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Al-Isra 12

Ayah 12 of 111 · Meccan

وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيۡنِۖ فَمَحَوۡنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَجَعَلۡنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبۡصِرَةٗ لِّتَبۡتَغُواْ فَضۡلٗا مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَلِتَعۡلَمُواْ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلۡحِسَابَۚ وَكُلَّ شَيۡءٖ فَصَّلۡنَٰهُ تَفۡصِيلٗا ١٢

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 visible1 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.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Or "giving sight."

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَجَعَلۡنَاAnd We have madewajaʿalnā
  2. ٱلَّيۡلَthe nightal-layla
  3. وَٱلنَّهَارَand the daywal-nahāra
  4. ءَايَتَيۡنِۖ(as) two signsāyatayni
  5. فَمَحَوۡنَآThen We erasedfamaḥawnā
  6. ءَايَةَ(the) signāyata
  7. ٱلَّيۡلِ(of) the nightal-layli
  8. وَجَعَلۡنَآand We madewajaʿalnā
  9. ءَايَةَ(the) signāyata
  10. ٱلنَّهَارِ(of) the dayl-nahāri
  11. مُبۡصِرَةٗvisiblemub'ṣiratan
  12. لِّتَبۡتَغُواْthat you may seeklitabtaghū
  13. فَضۡلٗاbountyfaḍlan
  14. مِّنfrommin
  15. رَّبِّكُمۡyour Lordrabbikum
  16. وَلِتَعۡلَمُواْand that you may knowwalitaʿlamū
  17. عَدَدَ(the) numberʿadada
  18. ٱلسِّنِينَ(of) the yearsl-sinīna
  19. وَٱلۡحِسَابَۚand the accountwal-ḥisāba
  20. وَكُلَّAnd everywakulla
  21. شَيۡءٖthing shayin
  22. فَصَّلۡنَٰهُWe have explained itfaṣṣalnāhu
  23. تَفۡصِيلٗا(in) detailtafṣīlan

Tafsir

I have created the night and the day as two signs indicating Allah’s oneness and power, due to their differences in terms of being long or short, hot or cold. I made the night dark for the purpose of rest and sleep and I made the day bright in which people can see and work for their livelihood. This was so that by the alternation of day and night you can know the number of years and calculate the months, days and hours that you require. I have explained everything in detail so that it may all become clear and the truthful can become distinguished from the liars.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran