Surah Al Isra ayat 12 Tafsir Quran 17:12

﴿وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا﴾
[ الإسراء: 12]

17:12 And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible that you may seek bounty from your Lord and may know the number of years and the account [of time]. And everything We have set out in detail.

And We made the night and the day two signs both indicators of Our power. Then We effaced the sign of the night extinguishing its light with darkness so that you might repose therein the annexation āyata’layli ‘the sign of the night’ is explicative and made the sign of the day sight-giving in other words one in which it is possible to see because of the light; that you may seek therein bounty from your Lord by earning your livelihood and that you may know by both day and night the number of years and the reckoning of the times of the day and everything that might be needed We have detailed very distinctly We have explained clearly.

We made the night and the day two outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace. We effaced the light from the entity of the night and put it out in obscure darkness to hide things from view. We made the day a visible entity for objects to be perceptible by the sense of sight in order to betake yourselves to Providence, for His bounty, and in order to know the number of the years. Also to reckon the time occupied by the sun in its apparent passage through the signs of the Zodiac and the period of the earths revolution round the sun forming a natural unit of time and you be able to compute time and determine it by calculation. And everything did We expound and make plain and abounding in detail

The Night and Day are Signs of the Great Power of Allah Allah reminds us of the great signs that He created, including the alternation of the night and day, so that people may rest at night, and go out and earn a living, do their work, and travel during the day, and so that they may know the number of days, weeks, months and years, so they will know the appointed times for paying debts, doing acts of worship, dealing with transactions, paying rents and so on.
Allah says: لِتَبْتَغُواْ فَضْلاً مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ( that you may seek bounty from your Lord, ) meaning, in your living and travels etc. وَلِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ( and that you may know the number of the years and to count. ) If time stood still and never changed, we would not know any of these things, as Allah says: قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ الَّيْلَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِضِيَآءٍ أَفَلاَ تَسْمَعُونَ - قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ أَفلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُواْ فِيهِ وَلِتَبتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the night continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you light Will you not then hear" Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest Will you not then see" It is out of His mercy that He has made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and that you may seek of His bounty - and in order that you may be grateful. ) ( 28:71-73 ) تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ فِى السَّمَآءِ بُرُوجاً وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجاً وَقَمَراً مُّنِيراً - وَهُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُوراً ( Blessed be He Who has placed the big stars in the heaven, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun ), and a moon giving light.
And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.) ( 25:61-62 ) وَلَهُ اخْتِلَـفُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ( and His is the alternation of night and day. ) 23:80 يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْـلَ عَلَى النَّهَـارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّـهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ وَسَخَّـرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُـلٌّ يَجْرِى لاًّجَـلٍ مُّسَـمًّى أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ ( He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night.
And He has subjected the sun and the moon.
Each running (on a fixed course ) for an appointed term.
Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) 39:5 فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَاناً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ( (He is the ) Cleaver of the daybreak.
He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for reckoning.
Such is the measuring of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) ( 6:96 ), وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ - وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَـا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ( And a sign for them is the night.
We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness.
And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed ).
That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) ( 36:37-38 ) Allah has made the night a sign having distinguishing features by which it is known.
These features include the darkness and the appearance of the moon.
The day also has distinguishing features by which it is known; the light and the appearance of the shining sun.
He made a distinction between the light of the moon and the light of the sun, so that they may be distinguished from one another, as Allah says: هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ ( It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon a light and measured out for it stages that you might know the number of years and to count (periods of time ).
Allah did not create this but in truth.) 10:5 until, لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ ( Ayat for those people who keep their duty to Allah, and fear Him much. ) 10:6 يَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ( They ask you about the crescent moons.
Say: "These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage." ) 2:189 فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً ( Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night (with darkness ) while We have made the sign of the day illuminating,) Ibn Jurayj reported that `Abdullah bin Kathir commented on this Ayah: "It means the darkness of the night and the twilight of the day." Ibn Jurayj reported that Mujahid said: "The sun is the sign of the day and the moon is the sign of the night. فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ ( We have obliterated the sign of the night ) this refers to the moon's blackness, which is how Allah has created it." وَجَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ( And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat. ) Ibn Abi Najih reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "By night and day, this is how Allah created them, may He be glorified."

(17:12) Behold! We have created day and night as two signs: We have deprived the sign of night of light and made the sign of day bright to enable you to seek bounty of your Lord and to reckon months and years. Thus We have made everything manifestly distinct. *13

And We have made the night and meaning

*13) Allah invites man to study the wisdom that underlies variety in the world and not get confused and long for monotonous uniformity.
In fact, the whole system is based on variety, distinctiveness and diversity in things.
For the sake of illustration Iet us take the case of the signs of day and night: " You see these underlying opposite things daily in your life.
If you just consider the underlying wisdom, you will find that without this variety there would have been hardly any activity in the world.
Likewise great wisdom lies in the creation of the people with different temperaments, thoughts and inclinations.
If Allah had made aII men righteous by birth or annihilated disbelievers and wicked people and left onlv believers and submissive people in the world, the purpose of men's creation could not leave been realized.
Therefore, .
it is wrong to desire that there should only be day and no night.
The righteous thing is that these people, who have got the light of guidance, should exert their utmost to remove the darkness of deviation.
It is their duty that if they find darkness like that of night, they should pursue it like the sun so that the light of guidance should re-appear ".

 

The Night and Day are Signs of the Great Power of Allah Allah reminds us of the great signs that He created, including the alternation of the night and day, so that people may rest at night, and go out and earn a living, do their work, and travel during the day, and so that they may know the number of days, weeks, months and years, so they will know the appointed times for paying debts, doing acts of worship, dealing with transactions, paying rents and so on.
Allah says: لِتَبْتَغُواْ فَضْلاً مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ( that you may seek bounty from your Lord, ) meaning, in your living and travels etc. وَلِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ( and that you may know the number of the years and to count. ) If time stood still and never changed, we would not know any of these things, as Allah says: قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ الَّيْلَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِضِيَآءٍ أَفَلاَ تَسْمَعُونَ - قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ أَفلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُواْ فِيهِ وَلِتَبتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the night continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you light Will you not then hear" Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest Will you not then see" It is out of His mercy that He has made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and that you may seek of His bounty - and in order that you may be grateful. ) ( 28:71-73 ) تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ فِى السَّمَآءِ بُرُوجاً وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجاً وَقَمَراً مُّنِيراً - وَهُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُوراً ( Blessed be He Who has placed the big stars in the heaven, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun ), and a moon giving light.
And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.) ( 25:61-62 ) وَلَهُ اخْتِلَـفُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ( and His is the alternation of night and day. ) 23:80 يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْـلَ عَلَى النَّهَـارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّـهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ وَسَخَّـرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُـلٌّ يَجْرِى لاًّجَـلٍ مُّسَـمًّى أَلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ ( He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night.
And He has subjected the sun and the moon.
Each running (on a fixed course ) for an appointed term.
Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) 39:5 فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَاناً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ( (He is the ) Cleaver of the daybreak.
He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for reckoning.
Such is the measuring of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) ( 6:96 ), وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ - وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَـا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ( And a sign for them is the night.
We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness.
And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed ).
That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.) ( 36:37-38 ) Allah has made the night a sign having distinguishing features by which it is known.
These features include the darkness and the appearance of the moon.
The day also has distinguishing features by which it is known; the light and the appearance of the shining sun.
He made a distinction between the light of the moon and the light of the sun, so that they may be distinguished from one another, as Allah says: هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ ( It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon a light and measured out for it stages that you might know the number of years and to count (periods of time ).
Allah did not create this but in truth.) 10:5 until, لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ ( Ayat for those people who keep their duty to Allah, and fear Him much. ) 10:6 يَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ( They ask you about the crescent moons.
Say: "These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage." ) 2:189 فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً ( Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night (with darkness ) while We have made the sign of the day illuminating,) Ibn Jurayj reported that `Abdullah bin Kathir commented on this Ayah: "It means the darkness of the night and the twilight of the day." Ibn Jurayj reported that Mujahid said: "The sun is the sign of the day and the moon is the sign of the night. فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ الَّيْلِ ( We have obliterated the sign of the night ) this refers to the moon's blackness, which is how Allah has created it." وَجَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ( And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat. ) Ibn Abi Najih reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "By night and day, this is how Allah created them, may He be glorified."

( And we appoint the night and the day two portents ) two signs; the reference here is to the sun and the moon. ( Then We make dark the portent of the night ) the light of the sign of the night, i.e. the moon, ( and We make ) and leave ( the portent of the day ) i.e. the sun ( sight giving ) bright and clear, ( that ye may seek bounty from your Lord ) the bounty of this worldly life and that of the Hereafter, ( and that ye may know ) and that you may know through the increase and decrease of the phases of the moon ( the computation of the years and the reckoning ) how to count days and months; ( and everything ) the lawful and the unlawful, the commands and prohibitions ( have We exposited with a clear expositing ) We have clearly explained it in the Qur’an.

And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat (signs etc.). Then, We have made dark the sign of the night while We have made the sign of day illuminating, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years and the reckoning. And We have explained everything (in detail) with full explanation.

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