Surah 92 · Meccan · 21 Verses
الليل
SURAH AL-LAYL
The Night
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ
And [by] the day when it appears
وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰٓ
And [by] He who created the male and female,
إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ
Indeed, your efforts are diverse.
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَٱتَّقَىٰ
As for he who gives and fears Allāh
وَصَدَّقَ بِٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
And believes in the best [reward].
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
We will ease him toward ease.
وَأَمَّا مَنۢ بَخِلَ وَٱسْتَغْنَىٰ
But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need
وَكَذَّبَ بِٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
And denies the best [reward],
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ
We will ease him toward difficulty.
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ
Indeed, [incumbent] upon Us is guidance.
وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْءَاخِرَةَ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ
And indeed, to us belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].
فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًۭا تَلَظَّىٰ
So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing.
لَا يَصْلَىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْأَشْقَى
None will [enter to] burn therein except the most wretched one
ٱلَّذِى كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
Who had denied and turned away.
وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَتْقَى
But the righteous one will avoid it –
ٱلَّذِى يُؤْتِى مَالَهُۥ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
[He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself
إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ
But only seeking the face [i.e., acceptance] of his Lord, Most High.
وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ
And he is going to be satisfied.
About This Surah
Surah Al-Layl contrasts night and day, male and female, and above all divergent human striving. Giving, reverence and affirming the best lead toward ease, while withholding, self-sufficiency and denial lead toward hardship. Wealth cannot rescue a person from ruin, and sincere giving should seek God’s pleasure rather than repayment from recipients.
The opening contrasts covering night with revealing day and then states that human efforts move in different directions. The surah does not describe one social class as automatically righteous; it identifies moral choices.
The first pattern combines giving, reverence and affirming the best. The second combines stinginess, a sense of self-sufficiency and denial. Each path is “eased” toward its fitting end, a formulation that should be read with the choices named rather than used to erase responsibility.
Wealth proves unable to benefit a person at the moment of ruin. Guidance belongs to God, and both the last and first life belong to Him. A blazing fire is warned for deep rejection.
The God-conscious giver is kept away from it: wealth is given for purification, not because the recipient owes a favor. The giver seeks the pleasure of the Most High and will be satisfied. Charity here is anti-transactional, not a technique for controlling divine reward.
The chapter can be reread in two movements: begin with “Contrasts and divergent striving,” then observe how the argument reaches “Guidance, warning and sincere generosity.” Use 92:17–21 to test the relationship between “Human striving takes morally different directions” and “Giving is joined to reverence and truth.” Reading in sequence protects the text from proof-texting, keeps warning and hope in proportion, and makes clear which conclusions arise directly from the cited verses and which would need additional evidence.
Core Themes
- Human striving takes morally different directions
- Giving is joined to reverence and truth
- Self-sufficiency can become a spiritual illusion
- Wealth cannot rescue its owner
- Sincere generosity does not purchase gratitude
Structure
Verses 1-4: contrasts and divergent striving — 1-4
Verses 1-4 focus on contrasts and divergent striving.
Verses 5-11: giving and withholding paths — 5-11
Verses 5-11 focus on giving and withholding paths.
Verses 12-21: guidance, warning and sincere generosity — 12-21
Verses 12-21 focus on guidance, warning and sincere generosity.
Key Passages
Night, day and striving — 1-4
Verses 1-4 address night, day and striving.
Two moral patterns — 5-10
Verses 5-10 address two moral patterns.
Wealth, guidance and warning — 11-16
Verses 11-16 address wealth, guidance and warning.
Giving for purification — 17-21
Verses 17-21 address giving for purification.
Interpretation Limits
- Do not use the passage to teach financial prosperity in exchange for charity.
- Do not claim wealth or poverty automatically reveals a person’s final status.
- Do not remove human responsibility from the language of being eased.