(Revealed before Hijrah)

Date of Revelation and Context
Prominent Muslim scholars like Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Zubair hold the view that the Surah was revealed very early at Mecca. William Muir agrees with their opinion. The Surah possesses very close resemblance with some previous Chapters, especially with Al-Fajr and Al-Balad. In the immediately preceding Surah, AI-Shams, it was hinted that the supreme object of the building of the Ka'bah, which was the principal theme of Surah Al-Balad, could not have been achieved without a great Divine Messenger-the Spirit par excellence. In the present Surah, however, it is stated that when an ideal Teacher like the Holy Prophet is blessed with ideal disciples like his Companions, progress of the cause of Truth becomes doubly accelerated. It also mentions some of the prominent moral qualities that marked the Companions of the Holy Prophet. In contrast, two glaring bad qualities that lead to the undoing of a people are also mentioned.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
[1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
[2] By the night when it covers up[3362]!

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى
[3] And by the day when it brightens up[3363],

وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنْثَى
[4] And by the creating of the male and the female[3363A],

إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى
[5] Surely, your strivings are diverse[3364].

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى
[6] Then as for him who gives and is righteous,

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى
[7] And testifies to the truth of what is right,[3365]

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى
[8] We will facilitate for him every facility[3366].

وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى
[9] But as for him who is niggardly and is disdainfully indifferent,

وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى
[10] And rejects what is right[3367],

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى
[11] We will make easy for him the path to distress[3368].

وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى
[12] And his wealth shall not avail him when he perishes.

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى
[13] Surely it is for Us to guide;

وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلآخِرَةَ وَالأُولَى
[14] And to Us belongs the Hereafter as well as the present world[3369].

فَأَنْذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّى
[15] So I warn you of a flaming Fire.

لاَ يَصْلاَهَا إِلاَّ الأَشْقَى
[16] None shall enter it but the most wicked one,

الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى
[17] Who rejects the truth and turns his back[3370].

وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الأَتْقَى
[18] But the righteous one shall be kept away from it,

الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى
[19] Who gives his wealth to become purified.

وَمَا ِلأَحَدٍ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى
[20] And he owes no favour to anyone, which is to be repaid,

إِلاَّ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الأَعْلَى
[21] Except that he gives his wealth to seek the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High[3371].

وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى
[22] And soon will He be well pleased with him.

3362.  In the preceding Surah the principal subject of discussion was AI-Shams, i.e., the Holy Prophet, who is the source and spring of all light. This is why mention of the sun and the day precedes that of the moon and the night. But in the present Surah a contrast is instituted between believers and disbelievers, and as the latter are generally larger in number and wield greater power and influence, mention of the night which represents disbelievers precedes that of the day which represents believers.

3363.  By the substitution of the word Tajalla (shines forth) in this verse for Jalla (reveals its glory) in the corresponding verse in the preceding Surah, it is hinted that whereas in the preceding Surah the emphasis was on the high spiritual stature of the Teacher, in the present Surah it is on the great ability of the pupils to learn and assimilate the Divine Teaching.

3363A.  Procreation of man depends upon the coming together of two individuals of opposite sexes. The characteristic quality of the one (the male) is to give and of the other (the female) is to receive. Like the physical world, there are in the spiritual world males-God's great Prophets and Divine Reformers who teach and guide; and spiritual females-their followers, who receive and benefit by the Divine Teaching. The verse embodies a hint that by the coming together of the perfect Teacher-the Holy Prophet-and the ideal pupils-his Companions-a new world is about to be born.

3364. The verse draws attention to the widely divergent goals of believers and disbelievers, and also to the disparity in the endeavours they make to achieve their respective goals. Whereas the efforts of believers are devoted to the dissemination of Truth, those of disbelievers are directed towards opposing it and putting obstacles and impediments in its way. The results of the two efforts must inevitably be different.

3365. This and the preceding verse mention three characteristics of those persons who are successful in life. Briefly, these are right action, right feeling and right thinking and these characteristics the believers possess in ample measure.

3366. He; who possesses the three characteristic qualities mentioned in the preceding two verses, will find that his actions are productive of the desired good results. Or, the verse may mean that the doing of good deeds becomes easy for such a person and he also enjoys doing them.

3367. In contrast to the three good qualities mentioned in the preceding two verses (6,7); three bad qualities that cause the moral undoing of a man are mentioned in these two verses (9, 10).

3368. The actions of the person referred to in the preceding verse miss their mark and produce results contrary to what he expects or desires. Or; the verse may mean that the doing of good deeds becomes difficult for such a person.

3369. The wicked disbeliever faces failure in this life and will suffer punishment in the Hereafter because both the worlds are under God's control. The verse may also mean, 'to Us belongs the end and the beginning of all things.'

3370.  The word, Kadhdhaba, signifies that the sinful disbeliever holds wrong beliefs, and Tawalla implies that he does not do right actions.

3371. The righteous believer does good to others, not in return for any good received from them but only actuated by a desire to be of use to God's creatures and to win the pleasure of his Heavenly Lord and Master.