سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 78
أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ ٱلشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَقُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا ﴿78﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Perform As-Salât (Iqamât-as-Salât) from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e. the Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Ishâ’ prayers), and recite the Qur’ân in the early dawn (i.e. the morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’ân in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَقِمِ
aqimi
Establish
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
l-ṣalata
the prayer
لِدُلُوكِ
lidulūki
at the decline
ٱلشَّمْسِ
l-shamsi
(of) the sun
إِلَىٰ
ilā
till
غَسَقِ
ghasaqi
(the) darkness
ٱلَّيْلِ
al-layli
(of) the night
وَقُرْءَانَ
waqur'āna
and Quran
ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ
l-fajri
at dawn
إِنَّ
inna
indeed
قُرْءَانَ
qur'āna
the Quran
ٱلْفَجْرِ
l-fajri
(at) the dawn
كَانَ
kāna
is
مَشْهُودًۭا
mashhūdan
ever witnessed
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
78. Establish prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night [96], and (also) the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn. Indeed, the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn is witnessed [97].
[96]
Mention of the Five Prayers:
On the night of Mi'raj, five prayers were made obligatory. In this verse, the timings of these prayers are mentioned. Four prayers—Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha—are from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and the fifth prayer is before dawn or sunrise. In the previous verse, the torments of the disbelievers and Allah's decree regarding them were mentioned. Here, the mention of prayers is brought because in times of hardship and difficulty, it is commanded to seek help through patience and prayer. Through prayer, a connection with Allah is established, tranquility of the heart is attained, and the strength to stand firm in the face of difficulties is developed. The timings of these five prayers are mentioned in a summarized manner in this verse; for details, see the footnotes of verse 103 of Surah An-Nisa.
Wisdom in the Specification of Prayer Times:
The majority of polytheists and idol worshippers have been those who considered the sun to be a great and powerful deity and worshipped it. These people especially performed worship at three times: at sunrise, when the sun is at its zenith, and at sunset. Therefore, at these times, the Prophet ﷺ forbade the performance of prayer, whether it be voluntary prayers or the making up of missed prayers. Moreover, sun worship was performed during its peak times, that is, from when the sun becomes hot until midday. Therefore, no prayer was prescribed at these times so that there would be no resemblance to the sun worshippers even in the timings. In fact, performing prayer at these times was strictly prohibited.
[97]
Why is the Fajr Prayer Called "Qur'an al-Fajr"?
By "Qur'an al-Fajr" is meant the Fajr prayer. Among the Arabs, it is common practice to mention the noblest part of something and intend the whole by it. According to this custom, the word "Qur'an" is used here, because there is no prayer in which at least Surah Al-Fatiha is not recited in every rak'ah. Similarly, in the Qur'an, sometimes only bowing (ruku') is mentioned for prayer, and sometimes only prostration (sujud). The specific mention of the Qur'an with the Fajr prayer is because the recitation in this prayer is longer compared to other prayers, and by "mashhood" it is meant that during this prayer, angels are also present and listen to the Qur'an, as is made clear by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The congregational prayer is twenty-five times more virtuous than the prayer performed alone, and at the time of the morning prayer, the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather together." After narrating this hadith, Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ said: If you wish, recite this verse: ﴿وَقُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ اِنَّ قُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُوْدًا﴾ [بخاري، كتاب التفسير نيز كتاب الاذان۔ باب فضل صلوة الفجر فى جماعة]
[96]
Mention of the Five Prayers:
On the night of Mi'raj, five prayers were made obligatory. In this verse, the timings of these prayers are mentioned. Four prayers—Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha—are from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and the fifth prayer is before dawn or sunrise. In the previous verse, the torments of the disbelievers and Allah's decree regarding them were mentioned. Here, the mention of prayers is brought because in times of hardship and difficulty, it is commanded to seek help through patience and prayer. Through prayer, a connection with Allah is established, tranquility of the heart is attained, and the strength to stand firm in the face of difficulties is developed. The timings of these five prayers are mentioned in a summarized manner in this verse; for details, see the footnotes of verse 103 of Surah An-Nisa.
Wisdom in the Specification of Prayer Times:
The majority of polytheists and idol worshippers have been those who considered the sun to be a great and powerful deity and worshipped it. These people especially performed worship at three times: at sunrise, when the sun is at its zenith, and at sunset. Therefore, at these times, the Prophet ﷺ forbade the performance of prayer, whether it be voluntary prayers or the making up of missed prayers. Moreover, sun worship was performed during its peak times, that is, from when the sun becomes hot until midday. Therefore, no prayer was prescribed at these times so that there would be no resemblance to the sun worshippers even in the timings. In fact, performing prayer at these times was strictly prohibited.
[97]
Why is the Fajr Prayer Called "Qur'an al-Fajr"?
By "Qur'an al-Fajr" is meant the Fajr prayer. Among the Arabs, it is common practice to mention the noblest part of something and intend the whole by it. According to this custom, the word "Qur'an" is used here, because there is no prayer in which at least Surah Al-Fatiha is not recited in every rak'ah. Similarly, in the Qur'an, sometimes only bowing (ruku') is mentioned for prayer, and sometimes only prostration (sujud). The specific mention of the Qur'an with the Fajr prayer is because the recitation in this prayer is longer compared to other prayers, and by "mashhood" it is meant that during this prayer, angels are also present and listen to the Qur'an, as is made clear by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The congregational prayer is twenty-five times more virtuous than the prayer performed alone, and at the time of the morning prayer, the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather together." After narrating this hadith, Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ said: If you wish, recite this verse: ﴿وَقُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ اِنَّ قُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُوْدًا﴾ [بخاري، كتاب التفسير نيز كتاب الاذان۔ باب فضل صلوة الفجر فى جماعة]
