Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
wa-al-layli idhā yaghshā
By the night when it covers
2
٢
wal-nahāri idhā tajallā
And [by] the day when it appears
3
٣
wamā khalaqa l-dhakara wal-unthā
And [by] He who created the male and female,
4
٤
inna saʿyakum lashattā
Indeed, your efforts are diverse.
5
٥
fa-ammā man aʿṭā wa-ittaqā
As for he who gives and fears Allāh
6
٦
waṣaddaqa bil-ḥus'nā
And believes in the best [reward],
7
٧
fasanuyassiruhu lil'yus'rā
We will ease him toward ease.
8
٨
wa-ammā man bakhila wa-is'taghnā
But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need
9
٩
wakadhaba bil-ḥus'nā
And denies the best [reward],
10
١٠
fasanuyassiruhu lil'ʿus'rā
We will ease him toward difficulty.
11
١١
wamā yugh'nī ʿanhu māluhu idhā taraddā
And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?
12
١٢
inna ʿalaynā lalhudā
Indeed, [incumbent] upon Us is guidance.
13
١٣
wa-inna lanā lalākhirata wal-ūlā
And indeed, to us belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].
14
١٤
fa-andhartukum nāran talaẓẓā
So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing.
15
١٥
lā yaṣlāhā illā l-ashqā
None will [enter to] burn therein except the most wretched one
16
١٦
alladhī kadhaba watawallā
Who had denied and turned away.
17
١٧
wasayujannabuhā l-atqā
But the righteous one will avoid it
18
١٨
alladhī yu'tī mālahu yatazakkā
[He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself
19
١٩
wamā li-aḥadin ʿindahu min niʿ'matin tuj'zā
And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded
20
٢٠
illā ib'tighāa wajhi rabbihi l-aʿlā
But only seeking the face [i.e., acceptance] of his Lord, Most High.
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Surah Al-Layl (The Night) — Full Text
Ayah 1
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
By the night when it covers1
Allah opens this surah by swearing an oath by the night when it blankets everything in darkness. In the Quran, when Allah swears by something, it's to grab your attention for what's coming next. The night here isn't just a time of day — it represents one side of a pair of opposites that Allah is about to use to set up the whole theme of the surah. Just like darkness and light are total contrasts, the people this surah describes are headed in completely opposite directions.
Ayah 2
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ
And [by] the day when it appears
And then by the day when it shines through with its light and radiance. Night and day are opposites that everyone experiences, and Allah is using these natural contrasts to make a point: just as the world is built on pairs and opposites, human beings also split into two very different categories based on how they choose to live. The creation around us is purposeful and designed — and that design extends to how our choices lead to very different outcomes.
Ayah 3
وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰٓ
And [by] He who created the male and female,
And by the One who created male and female. This is the third oath — swearing by the Creator Himself and His power to create everything in pairs. Male and female, night and day, darkness and light — everything exists as part of a pair. The point is that in a universe this deliberately designed, it would make zero sense for good and evil to have the same consequences. The contrast in creation is a sign that there will be a contrast in how people end up too.
Ayah 4
إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ
Indeed, your efforts are diverse.
Here's the punchline of all those oaths: your efforts and pursuits in life are wildly different from each other. Every morning you wake up and hustle for something — but some people are hustling toward eternal success while others are unknowingly grinding toward their own ruin. The Prophet said that every person goes out each morning and either frees themselves or destroys themselves by how they spend their day. This surah is about to break down exactly what separates those two types.
Ayah 5
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَٱتَّقَىٰ
As for he who gives and fears Allāh
Now Allah introduces Person #1: the one who gives generously and is mindful of Allah. This is someone who spends what they have — their money, time, and energy — for the sake of Allah, and who lives with taqwa, meaning a deep awareness of Allah that shapes how they move through life. These verses were partly revealed about Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who used his personal wealth to free enslaved Muslims being tortured in Makkah, even when his own father told him it wasn't strategic.
Ayah 6
وَصَدَّقَ بِٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
And believes in the best [reward],
And believes in al-Husna — the best outcome, the ultimate good. Al-Husna here refers to the promise of reward from Allah, the truth of faith itself, and the reality of the Hereafter. It's basically believing that your good deeds actually matter and that Allah will come through on His promises. This person's generosity isn't random charity — it's fueled by genuine conviction that what Allah has in store is infinitely better than anything this world can offer.
Ayah 7
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
We will ease him toward ease.
For that person, Allah will smooth their path toward ease. This doesn't just mean an easy life — it means Allah will make it natural and effortless for them to keep doing good. The more you invest in good deeds, the easier they become, almost like building a spiritual muscle. You'll feel drawn to prayer, charity will come naturally, and making the right choices will just feel like who you are. The path to Paradise literally gets smoothed out beneath your feet.
Ayah 8
وَأَمَّا مَنۢ بَخِلَ وَٱسْتَغْنَىٰ
But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need
Now flip the script — here comes Person #2: the one who's stingy and hoards what they have. This isn't just about money; it's someone who withholds good from others and clings to what's theirs. They don't give because they don't see the point. Why share what you've worked for? Why sacrifice your comfort? This mindset of holding tight and never letting go is the first red flag of someone heading down the wrong path.
Ayah 9
وَكَذَّبَ بِٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
And denies the best [reward],
And considers themselves self-sufficient — basically thinking they don't need Allah. This is the attitude of someone who looks at their bank account, their status, or their connections and thinks 'I'm good, I don't need anyone.' They've convinced themselves they can handle life on their own and don't need to answer to a higher power. It's the ultimate form of arrogance: feeling too rich, too successful, or too independent to turn to your Creator.
Ayah 10
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُۥ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ
We will ease him toward difficulty.
And denies al-Husna — rejects the promise of Allah's reward and the truth of faith. While Person #1 believed in the best outcome, this person writes it off completely. They don't believe in accountability, they dismiss the Hereafter, and they think this life is all there is. When you deny the reward, why would you ever sacrifice? When you don't believe in the destination, why would you bother with the journey?
Ayah 11
وَمَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُ مَالُهُۥٓ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰٓ
And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?1
And what's his wealth going to do for him when he falls into ruin? Whether that's falling into the grave or falling into the Fire, the answer is the same: nothing. All that money they hoarded, all those assets they clung to — completely useless. This is the reality check: wealth without purpose is just numbers. It can't bribe your way out of death and it can't buy you a pass on Judgment Day.
Ayah 12
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ
Indeed, [incumbent] upon Us is guidance.
For that person, Allah will smooth their path toward hardship and ruin. And this is terrifying because just like good habits compound, bad ones do too. The more you choose selfishness and denial, the more natural those choices become until doing evil actually feels comfortable and doing good feels weird. It's a downward spiral — not because Allah is being unfair, but because you used your free will to walk that direction and Allah let you keep going.
Ayah 13
وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْـَٔاخِرَةَ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ
And indeed, to us belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].
It is upon Us to provide guidance. Allah takes the responsibility of showing humanity the right path — He sent prophets, revealed scriptures, and made the truth clear. What you choose to do with that guidance is on you. But know that Allah didn't leave you to figure things out alone; the roadmap is there. This verse is reassuring: if you genuinely want to find the right way, Allah has already laid it out for you.
Ayah 14
فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّىٰ
So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing.
And truly, to Us belongs the Hereafter and this life. Allah owns it all — both worlds are His domain. This means the rewards and consequences of both worlds are entirely in His hands. You can't game the system or find a loophole. Whether it's the temporary comforts of this life or the eternal reality of the next one, everything circles back to Him. So who are you really trying to impress?
Ayah 15
لَا يَصْلَىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْأَشْقَى
None will [enter to] burn therein except the most wretched one
So I have warned you of a Fire that blazes fiercely. The Prophet delivered this warning with such intensity that narrations describe his voice carrying across the entire marketplace. This isn't a hypothetical — it's a direct, urgent warning from the Creator of the universe through His Messenger. The Fire is real, it's blazing, and it's waiting for those who chose the wrong path. Consider yourself warned.
Ayah 16
ٱلَّذِى كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
Who had denied and turned away.
No one will be thrown into it permanently except the most wretched — the one who denied the truth and turned away from it completely. This is someone who rejected faith in their heart and refused to act on it with their body. They heard the message and said 'no thanks.' The key detail is that this permanent, inescapable punishment is specifically for those who utterly rejected faith, not for believers who slipped up along the way.
Ayah 17
وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَتْقَى
But the righteous one will avoid it
Who denied the truth in their heart and turned their back on good deeds entirely. This is the double whammy: internal denial plus external rejection. They didn't just have doubts — they actively chose to walk away from every chance they had. The scholars clarify that this combo of denying and turning away is what defines the truly wretched: it's not someone who struggles with faith or makes mistakes, but someone who completely closes the door.
Ayah 18
ٱلَّذِى يُؤْتِى مَالَهُۥ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
[He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself
But the most God-conscious person will be kept far away from that Fire. This is beautiful — not just saved from it, but distanced from it entirely. The word used in Arabic implies being removed and shielded from it completely. This is the ultimate safety net for someone who lived their life with taqwa — that deep, consistent awareness of Allah that shapes every decision they make.
Ayah 19
وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُۥ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰٓ
And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded1
The one who gives their wealth away to purify themselves. This is giving with the purest intention — not for clout, not for a tax break, not to have people think you're generous. The goal is tazkiyah, spiritual purification. You're literally cleaning your soul through charity. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spent enormous amounts of his personal wealth to free enslaved Muslims in Makkah — not because they could repay him, but because he wanted nothing except Allah's pleasure.
Ayah 20
إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ
But only seeking the face [i.e., acceptance] of his Lord, Most High.
And no one has done them a favor that they're paying back — they're only seeking the pleasure of their Lord, the Most High. This is the purest form of generosity: no strings attached, no favors being returned, no expectation of anything from anyone. Abu Bakr's own father questioned why he freed weak and elderly slaves instead of strong men who could protect him. His response? 'I only want what is with Allah.' That's the energy of this verse — giving solely because Allah's approval is worth more than anything anyone could offer you.
Ayah 21
وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ
And he is going to be satisfied.
And that person will absolutely be satisfied. What a way to end the surah — with a divine guarantee of contentment. After painting the contrast between two radically different types of people, Allah closes with this promise: whoever gives sincerely, lives with God-consciousness, and seeks only His pleasure WILL be pleased with what Allah gives them in return. This verse was revealed about Abu Bakr, and it's one of the highest honors any human could receive — a personal promise of satisfaction from God Himself, delivered while he was still alive.