In the Shade of the Qur'an

THE NIGHT
                                  AL-LAIL

            In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

By the night when she lets fall her darkness, by the day in full
splendour, by Him who created the male and the female: surely your
striving is diverse. For him who gives and is godfearing and believes
in that which is the Best We shall smooth the way to perfect ease.
But as for him who is a miser and deems himself self-sufficient,
and calls the Best a lie We shall smooth his way to affliction. His
wealth will not avail him when he falls headlong. It is for Us to give
guidance, and to Us belong the End and the Beginning. I warn you,
therefore, of the fiercely blazing fire, in which none shall burn
but the most wretched, who denies the truth and turns away. Preserved
from it will be the righteous who gives away his money to purify
himself, not in recompense of any favour done Him by anyone. He
simply seeks the pleasure of His Lord, the Most High. He shall
indeed be well content.

                         In the Shade of the Qur'an

Within a framework of scenes taken from the universe and the realm
of human nature, this surah states emphatically the basic facts of
action and reward. This issue had diverse aspects: "Surely your striv-
ing is diverse. For him who gives and is godfearing, and believes in that
which is the Best, We shall smooth the way to perfect ease. But as for
him who is a miser and deems himself self-sufficient, and calls the Best a
lie, We shall smooth his way to affliction. " The end in the hereafter is
also varied, according to the type of action and the direction taken in
this life: "I warn you, therefore, of the, fiercely blazing fire in which
none shall burn but the most wretched, who denies the truth and turns
away. Preserved from it will be the righteous who gives away his money
to purify himself. "

The subject matter of the surah, i.e., action and reward, is by nature
double directional, so the framework chosen for it at the beginning of
the surah is of dual colouring. It is based on contrasting aspects in the
creation of man and the universe: "By the night when she lets fall her
darkness, by the day in full splendour, by Him who created the male and
the female. " This is one form of artistic harmony extensively used in
the Qur'an.' [1]

"By the night when she lets fall her darkness; by the day in full splen-
dour, by Him who created the male and the female. " Allah swears by
these two of His signs, namely, the night and the day, and describes
them by the scene each produces on the horizon: the night as she
enshrouds everything with her veil of darkness, and the day as it
attains its full splendour. The night covers and conceals thc land and
all there is on it, and the day brightens up and makes every object
apparent and visible. The two times are contrasting in the astro-
logical cycle and in their respective scenes, qualities and effects.
Allah also swears by His creation of all species in two contrasting
sexes: "by Him who created the male and the female." This completes
the contrast in the general atmosphere of the surah as well, as in the
facts it emphasises. The night and the day are two general phenom-
ena which carry a certain message with which they inspire the human
heart. The human soul is automatically affected by the cycle of the
night and its curtain and the day and its splendid brightening. This
continuous succession of night and day specks the universe, its mys-
terious secrets and phenomena over which man has no control. It
suggests that there is a power which controls time in the universe as if
it was a simple wheel. It also tells of the never-ending change in the
universe.

As one contemplates and meditates upon these phenomena one is
bound to conclude that there is an able hand which controls the uni-
verse and alternates the night and the day in that perfect, unfailing
accuracy. One is also bound to conclude that the hand of Allah also
controls the lives of men. He has not created them in vain, and He
does not abandon them to lead a life without purpose.

However the disbelievers try to drown this reality and divert atten-
tion away from it, the human heart remains responsive to this uni-
verse. It receives its intimations and ponders over its changes and
phenomena. Contemplation and meditation endorse its innate feel-
ing that there is a Controller whose presence is bound to be felt and
recognised in spite of all nonsense and conceited denials.

The same applies to the creation of male and female. In man and
the mammals it all starts with a living germ settling in a womb, a
sperm which unites with a cell. What is the reason then for this differ-
ence in outcome? What is it that says to one germ, "Be a male", and
to another, "Be a female"? Discovery of the operative factors does
not make the matter any different. How do the male factors exist in
one case and the female ones in the other? What makes the end pro-
duct, I.e., division of the species into two sexes, so fitting with the
course of life as a whole and a guarantee of its continuity through
procreation?

Is it all a coincidence? Even coincidence has a rule which deems it
impossible for all those elements to come together accidentally. The
only explanation is that there is a Controller in charge Who creates
the male and the female according to a carefully worked-out plan
which has a definite objective. There is no room for chance in the
order of this universe.

Moreover, the male and female division is not limited to mam-
malia alone: it is applicable to all animate species, including plants.
Singularity and oneness belong only to the Creator Who has no
parallel whatever.

Allah swears by these contrasting aspects of the universe and of
man's creation and constitution that the striving of human beings is
diverse, the roads they follow lead to different ends. Hence, their re-
ward is also diverse. Good is not the same as evil, following the right
guidance is unlike wrong-doing, and righteousness is different from
corruption. Generosity and godfearing are unlike hoarding and con-
ceit. The faithful are unlike those devoid of faith. Variance of
ways necessitates variance of destinations. The reward is also
appropriately different: "Surely your striving is diverse. For him who
gives and is godfearing, and believes in that which is the Best, We shall
smooth the way to perfect ease. But as for him who is a miser and deems
himself self-sufficient, and calls the Best a lie, We shall smooth his way
to affliction. Iiis wealth will not avail him when hefallsheadlong."

" Your striving is diverse." It varies in essence, motives, directions
and results. Men have diverse temperaments, environments, con-
cepts and concerns, so much so that every man seems to be a distinct
world by himself living in his own, special planet.

This is a fact, but along with it there is another general fact which
applies to all beings and their different worlds. It groups them in two
distinct classes and two contrasting positions. It assigns to each its
distinctive label: "who gives and is godfearing and believes in that
which is the Best;" and, "who is a miser and deems himself self-
sufficient and calls the Best a lie. "

These are the two positions at which the disparate souls line up
where all the diverse striving and the divergent ways of life end. Each
group has its way in this life smoothed, all obstructions removed:
"For him who gives and is godfearing, and believes in that which is Best,
We shall smooth the way to perfect ease." He who is charitable and
godfearing and believes in the ideology which has the Best as its title
has indeed done his best to purify himself seeking right guidance.
Hence, he deserves the help and grace which Allah has, by His own
will, committed Himself to provide. For without this grace man finds
himself absolutely helpless. He whose path to perfect ease and com-
fort is made smooth by Allah achieves something certainly great, and
achieves it with ease and in this life. He lives in ease. Ease flows from
him to all around him. Ease becomes characteristic of his movement,
action and handling of all things and situations. Success coupled
with quiet contentedness becomes the distinctive mark of his life, all
its details and its general aspects. He attains the highest grade of all,
in the sense that he joins the Prophet as recipients of Allah's promise
to His messenger: " We will indeed facilitate for you the way to perfect
ease. '" [2].

But for him who is a miser and deems himself self-sufficient. and
calls the Best a lie We shall smooth his way to affliction. His
wealth will not avail him when he falls headlong.

He who sacrifices nothing of himself or his wealth, professes that
he is in no need of His Lord or His guidance and disbelieves in His
message and religion, makes himself most vulnerable to evil. He
deserves for so doing that everything should be made hard for him.
Hence, Allah makes easy his path to affliction, and withholds from
him all kinds of help. Allah makes every stride he takes really hard,
drives him away from the path of the right guidance, and leaves him
to traverse the valleys of misery, although he may imagine himself to
be taking the road to success. How greatly mistaken he is! He loses
balance so he tries to avoid falling only to go down heavily, and finds
himself further away from the path set by Allah, deprived of His
pleasure. When he falls headlong eventually he can make no use of
the wealth he has hoarded and which has caused him to imagine him-
self in no need of Allah or His guidance. "His wealth will not avail him
when he falls headlong." Facilitating evil and sin is the same as facili-
tating the way to affliction, even though the sinful person may be suc-
cessful and prosperous in this life. For is there any affliction worse
than Hell? Indeed, Hell is affliction itself.

Thus the first part of the surah ends having made clear that there
are only two ways for all mankind in all times and places. All human-
ity is in two parties under two headings however numerous are their
colours and forms.

The second part states the fate of each group. It emphasises firstly
that the end and reward of each group is fair and inevitable, for guid-
ance has been provided and warnings have been issued: "It is for Us
to provide guidance, and to Us belong the End and the Beginning. I warn
you, therefore. of the fiercely blazing fire. in which none shall burn but
the most wretched who denies the truth and turns away. Preserved from
it will be the righteous, who gives away his money to purify himself, not
in recompense of any favour done him by anyone. He simply seeks the
pleasure of His Lord, the Most High. He shall indeed be well content."

One aspect of Allah's grace and mercy to His servants is that He
has taken upon Himself to provide clear guidance readily acceptable
to human nature, and to explain it as well through His messages and
messengers, and by means of the signs He has provided. Thus, no one
will have a valid argument for his deviation, and no one will suffer
injustice: "It is for Us to give guidance. "

Then follows a straightforward statement of the essence of the
power which has control over man and all around him, from which
he can have no shelter: "and to Us belong the End and the Beginning. "

By way of elaboration on the two facts just mentioned, namely,
Allah's provision of guidance and that to Him belongs this life and
the hereafter, i.e., the realms of actions and reward, there is a
reminder to us that He has cautioned and warned: "I warn you, there-
fore, of the fiercely blazing fire. " It is only the most wretched of man-
kind who are thrown in this fire. Indeed there is no wretchedness
Worse than suffering in Hell: "in which none shall burn but the rmost
wretched." Then follows a description of the most wretched. It is
he "who denies the truth and turns away." He denies this message
and turns away from Divine guidance. He does not answer his Lord's
beckoning to him so that He may guide him as He has promised any
one who comes towards Him with open mind.

"Preserved from it will be the righteous." who will be the happiest in
contrast with the most wretched. The righteous, the surah explains, is
the one "who gives away his money to purity himself", not for any
vanity or to satisfy any snobbish feeling. He spends it voluntarily not
out of any indebtedness to anybody, seeking no gratitude from
anyone. His only objective is the pleasure of his Lord, the Most
Exalted: "nor in recompense of any favour done him by anyone. He
simply seeks the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High. "

What can the righteous person expect in return for spending his
money in self-purification, for the pleasure of his Exalted Lord? The
reward which the Qur'an states is indeed astonishing: "He shall
indeed be well content. " It is the satisfaction which fills the believer's
heart and soul, animates everything in his life, and radiates through
him. What a reward, and what grace! "He shall indeed be well con-
tent. " He will be satisfied with his religion, his Lord and his destiny.
He will be content with whatever befalls him of comfort or dis-
comfort, and whether he is poor or wealthy. He will be free of anxiety
and hard feelings. He does not worry about his burden being too
heavy or his objective too far. This satisfaction is in itself a reward,
great beyond description. Only the person who sacrifices hlmself and
his wealth for it and who seeks to purify himself and to win the pleas-
ure of Allah deserves this reward. It is Allah alone Who can pour such
a reward into the hearts which submit to Him with all sincerity and
pure devotion. Having paid the price, the believer "shall indeed be
well content. " At this point, the reward comes as a surprise, but it is a
surprise awaited by the one who attains the standard of the
righteous, whose main qualifications are spending for self purifica-
tion and seeking the pleasure of Allah. Such a person will be well
pleased and well satisfied.

[1]. For a fuller treatment of this reference may be made to the chapter
     entitled "Artistic Harmony" in the author's book "The Qur'anic Art
     of Picture Drawing" (Arabic).

[2]. 87:8