أَمَّن هُوَ قانِتٌ آناءَ اللَّيلِ ساجِدًا وَقائِمًا يَحذَرُ الآخِرَةَ وَيَرجو رَحمَةَ رَبِّهِ ۗ قُل هَل يَستَوِي الَّذينَ يَعلَمونَ وَالَّذينَ لا يَعلَمونَ ۗ إِنَّما يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الأَلبابِ

Is he who is humble in the watches of the night, prostrating and standing, apprehensive of the hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord …? Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only those who possess intellect take admonition.

EXEGESIS

Qānit is one who is consistently obedient with humbleness. It is derived from qunūt, which involves three elements: obedience, consistency, and humility and submission.^{‎[1]Raghib; Tahqiq, under q-n-t.} This is confirmed by Ibn Abbas and Suddī’s definition of the term.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 9/12.}

Since there is no ‘and’ (wāw) before prostrating and standing, these two could be an interpretation of qānit. In other words, what is meant by a qānit is one who prostrates and stands in worship (in the watches of the night).^{‎[3]Alusi, 12/236.} Qunūt is primarily a state and attribute of the heart, which could then have physical and outward presentations. The scholars and exegetes have mentioned some of these physical presentations including the following: to extend one’s standing in prayer; to prolong one’s bowing (rukūʿ); to lower one’s gaze to the ground while in prayer; to dress up neatly when one wants to stand in front of God in worship; to supplicate God and recite the Quran in prayer. When those who are qānit stand in prayer, they do not play with their clothes or limbs, they are not distracted to the right or left, they focus their look, they show humbleness to their Lord, and they do not remember anything of the affairs of this world.^{‎[4]Qurtubi, 15/239.}

Qānit, sājid, and qāʾim are subjects (fāʿil), denoting those who consistently exhibit these traits as established qualities in themselves. This is contrary to those mentioned in the previous verse: those who call God only in times of hardship.^{‎[5]Qaraati, 8/150.}

Ānāʾ: times, hours. Its singular form is recorded in several ways: ān, iny, anā, and inā.^{‎[6]Lisan; Raghib, under a-n-y; Tibyan, 9/13.} The plural form is only used for the hours of night in the Quran, but the singular form (inā) is used in a more general sense (33:53). The plural form of ānāʾ in this verse could be a subtle hint that such people extend their night vigils and worships over several hours: They used to sleep a little during the night (51:17); Stand vigil through the night, except a little (73:2). Alternatively, it could be that they wake up more than once and worship God in the beginning of the night, then in the middle, and then at the end, as interpreted by Qatādah.^{‎[7]Tabari, 23/129.}

There are a few possible explanations for why the verse presents an incomplete question: 1. The omission of a part that is known and obvious is permissible, even commendable, as a form of eloquent concision. In this case, it is clear that the verse is contrasting the case of he who is humble in the watches of the night with the case of the person in the previous verse. Therefore the question is: are these two individuals equal? 2. Adding to the previous point, it could be that the verse makes no mention of the ungrateful individual because such people are not worth the mention. 3. The second part of the verse – Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ – goes hand-in-hand with the first part, and thus completes the meaning. In this case, the verse effectively says: Say: ‘Are those who know – that is, those who are humble in the watches of the night, prostrating and standing, apprehensive of the hereafter and hoping for the mercy of their Lord – equal to those who do not know?’ In other words, he who is humble in the watches of the night is a description of those who know. What strengthens this explanation is that otherwise there would be no tie or connection between the two parts of the verse, which is unlikely. The fact that the verse praises those who know right after praising he who is humble in the watches of the night shows that these qualities belong to the same group. All of these explanations could hold at the same time.

Yet another possibility is the following: Are those who know equal to those who do not know? is only intended to show the wide gap between he who is humble in the watches of the night and one who is not so. In other words, the difference between the humble obedient servants of God and the ungrateful sinners is comparable to the distance between those who know and those who do not know.^{‎[8]Zamakhshari, 4/117.}

Ūlū al-albāb: possessors of intellects. Lubb (intellect, brain) is the kernel of a seed or nut. It is the part that is not covered with any shell or husk. It is subsequently used for the pure and unadulterated essence of anything. Ūlū al-albāb are those whose intellects are not covered by attachments, emotions, illusions, lusts, desires, norms, and habits.^{‎[9]Lisan; Raghib, under l-b-b; Anṣāri, ʿĀrifānah, p. 128.} Another possible meaning for ūlū al-albāb can be inferred from comparing it with another similar Quranic term: ūlū al-abṣār (possessors of insight: 3:13, 24:44, 59:2). The latter would be those who discern lessons from external sources and derive transmitted knowledge, while the former would refer to those who arrive at facts through intellectual knowledge and internal realisation.^{‎[10]For an excellent discussion on the difference between transmitted and intellectual knowledge, see Chittick, Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld, 2007).} Besides verse 18, the qualities of those who possess intellect are discussed in the most expressive, tangible and elaborate way in verses 3:190-194 and 13:19-22.

EXPOSITION

This verse contrasts the description of an ungrateful person in the last verse by presenting a very tangible and practical example of a grateful individual. Such a person is first and foremost humble and obedient (qānit) toward his Lord. He knows that Should Allah visit you with some distress there is no one to remove it except Him; and should He bring you some good, then He has power over all things (6:17). That makes him observe night vigils, prostrating and standing, because he is apprehensive of the hereafter, and hopeful of the mercy of his Lord.

It is notable that the surah starts with the subject of monotheism up to verse 6, and then continues with the subject of gratitude. This indicates a direct relationship between thankfulness and monotheism. The link is as follows: the essence of gratitude is to realise that Whatever blessing you have is from Allah (16:53) and to demonstrate this in practice. This realisation eliminates every hope and fear from the heart to any being other than God. Hence, the person will dedicate himself and humbly submit to the only source of benefit and loss, which is the same as monotheism: ‘In Thy hand, and not in the hand of anyone else, is my abundance, my scarcity, my benefit, and my loss.’^{‎[11]Munājāh Shaʿbāniyyah by Imam Ali (a) (Iqbal, 3/296).}

Night-time is of special significance because it is the most suitable setting for sincere worship. It is a time when ‘every lover retreats with his beloved in privacy’,^{‎[12]Kafi, 2/594.} and the lovers of God are of course no exception to this. It is a time when the distracting sounds, scenes, interactions, and routines of daily life subside; as a result, Indeed the watch of the night is firmer in tread and more upright in respect to speech (73:6).

Prostrating and standing are mentioned as two extreme postures of worship. Therefore, when the verse says prostrating and standing, it includes all the other forms of worship as well, such as bowing, sitting, and raising the hands in supplication. The precedence of prostrating to standing could be because prostration more closely exemplifies humbleness in worship (qunūt).

… hoping for the mercy of his Lord: one’s source of hope and assurance should only be God, because Were it not for Allah’s grace and His mercy upon you, not one of you would ever be pure. But Allah purifies whomever He wishes, and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing (24:21; see also 23:60). That is why the inhabitants of paradise will say: All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us (7:43). The usage of Lord also justifies why one should be hopeful of God: because He is the Lord, which means one’s owner, caretaker, and source of growth and progress.

… apprehensive of the hereafter: apprehension is attributed to the hereafter and not to God, as opposed to hope. This is because God is all good, and only good emanates from Him. Any pain, punishment, or misfortune is in fact the lack of good and deprivation from God’s mercy. Thus, it could be that apprehensive of the hereafter means that he is apprehensive of the consequences of his own deeds, lest they should deprive him of God’s mercy. Furthermore, the precedence of fear to hope in this verse could be a reference to the idea that people respond to fear of loss more than hope or greed for gain, a psychological tendency that is also associated with the concept of risk aversion in the social sciences today.

Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only those who possess intellect take admonition: this suggests that worship, humility, fear, and hope stem from knowledge and applying reason. Of course, what is meant here is the kind of knowledge that is admired in the Quran. Based on the context of this very verse, knowledge here concerns knowledge of God and His attributes. Alternatively, some exegetes have suggested that since the verse talks about knowledge after it talks about worship, humility, fear, and hope, it could be a slight hint that worship and self-purification result in knowledge.^{‎[13]Razi, 26/438.}

Only those who possess intellect take admonition: this idea is emphasised in a few other verses as well (2:269, 3:7, 13:19). As long as one is a follower, he will not take admonition of the words of wisdom. That is because a follower is one who refrains from contemplating about the most fundamental questions concerning his life and existence, and prefers to simply blend in with the majority, align himself with the media, and follow the common values and practices in his social environment without question. The intellect of such a person remains at potentiality, for he has not started to critically analyse different thoughts, values, and practices. Those who possess intellect are exactly the opposite, as discussed a few verses later: My servants who listen to the word [of Allah] and follow the best [sense] of it. They are the ones whom Allah has guided, and it is they who possess intellect (verses 17-18).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. The Prophet was asked: ‘Which prayer is the best, aside from the obligatory prayers?’ He replied: ‘Prayer in the midst of the night.’^{‎[14]Ahmad, 2/303, 329; Muslim, 3/169; Khisal, 2/523-524, h. 13; Amali.T, p. 540; Kanz, 7/784, h. 21397.} In another narration he said: ‘The best prayer is to extend the qunūt.’^{‎[15]Ahmad, 3/302, 314, 4/385; Muslim, 2/175; Ibn Majah, 1/456, h. 1421.}

Note: In Shia jurisprudence, qunūt in prayer is to raise the hands in supplication before bowing (rukūʿ) in the second unit of the prayer, which is strongly recommended. Extending the qunūt then means extending one’s supplication and plea in this act of qunūt. This could also apply – though to a lesser extent – to Sunni law, especially with regard to certain optional prayers such as the witr prayer (the last unit of the night prayer (ṣalāt al-layl)), which involves raising the hands in supplication while standing.^{‎[16]Zamakhshari, 4/116.} Most Sunni exegetes and scholars, however, have interpreted extending the qunūt to extending one’s state of standing (qiyām) in prayer. Both meanings would comply with the literal and Quranic meanings of qunūt, as both could represent one’s humbleness toward God.

2. In a long narration about the merit of reciting the Quran, the Prophet said: ‘Whoever recites a hundred verses in one night, will be recorded among the humble ones.’^{‎[17]Kafi, 2/612, h. 5; Kanz, 1/530-531, h. 2374, and 7/796-799.}

Note: There are other similar narrations, all of which identify the recitation of the Quran as a means of practicing to establish the quality of humbleness (qunūt) in oneself.^{‎[18]Maani, p. 410, h. 96; Kanz, 2/305, h. 4067, and 7/316, h. 19048.}

3. Hasan al-Baṣrī was asked about one who continues sinning while he is also hopeful [of God’s mercy]. He said: ‘This is only a wish, but true hope is as God has described.’ Then he drew on this verse as evidence.^{‎[19]Zamakhshari, 1/117.}

Note: This is a practical principle that is very intuitive and logical, and provides a yardstick to measure the genuineness of one’s hope. Imam Ali (a) expressed it beautifully when he said: ‘Anyone who hopes [for anything], his hope should be perceivable in his actions.’^{‎[20]Nahj, sermon 160.} He also said: ‘Do not be among those who are optimistic about their hereafter without any righteous deeds.’^{‎[21]Nahj, saying 150.}

4. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘I advise you to five things; if you were to rush toward them on fast-running camels, it would be well worth it: 1. None of you shall hope in anyone other than his Lord. 2. None of you shall fear anything except his sin. 3. None of you shall feel ashamed to say “I do not know” when he is asked of something that he does not know. 4. None of you shall feel ashamed to learn something that he does not know. 5. You are to observe patience, for indeed patience to faith is like the head to the body. A body without a head is no good, and so is faith without patience.’^{‎[22]Nahj, saying 82.}

Note: All of these five points are relevant to our discussion here: the first two points concern fear and hope, as discussed in this verse; points three and four describe the right approach to knowledge – while they are also examples of humbleness – and the last point relates to the next verse which talks about patience.

5. The Prophet said: ‘No servant fulfils the obligatory acts on him toward God unless he gets to know about Him. The worshippers with all their worship [put together] do not reach what the wise person (al-ʿāqil) reaches. Indeed the wise are the possessors of intellects that God has described: Only those who possess intellect take admonition.’^{‎[23]Barqi, 1/193-194, h. 11; Kafi, 1/12-13, h. 11.}

Note: It is inferred from this hadith that reason and intellection is that which leads into fulfilling the obligatory religious duties, and it is also what gives worth and value to one’s worship. This clarifies a link between the first and the last parts of the verse: those who possess intellect are guided by their reason to take admonition and spend the watches of the night, prostrating and standing.

6. There are many narrations that identify those who know as the Infallibles, those who do not know as their enemies, and those who possess intellect as the followers of the Imams.^{‎[24]Barqi, 1/169, h. 134-135; Kafi, 1/212, h. 1-2, and 8/35; Tabari, 23/129-130; Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, p. 106; Hasakani, 2/175, h. 805-806.} There are also many narrations by the Prophet’s companions where they identify another companion as he who is humble in the watches of the night.^{‎[25]Amali.S, p. 282; Suyuti, 5/323.}

Notes: 1. These narrations present some examples and applications of this verse. Otherwise, the verse has a general meaning and can apply to anyone who has these qualities. 2. Based on the first group of narrations, the following subtlety can be deduced: as long as one possesses intellect, he will take admonition, and his intellect will direct him to learn and acquire knowledge, in case he is not already among those who know. Hence, those who do not know are not among those who possess intellect.^{‎[26]Furqan, 25/299, with some elaboration.}

7. Once, the Prophet came by the bedside of a young man who was about to die. He asked the man: ‘How do you find yourself?’ The man replied: ‘O Messenger of God, I am hopeful of God and fearful of my sins.’ The Prophet said: ‘These two qualities do not combine in the heart of any servant at a time like this except that God shall grant him what he hopes and shall make him secure of what he fears.’^{‎[27]Ibn Majah, 2/1423, h. 4261; Tirmidhi, 2/227, h. 988; Suyuti, 5/323.}
8. Once, Imam Ali (a) left the Mosque of Kufa for his home after the lapse of a quarter of the night, accompanied by his close companion Kumayl. They came across a house where a man was reciting this verse with a very sad and touching tone: Is he who is humble in the watches of the night, prostrating and standing, apprehensive of the hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord …? Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only those who possess intellect take admonition. Kumayl was impressed by this scene and admired the man in his mind without saying anything aloud. The Imam turned to him and said: ‘O Kumayl, let not the buzzing of his voice impress you, for indeed he is an inhabitant of hell. I shall inform you of this later on.’ Kumayl was astounded by the Imam reading his mind, as well as his testimony that this man is an inmate of hell despite his appealing state of piety and worship. Kumayl did not pursue this matter any further, until a long time later when the Kharijites came about and Imam Ali (a) fought against them. After the battle, the Imam turned to Kumayl who was next to him, placed his sword on one of the heads that were lying on the ground, and said: ‘O Kumayl, Is he who is humble in the watches of the night, prostrating and standing …’ Kumayl kissed the feet of the Imam and asked forgiveness of God.^{‎[28]Daylami, 2/226.}

Note: This moving account shows that just as mere knowledge is not sufficient for salvation, the same applies to mere worship and prayer. It also shows how one can never be assured of his end; the only solution is: So flee toward Allah (51:50).

One should take refuge

In the mercy of his Lord;

For a thousands of blessings

On the spirits He has poured.^{‎[29]Rūmī, Mathnawī, v. 1, line 1849.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It is common among many Muslims, including the scholars, to classify worshipping God in hope of paradise or in fear of hell as worthless. Some even deem such worship totally void and unacceptable. However, as Ālūsī has pointed out, this verse refutes this view.^{‎[30]Alusi, 12/237.} God has approved of these two drives in His servants in many verses in the Quran. One example is verse 15 of this surah, where God stresses the idea of loss three times, appealing to the reader’s natural tendency towards profit and self-interest.

It is interesting that at the end of the surah, Ālūsī has briefly mentioned a few points across the chapter as hints, intimations, and deeper levels of meaning. There he suggests a mystical meaning for apprehensive of the hereafter: it describes one who renounces otherworldly pleasures as he also renounces worldly pleasures and adornments. This is because he only strives for the pleasure and proximity of God. Then, concerning Are those who know equal to those who do not know? he says: ‘Are those who know how valuable their Lord is and thus seek Him, equal to those who do not know this and thus seek other-than-Him?’^{‎[31]Alusi, 12/291.}

This interpretation of apprehensive of the hereafter has no roots in the Quran. Not only that, but it is actually contrary to the Quran, where God invites and urges his servants to hasten toward the rewards and pleasures that He has created for them in the hereafter. It is unfortunate that this has been a common phenomenon throughout Muslim history, where one has been fascinated by some teaching or idea in a certain field (from lexicology to jurisprudence to mysticism), and has then expounded excitedly about how some verse of the Quran could be inferring the same meaning, without having a holistic look at the Quran or abiding by the basics of exegesis. Even the claim that ‘this could be a secondary or deeper level of meaning beyond the apparent and primary one’ needs evidence from the verse, the context, the chapter, and the rest of the book. The least condition is that whatever is being said should not contradict what the Quran teaches.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.^{‎[32]Psalms 147:11.}
2. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.^{‎[33]Psalms 111:10.}

Jeremiah told the people of Jerusalem:

3. Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him.^{‎[34]Lamentations 2:19.}

TOPICAL ARTICLES

See Topical Article: Knowledge and Reason in the Quran.

See Topical Article: Knowledge in the Quran.

See Topical Article: Sincerity and Intention.

[1] Raghib; Tahqiq, under q-n-t.
[2] Tibyan, 9/12.
[3] Alusi, 12/236.
[4] Qurtubi, 15/239.
[5] Qaraati, 8/150.
[6] Lisan; Raghib, under a-n-y; Tibyan, 9/13.
[7] Tabari, 23/129.
[8] Zamakhshari, 4/117.
[9] Lisan; Raghib, under l-b-b; Anṣāri, ʿĀrifānah, p. 128.
[10] For an excellent discussion on the difference between transmitted and intellectual knowledge, see Chittick, Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld, 2007).
[11] Munājāh Shaʿbāniyyah by Imam Ali (a) (Iqbal, 3/296).
[12] Kafi, 2/594.
[13] Razi, 26/438.
[14] Ahmad, 2/303, 329; Muslim, 3/169; Khisal, 2/523-524, h. 13; Amali.T, p. 540; Kanz, 7/784, h. 21397.
[15] Ahmad, 3/302, 314, 4/385; Muslim, 2/175; Ibn Majah, 1/456, h. 1421.
[16] Zamakhshari, 4/116.
[17] Kafi, 2/612, h. 5; Kanz, 1/530-531, h. 2374, and 7/796-799.
[18] Maani, p. 410, h. 96; Kanz, 2/305, h. 4067, and 7/316, h. 19048.
[19] Zamakhshari, 1/117.
[20] Nahj, sermon 160.
[21] Nahj, saying 150.
[22] Nahj, saying 82.
[23] Barqi, 1/193-194, h. 11; Kafi, 1/12-13, h. 11.
[24] Barqi, 1/169, h. 134-135; Kafi, 1/212, h. 1-2, and 8/35; Tabari, 23/129-130; Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, p. 106; Hasakani, 2/175, h. 805-806.
[25] Amali.S, p. 282; Suyuti, 5/323.
[26] Furqan, 25/299, with some elaboration.
[27] Ibn Majah, 2/1423, h. 4261; Tirmidhi, 2/227, h. 988; Suyuti, 5/323.
[28] Daylami, 2/226.
[29] Rūmī, Mathnawī, v. 1, line 1849.
[30] Alusi, 12/237.
[31] Alusi, 12/291.
[32] Psalms 147:11.
[33] Psalms 111:10.
[34] Lamentations 2:19.