92. Sūrat al-Layl

٩٢۔ سُورَةُ اللـَّيل

The Night (Meccan)

quran:92:1In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

By the night when it covers  

By the night as it enshrouds, with its darkness all that is between the heaven and the earth,
القرآن:٩٢:١بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ  

{والليل إذا يغشى} بظلمته كل ما بين السماء والأرض.
quran:92:2

And ˹by˺ the day when it appears  

and ˹by˺ the day as it unveils, ˹as˺ it is revealed and becomes manifest (idhā, ‘as’, in both instances is an absolute adverbial, operated by the verbal action of the oath),
القرآن:٩٢:٢

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ  

{والنهار إذا تجلى} تكشف وظهر وإذا في الموضوعين لمجرد الظرفية والعامل فيها فعل القسم.
quran:92:3

And ˹by˺ He who created the male and female,  

and ˹by˺ the One Who (mā either functions as man, ‘the One Who’, or it is related to a verbal action) created the male and the female, Adam and Eve, or every male and female — the hermaphrodite, although problematic for us, is ˹in fact˺ either male or female according to God, and therefore a person ˹actually˺ commits perjury if he speaks with one ˹thinking that˺ because he has sworn not to speak with a male or a female; ˹he may do so with a hermaphrodite˺.
القرآن:٩٢:٣

وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَىٰ  

{وما} بمعنى من أو مصدرية {خلق الذكر والأنثى} آدم وحواء وكل ذكر وكل أنثى، والخنثى المشكل عندنا ذكر أو أنثى عند الله تعالى فيحنث بتكليمه من حلف لا يكلم لا يكلم ذكرا ولا أنثى.
quran:92:4

Indeed, your efforts are diverse.  

Assuredly your efforts, your deeds, are dissimilar, with some working towards Paradise by means of obedience, while others ˹in effect˺ are working towards the Fire through ˹acts of˺ disobedience.
القرآن:٩٢:٤

إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ  

{إن سعيكم} عملكم {لشتى} مختلف فعامل للجنة بالطاعة وعامل للنار بالمعصية.
quran:92:5

As for he who gives and fears Allah  

As for him who gives, what is due to God, and is fearful, of God,
القرآن:٩٢:٥

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ  

{فأما من أعطى} حق الله {واتقى} الله.
quran:92:6

And believes in the best ˹reward˺,  

and affirms the truth of the best ˹word˺, that is, ˹the truth˺ of ‘there is no god but God’ (in both places ˹here and below, verse 9˺),
القرآن:٩٢:٦

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ  

{وصدَّق بالحسنى} أي بلا إله إلا الله في الموضوعين.
quran:92:7

We will ease him toward ease.  

We shall surely ease his way to ˹the abode of˺ ease, to Paradise.
القرآن:٩٢:٧

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ  

{فسنسيره لليسرى} للجنة.
quran:92:8

But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need  

But as for him who is niggardly, with what is due to God, and deems himself self-sufficient, without need for His reward,
القرآن:٩٢:٨

وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَىٰ  

{وأما من بخل} بحق الله {واستغنى} عن ثوابه.
quran:92:10

We will ease him toward difficulty.  

We shall surely ease his way, We shall pave for him the way, to hardship, to the Fire;
القرآن:٩٢:١٠

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ  

{فسنسيره} نهيئه {للعسرى} للنار.
quran:92:11

And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?  

And his wealth shall not (mā is or negation) avail him when he perishes, in the Fire.
القرآن:٩٢:١١

وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰ  

{وما} نافية {يغني عنه ماله إذا تردَّى} في النار.
quran:92:12

Indeed, ˹incumbent˺ upon Us is guidance.  

Truly with Us lies ˹all˺ guidance, the pointing out of the path of guidance from that of error, so that Our command may be followed by adhering to the former ˹manner of conduct˺ and that Our prohibition ˹may also be heeded˺ by refraining from falling into the latter ˹manner of conduct˺.
القرآن:٩٢:١٢

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ  

{إن علينا لَلهدى} لتبيين طريق الهدى من طريق الضلال ليمتثل أمرنا بسلوك الأول ونهينا عن ارتكاب الثاني.
quran:92:13

And indeed, to Us belongs the Hereafter and the first ˹life˺.  

And truly to Us belong the Hereafter and the first ˹life˺, that is to say, ˹that of˺ this world, and so whoever seeks either of the two from anyone other than Us has erred.
القرآن:٩٢:١٣

وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَىٰ  

{وإن لنا للآخرة والأولى} أي الدنيا فمن طلبهما من غيرنا فقد أخطأ.
quran:92:14

So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing.  

So I have warned you of, I have threatened you, O people of Mecca, ˹with˺, a raging fire (talazzā, ‘raging’: one of the two original tā’ letters ˹of tatalazzā˺ has been omitted; a variant reading retains it, tatalazzā, that is, ‘one that is flaming’),
القرآن:٩٢:١٤

فَأَنْذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّىٰ  

{فأنذرتكم} خوفتكم يا أهل مكة {نارا تلظى} بحذف إحدى التاءين من الأصل وقريء بثبوتها، أي تتوقد.
quran:92:15

None will ˹enter to˺ burn therein except the most wretched one.  

which none shall enter but the wretched one (al-ashqā means al-shaqī),
القرآن:٩٢:١٥

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى  

{لا يصلاها} يدخلها {إلا الأشقى} بمعنى الشقي.
quran:92:16

Who had denied and turned away.  

he who denies, the Prophet, and turns away, from faith — this delimiting ˹of those who deserve to enter this fire˺ constitutes an interpretation of His saying, But He forgives other than that to whomever He will ˹Q. 4:48˺, which in turn suggests that what is meant is that entry ˹into the Fire˺ which will be everlasting.
القرآن:٩٢:١٦

الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ  

(الذي كذب) النبي (وتولى) عن الإيمان وهذا الحصر مؤول لقوله تعالى: "" ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء "" فيكون المراد الصلي المؤبد.
quran:92:17

But the righteous one will avoid it -  

The God-fearing one (al-atqā means al-taqī) shall be spared it, he will be removed far away from it,
القرآن:٩٢:١٧

وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى  

{وسيجنبها} يبعد عنها {الأتقى} بمعنى التقي.
quran:92:18

˹He˺ who gives ˹from˺ his wealth to purify himself  

he who gives his wealth to purify himself, offering it as a ˹means of self˺ purification before God, exalted be He, by making this payment for the sake of God, exalted be He, and not for show or the sake of reputation, so that he ˹or the offering˺ stands purified in the sight of God. This ˹verse˺ was revealed regarding the truthful one (al-siddīq) ˹Abū Bakr˺, may God be pleased with him, when he purchased Bilāl ˹the Ethiopian˺, who was being tortured on account of his faith, and then freed him, whereat the disbelievers said, ‘He only did this in return for a favour which he ˹must have˺ owed him’, and so the following was revealed:
القرآن:٩٢:١٨

الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ  

{الذي يؤتي ماله يتزكى} متزكيا به عند الله تعالى بأن يخرجه لله تعالى لا رياء ولا سمعة، فيكون زاكيا عند الله، وهذا نزل في الصدّيق ؓ لما اشترى بلالا المعذب على إيمانه وأعتقه، فقال الكفار: إنما فعل ذلك ليد كانت له عنده فنزلت.
quran:92:19

And not ˹giving˺ for anyone who has ˹done him˺ a favor to be rewarded  

and no one has any favour ˹outstanding˺ with him that must be requited;
القرآن:٩٢:١٩

وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ  

{وما لأحد عنده من نعمة تُجزى}.
quran:92:20

But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High.  

but, he did this, only seeking the pleasure of his Lord the Most High, that is to say, only seeking ˹to secure˺ God’s reward;
القرآن:٩٢:٢٠

إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ  

{إلا} لكن فعل ذلك {ابتغاء وجه ربه الأعلى} أي طلب ثواب الله.
quran:92:21

And he is going to be satisfied.  

and verily ˹soon˺ he shall ˹himself˺ be pleased, with the reward he will be given in Paradise. The verse applies ˹equally˺ to anyone who may do as he ˹Abū Bakr˺ did, may God be pleased with him, and such ˹a person˺ will thereby be removed far from the Fire and rewarded. Meccan, consisting of 11 verses. When this was revealed, the Prophet (s) said Allāhu akbar! at the end, and so it became the recommended practice (sunna) to say this at the end of it; it is also reported that it ˹the saying of it˺ is actually enjoined at the end of this ˹sūra˺ and at the end of every sūra henceforth, and that is ˹to say˺ Allāhu akbar or lā ilāha illā’Llāh wa’Llāhu akbar.
القرآن:٩٢:٢١

وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ  

{ولسوف يرضى} بما يُعطاه من الثواب في الجنة والآية تشمل من فعل مثل فعله ؓ فيبعده عن النار ويثاب.