31. Surah Luqman
Mecca Period [57]
[[Ruby’s note – changes of day and night’s length is tied with the courses of the Sun and Moon]]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
أَنَّ اللَّهَ
يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ
فِي النَّهَارِ
وَيُولِجُ
النَّهَارَ
فِي اللَّيْلِ...
31:29. Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night;
Even when we can form a conception of Allah's infinitude by His dealings with each individual in His Creation as in verse 28 above, it is still inadequate.
What is an individual himself?
What is his relation to the universal Laws of Allah?
In outer nature we can see that there is no clear-cut line between night and day: each merges into the other. Yet the sun and moon obey definite laws. Though they seem to go on for ever, yet their existence and duration themselves are but an atom in Allah's great universe.
How much more "merging" and imperceptible gradation there is in the inner and spiritual world?
Our actions themselves cannot be classified and ticketed and labeled when examined in relation to motives and circumstances. Yet they are like an open book before Allah.
...وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى...
that He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His Law), each running its course for a term appointed:
...وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿٢٩﴾
and that Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do?
Asad’s Version:
31:29
Art thou not aware that it is God who makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening the night, and that He has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws], each running its course for a term set [by Him] 27 - and that God is fully aware of all that you do?