92- Surat Al-Lail

21 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)

A'auzu Bellahi mena ash-shytani ar-rajim

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan

Bismi Ellahi Ar-rhmani Ar-rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Wa al-laili iza yaghsha (1).

By the night when it covers.

Wa al-nahari iza tajala (2).

And by the day when it shines.

Wa ma khalaqa az-zakara wal-aunthha (3).

And by He who created the male and the female.

Inna sa'yakuom lashatta (4).

Indeed, your endeavors are varied.

Fa amma man a'atta wattaqa (5).

As for the one who gives and is righteous.

Wa saddaqa bil-huosna (6).

And believes in the best.

Fasa noyasseruhu lil-yousra (7). 

Then, We will guide him to the best ease.

Wa amma man bakhela wa staghna (8).

But as for the one who is stingy, and sees himself self-sufficient.

Wa kazaba bil-housna (9).

And denies the best.

Fasa noyasseruhu lil-ousra (10). 

Then, We will guide him to the extreme hardship.

Wa ma youghni anhu maluhuo iza taradda (11).

His wealth will not avail him when he falls.

Inna alayina lal-huda (12).

Its upon Us the guidance.

Wa inna lana lal-akheratuo wal-auola (13).

And it is for Us the hereafter and the first life.

Fa anzartukum narran talazza (14).

So, I have warned you of a flaming fire.

La yasslaha illa alashqa (15).

None will burn therein but the most wretched.

Allazi kazaba wa tawwala (16).

The one who denied and turned away.

Wa sa-youjanabuha alatqa (17).

And the most pious one will avoid it.

Allazi you'tee malahu yatazakka (18).

He who gives his wealth to purify himself.

Wa ma le-ahaden endahu men ne'maten toogza (19).

And not anyone has any favor upon him, so he would reward him.

Illa ebtigha'a wajhi Rabbihi ala'ala (20).

Except seeking the countenance of his Lord, the Most High.

Wala-sawfa yardda (21).

And he will be satisfied.

Simplified interpretation:

 Surat Al-Lail presents two different endeavors of man in this worldly life, the first of which is the effort of those who spends in the way of Allah, seeking the countenance of their Lord, and the second are those who have been deluded by the worldly life, and are not convinced of the day of resurrection. Surat Al-Lail is one of the four Surahs that Our Prophet commanded Mu'az Bin Gabal to recite them, when he led His companions in the prayer (Imam) in order not to prolong the prayer. 

 Allah swears in the first three verses by three oaths and says "By the night when it covers, and by the day when it shines, and by He who created the male and the female", where He swears with the night and the day, and the male and the female, and these oaths came to shows us a fact of man's endeavor in the worldly life in the fourth verse "Indeed, your endeavors are varied". It is as if Allah says as your day is divided into night and day, and you are divided into male and female, likewise, man's endeavor in the worldly life is divided into the team of ease, and the team of hardship as will become clear in the next verses.   

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 The verses 5 up to 10 describes the two efforts of man, and they are divided into the team of ease (the happy), and the team of hardship (the miserable), and about this our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in narration of Ali (may Allah be blessed with Him): "There is none among you, and no created soul but has his place written for him either in paradise or in the hellfire, and also has his happy or miserable fate (in the hereafter) written for him", a man said: O Allah's Messenger, shall we depend upon what is written for us and give up doing good deeds?, for whoever among us is destined to be fortunate (in the hereafter), will join the fortunate peoples and whoever among us is destined to be miserable will do such deeds as are characteristic of the people who are destined to misery, The Prophet said: "Those who are destined to be happy will find it easy and pleasant to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to happiness, while those who are to be among the miserable will find it easy to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to misery", then He recited Ayat (5-10) of the current Surah.

 The first team is the happy ones, and they have three good characteristics, where they spends in the way of Allah, and they are righteous, and believing in the best, that is, they gives what Allah commanded to give and fears Allah, and believes in their reward with their Lord. And Allah will decree His mercy as it was mentioned in Surat Ala'araf Aya (156) for those who fear Him (righteous), and give Zakat (obligatory charity), and those who believe in His verses.

 So Allah will guide them to the best ease Aya (7), and they will find it easy and pleasant to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to happiness, and then their reward will be as Allah says in Surat Yunus Aya (10): "For them who have done good is the best reward and extra".

 But as for the second team, they are the miserable and they have three evil characteristic, where they are niggardly, and sees themselves self-sufficient, and denying the best, that is, they are stingy with their wealth and considers themselves to be in no need of their Lord, and denying their reward with their Lord. So Allah will guide them to the extreme hardship Aya (10), and they will find it easy to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to misery.

 Their wealth will not avail them when they falls in the hellfire, for Allah says in Surat Muhammad Aya (38): "Here you are, those called to spend in the way of Allah, but among you he who withhold, and whoever withholds, then only he withholds from himself, and Allah is free of need, while you are the needy".

 Then Allah says in Aya (12) "Its upon Us the guidance", that is, Allah shows the way of guidance and the way of misguidance, and you have to decide which way to take, And Allah will make it easy to do the deeds characteristic of the happy or of the wretched, for Allah says in Alhadith Alqudsi in narration of Abu Dharr Alghifari: "O My servant, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you".

 And as Allah eases your path in the worldly life, your reward in the hereafter will be according to the path you have chosen, and then your fate in the worldly life and in the hereafter is with your Lord alone, so Allah says in the thirteenth verse "And it is for Us the hereafter and the first life", and then warns us of a flaming fire in the next verse (14).   

 That blazing fire will be for the most wretched, and it will burn him for he denied the verses of his Lord, and turned away, and did not believe in them (Ayat 15,16). But the most pious one will avoid it, for he gives his wealth to purify himself, while no one has conferred any favor upon him for which he would reward him, he gives his wealth without any purpose or any benefit except seeking the countenance of Allah and drawing closer to Him, the Most High (Ayat 17-20), And it was said that the most pious refers to Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, where He used to spend His wealth in the way of Allah.

 The last verse is a glad tiding for the one who spends his wealth in the way of Allah, he will be satisfied, and his reward will be in the worldly life and in the hereafter. As for the worldly life, our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "Every day two angels come down from heaven and one of them says: O Allah! compensate every person who spends in Your cause, and the other angel says: O Allah! destroy every miser", and Allah says in Alhadith Alqudsi in Narration of Abu Hurayrah: "Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you". and as for the hereafter it will avoid him the hellfire and our Prophet said in narration of Adi Bin Hatim: "Save your self from hellfire even by giving half a date-fruit in charity".

No one Knows its interpretation except Allah