28. Surah Al-Qasad

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ اللَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ...

28: 71. Say: see ye?

If Allah were to make the Night perpetual over you to the Day of Judgment,

C3399. In the physical world the Night and the Day are both blessings, the one for rest and the other for work, and the alternation itself is one of the mercies of Allah, and none but He can give us these blessings.

- If we were perpetually resting, or screened from the light, our faculties would be blunted and we should be worse than dead.

- If we were perpetually working, we should be tired, and we should also be dead in another way.

This daily miracle keeps us alive and prepares us, in this our probationary life, for our final destiny in the Hereafter.

In the same way our spiritual strivings require periodical alternations of rest in the form of attention to our temporal concerns: hence the justification of a good and pure life on the plane of this earth also.

Also, in the world's history, there are periods when a living messenger stimulates intense spiritual activity, and periods when it is comparatively quiescent (the so-called Dark Ages); but both are examples of the working of Allah's Plan of wisdom and mercy.

But this applies only up to the Day of Judgment. After that we shall be on another plane altogether.

...مَنْ إِلَهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَاء...

what god is there other than Allah, who can give you enlightenment?

...أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ ﴿٧١﴾

Will ye not then hearken?

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ...

28: 72. Say: see ye?

If Allah were to make the Day perpetual over you to the Day of Judgment,

...مَنْ إِلَهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ...

what god is there other than Allah, who can give you a Night in which ye can rest?

...أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٧٢﴾

Will ye not then see?

C3400. In verse 71 was mentioned a "perpetual Night," for which the faculty of "hearkening" was appropriate, as all light was shut out.

In this verse a perpetual Day is mentioned, for which the faculty of "seeing" is appropriate. Through many doors can the higher knowledge enter our souls.

Shall we not use each of them as the occasion demands?

وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ...

28: 73. It is out of His Mercy that He has made for you Night and Day -- that ye may rest therein,

...وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٧٣﴾

and that ye may seek of His Grace --

and in order that ye may be grateful.

Asad’s Version:

28:71 Say: "Have you ever considered [this]: If God had willed that there should always be night about you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is there any deity other than God that could bring you light? 76 Will you not, then, listen [to the truth]?"

28:72 Say: "Have you ever considered [this]: If God had willed that there should always be daylight about you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is there any deity other than God that could bring you [the darkness of] night, wherein you might rest? Will you not, then, see [the truth]?" 77

28:73 For it is out of His grace that He has made for you the night and the day, so that you might rest therein as well as seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty: and [He gave you all this] so that you might have cause to be grateful

[[ Asad - 77 I.e., "Will you not recognize the miracle of planned and purposeful creation?"]]

28:73 [Yuksel] From His mercy is that He created for you the night and the day, in order to rest in it, and that you may seek of His provisions. Perhaps you may be appreciative.