وَاللَّيلِ إِذا يَغشاها

By the night when it covers her.

EXEGESIS

Yaghshāhā (covers her) is from the term ghishāwah which refers to when one thing covers another thing, such as in, When waves cover them (ghashiyahum) (31:32), referring to how waves enshroud people at sea.

The pronoun her can have two possible meanings: it can refer to the sun, meaning the night covers the sun through the movement of the earth, or it can refer to the earth, meaning the night engulfs the earth.^{‎[1]Munyah, 30/379; Mizan, 20/296; Mudarrisi, 18/134.}

EXPOSITION

The next oath is By the night when it is engulfed in darkness. Perhaps this is to point out that even the darkness of the night is significant in our life and plays an important role. If the sun were to continuously shine on specific parts of the earth, it would cause the temperature to increase beyond liveable conditions (see 6:96).

One may ask: why is the past tense used for the revealing of the day, but the present tense is used for covering of the night? Some commentators have suggested that the darkness of the night here is an allusion to the covering of ignorance and indecencies which had covered the Arabian Peninsula during the time of revelation, and using the past tense would not have given such an indication.^{‎[2]Munyah, 30/379; Mizan, 20/297.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It is reported from Ibn Abbas, that the Holy Prophet said: ‘My similitude amongst you is like the sun, and the similitude of Ali is like the moon. So, when the sun disappears, take guidance through the moon.’^{‎[3]Burhan, 5/671.}
2. It is reported from Ibn Abbas regarding His words, By the sun and her forenoon splendour (verse 1): ‘It is the Prophet (s).’ And By the moon when he follows her (verse 2): ‘It is Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib.’ And By the day when it reveals her (verse 3): ‘It is al-Hasan and al-Husayn (a).’ And By the night when it covers her (verse 4): ‘It is the Banī Umayyah.’^{‎[4]Burhan, 5/671; similar wording in Furat, 1/562-563.}
3. It is reported from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Regarding His words, By the sun and her forenoon splendour, it means the Holy Prophet (s), and By the moon when he follows her, it means Imam Ali (a), and By the day when it reveals her, it refers to the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) who would reign over the earth during the last days, they would fill it with justice and equity. The one who helps them is like the one who helped Moses against Pharoah, and the one who helps in going against them is like the one who helped Pharoah against Moses.’^{‎[5]Furat, 1/563.}

Note: These narrations are instances of the application of the verses and not their interpretations.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

According to Rāzī, some have opined that the word ‘lord’ is implicit in these oaths, and thus, for example, the verse is actually saying: By the Lord of the sun and her forenoon splendour, and by the Lord of the moon when he follows her.^{‎[6]Razi, 31/173.}

Ibn Āshūr suggests that the possible wisdom behind the mentioning of the oaths in the above manner, such that the chapter first begins with the sun and then the moon, followed by day and night, is to try and draw a parallel between the religion of Islam and these phenomena. The religion of Islam gives guidance in the same way that the sun emits its rays, such that there is no room for misguidance. It also suggests a prediction that Islam would spread all over the earth just as sunlight spreads over the earth. The moon gives light during times of darkness, and similarly, Islam gave light during an era of disbelief and polytheism. Day and night are clear and visible just as Islam is clear and visible amidst polytheism and disbelief.^{‎[7]Ibn Ashur, 30/324.}

Another possibility that understands the esoteric nature of the verse – based on narrations that indicate that the covering of the night refers to the illegitimate governments such as that of Banī Umayyah, and the revealing of the day refers to the rising of Imam al-Mahdī (a) who will restore justice – is that the present tense is used to indicate the continuous nature of illegitimate and oppressive regimes that have been in place since the death of the Prophet, and will only come to an end after the reappearance of the awaited, Imam al-Mahdī (a).^{‎[8]Furqan, 30/333.}

[1] Munyah, 30/379; Mizan, 20/296; Mudarrisi, 18/134.
[2] Munyah, 30/379; Mizan, 20/297.
[3] Burhan, 5/671.
[4] Burhan, 5/671; similar wording in Furat, 1/562-563.
[5] Furat, 1/563.
[6] Razi, 31/173.
[7] Ibn Ashur, 30/324.
[8] Furqan, 30/333.