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﴿32﴾ كَلاَّ وَالْقَمَرِ
﴿33﴾ وَالَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ
﴿34﴾ وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ
32. It is not what they imagine! By the moon!
33. And the night when it withdraws,
34. And by the dawn when it brightens.
Exegesis
Different oaths have been taken in the blessing Verses in question in
order to lay emphasis on raising the dead on the Day of Resurrection, Hell,
and the torments awaiting the disbelievers there, saying: "It is not as they
imagine. By the moon!" The Arabic negative emphatic adverb kallā is
employed to reject the words uttered by the other party. It is also used at
times to negate the following words. It herein negates the disbelievers’
unfounded belying of Hell and its torments as well as their derision of the
number of the angels guarding Hell, as mentioned in the preceding blessed
Verses. An oath is taken to the moon, since as one of the greatest of Divine
Signs, it is of significance in terms of creation, regular rotation,
brightness, beauty, and the lunar phases used as the standard for preparing
calendars.
The blessed Verses 33 and 34 say: "By the night when it withdraws! And by
the dawn when it brightens! These three oaths are related and complementary,
since it is common knowledge that the moon shines at night and its light is
overshadowed by sunshine such that it is hardly visible during the day.
Night is serene and peaceful, when the lovers of the Truth may invoke their
beloved and share their secrets. However, the dark night would be of
interest when it withdraws and the bright dawn approaches. The day break
offers a beacon of the end of the dark night. It is the most
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