When the above verses were revealed: 'Until the white thread appears to you, distinct from the black thread,' I took two (hair) strings, one black and the other white, and kept them under my pillow and went on looking at them throughout the night but could not make anything out of it. So, the next morning I went to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and told him the whole story. He explained to me, "That verse means the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn."

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ {حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ} عَمَدْتُ إِلَى عِقَالٍ أَسْوَدَ وَإِلَى عِقَالٍ أَبْيَضَ فَجَعَلْتُهُمَا تَحْتَ وِسَادَتِي فَجَعَلْتُ أَنْظُرُ فِي اللَّيْلِ فَلاَ يَسْتَبِينُ لِي فَغَدَوْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ

" Until the white streak of the dawn becomes distinct from the dark streak" (ii. 187) Adi b. Hatim said: Messenger of Allah, verily I keep underneath my pillow two strings, one white and the other black, by which I distinguish night from dawn. Upon this the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Your pillow seems to be very large. For the word khait implies the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn.

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ { حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ} قَالَ لَهُ عَدِيُّ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَجْعَلُ تَحْتَ وِسَادَتِي عِقَالَيْنِ عِقَالاً أَبْيَضَ وَعِقَالاً أَسْوَدَ أَعْرِفُ اللَّيْلَ مِنَ النَّهَارِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ وِسَادَتَكَ لَعَرِيضٌ إِنَّمَا هُوَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ

" Eat and drink till the white streak is distinct from the dark streak," a person would take hold of a white thread and a black thread and keep on eating till he could find them distinct (in the light of the dawn). It was then that Allah, the Majestic and Great, reveiled (the words) min al-fajr (from the dawn), and then it became clear (that the word khait refers to the streak of light in the dawn).

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ { وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ} قَالَ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَأْخُذُ خَيْطًا أَبْيَضَ وَخَيْطًا أَسْوَدَ فَيَأْكُلُ حَتَّى يَسْتَبِينَهُمَا حَتَّى أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ { مِنَ الْفَجْرِ} فَبَيَّنَ ذَلِكَ

When the verse "Until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread" was revealed, I took a white rope and a black rope, and placed them beneath my pillow ; and then I looked at them, byt they were not clear to me. So I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He laughed and said: Your pillow is so broad and lengthy ; that is (i.e. means) night and day. The version of the narrator 'Uthman has: That is the blackness of night and whiteness of day.

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ { حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ } قَالَ أَخَذْتُ عِقَالاً أَبْيَضَ وَعِقَالاً أَسْوَدَ فَوَضَعْتُهُمَا تَحْتَ وِسَادَتِي فَنَظَرْتُ فَلَمْ أَتَبَيَّنْ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَضَحِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ وِسَادَكَ لَعَرِيضٌ طَوِيلٌ إِنَّمَا هُوَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ

he asked the Messenger of Allah about the verse "Until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)." He said: "It is the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the day." '

أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى { حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ } قَالَ هُوَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ

"When 'Until the white (light) thread of dawn appears distinct to you from the black thread (of night)' was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ said to me: 'That only refers to the whiteness of the day from the blackness of the night.'" (Using translation from Tirmidhī 2970)

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ {وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ} قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ «إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ بَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ وَسَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ»

[AI] "When this verse was revealed: 'until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread [of night],' I took a black thread and a white thread and placed them under my pillow. Then I looked but I could not distinguish between them, so I mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he laughed and said, 'Your pillow must be very wide and long. This refers to the night and the day.'"

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ {حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ} أَخَذْتُ عِقَالًا أَسْوَدَ وَعِقَالًا أَبْيَضَ فَوَضَعْتُهُمَا تَحْتَ وِسَادَتِي فَنَظَرْتُ فَلَمْ أَتَبَيَّنْ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ «إِنَّ وِسَادَكَ إِذًا لَعَرِيضٌ طَوِيلٌ إِنَّمَا هَذَا اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ»

[AI] He asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about His saying, "until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread" [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:187]. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The white thread and the black thread are the darkness of the night and the brightness of the day."

أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ {حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ} [البقرة 187] قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ والْخَيْطُ الْأَسْوَدُ هُو سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ»

[AI] He asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about his saying, "until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread" [Al-Baqarah 187]. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The white thread refers to the light of the day, and the black thread refers to the darkness of the night."

أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ {حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ} [البقرة 187] قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ هَذَا هُوَ سَوَادُ اللَّيْلِ وَبَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ»

"إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ سَوادُ الَّليْلِ وبياضُ النَّهَارِ" يعنى قوله تعالى: {الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ} ".

("الخَيطُ الأبْيَضُ منَ الخَيط الأسْوَد من الفَجْرِ انمَّا هُمَا سَوادُ اللَّيل وبياضُ النَّهار".