahnaf bin Qais, Hasan Basri, and Zuhri. Allah Almighty has said in Surah Al-Muzzammil: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ (1) قُمِ الَّيْلَ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا (2) نِّصْفَهٗۤ اَوِ انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيْلًا (3) اَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَ رَتِّلِ الْقُرْاٰنَ تَرْتِيْلًا » [ المزمل : ۱ تا ۴ ] "O you who wraps himself [in clothing], stand [to pray] at night, except for a little. Half of it, or subtract from it a little. Or add to it, and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation." Upon the revelation of these verses, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and some of his companions acted upon this for a year, then Allah Almighty revealed the last part of Surah Al-Muzzammil, in which He said: « اِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ اَنَّكَ تَقُوْمُ اَدْنٰى مِنْ ثُلُثَيِ الَّيْلِ وَ نِصْفَهٗ وَ ثُلُثَهٗ وَ طَآىِٕفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَكَ وَ اللّٰهُ يُقَدِّرُ الَّيْلَ وَ النَّهَارَ عَلِمَ اَنْ لَّنْ تُحْصُوْهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَءُوْا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْاٰنِ عَلِمَ اَنْ سَيَكُوْنُ مِنْكُمْ مَّرْضٰى وَ اٰخَرُوْنَ يَضْرِبُوْنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ يَبْتَغُوْنَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ اٰخَرُوْنَ يُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ فَاقْرَءُوْا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ » [ المزمل : ۲۰ ] "Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you. And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day. He has known that you [Muslims] will not be able to do it and has turned to you in mercy. So recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an. He has known that there will be among you those who are ill and others traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah and others fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite what is easy from it." So according to the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned in Sahih Muslim (746), the night prayer (Qiyam al-Layl) which was obligatory became voluntary and there was relaxation in it, and instead of most of the night, the command was: « فَاقْرَءُوْا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْاٰنِ» that perform as much Qiyam as you can easily. For the explanation of this verse and the virtue of Qiyam al-Layl, see the commentary of the initial and last verses of Surah Al-Muzzammil.

If the meaning of {’’ كَانُوْا قَلِيْلًا مِّنَ الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘} is taken that those pious will enter Paradise who used to sleep a little part of the night, then this meaning is not supported by the continuous practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them). However, if the following hadith is kept in view, then this meaning of {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘} is absolutely correct. Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: [ مَنْ صَلَّی الْعِشَاءَ فِيْ جَمَاعَةٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ، وَ مَنْ صَلَّی الصُّبْحَ فِيْ جَمَاعَةٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا صَلَّی اللَّيْلَ كُلَّهُ ] [ مسلم، المساجد و مواضع الصلاۃ، باب فضل صلاۃ العشاء والصبح في جماعۃ : ۶۵۶ ] "Whoever prays Isha in congregation, it is as if he has stood [in prayer] for half the night, and whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he has stood [in prayer] for the whole night." For further discussion, see the commentary of Surah As-Sajdah, Ayah (16): « تَتَجَافٰى جُنُوْبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ ».

The second meaning of {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘} is that in it {’’ مَا ‘‘} is negative. Ibn Kathir has narrated this meaning from Ibn Abbas, Mutarrif bin Abdullah, and Mujahid, and the researcher of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Dr. Hikmat bin Basheer, has declared their chains mentioned in Tabari and other books as Hasan or Sahih. The statements of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Ja'far Baqir are also based on this, that {’’ مَا ‘‘} is negative. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَمْضِيْ عَلَيْهِمْ لَيْلَةٌ إِلاَّ يَأْخُذُوْنَ مِنْهَا وَ لَوْ شَيْئًا ] [ ابن کثیر : 417/7 ] "That is, in whatever night passed over them, they would take some part of it, even if it was little." Mutarrif bin Abdullah said: {’’ قَلَّ لَيْلَةٌ لاَ تَأْتِيْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلاَّ يُصَلُّوْنَ فِيْهَا لِلّٰهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ، إِمَّا مِنْ أَوَّلِهَا وَ إِمَّا مِنْ أَوْسَطِهَا ‘‘} [ ابن کثیر : 417/7 ] "Hardly any night would come upon them except that they would pray to Allah, either at its beginning or in its middle." Mujahid said: {’’ قَلَّ مَا يَرْقُدُوْنَ لَيْلَةً حَتَّي الصِّبَاحَ لاَ يَتَهَجَّدُوْنَ ‘‘} [ ابن کثیر : 417/7 ] "Hardly any night would pass in which they would sleep until morning and not pray Tahajjud." Anas bin Malik and Abu Al-Aliyah said: {’’ كَانُوْا يُصَلُّوْنَ بَيْنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ‘‘} [ ابن کثیر : ۷؍۴۱۷ ] "They used to pray between Maghrib and Isha." And Abu Ja'far Baqir said: {’’ كَانُوْا لاَ يَنَامُوْنَ حَتّٰي يُصَلُّوا الْعَتَمَةَ ‘‘} [ ابن کثیر : 417/7 ] "They would not sleep until they had prayed Isha."

In {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘}, if {’’ مَا ‘‘} is considered negative, the translation will be "they did not sleep," meaning they stayed awake. Accordingly, the translation, commentary, and its footnote are quoted from Tafsir Thanai. The translation is: "These people used to stay awake for some part of the night and in the morning would seek forgiveness from Allah." The commentary is: "An example of their righteousness is that they used to stay awake for some part of the night for worship, and after Tahajjud or after waking up at night, in the morning they would seek forgiveness from Allah, that is, before dawn, when a little part of the night remained, they would get up and remember Allah as much as possible and in the early morning seek forgiveness for themselves, their parents, and all the believers." The footnote is: In {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘} there are two words. {’’هَجَعَ‘‘} means night sleep. In Qamoos it is: {’’ اَلْهُجُوْعُ النَّوْمُ لَيْلًا۔‘‘ ’’ مَا ‘‘} is negative, so the meaning is "they used to leave a little time of night sleep." That little time may be for Tahajjud prayer, as in Surah Bani Isra'il: « وَ مِنَ الَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهٖ » [ بني إسرائیل : ۷۹ ] or for Isha prayer, as in « وَ اَقِمِ الصَّلٰوةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَ زُلَفًا مِّنَ الَّيْلِ» [ ھود : ۱۱۴ ] where {’’ زُلَفًا ‘‘} refers to Isha prayer, it is possible that this is also the meaning of {’’ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘}. (And Allah knows best)" (Thanai)

In Ma'ariful Qur'an it is: "In «كَانُوْا قَلِيْلًا مِّنَ الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُوْنَ » {’’ يَهْجَعُوْنَ ‘‘ ’’هُجُوْعٌ‘‘} is derived from, which means to sleep at night. In this, the attribute of the believing pious has been stated that they spend the night in the worship of Allah Almighty, sleep less, stay awake more, and spend this time in prayer and worship. This interpretation has been adopted by Ibn Jarir, and it is narrated from Hasan Basri that the pious endure the hardship of staying awake and worshiping at night and sleep very little. And Ibn Abbas and Qatadah and other Imams of Tafsir have explained this phrase by considering the letter {’’ مَا ‘‘} in it for negation, stating that "a little part of the night also comes upon them in which they do not sleep, rather they remain engaged in worship and prayer, etc." According to this meaning, all those people are included who worship in any part of the night, whether at the beginning, end, or middle. That is why Anas and Abu Al-Aliyah have considered those people included who pray between Maghrib and Isha, and Imam Abu Ja'far Baqir said that those who do not sleep before Isha prayer are also included in this. (Ibn Kathir)"

17. 1. The meaning of ھجوع is to sleep at night. In ما یھجعون, ما is for emphasis. They used to sleep little at night, meaning they did not spend the whole night in heedlessness and luxury by sleeping. Rather, they would spend a part of the night in the remembrance of Allah and supplicating in His presence. As the hadith also emphasizes standing in prayer at night. For example, in one hadith it is stated: "O people! Feed the people, maintain ties of kinship, spread the greeting of salam, and stand in prayer at night while people are asleep, you will enter Paradise in peace." (Musnad Ahmad 5:451).

They used to sleep but little at night [10].

[10]
The Qualities of the Muhsineen:

Staying awake at night, meaning they used to spend most of the night awake in worship and remembrance of Allah. And in Surah Muzzammil, its explanation is given as follows: if the nights and days are equal, then half of the night; if the nights are short, then a little more than half the night; and if the nights are long, then a little less than half the night. And some scholars have also interpreted it to mean that worship of Allah should be done in the first part of the night, the middle part, or the last part. And this was the case during the Makkan period. Later, in Surah Bani Isra'il, the determination of Tahajjud was made.

Literal Meaning of ﴿هجع﴾:

The meaning of ﴿هجع﴾ is actually to sleep in heedlessness, or to sleep soundly, or to sleep being completely unaware of the world and whatever is in it. And the meaning of Tahajjud (Hujood) is both to sleep at night and to wake up. Sometimes sleeping, sometimes waking. (a word of opposites) And apparently, what is understood from this verse is that they used to sleep only a little part of the night, so its meaning is that they were not heedless of Allah's remembrance nor did they sleep soundly. Rather, whether sleeping or awake, they remained mindful of Allah.