Wamina allayli fasabbihhu wa-idbara annujoom (surah Tur: 49)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(52:49) and also celebrate His praise at night, *41 and at the retreat of the stars. *42

Wa minal laili fasabbihhu wa idbaaran nujoom

*40) There can be several meanings of this and possibly alI may be First, "Whenever you rise from a meeting, you should rise glorifying and praising AIIah. " The Holy Prophet himself acted upon this as well as instructed the Muslims that they should glorify and praise AIlah when they rose from a meeting. Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi, Nasa`i and Hakim have related, on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, that the Holy Prophet said: "If a person sat in a meeting in which much controversy took place, and he pronounced the following words before rising, Allah would forgive whatever passed in the meeting: subhanaka Allahumma wa bi-hamdika, ashhadu-al la-ilaha illa Anta, astaghfiruka wa utubu ilaika: ''O Allah, I glorify You with Your praises: I bear witness that there is no deity but You: I seek Your forgiveness and offer repentance before You. "
The second meaning is: "When you get up from bed, glorify your Lord with His praise. " The Holy Prophet acted upon this himself and had also taught his Companions that they should pronounce the following words when they got up after sleep: l a ilaha ill-Allah wahda-hu la sharika lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa haws ala kulli shai In Qadir. Subhan-Allah-i wal-hamdu-lillahi wa la ilaha ill-AIIah, wallahu Akbar, wa la hauls wa la quwwata-illa-billah. " (Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari, on the authority of `Ubadah bin as-Samit).
Its third meaning is: "When you stand up for the Prayer, begin it with the praise and glorification of Allah. " Accordingly, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) taught that the Prayer should be begun, after the first takbir, with the following words: Subhanak-Allahumma wa bi-hamdi-ka wa tabarak asmuka wa ta'aIa jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuka: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and I praise You. Blessed is Your name, and You are exalted. There is no god other than You."
Its fourth meaning is: "When you rise to invite others to Allah, begin your invitation with the praise and glorification of Allah." That also was the Holy Prophet's constant practice, and he always began his addresses with the praise and glorification of AIlah Almighty.
Commentator Ibn Jarir has given still another meaning of it, and it is this: When you get up after the midday nap, offer the Prayer and this implies the Zuhr Prayer."
*41) This implies the Maghrib, the 'Isha' and the Tahajjud Prayers as well as the recital of the Qur'an and the remembrance of AIIah.
*42) "Retreat of the stars" implies the early hours of the morning when the stars set and they lose their lustre on the appearance of dawn. This is the time of the Fajr Prayer.