Daytime

At a glance

Daytime is one of the most visible and transformative signs Allah has placed in the universe. Beyond being a simple cosmic marker between dawn and sunset, the Quran presents the daytime as a profound divine favor. It bathes the world in light so people can seek their livelihoods, manage their affairs, and contemplate the precision of creation.

The Quran repeatedly pairs daytime with night, creating a balanced rhythm between rest and labor, reflection and action. While night provides shelter and quiet, daytime is an arena of wakefulness, calling believers to energetic pursuit in both material sustenance and devotional life.

By examining daytime across the Quran, you discover how its fleeting hours and shifting stages, from the first breath of dawn to the declining late afternoon, serve as urgent reminders of time, purposeful work, and your ultimate return to your Creator.

Key verses

1. Al-Isra 17:12: Allah presents the night and the day as two distinct cosmic signs, making daytime bright so people can seek His bounty and accurately reckon years and accounts.
2. Ad-Duha 93:1: Allah swears by the early morning brightness, using its radiant light as an affectionate affirmation that divine care and revelation have never forsaken the Prophet.
3. At-Takwir 81:18: Allah swears by the dawn as it breathes, personifying the arrival of morning light to emphasize life, movement, and the undeniable truth of revelation.
4. Al-Qasas 28:72: Allah challenges humanity to imagine if daytime were made perpetual until the Day of Resurrection, highlighting nighttime rest as an irreplaceable divine mercy.
5. Ar-Ra'd 13:3: Allah points to how the night covers the daytime as an ongoing cosmic alternation, presenting it as an undeniable sign for people who reflect deeply.
6. Ad-Duha 93:3: Serving as the answer to the divine oath by morning and night, this verse reassures the Prophet that his Lord has neither abandoned him nor become displeased.
7. Al-Asr 103:1: Allah swears by the late afternoon, underscoring the swift passage of time and the urgency of faith, righteous deeds, mutual truth, and patience.

Words to know

النَّهَار al-nahar

The wide, extended daylight spanning from the break of dawn or sunrise until sunset, functioning as the cosmic counterpart to the night.

Appears 113 times in the Quran.

Most common forms: نَهار (57), نَهَر (54), تَنْهَرْ (2)

Root: ن ه ر

اليَوْم al-yawm

A period of time that can refer specifically to the daylight hours or encompass the complete cycle of a day and night together.

Root: ي و م

الضِّيَاء al-diya'

The luminous radiation emanating from an intrinsically radiant source, like the sun, which enables visual perception.

Root: ض و ا

الصَّبَاح al-sabah

The beginning portion of the daytime, marked by the period immediately preceding or following sunrise.

Root: ص ب ح

Daytime as a cosmic sign

From the paper: «النهار آية كونية»

The Quran presents daytime as an immense cosmic sign that directs rational minds toward the existence, oneness, and sole worthiness of Allah to be worshipped. By orchestrating the celestial order, Allah provides humanity with indispensable means of living Al-Baqarah 2:164. Day and night together establish a dependable standard for measuring days, months, and years, preventing chaos in human affairs Al-Isra 17:12.

Daytime is a multifaceted divine blessing An-Nahl 16:18. It guides open minds to faith Al-Jathiyah 45:3-5, frames designated appointments for prayer and remembrance Al-Isra 17:78, aids callers in delivering the divine message Al-Qasas 28:72, and creates the visibility required to seek sustenance Al-Isra 17:12. Allah urges people to reflect on this reality Yunus 10:67, for pondering creation bridges human intellect to the generosity and wisdom of the Creator Ar-Ra'd 13:3.

The dynamic interaction between daytime and night is expressed through several vivid Quranic descriptions:

• Merging (ilaj): where portions of night enter daytime in winter, and portions of daytime enter night in summer Fatir 35:13, demonstrating Allah's absolute sovereignty.
• Covering (ighsha'): daylight stripping away darkness, and darkness enfolding light in steady replacement Ar-Ra'd 13:3.
• Stripping away (salkh): extracting daylight from darkness at nightfall like removing a hide Ya-Sin 36:37.
• Wrapping (takwir): winding light over darkness and darkness over light along curved celestial paths Az-Zumar 39:5.
• Effacing (mahw): the bright sign of daytime clearing away the obscurity of night Al-Isra 17:12.

Verses discussing daytime often conclude with divine names such as the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Mighty, and Forgiving, or with explicit calls to contemplate Al-A'raf 7:54, Al-Hajj 22:61. These endings remind you that cosmic signs are meant to inspire living faith and reverent awe Al-A'raf 7:179.

Swearing an oath by daytime

From the paper: «القسم بالنهار»

In the Quran, oaths serve as powerful affirmations to settle disputed truths and remove doubt from receptive hearts Al-Qiyamah 75:1, An-Nazi'at 79:1-5. When Allah swears by aspects of His creation, it highlights their supreme importance and alerts humanity to their profound functions. Daytime and its distinct periods are sworn by seven times in the Quran, either in its entirety Ash-Shams 91:3, Al-Layl 92:2 or through its specific stages: the dawn Al-Fajr 89:1, the morning as it brightens Al-Muddaththir 74:34, the dawn as it breathes At-Takwir 81:18, the early brightness Ad-Duha 93:1, and the late afternoon Al-Asr 103:1.

These oaths fulfill noble purposes across various contexts:

• Encouraging self-purification: Swearing by the radiant daytime that the soul succeeds only through purification and fails through corruption Ash-Shams 91:9-10.
• Highlighting diverse human efforts: Swearing by the unfolding day that human pursuits vary dramatically between righteous striving and harmful waste Al-Layl 92:4.
• Promising victory to the faithful: Swearing by the dawn to signal the inevitable dispelling of tyranny, just as morning inevitably banishes the night Al-Fajr 89:8-14.
• Warning of divine recompense: Swearing by the morning brightness to affirm the terrifying reality of Hellfire as a warning to mankind Al-Muddaththir 74:2, Al-Muddaththir 74:35-36.
• Validating divine revelation: Swearing by the breathing morning that the Quran is a noble word delivered through the trustworthy angel Gabriel At-Takwir 81:19-21.
• Reassuring the Prophet: Swearing by the morning light that Allah has never abandoned or disliked His Messenger Ad-Duha 93:3.
• Urging swift righteous action: Swearing by the late afternoon that humanity is trapped in loss unless saved by faith, righteous deeds, mutual counsel of truth, and steadfastness Al-Asr 103:1-2.

Parts of the day

From the paper: «أجزاء النهار»

Divine wisdom divided the day into distinct stages, each tied to particular forms of remembrance, awareness, and prayer.

1. Early Daytime:

• The Daybreak (al-falaq): The initial cracking and manifestation of morning light Al-Falaq 113:1.
• The Morning (al-subh or al-isbah): The early start of the day as light spreads across the horizon Al-An'am 6:96, At-Takwir 81:18, Al-Adiyat 100:3.
• The Dawn (al-fajr): The brightening twilight before sunrise, distinguishing the false dawn from the true horizontal daylight Al-Baqarah 2:187.
• The Early Stretch (al-ghadwah and al-bukrah): The span between the break of day and midday, or sunrise, designated for glorifying Allah An-Nur 24:36, Al-Ahzab 33:41-42.
• The Forenoon (al-duha): The expanding ascent of the morning sun as it climbs toward midday Ta-Ha 20:59, Ad-Duha 93:1.
• The Sunrise (al-shuruq or al-ishraq): The emergence of the sun's disc over the horizon Sad 38:18.

1. Midday:

• Noon (al-zahirah): Midday when the sun reaches its zenith and begins its decline, marking the time of the Zuhr prayer Ar-Rum 30:18.
• The Midday Rest (al-qaylulah): The midday nap or repose when people take shelter from heat and labor Al-A'raf 7:4.

1. Late Daytime:

• The Afternoon Descent (al-rawah): The extended span from the sun's decline at noon until nightfall.
• The Late Afternoon (al-'asr): The closing hours of daylight concluding just before sunset Al-Asr 103:1.
• The Late Hours (al-asil): The tranquil interval after the afternoon prayer leading into dusk, praised as a prime time for devotion Al-A'raf 7:205, An-Nur 24:36-37.
• The Evening Twilight (al-'ashiyy): The final moments of the daylight period An-Nazi'at 79:46.

Daytime and worship

From the paper: «النهار والعبادة»

Humanity was created primarily for the worship of Allah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56. To sustain this overarching purpose without burnout, Allah alternated daytime labor with nighttime rest, ensuring a continuous cycle of devotion. If an act of worship is missed during the day, the night offers an opportunity to make it up, and vice versa Al-Furqan 25:62.

The Quran emphasizes several devotional acts tied directly to the daytime:

• Prescribed Prayers: Believers are commanded to establish prayer at both ends of the day Hud 11:114. Special focus is directed to the dawn prayer (Fajr), which is witnessed by the angels of both night and day Al-Isra 17:78, as well as the middle prayer ('Asr) during the busy late afternoon Al-Baqarah 2:238.
• Charitable Spending: True believers spend in charity consistently across all circumstances, by night and by day, openly and secretly Al-Baqarah 2:274.
• Constant Remembrance and Glorification: The Quran instructs the Prophet and the faithful to maintain praise and patience before sunrise and before sunset, and throughout the edges of the day Ta-Ha 20:130, Ghafir 40:55. Remembrance during the morning (ghuduww) and evening (asal) shields the heart from heedlessness Al-A'raf 7:205.
• Sacred Striving: Early mornings are honored as times of valor, courage, and blessed beginnings Al-Adiyat 100:3-5.
• Daytime Fasting: The Quran commands complete abstention from food, drink, and intimate relations from the break of dawn until nightfall Al-Baqarah 2:187. Dedicating the daylight hours to fasting purifies character and elevates moral conduct.

Daytime and punishment

From the paper: «النهار والعذاب»

Divine justice operates on the principle that nations are never punished without prior warning through sent messengers Al-Isra 17:15-16. When stubborn societies persist in tyranny, divine retribution strikes swiftly and unexpectedly, showing that neither night nor day provides immunity Yunus 10:24.

Several lessons emerge from the Quranic pairing of punishment with the hours of the day:

• Unpredictable timing: Divine punishment may fall by night or broad daylight, leaving no room for complacency Yunus 10:50. When people become arrogant over worldly prosperity, Allah's decree can suddenly reduce flourishing civilizations to stubble Yunus 10:24.
• Strikes during periods of rest: Ruin often overtook heedless towns while they slept at night or during their midday rest (qaylulah) Al-A'raf 7:4. Resting safely in your home during midday offers no protection against divine power.
• The threat of perpetual daytime: Allah reminds humanity that if He willed, daytime could be made permanent until Judgment Day, completely depriving humanity of the soothing relief of nighttime rest Al-Qasas 28:72.
• Disastrous mornings for the defiant: The people of Lot were seized by morning light Al-Qamar 54:38. Morning is normally an hour of hope, fresh energy, and renewed optimism; having destruction arrive at that exact moment compounds psychological horror and despair, fulfilling the Quranic warning about how terrible the morning is for those who were warned but refused to believe As-Saffat 37:171-177.

Daytime and seeking a livelihood

From the paper: «النهار والسعي للمعاش»

Among Allah's countless gifts is the appointment of daytime as a broad arena for human livelihood An-Nahl 16:18, An-Naba 78:11. While night serves as an enfolding garment for slumber, daytime serves as an awakening (nushur) where people scatter across the earth to fulfill their needs, acquire knowledge, and strengthen family ties Al-Furqan 25:47.

Key aspects of seeking livelihood in the daytime include:

• Honoring lawful work: When believers travel through the earth seeking Allah's bounty during the day, their labor is so respected by Allah that it is mentioned alongside standing in night prayer and striving in His cause when granting exemptions for extended night vigils Al-Muzzammil 73:20.
• Harnessing natural systems: Allah subjected the constant sun and alternating day and night to serve humanity's agricultural, biological, and economic wellbeing Ibrahim 14:33-34.
• Deep immersion in daily enterprise: Allah notes that you have an extended swimming (sabh) in the daytime Al-Muzzammil 73:7. Just as a swimmer is immersed in water, a person becomes thoroughly absorbed in daily duties, commerce, and practical affairs.
• Balancing labor with worship: Immersion in daytime affairs must never eclipse sacred obligations. Believers are commanded to hasten to the Friday remembrance when called, leaving trade behind, and only dispersing back into the earth to seek livelihood after the prayer is completed Al-Jumu'ah 62:10-11.

Daytime and calling to Allah

From the paper: «النهار والدعوة إلى الله تعالى»

Conveying the divine message is among the noblest deeds Fussilat 41:33. The prophets and their sincere followers maximized every available hour, utilizing both night and daytime to guide people toward truth.

Examples of daytime outreach in the Quran include:

• The gradual reasoning of Ibrahim: Ibrahim guided his people through cosmic observation, transitioning from nighttime celestial bodies to the radiant morning sun, using its inevitable setting to prove that transient creations cannot be divine Al-An'am 6:78.
• The relentless dedication of Nuh: Nuh called his community night and day without ceasing Nuh 71:5. While night allowed private instruction, daytime served as the public forum where crowds congregated and ideas spread.
• The daytime public witness in Surah Ya-Sin: The righteous man came running from the farthest end of the city to publicly champion the messengers Ya-Sin 36:20-25. His rapid run and audible proclamation to the gathered crowd reflect daytime clarity and public gathering.
• The public dawn call of the Prophet: When commanded to warn his near relatives Ash-Shu'ara 26:214, the Prophet climbed Mount al-Safa at the break of morning and called out to the clans of Quraysh using the traditional morning alarm (Ya Sabahah!), instantly assembling the tribes in broad daylight to deliver his warning.

Miraculous aspects of daytime

From the paper: «لمسات إعجازية في النهار»

The Quran's treatment of daytime reveals remarkable linguistic precision and scientific harmony that confirm its divine preservation Al-Hijr 15:9.

• The Sun as a Lamp: The Quran describes the sun as a glowing lamp (siraj), signifying a blazing, self-radiant furnace, whereas the moon is described merely as a light (nur or munir), reflecting solar radiation rather than generating its own Al-Furqan 25:61.
• Eloquent Oaths and Ellipsis: The oath in Surah al-Fajr omits its explicit grammatical answer, leaving context to deliver an intense warning of victory for the oppressed and ruin for oppressors Al-Fajr 89:1-4.
• The Breathing Dawn: Morning is depicted as breathing (idha tanaffas), personifying the dawn with freshness, gradual movement, and the reviving pulse of life At-Takwir 81:18.
• Stripping Daylight: The withdrawal of daytime is called a stripping (naslakh), portraying how the sunlit atmosphere is peeled off the darkened face of the earth, just as a hide is carefully separated from flesh Ya-Sin 36:37.
• Multiplicity of Sunrises: The Quran shifts between singular, dual, and plural forms of the sunrise and sunset points:
• Singular (al-mashriq and al-maghrib) when referring to general eastern and western directions Al-Baqarah 2:177.
• Dual (al-mashriqayn and al-maghribayn) referring to the two extreme solstices of summer and winter Ar-Rahman 55:17.
• Plural (al-mashariq and al-magharib) reflecting the constantly shifting daily positions of the rising and setting sun throughout the planetary year Al-Ma'arij 70:40.

Takeaways

1. Structure Your Day Around Remembrance

   Bookend your waking hours with intentional worship. Cultivating remembrance during the morning and late afternoon guards your consciousness against the spiritual dullness that often accompanies daytime labor.

2. Regard Honest Labor as Honored Striving

   Earning a lawful living during the daytime is not a secular distraction from faith. When undertaken with sincere intentions, productive work shares honorary status alongside night devotion and selfless sacrifice.

3. Never Delay Repentance

   Because divine accountability strikes without warning across any hour of the night or day, do not put off mending your relationship with Allah. Begin every morning aligned with His pleasure.

4. Harness the Energy of the Morning

   Embrace the early morning hours for your vital spiritual and practical goals. The start of the day carries unique blessings, clarity, and motivational momentum.

Reflect

• How consciously do you observe the shifting light of day, and does it lead your heart to remember its Creator?
• Does your daytime striving in career and worldly duties leave room for deliberate spiritual pauses and regular prayers?
• If daytime were made perpetual with no night to grant you rest, how would your physical and emotional wellbeing survive?
• In what ways can you better utilize the fresh, focused hours of early morning to pursue meaningful goals?

Go deeper

Linguistic meaning

Derived from the root indicating an open channel, expansive stream, or widespread light, it linguistically refers to the broad, pervasive radiance that stretches between the rise of dawn and sunset, standing as the direct opposite of night.

Technical meaning

Originally and astronomically, it is the time period beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset when one side of the globe faces the sun, whereas legally and ritually in Islamic law, it extends from the break of dawn until sunset.

How it differs from related terms

اليوم Day

While daytime refers strictly to the illuminated period between dawn and dusk, a day can denote either that daylight span alone or the entire twenty-four-hour cycle combining both night and daytime.

الضياء Brilliant Light

Brilliant light denotes the active physical radiation emanating from a luminous body like the sun that causes vision, whereas daytime is the temporal duration during which those rays illuminate the facing surface of the earth.

الصباح Morning

Morning is merely the opening phase of the daytime, whereas daytime is the comprehensive duration that begins with morning, passes through midday and afternoon, and concludes at sunset.

Every verse in the paper

All 116 verses the research paper discusses, grouped under its own headings.

Daytime in Quranic usage «النهار في الاستعمال القرآني»

31:29, 71:5

Wisdom of pairing daytime with night «حكمة اقتران النهار بالليل»

17:12, 2:164, 14:33-34, 25:62

Daytime as a cosmic sign «النهار آية كونية»

17:12

Daytime as a divine blessing «أولًا: النهار نعمة إلهية»

16:18, 45:3-5, 17:78, 2:238, 11:114, 28:72, 17:12

Contemplation of the sign of daytime «ثانيًا: التفكر في آية النهار»

10:67, 13:3

Relationship between daytime and night «ثالثًا: علاقة النهار بالليل»

35:13, 13:3, 36:37, 39:5, 17:12

Daytime verses concluding with divine attributes and calls to reflect «رابعًا: اختتام آيات النهار بصفات الله والدعوة للتفكر»

51:56, 7:54, 13:3, 22:61, 28:72, 7:179, 39:5

Swearing an oath by daytime «القسم بالنهار»

79:1-5, 75:1, 92:1-3, 93:1-3, 81:17-18, 95:1-3, 91:3, 89:1, 74:34, 91:9-10, 92:4, 89:14, 89:8-13, 74:35-36, 74:2, 81:19-21, 103:1-2

Parts of the day «أجزاء النهار»

Early part of the day «أولًا: أول النهار»

113:1, 81:18, 6:96, 100:3, 2:187, 24:36, 33:41-42, 20:59, 93:1, 38:18

Middle of the day «ثانيًا: وسط النهار»

30:18, 7:4

End of the day «ثالثًا: آخر النهار»

103:1, 7:205, 24:36-37, 79:46

Daytime and worship «النهار والعبادة»

51:56, 11:114, 2:274, 20:130, 25:62, 40:55, 7:205, 17:78, 2:238, 100:3-5, 2:187

Daytime and punishment «النهار والعذاب»

17:15, 17:16, 10:24, 28:72, 7:4, 10:50, 54:38, 37:171-177

Daytime and seeking a livelihood «النهار والسعي للمعاش»

16:18, 14:34, 78:11, 73:20, 14:33, 25:47, 73:7, 62:10-11

Daytime and calling to Allah «النهار والدعوة إلى الله تعالى»

41:33, 6:78, 71:5, 36:20-25, 26:214

Miraculous aspects of daytime «لمسات إعجازية في النهار»

15:9, 25:61, 89:1-4, 93:1-3, 81:18, 36:37, 2:177, 55:17, 70:40

About this source

Volume

17

Research paper

«النهار» (Daytime)

Read the full paper (Arabic)

Encyclopedia of Thematic Tafsir of the Noble Quran, published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

This study guide summarizes the Arabic research paper. For full scholarly detail, refer to the original. This preview has not been reviewed yet.

Related topics

• Cosmic Signs الآيات الكونية
• The Earth الأرض
• The Sun الشمس
• The Moon القمر
• The Night الليل
• Light النور