سُوْرَةُ الْفَجْرِ
Surah Al-Fajr (89) — Ayah 3
وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ ﴿3﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And by the even and the odd (of all the creations of Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلشَّفْعِ
wal-shafʿi
And the even
وَٱلْوَتْرِ
wal-watri
and the odd
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.
And by the even [3] and the odd.
[3]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿شفع﴾ and Witr:
The word ﴿شَفْعَ﴾ is applied to those things in which there is no distinction between male and female, and the meaning of ﴿شَفْعِ﴾ is to join one thing with another similar thing, and in this way, two paired things are called ﴿شفع﴾. And that which does not have anything similar to it is called Witr. The best example of Witr is the Being of Allah Himself. In prayers, its example is the obligatory Maghrib prayer and the Witr prayer at the end of ‘Isha, and the Witr prayer is called Witr because however many are performed—such as one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven—they will remain Witr. And in reality, Witr is only one rak‘ah; now, however many even-numbered nawafil are performed with it, one Witr will make all of them Witr. And in numbers, every digit that can be divided by two is shaf‘ or even, such as two, four, six, eight, etc., and that which cannot be completely divided by two is Witr or odd, such as one, three, five, seven, etc. For example, the meaning of seven being Witr is that six are made into three pairs, and the seventh Witr, by joining, makes all of them Witr. In the universe, most things are divided into male and female, and those in which this division is not found, even in them there is a pair. For example, one shoe is the pair of the other shoe, and when both are together, they become shaf‘ or even. And there are some things for which there is nothing similar; these things are Witr, and the existence and independence of such things have a special significance in their own place.
[3]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿شفع﴾ and Witr:
The word ﴿شَفْعَ﴾ is applied to those things in which there is no distinction between male and female, and the meaning of ﴿شَفْعِ﴾ is to join one thing with another similar thing, and in this way, two paired things are called ﴿شفع﴾. And that which does not have anything similar to it is called Witr. The best example of Witr is the Being of Allah Himself. In prayers, its example is the obligatory Maghrib prayer and the Witr prayer at the end of ‘Isha, and the Witr prayer is called Witr because however many are performed—such as one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven—they will remain Witr. And in reality, Witr is only one rak‘ah; now, however many even-numbered nawafil are performed with it, one Witr will make all of them Witr. And in numbers, every digit that can be divided by two is shaf‘ or even, such as two, four, six, eight, etc., and that which cannot be completely divided by two is Witr or odd, such as one, three, five, seven, etc. For example, the meaning of seven being Witr is that six are made into three pairs, and the seventh Witr, by joining, makes all of them Witr. In the universe, most things are divided into male and female, and those in which this division is not found, even in them there is a pair. For example, one shoe is the pair of the other shoe, and when both are together, they become shaf‘ or even. And there are some things for which there is nothing similar; these things are Witr, and the existence and independence of such things have a special significance in their own place.
