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yuqallibu llāhu l-layla wa-n-nahāra ʾinna fī dhālika la-ʿibratan li-ʾulī l-ʾabṣāri
Allah alternates the night and the day. There is indeed a lesson in that for those who have insight.
— Ali Quli Qarai
24An-NūrالنورVerse 44 of 64
The Light24. An-Nūrالنور
Al Nūr
The Light
MedinanVerse 44 of 64
Sura An-Nur - Verse 44
44. “Allah alternates the night and the day; verily there is a lesson in this for those with sight.”
The shift and change of night and day is not accidental, but it is based on an exact system. A person of insight can learn lesson from all times and all places. The phenomena of the universe provide us lessons, that we do ponder them. In this noble verse, one of the signs of creation and Allah’s grandeur, which is the creation of day and night, is mentioned. It says:
“Allah alternates the night and the day; verily there is a lesson in this for those with sight.”
Commenting this holy verse, there are stated different opinions about how this revolution is: Some consider it as the coming and going of day and night; day comes and makes the night invisible and vice versa. Some say that it means shortening of one of them and prolonging of the other one, which happens gradually, and the formation of seasons depends on it. Finally, some say that it refers to the changes such as warmness, coldness, and other events that happen during the day and night.5
It must be mentioned that the above commentaries are not in conflict with each other, and it is possible that all of them are included in the Qur’anic phrase /yuqallibu/ (‘alternates’). Undoubtedly, as it is scientifically proven, both coming and going of the day and night, and gradual changes of them, are vitally important for man and it is a lesson for ‘those with sight’. Constant shining of sun increases temperature of the air, bums living creatures, and mentally wearies men, but when the darkness of night comes after this shining, it modifies it totally.
The gradual changes of day and night, which is the factor of formation of four seasons, play an important role in the growth of plants, the life of all living creatures, the descending of rain, and storing water in the ground.
Footnotes