وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَٱلنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ نُشُورًا
6:97; 78:11.
Important Words:
سباتاً (rest) is derived from سبت which means, he rested; and was or became quiet, still or motionless. سبت (sabata) means, he was or became affected with the kind of sleep termed سبات, or he swooned. سبات primarily signifies rest and hence sleep or heavy sleep or sleep that is hardly perceptible, like a swoon; or the commencement of sleep in the head until it reaches the heart or the sleep of one who is sick, i.e. light sleep (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
'Night' in the verse represents the night of spiritual darkness, i.e. the period of spiritual darkness before the advent of a Prophet or a Divine Reformer; and 'day' symbolizes spiritual dawn when a Divine Reformer has already made his appearance. The verse purports to say that the night of spiritual darkness that had enveloped the world, particularly Arabia, before the advent of the Holy Prophet is about to end and the sun of spiritual light has already arisen to illumine the whole world.
Commentary:
The words, "has made the day a means of rise and progress," may refer to the advent of a Divine Reformer when through him his followers rise from the sleep of spiritual sluggishness and make great progress.
6:97; 78:11.
'Night' in the verse represents the period of spiritual darkness before the advent of a Divine Reformer; and 'day' symbolises spiritual dawn when a Divine Reformer has already made his appearance.