Quran Universe
28:72

قُلۡ أَرَءَيۡتُمۡ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلنَّهَارَ سَرۡمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ مَنۡ إِلَٰهٌ غَيۡرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأۡتِيكُم بِلَيۡلٖ تَسۡكُنُونَ فِيهِۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ

Qul araaytum in jaAAala Allahu AAalaykumu alnnahara sarmadan ila yawmi alqiyamati man ilahun ghayru Allahi yateekum bilaylin taskunoona feehi afala tubsiroona

Say, "Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the day continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you a night in which you may rest? Then will you not see?"

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. أَرَءَيۡتُمۡHave you seen
  3. إِنif
  4. جَعَلَAllah made
  5. ٱللَّهُAllah made
  6. عَلَيۡكُمُfor you
  7. ٱلنَّهَارَthe day
  8. سَرۡمَدًاcontinuous
  9. إِلَىٰtill
  10. يَوۡمِ(the) Day
  11. ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrection
  12. مَنۡwho
  13. إِلَٰهٌ(is the) god
  14. غَيۡرُbesides
  15. ٱللَّهِAllah
  16. يَأۡتِيكُمwho could bring you
  17. بِلَيۡلٖnight
  18. تَسۡكُنُونَ(for) you (to) rest
  19. فِيهِۚin it
  20. أَفَلَاThen will not
  21. تُبۡصِرُونَyou see
Al-Qasas · 28:72Makkah

And what if the day never stopped?

Rest as a gift, not a weakness

Imagine
endless dayno rest, always moving
who could bring
nightto rest in
only
Allahwill you not see?
What rest is
wasted timeI should be working
a giftbrought by Allah

If the day never ended, Ibn Kathir says, their bodies would get tired from so much movement and activity. Only Allah could bring a night to rest from your work. The verse asks: will you not see?

Your laptop is open at midnight. The emails never stop and your phone glows by the bed. Night is Allah's gift so you can stop. Treating rest as laziness is turning down something He made for you.

Resting means I am falling behind.

Night and rest are mercies from Allah, given so my body can recover.

Try this

Tonight, put your phone away thirty minutes before sleep and thank Allah for the night.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 28:71)

Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the night continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you light? Will you not then hear? (71)Say: "Tell me! If Allah made the day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest? Will you not then see? (72)It is out of His mercy that He has made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and that you may seek of His bounty – and in order that you may be grateful (73)

Night and Day are among the Blessings of Allah and are Signs of Tawhid

Allah reminds His servants of His favors towards them by subjugating for them the night and day, without which they could not survive. He explains that if He made the night continuous, lasting until the Day of Resurrection, that would be harmful for them and would cause boredom and stress. So He says:

 مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِضِيَاءٍ

(which god besides Allah could bring you light?) meaning, 'with which you could see things and which would bring you relief?'

أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ

(Will you not then hear?) Then Allah tells us that if He had made the day continuous, lasting until the Day of Resurrection, that would also be harmful for them and their bodies would get tired from so much movement and activity. Allah says:

مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ 

(which god besides Allah could bring you night wherein you rest?) meaning, 'to rest from your work and activity.'

أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ - وَمِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ

(Will you not then see? It is out of His mercy) towards you,

جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ

(that He has made for you the night and the day) He created both,

لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ

(that you may rest therein) during the night,

وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ

(and that you may seek of His bounty) during the day, by traveling, moving about and working.

وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

(and in order that you may be grateful.) So that you may give thanks to Allah by performing all kinds of acts of worship at night and during the day. Whoever misses something during the night can make it up during the day, and vice versa. This is like the Ayah,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُورًا 

(And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.)(25:62). And there are many similar Ayat.