سُوْرَةُ يٰسٓ
Surah Yaseen (36) — Ayah 39
وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَـٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ ﴿39﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And the moon, We have measured for it mansions (to traverse) till it returns like the old dried curved date stalk.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلْقَمَرَ
wal-qamara
And the moon
قَدَّرْنَـٰهُ
qaddarnāhu
We have ordained for it
مَنَازِلَ
manāzila
phases
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
عَادَ
ʿāda
it returns
كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ
kal-ʿur'jūni
like the date stalk
ٱلْقَدِيمِ
l-qadīmi
the old
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.
39. And We have determined phases for the moon until it returns like an old, withered date stalk [37].
[37]
The Phases of the Moon and the Lunar Mansions:
The sun always rises from the east and sets in the west in the evening. Its shape also remains the same, so there is never any change in its routine. However, the matter of the moon is entirely different from this. At the beginning of any lunar month, it appears in the west and looks just like a thin crescent, which the Quran has likened to an old and dry date stalk, and it is called the hilal (crescent). On the second day, it becomes a bit thicker and appears shifted towards the east. In this way, it keeps getting thicker day by day and keeps changing its shapes, and the moon keeps forming until after seven days it rises directly overhead and takes the shape of a half-circle. Then, on the fourteenth day, it rises from the east and is completely round. Thus, every day it changes its shape and every day its mansion is different. Then it starts waning and again takes the shape of a crescent as before. These are the mansions appointed by Allah Almighty for the moon.
[37]
The Phases of the Moon and the Lunar Mansions:
The sun always rises from the east and sets in the west in the evening. Its shape also remains the same, so there is never any change in its routine. However, the matter of the moon is entirely different from this. At the beginning of any lunar month, it appears in the west and looks just like a thin crescent, which the Quran has likened to an old and dry date stalk, and it is called the hilal (crescent). On the second day, it becomes a bit thicker and appears shifted towards the east. In this way, it keeps getting thicker day by day and keeps changing its shapes, and the moon keeps forming until after seven days it rises directly overhead and takes the shape of a half-circle. Then, on the fourteenth day, it rises from the east and is completely round. Thus, every day it changes its shape and every day its mansion is different. Then it starts waning and again takes the shape of a crescent as before. These are the mansions appointed by Allah Almighty for the moon.
