Sura al-Layl
This article is an introduction to the Sura al-Layl; to read its text see text:Sura al-Layl.| al-Shams | |
|---|---|
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| Sura Number | 92 |
| Juz' | 30 |
| Revelation | |
| Revelation Number | 9 |
| Makki/Madani | Makki |
| Information | |
| Verse Count | 21 |
| Word Count | 71 |
| Letter Count | 316\ |
Sūra al-Layl (Arabic: سورَة اللَیْل) is the ninety second sura of the Qur'an. It is a Makki sura located in juz' thirty. It is called "al-Layl" (night) because it begins with swearing by the night.[1] Sura al-Layl is about two groups of people; the pious who donate their possessions to draw God's satisfaction, and greedy misers who do not believe in the promise of the Heaven.
According to hadiths, if one recites Sura al-Layl, God will supply him so that he gets satisfied, will save him from troubles and will smooth the way of life for him.
Introduction
- Naming
The Sura is called "al-Layl" (night) because it opens with a swearing by the night.[2]
- Place and Order of Revelation
Sura al-Layl is a Makki sura of the Qur'an, and regarding the order of revelation, it is the ninth sura revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad (s). In the current compilation of the Qur'an, it is the ninety second sura[3] located in juz' thirty.
- Number of Verses and the Order
Sura al-Layl has twenty one verses, seventy one words, and 316 letters. It is one of the Mufassalat suras (the ones with numerous short verses). It is one of the suras that begin with swearing.[4]
Content
Sura al-Layl is about the fate of two groups of people:
- First, the pious, that is, those who give away their possessions for the sake of God—those who donate in order to draw God's satisfaction and purify their hearts. The Qur'an pledges that they will obtain God's satisfaction and salvation.
- Second, the miserable, (cold-hearted) that is, those misers who do not believe in the promise of the Heaven. The Qur'an warns them about being perished, stating that they refuse to donate money to others out of love for this world, but the money would be of no avail for them on the day of resurrection.[5]
| Effects of stinginess and generosity on human happiness | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preliminary: verses 1-4 Conflicting acts by human beings with regard to spiritual affairs | First topic: verses 5-11 Effects of generosity and stinginess in having spiritual success | Second topic: verses 12-21 Effect of generosity and stinginess on Afterlife happiness | |||||||||||||||||||
| First point: verses 5-7 The effect of generosity on paving the path of happiness | First point: verses 12-16 Stingy people suffering from the burning fire of the Hell | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Second point: verses 8-11 The effect of stinginess on paving the path of misery | Second point: verses 17-21 The emancipation of pure donors from the Hell | ||||||||||||||||||||
Occasion of the Revelation
According to Tafsir-i nimuna, the occasion of the revelation of Sura al-Layl was as follows:
"Branches of the palm tree of a man were over the house of a poor family. Whenever the owner of the tree climbed it to pick dates, a number of dates fell in the house of the poor neighbor and the neighboring children picked up the dates. The man immediately climbed down the palm tree, took the dates from the children, and if they had a date in their mouth, he would inserted his finger into their mouths to take it out.
The poor man complained to the Prophet (s). The Prophet (s) met the owner of the palm tree and told him that he would guarantee him a palm tree in the Heaven in exchange for his palm tree, but he refused the offer. Another companion of the Prophet (s), called "Abu l-Dahdah", purchased the palm tree from the man in exchange for forty palm trees and gave it to the Prophet (s), and the Prophet (s) donated the tree to the poor family." On this occasion, Sura al-Layl was revealed.[7]
Merites and Benefites
According to Majma' al-bayan, the Prophet (s) was quoted as saying that if one recites Sura al-Layl, God will bestow upon him so much bounty that he will be satisfied and will save him from hardship and facilitate everything for him.[8] Furthermore, according to al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Imam al-Sadiq (a) was quoted as saying that if one recites Sura al-Layl during the day or the night, all parts of his body will testify for his good deeds, God will accept their testimonies, and he will be led to the Heaven.[9]
Some features of the sura are mentioned in Tafsir al-burhan, including the prevention from nightmares,[10] curing the fever, and the revival of an epileptic patient if the sura is whispered in his ear.[11]
External Lins
Notes
- ↑ (وَاللَّیل), meaning "by the night"
- ↑ Khurramshāhī, Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 1264-1265.
- ↑ Maʿrifat, Āmūzish-i ʿulūm-i Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 166.
- ↑ Khurramshāhī, Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 1264-1265.
- ↑ Khurramshāhī, Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 1264-1265.
- ↑ Khamagar, Muhammad, Sakhtar-i suraha-yi Qur'an-i karim, Mu'assisa-yi Farhangi-yi Qur'an wa 'Itrat-i Nur al-Thaqalayn, Qom: Nashra, ed.1, 1392 Sh.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 27, p. 70.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 10, p. 373.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Thawāb al-aʿmāl, p. 123.
- ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 675.
- ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 675.
References
- Baḥrānī, Sayyid Hāshim b. Sulaymān. Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Translated to Farsi by Riḍā Nāẓimīyān. Tehran: Kitāb-i Ṣubḥ, 1388 Sh.
- Khurramshāhī, Bahāʾ al-Dīn. Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾān wa Qurʾān pazhūhī. Tehran: Dūstān-Nāhīd, 1377 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1380 Sh.
- Maʿrifat, Muḥammad Hādī. Āmūzish-i ʿulūm-i Qurʾān. [n.p]: Markaz Chāp wa Nashr-i Sāzmān-i Tablīghāt, 1371 Sh.
- Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. Thawāb al-aʿmāl wa ʿiqāb al-aʿmāl. Edited by Ṣādiq Ḥasanzāda. Tehran: Armaghān-i Ṭūbā, 1382 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1415 AH.