QURAN SUMMARY: AL LAIL

Surah Lail Background And Summary of Main Topics.

Surah Lail Statistics: Total Number of Verses, Revelation Period, Main Characters, Theme And Key Verses.

NAME:  الليل, Al-Lail.

Name taken from Verse 1 where there is a mention of the word ”Lail”.

١  وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
1  By the night when it covers

But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.

ENGLISH NAME: The Night.

CHAPTER NUMBER: 92

SURAH LAIL TOTAL VERSES: 21

SURAH LAIL TOTAL WORDS: 71

TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 59

TOTAL LETTERS: 314

REVELATION PERIOD:

Meccan, Approx. 613 – 617 AD.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

God, Mankind, Wrongdoers, Righteous.

SURAH LAIL MAIN TOPICS:

God Eases The Way Of Those Who Believe In Good, And Those Who Disbelieve In Good, In Their Way Is Adversity.

SURAH LAIL KEY VERSES:

٤  إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ

4  Indeed, your efforts are diverse.

٥  فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ

5  As for he who gives and fears Allah

٦  وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ

6  And believes in the best [reward],

٧  فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ

7  We will ease him toward ease.

١٨  الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ

18  [He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself

١٩  وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ

19  And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded

SUMMARY OF TOPICS

1-3(Swear By Night, Day And By He Who Created Male & Female) 4(Efforts Of People Are Diverse), 5-10(God Eases The Way Of Those Who Believe In Good And Facilitates Them In Their Good, And Those Who Disbelieve In Good, In Their Way Is Adversity), 11-21(Warning Of Fire, Saved Will Be The Ones Who Give Wealth To Purify Themselves And Not For Getting Some Favor)

SURAH LAIL BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACKGROUND

This Surah has 21 verses. It takes its name from verse 1: “وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ” (By the night when it covers) where the word “الليل” meaning “The Night” appears. This Surah was revealed in Mecca most probably in a later stage of Prophet Muhammad’s preaching in Mecca when persecution had become severe. This Surah most probably was among the first ten surahs to be revealed.

This Surah begins by swearing a series of oaths: The Night and its ability to hide and cover things, The Day and its ability to manifest things and By the Creator who created in pairs male & female. Same like Surah Shams, it also shows that as there is a contrast between all these creations and phenomenon, so is between good and evil. The Surah tells us about the two ways of life and the consequences of both ways.

On the explanation of Verse 7 فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ  “We will ease him toward ease” There is a narration in Bukhari

Book: Divine Will (Al-Qadar) – كتاب القدر

Global Id: 6473 (10)

English reference: Vol. 8, Book 77, Hadith 602

Arabic reference: Book 82, Hadith 6685

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعَهُ عُودٌ يَنْكُتُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَقَالَ ‏”‏ مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ قَدْ كُتِبَ مَقْعَدُهُ مِنَ النَّارِ أَوْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ أَلاَ نَتَّكِلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏”‏ لاَ اعْمَلُوا فَكُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ ‏”‏ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ ‏{‏فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى‏}‏ الآيَةَ‏.‏

While we were sitting with the Prophet of God PBUH who had a stick with which he was scraping the earth, he lowered his head and said, “There is none of you but has his place assigned either in the Fire or in Paradise.” Thereupon a man from the people said, “Shall we not depend upon this, O Prophet of God?” The Messenger of Allah said, “No, but carry on and do your deeds, for everybody finds it easy to do such deeds (as will lead him to his place).” The Prophet  Then he recited the verse  فَأَمَّا مَنۡ أَعۡطَىٰ وَٱتَّقَىٰ • وَصَدَّقَ بِٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ • فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ ۥ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ As for him who gives and has Taqwa and believes in Al Husna. “We will make smooth for him the path of ease until the verse  لِلۡعُسۡرَىٰ

Nasai recorded a narration from Jabir that Muadh prayed a prayer and a man came and followed him in the prayer. Muadh made the prayer long, so the man went and prayed alone at the side of the Mosque. When Muadh was informed of this, he said, “He is a hypocrite.” Then Muadh informed the Prophet of God PBUH of what happened. The Prophet then asked the man, and he replied, “Prophet of God PBUH! I came to pray with him, but he made the prayer too long for me. So I left him and prayed at the side of the Mosque. Then I went to feed my she camel.” The Prophet of God PBUH then said,

أَفَتَّانٌ يَا مُعَاذُ؟ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ مِنْ  سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى  وَٱلشَّمۡسِ وَضُحَٮٰهَا وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ  وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَغۡشَىٰ

Are you causing trouble O Muadh? Why don’t you recite Glorify the Name of your Lord the Most High, By the sun and its brightness, By the dawn, and  By the night as it envelops.

The Prophet of God PBUH said that the reward of reciting this Surah is so much that the one who recites it will be pleased when he sees it in his Book of Deeds. Reciting it in the Night prayers carries the reward of reciting almost a quarter of the Quran and is guaranteed that the prayers will be accepted. His inspiration for good deeds will also increase. If recited fifteen times before sleeping, one will dream about what pleases him most.