رَفَعَ سَمكَها فَسَوّاها

وَأَغطَشَ لَيلَها وَأَخرَجَ ضُحاها

He raised its vault, and fashioned it,

and darkened its night, and brought forth its day.

EXEGESIS

According to Lisān al-ʿArab, al-ḍuḥā is the early hours of the day, specifically the period of the day when the sun rises until the point when it becomes white or very clear.^{‎[1]Lisan, 14/475.} In the first verse of Sūrat al-Shams, ḍuḥāhā is translated as the forenoon splendour of the sun. Nonetheless, here it is used as the counterpart to the description of the night.^{‎[2]Mizan‎, 20/190.} Hence, it should be taken to mean the entire day when the light of the sun is clear and manifest.^{‎[3]Safi, 5/282.}

EXPOSITION

Verses 28 and 29 further detail how the creation of the sky came about, showing how its creation is indeed more prodigious than their creation, and perhaps even the resurrection of humankind. They explain that everything is in its right order and composition, and is in total alignment with its purpose.^{‎[4]Mizan‎, 20/190.}

The phenomena of night and of day, in verse 29, are associated with the heavens and not the earth because they are of a celestial nature.^{‎[5]Razi, 31/45.}

[1] Lisan, 14/475.
[2] Mizan‎, 20/190.
[3] Safi, 5/282.
[4] Mizan‎, 20/190.
[5] Razi, 31/45.