سُوْرَةُ الضُّحٰي
Surah Ad-Dhuhaa (93) — Ayah 2
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ ﴿2﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
By the night when it darkens (and stand still).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلَّيْلِ
wa-al-layli
And the night
إِذَا
idhā
when
سَجَىٰ
sajā
it covers with darkness
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.
2. And by the night when it grows still [1].
[1]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿سَجٰي﴾:
﴿سَجٰی﴾ means the desolation and silence of the night, and within this word, there is also the concept of covering or concealing other things. Whether this concept is in a literal sense, such as ﴿سَجَي الْمَيّت﴾ meaning to cover a corpse with a shroud and thus conceal it, or in a figurative sense, such as ﴿سَج﴾ ma‘a’ib akheek meaning to conceal your brother’s faults. Thus, in this word, both meanings of tranquility and concealment are found. That is, so much of the night has passed that everyone has fallen asleep and darkness has completely prevailed. In the first verse, Allah Almighty has sworn by the time of Duha (forenoon), when the sun has risen high and people are busy with their work. And this time is completely opposite and contrary to the other. By swearing by these two opposite states, it is stated that your Lord has neither forsaken you nor is He displeased with you. We cannot say that the time of Duha is a time of Allah’s mercy and the late night is a time of Allah’s displeasure. This is because both times have their own benefits. If it were always day, this too would become a severe torment for people and living beings, and if it were always night, the same would be the case. Similarly, the time when revelation comes cannot be considered a time of Allah’s mercy, and the time when it does not come cannot be considered a time of Allah’s displeasure. Although during the state of revelation, you ﷺ would experience pleasure and delight, this time was so nerve-wracking and distressing for you ﷺ that even in winter, you would break out in sweat. Therefore, it was necessary that after revelation, you be given a period of rest, and initially, this interval was longer. Then, as your ﷺ nature gradually became able to bear the burden of revelation, this interval also became shorter.
[1]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿سَجٰي﴾:
﴿سَجٰی﴾ means the desolation and silence of the night, and within this word, there is also the concept of covering or concealing other things. Whether this concept is in a literal sense, such as ﴿سَجَي الْمَيّت﴾ meaning to cover a corpse with a shroud and thus conceal it, or in a figurative sense, such as ﴿سَج﴾ ma‘a’ib akheek meaning to conceal your brother’s faults. Thus, in this word, both meanings of tranquility and concealment are found. That is, so much of the night has passed that everyone has fallen asleep and darkness has completely prevailed. In the first verse, Allah Almighty has sworn by the time of Duha (forenoon), when the sun has risen high and people are busy with their work. And this time is completely opposite and contrary to the other. By swearing by these two opposite states, it is stated that your Lord has neither forsaken you nor is He displeased with you. We cannot say that the time of Duha is a time of Allah’s mercy and the late night is a time of Allah’s displeasure. This is because both times have their own benefits. If it were always day, this too would become a severe torment for people and living beings, and if it were always night, the same would be the case. Similarly, the time when revelation comes cannot be considered a time of Allah’s mercy, and the time when it does not come cannot be considered a time of Allah’s displeasure. Although during the state of revelation, you ﷺ would experience pleasure and delight, this time was so nerve-wracking and distressing for you ﷺ that even in winter, you would break out in sweat. Therefore, it was necessary that after revelation, you be given a period of rest, and initially, this interval was longer. Then, as your ﷺ nature gradually became able to bear the burden of revelation, this interval also became shorter.
