Commenting on the aayah:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ‌ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَ‌ادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ‌ أَوْ أَرَ‌ادَ شُكُورً‌ا

«And He is the One who made the night and day to follow each other in succession, for whoever wants to be reminded of Allaah or whoever wants to give thanks for Allaah's favors.» 
[Sooratul-Furqaan (25):62]


Shaykh Fawzaan hafizahullaah said:
So the night and the day are a tremendous bounty to be earned for a person who utilizes them in obedience to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. The arena for action is the night and the day. You have nothing else besides the night and the day. They are the arena for action, for good, and for pure earning for this world and the Hereafter. So, in the night and in the day, there are lessons and fawaa`id (benefits). Therefore, Allaah swore an oath by al-`Asr. 
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[Translator's note]:Imaam ibn Jareer at-Tabaree mentions the explanation of this aayah with a chain of narration from ibn `Abbaas (radiyallaahu `anhumaa) and from al-Hasan al-Basree (rahimahullaah) each of them saying the same thing:

And whoever misses out on something during the night, he could reach and catch it during the day, or if he misses out from the day, he could reach and catch it during the night.

[Tranlsated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah - see lesson 4 of Usool-uth-Thalaathah (audio/text)]

 The scholar  Abdur Rahmaan ibn Nasir as Sa’dee (died 1376 AH (1955 CE))rahimahullaah said about the saying of Allaah, the Most High:

<<All praise is for Allaah, the Rabb of all the Worlds.>>
(Soorah al Faatihah (1) aayah 1)

“the Rabb (Lord and Nurturer) of all the Worlds” – and His tarbiyyah (nurturing) of His creation, He the Most High, is of two types: general and specific.

So the general type is His creating the creation and giving them provision and guiding them to that which contains benefits for them, that which allows them to survive in this worldly life.

And the specific type is His tarbiyyah of His beloved and dutiful servants; so He nurtures them with true faith and He grants them the success to attain it, and He completes it for them. And He repels away from them those things which act as diversions and impediments and obstructions between them and it.

And its reality is that it is tarbiyyah of being granted success in attaining every good and protection from every evil.

(Tayseer ul Kareem ir Rahmaan  of as Sa’dee rahimahullaah p39,  translated by Nasser ibn Najam)

Explanation of Ayah 175-176 from Surat-ul-A'raaf

By Shaikh Abdur Rahman Ibn Nasir as Sa'di


Allaah said to His prophet (Peace be upon him),



< و اتل عليهم نبأ الذي آتيناهم آياتنا >

And inform them about the one who we gave our signs to.

i.e. we taught him the book of Allaah (Quraan), and so became learned.



< فانسلخ منها، فأتبعه الشيطان >

But he turned away from them and Satan followed him.

i.e. he physically turned away with knowledge of the book of Allaah. One who has knowledge of this (quraan) makes the person from the best and noblest  manners and purist of actions which take the person to the highest of stations, yet he abandons this and puts the book of Allaah behind him, renounces the manners which the Quraan orders and strips himself of it just as he removes his clothes.

So when he turns away from this Satan follows him, meaning, Satan overcomes him as he has now left the best of fortified fortresses and has now become from the lowest of the lowest and in turn he is led to sins,



< فكان من الغاوين >


and so became from those astray.

After he was once from those who were rightly guided and guided others. Because Allaah lowered him and left him to his own devices. Allaah says in this regard,


< و لو شئنا لرفعناه بها >

and had We willed we could have raised him because of it.

i.e. We could guide him to act upon it ( his knowledge ), and so would be elevated in this life and the next and be protected from his enemies.

< و لكنه >

But rather he...

did that which caused his misguidance when he..


< أخلد إلى الارض >

Clung to the earth...

i.e he clung to lowly desires and worldly possessions.


< و اتبع هواه >

And followed his desires...

i.e he stopped obeying his Lord.


< فمثله >

So his example...

i.e in regards to the extreme importance he places to this life and the attachment of his heart to it.


< كمثل الكلب إن تحمل عليه يلهث أو تتركه يلهث >

Is like that of a dog. If you chase him away he pants or if you leave him be he still pants.

i.e. He will not stop panting in every situation. Just like this one who is constantly seeking this worldly life with all his heart that he may lose something from the worldly possessions.


< ذلك مثل القوم الذين كذبوا بآياتنا >

That is the example of those who disregard our signs...

i.e. After Allaah had guided them but they never followed them, rather they disbelieved and rejected them due to Allaah disgracing them, following their desires and without guidance from Allaah.


< فاقصص القصص لعلهم يتفكرون >

So narrate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.

i.e. In putting forth for the people examples, lessons and signs. So if they reflect, they will know, and when they know they will act.


Translated by Abu Salmaan Talha ibn William