40:61

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيۡلَ لِتَسۡكُنُواْ فِيهِ وَٱلنَّهَارَ مُبۡصِرًاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضۡلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشۡكُرُونَ

Allahu allathee jaAAala lakumu allayla litaskunoo feehi waalnnahara mubsiran inna Allaha lathoo fadlin AAala alnnasi walakinna akthara alnnasi la yashkuroona

It is Allah who made for you the night that you may rest therein and the day giving sight. Indeed, Allah is full of bounty to the people, but most of the people are not grateful.

Word by word
  1. ٱللَّهُAllah
  2. ٱلَّذِي(is) the One Who
  3. جَعَلَmade
  4. لَكُمُfor you
  5. ٱلَّيۡلَthe night
  6. لِتَسۡكُنُواْthat you may rest
  7. فِيهِin it
  8. وَٱلنَّهَارَand the day
  9. مُبۡصِرًاۚgiving visibility
  10. إِنَّIndeed
  11. ٱللَّهَAllah
  12. لَذُو(is) Full (of) Bounty
  13. فَضۡلٍ(is) Full (of) Bounty
  14. عَلَىto
  15. ٱلنَّاسِthe people
  16. وَلَٰكِنَّbut
  17. أَكۡثَرَmost
  18. ٱلنَّاسِ(of) the people
  19. لَا(do) not
  20. يَشۡكُرُونَgive thanks
Ghafir · 40:61Makkah

Night to rest, day to see. Most do not say thanks.

The daily rhythm as a gift


The daily cycle
nightrest from work
daylight to travel and earn
met with
no thanksmost people
What sleep is
lost timejust a body need
a giftso you can return

Ibn Kathir says Allah reminds us that He gave the night to rest from our activities and the day with its light for journeys and business. Yet most people do not show gratitude for it.

You scroll past midnight, wake up tired, curse the alarm. Then rush into the daylight to work. The whole rhythm is a gift you never asked for. Thanks can start with how you treat your sleep.

Night and day are just how things are.

Rest at night and light by day are gifts from Allah worth thanking Him for.

Try this

Tonight, put your phone away ten minutes earlier and thank Allah for sleep.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Allah, it is He Who has made the night for you that you may rest therein and the day for you to see. Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind; yet, most of mankind give no thanks (61)That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, La ilaha ila Huwa. How then are you turning away (62)Thus were turned away those who used to deny the Ayat of Allah (63)Allah, it is He Who has made for you the earth as a dwelling place and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape and made your shapes good and pure (looking) and has provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord, so Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all that exists (64)He is the Ever Living, La ilaha illa Huwa; so invoke Him making the religion for Him Alone. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exits (65)

Signs of the Power and Oneness of Allah

Allah reminds us of His grace towards His creation in that He has given them the night in which they rest and relax from their activities so that they can go back to them for their livelihood during the day. He has given them the day with its light, so that they can undertake their journeys and engage in their business.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ 

(Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind; yet, most of mankind give no thanks.) means, they do not express gratitude for the favors which Allah bestows upon them. Then Allah says:

ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ 

(That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, La ilaha illa Huwa.) means, the One Who does all of these things is Allah, the One, the Unique, the Creator of all things, besides Whom there is no other god or lord.

فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

(How then are you turning away?) means, 'how can you worship idols which cannot create anything but are themselves hand-made and carved?'

كَذَٰلِكَ يُؤْفَكُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

(Thus were turned away those who used to deny the Ayat of Allah) means, just as these people [Quraysh] were led astray by their worship of gods other than Allah, those who came before them also disbelieved and worshipped others, with no proof or evidence, but on the basis of ignorance and desires. They denied the signs and proof of Allah.

اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا

(Allah, it is He Who has made for you the earth as a dwelling place) means, 'He made it stable and spread it out for you, so that you might live on it and travel about in it; He strengthened it with the mountains so that it does not shake with you.'

وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً

(and the sky as a canopy,) means, 'a roof covering and protecting the world.'

وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ

(and has given you shape and made your shapes good) means, 'He created you in the best and most perfect form.'

 وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ

(and has provided you with good and pure things.) means, of food and drink in this world. Allah states that that He is the Creator of the dwelling place and of the inhabitants and of the provision; He is the Creator and Provider, as He says in Surat Al-Baqarah:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَنْدَادًا وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may have Taqwa. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah while you know.)(2:21-22)

And here Allah says, after mentioning the creation of all these things:

ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ 

(That is Allah, your Lord, so Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all that exists.) meaning, exalted and sanctified and glorified be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Then He says:

هُوَ الْحَيُّ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

(He is the Ever Living, La ilaha illa Huwa;) means, He is the Ever Living, from eternity to eternity, Who was, is and shall be, the First and the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden.

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

(La ilaha illa Huwa) means, there is none comparable or equal to Him.

فَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ

(so invoke Him making the religion for Him Alone.) means, affirm His Oneness by testifying that there is no God but He. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

Imam Ahmad recorded that after ending every prayer, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr used to say:

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ،لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَلَا نَعْبُدُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، لَهُ النِّعْمَةُ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ وَلَهُ الثَّنَاءُ الْحَسَنُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ

(There is no (true) God except Allah Alone with no partner or associate, to Him belongs the dominion and praise, for He is able to do all things; there is no strength and no power except with Allah; there is no (true) God except Allah and we worship none but Him; to Him belong blessings and virtue and goodly praise; there is no (true) God except Allah, we worship Him in all sincerity even though the disbelievers may hate that.)

He said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say the Tahlil in this fashion after every prayer." Similar was also recorded by Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i.