How is the night defined?

Sources

• ✓ 17:12 · Al-Israa

  17:12 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةًۭ لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ فَصَّلْنَٰهُ تَفْصِيلًۭا

  And We appoint the night and the day two portents. Then We make dark the portent of the night, and We make the portent of the day sight-giving, that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and that ye may know the computation of the years, and the reckoning; and everything have We expounded with a clear expounding.

• ✓ 97:5 · Al-Qadr

  97:5 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  سَلَٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ

  (The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 17:12

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 17:12

  Allah Most High has graciously bestowed significant signs upon His creation, among them the alternation of night and day. This alternation serves practical purposes: it allows people to rest during the night and to disperse in daylight for their livelihoods, crafts, various tasks, and travels. Moreover, it enables them to count the number of days, weeks, months, and years, facilitating the calculation of deadlines related to debts, acts of worship, contracts, leases, and so forth. This is why Allah says, "So that you may seek bounty from your Lord and know the number of years and the account." Had time consisted of a single uninterrupted mode, none of these measures or calculations would be possible. Allah illustrates this in the Qur'an, saying: "Say, 'Have you considered if Allah were to make the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, who other than Allah could bring you light? Will you not then hear?' Say, 'Have you considered if Allah were to make the day continuous until the Day of Resurrection, who other than Allah could bring you night so you may rest therein? Will you not then see?' And by His mercy, He made for you the night and the day, that you may rest in the night and seek bounty in the day, and that you may be grateful." (Al-Qasas 28:71-73). Other verses affirm this natural order and its purpose: "Blessed is He who made constellations in the sky and placed therein a shining lamp and a moon giving light, and it is He who made the night and day in succession for whoever desires to remember or desires gratitude." (Al-Furqan 25:61-62) and "And for Him is the alternation of the night and day." (Al-Mu'minun 23:80), "He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night, and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running for an appointed term; truly He is the Almighty, the Forgiving." (Az-Zumar 39:5) and "Splitter of the dawn and made the night a stillness and the sun and moon a reckoning; that is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing." (Al-An'am 6:96) and "And a sign for them is the night. We strip from it the day, and behold, they are in darkness, and the sun runs its fixed course for a term ordained. That is the decree of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing." (Ya-Sin 36:37-38). Furthermore, Allah has provided distinct signs for the night and the day. The sign of night is its darkness and the appearance of the moon; the sign of day is its brightness and the presence of the radiant sun. A clear distinction exists between the dim light of the moon and the strong illumination of the sun, allowing people to differentiate between the two time periods. Allah declares, "He it is who made the sun a shining light and the moon a light and determined its phases so that you may know the number of years and the calculation. Allah did not create that except in truth." (Yunus 10:5-6) and He says, "They ask you about the new moons. Say, 'They are appointed times for humanity and for the pilgrimage.'" (Al-Baqarah 2:189). Scholars explain the phrase "We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible" in various ways. Ibn Jurayj narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Kathir that the sign of night refers to its darkness, and the brightness (visibility) is the sign of the day. Ibn Jurayj also relates from Mujahid that the sun is the sign of the day, and the moon is the sign of the night. The phrase "We erased the sign of the night" refers to the dark portion on the moon. Similarly, Ibn Abbas explained that the moon used to shine as brightly as the sun, with the moon being the sign of the night and the sun the sign of the day; the dark spots on the moon represent the erasure of the night sign. There is a report from multiple reliable chains that Ibn al-Kawwa asked Ali ibn Abi Talib about the dark spot on the moon, to which Ali responded, "Have you not read the Qur'an where it says, 'We erased the sign of the night'? This is its erasure." Qatadah said regarding "We erased the sign of the night," that people used to say it referred to the darkness on the moon, and "We made the sign of the day visible," meaning the sun's creation, which is more luminous and greater than the moon. Ibn Abi Najih reported from Ibn Abbas that "We made the night and day two signs" means night and day were created as distinct signs by Allah, the Exalted. In summary, the alternation of night and day is one of Allah's great evidences, serving as both a practical provision for humanity's affairs and a reminder to recognize His wisdom and power.