Surah Ya-Sin 36:40
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 40 of 83
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
Translation
The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'The sun is not permitted to overtake the moon, nor does the night outrun the day; each floats in an orbit.' al-Biqa'i and Ibn Ashur note the flawless order: no collision, no jostling for the same lane, 'each swims (yasbahun) in an orbit', gliding as a swimmer through water. The imagery is of effortless, unbroken discipline across unimaginable time. Ask yourself: I live inside a cosmic traffic system that has never once had an accident, bodies of staggering size and speed, never colliding, never late. The order I take for granted every night is a mercy holding steady behind the scenes. If the heavens keep their appointed lanes so faithfully, what would it mean for me to keep mine, the limits, the boundaries, the 'orbit' set for a life, instead of forever trying to overtake?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Biqa'i, Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ya-Sin 36:40 is discussed in 10 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Ya-Sin 36:40 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.