سُوْرَةُ الرُّوْمِ
Surah Ar-Room (30) — Ayah 23
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ مَنَامُكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱبْتِغَآؤُكُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And among His Signs is your sleep by night and by day, and your seeking of His Bounty. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who listen.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمِنْ
wamin
And among
ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ
āyātihi
His Signs
مَنَامُكُم
manāmukum
(is) your sleep
بِٱلَّيْلِ
bi-al-layli
by night
وَٱلنَّهَارِ
wal-nahāri
and the day
وَٱبْتِغَآؤُكُم
wa-ib'tighāukum
[and] your seeking
مِّن
min
of
فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ
faḍlihi
His Bounty
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
فِى
fī
in
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ
laāyātin
surely (are) Signs
لِّقَوْمٍۢ
liqawmin
for a people
يَسْمَعُونَ
yasmaʿūna
who listen
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 23) ➊ {وَ مِنْ اٰيٰتِهٖ مَنَامُكُمْ بِالَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ :} That is, among the signs indicating the existence of Allah Almighty, His oneness, His perfect power, and His ability to resurrect you, is your sleeping by night and by day. With it, all your activities cease involuntarily, and all the actions of your external senses are suspended, and you become unaware of your surroundings. The fatigue and wear and tear that occurred in your body due to previous work and effort, the Owner who grants sleep repairs the body and removes fatigue during a dream, making you capable of working again and then awakens you. Just as sleep is His sign, so is awakening and seeking His bounty by day and night. Both are His creation; no one has the slightest share in them. In fact, the creation is unaware of their reality—what sleep is, how it comes, and how it ends! Then, this repeated process of sleeping and waking by day and night is a practical example of death and life. Yet you insist that the Owner, who makes you pass through the stages of death and life several times a day, will not be able to resurrect you for the reckoning of your deeds and for reward and punishment.
➋ The reality of sleep is known only as much as Allah Almighty Himself has stated. He said: «{ اَللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْاَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا وَ الَّتِيْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فِيْ مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِيْ قَضٰى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَ يُرْسِلُ الْاُخْرٰۤى اِلٰۤى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَّتَفَكَّرُوْنَ۠ }» [ الزمر : ۴۲ ] “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death and those that do not die during their sleep. Then He withholds those for whom He has decreed death and sends the others back for an appointed term. Surely in this are many signs for people who reflect.” The summary of the verse is that sleep is death and awakening is life, and the reality of both depends on understanding the coming and going of the soul. And what is the soul? Regarding this, He said: «{ وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّيْ وَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيْتُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا }» [ بني إسرائیل : ۸۵ ] “And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is by the command of my Lord, and you have been given of knowledge only a little.”
➌ During the height of communism in Russia, when the atheist, materialist, and most oppressive party in the world, the Communist Party, kept thinking of new ways to extract more and more work from laborers in fields and factories, the party leaders thought that workers waste a lot of time sleeping. So, they tasked scientists to research how the time spent sleeping could be saved as much as possible. After several years of research, their conclusion was that sleep is very necessary for humans, because during it, the broken cells are rebuilt and the person becomes able to work again. Interestingly, this process of repair and refreshment is completed in just a moment during a dream, but sometimes that moment comes at the beginning of sleep, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes at the end. Sometimes, even in the longest sleep, that moment does not come, and the person wakes up just as tired and worn out. And sometimes, due to that moment arriving, even a brief nap removes all fatigue. These scientists admitted that humans are incapable of capturing that moment. This is an acknowledgment of only a small part of that great sign of Allah Almighty, which He has described in the words of {’’ وَ مِنْ اٰيٰتِهٖ مَنَامُكُمْ بِالَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ ‘‘}.
➍ Generally, in the Noble Qur’an, night is designated for sleep and rest, and day for seeking livelihood, as He said: «{ اَلَمْ يَرَوْا اَنَّا جَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوْا فِيْهِ وَ النَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا }» [ النمل : ۸۶ ] “Have they not seen that We made the night for them to rest in and the day bright?” And He said: «{ وَ جَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا (10) وَّ جَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا }» [ النبا : ۱۰، ۱۱ ] “And We made the night as a covering, and We made the day for seeking livelihood.” (See also Bani Isra’il: 12) This is a statement of the general routine, but a person also sleeps during the day besides the night, and seeks livelihood at night besides the day. Therefore, in this verse, sleep in both night and day, and seeking Allah’s bounty, are counted among His signs.
➎ {وَ ابْتِغَآؤُكُمْ مِّنْ فَضْلِهٖ:} In this, attention is drawn to the fact that the sustenance you seek is not the result of your effort, but purely the bounty of Allah Almighty. Otherwise, no laborer would remain poor, and no one who does not work hard would be wealthy.
➏ { اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَّسْمَعُوْنَ :} That is, the argument from the sign of sleep and awakening for the perfect power of Allah Almighty, and life after death, cannot be sufficiently proven by experience, intellect, or reflection alone. Rather, these are matters for which it is necessary that a Messenger from Allah Almighty explains them, and the listeners accept them in their hearts. Therefore, it is said that in this one sign, there are many signs for those who listen to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “One does not see the state of one’s own sleep, so one hears about it from others.” (Muwadhih) This is another point in using the word {’’ يَسْمَعُوْنَ ‘‘}.
➋ The reality of sleep is known only as much as Allah Almighty Himself has stated. He said: «{ اَللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْاَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا وَ الَّتِيْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فِيْ مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِيْ قَضٰى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَ يُرْسِلُ الْاُخْرٰۤى اِلٰۤى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَّتَفَكَّرُوْنَ۠ }» [ الزمر : ۴۲ ] “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death and those that do not die during their sleep. Then He withholds those for whom He has decreed death and sends the others back for an appointed term. Surely in this are many signs for people who reflect.” The summary of the verse is that sleep is death and awakening is life, and the reality of both depends on understanding the coming and going of the soul. And what is the soul? Regarding this, He said: «{ وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّيْ وَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيْتُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا }» [ بني إسرائیل : ۸۵ ] “And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is by the command of my Lord, and you have been given of knowledge only a little.”
➌ During the height of communism in Russia, when the atheist, materialist, and most oppressive party in the world, the Communist Party, kept thinking of new ways to extract more and more work from laborers in fields and factories, the party leaders thought that workers waste a lot of time sleeping. So, they tasked scientists to research how the time spent sleeping could be saved as much as possible. After several years of research, their conclusion was that sleep is very necessary for humans, because during it, the broken cells are rebuilt and the person becomes able to work again. Interestingly, this process of repair and refreshment is completed in just a moment during a dream, but sometimes that moment comes at the beginning of sleep, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes at the end. Sometimes, even in the longest sleep, that moment does not come, and the person wakes up just as tired and worn out. And sometimes, due to that moment arriving, even a brief nap removes all fatigue. These scientists admitted that humans are incapable of capturing that moment. This is an acknowledgment of only a small part of that great sign of Allah Almighty, which He has described in the words of {’’ وَ مِنْ اٰيٰتِهٖ مَنَامُكُمْ بِالَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ ‘‘}.
➍ Generally, in the Noble Qur’an, night is designated for sleep and rest, and day for seeking livelihood, as He said: «{ اَلَمْ يَرَوْا اَنَّا جَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوْا فِيْهِ وَ النَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا }» [ النمل : ۸۶ ] “Have they not seen that We made the night for them to rest in and the day bright?” And He said: «{ وَ جَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا (10) وَّ جَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا }» [ النبا : ۱۰، ۱۱ ] “And We made the night as a covering, and We made the day for seeking livelihood.” (See also Bani Isra’il: 12) This is a statement of the general routine, but a person also sleeps during the day besides the night, and seeks livelihood at night besides the day. Therefore, in this verse, sleep in both night and day, and seeking Allah’s bounty, are counted among His signs.
➎ {وَ ابْتِغَآؤُكُمْ مِّنْ فَضْلِهٖ:} In this, attention is drawn to the fact that the sustenance you seek is not the result of your effort, but purely the bounty of Allah Almighty. Otherwise, no laborer would remain poor, and no one who does not work hard would be wealthy.
➏ { اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَّسْمَعُوْنَ :} That is, the argument from the sign of sleep and awakening for the perfect power of Allah Almighty, and life after death, cannot be sufficiently proven by experience, intellect, or reflection alone. Rather, these are matters for which it is necessary that a Messenger from Allah Almighty explains them, and the listeners accept them in their hearts. Therefore, it is said that in this one sign, there are many signs for those who listen to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “One does not see the state of one’s own sleep, so one hears about it from others.” (Muwadhih) This is another point in using the word {’’ يَسْمَعُوْنَ ‘‘}.
