Surah Al-Fajr — Verse 4

Word Meanings:

• وَاللَّيْلِ — By the night
• إِذَا يَسْرِ — When it passes / moves on / departs (from the root *s-r-y*, meaning to travel by night). It refers to the night as it comes, continues, and then goes away — always in motion, never static.

Tafsir (Explanation):

In this verse, Allah — the Most High — takes an oath by the night when it travels on, meaning when it comes with its darkness, continues its course, and then departs as the dawn breaks. The night is described as "travelling" because it is constantly in motion: it begins at sunset, stretches across the hours, and ends at the break of dawn. It never pauses or rests; it is always moving forward in its appointed course, just as day follows night and night follows day, by the precise command of Allah.

This oath follows the previous oaths by the dawn, the ten nights (of Dhul-Hijjah), and the even and the odd. All of these are mighty signs of Allah’s creation, and they point to a single, weighty answer: that Allah will certainly bring His creation to account, and every soul will be recompensed for its deeds — good for good, and evil for evil. The night that slips away, the dawn that breaks, and the days that pass are all reminders that time is running out, and that the Hereafter is inevitable.

A Da‘wah Reflection:

Dear reader, have you ever stood outside at night and watched the darkness slowly give way to the first light of dawn? That night — which seemed so long and deep — did not stay. It travelled on, just as your days and nights are travelling on right now. Every night that passes brings you one step closer to your meeting with your Lord. The night does not wait for anyone, and neither does your life. So let this oath be a wake-up call: before your night departs for the last time, before your dawn never comes again in this world, turn to Allah, mend your ways, and fill your remaining nights with prayer, repentance, and good deeds. For the One who swore by the night and its passing is the same One who has promised to reward you — and His promise is true.