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).