What Breathes in the Quran Yet Has No Soul?
ما هو الشيء الذي يتنفس في القرآن وليس له روح؟
It is the morning.
Allah the Almighty says: (and the day as it breaks!) or (And by the dawn when it breathes) [At-Takwir 81:18]
الصبح.
قال تعالى: (والصبح إذا تنفس) [التكوير 81: 18]
1. When the Dawn Breathes | والصبح إذا تنفس
Allah says: and by the dawn when it breathes (81:18). Ibn Kathir reports the explanations: al-Dahhak said: when it rises; Qatadah said: when it shines and comes; Sa’id ibn Jubayr said: when it begins, which is also reported from Ali; and Ibn Jarir said: it means the light of day when it comes and becomes clear.
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ (سورة التكوير: 18)
قال تعالى: (والصبح إذا تنفس) (التكوير 81: 18)، قال الضحاك: إذا طلع، وقال قتادة: إذا أضاء وأقبل، وقال سعيد بن جبير: إذا نشأ، وهو المروي عن علي رضي الله عنه، وقال ابن جرير: يعني ضوء النهار إذا أقبل وتبين، كما نقل ابن كثير.
2. The Night as It Comes | والليل إذا عسعس
The verse before it is: and by the night as it ’as’as (81:17). Ibn Kathir gives two meanings: the night coming on with its darkness, and the night departing, the view of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and al-Dahhak. He says the coming on is more fitting here, as if Allah swore by the night and its darkness when it comes and by the dawn and its light when it shines, like: by the night when it covers, and the day when it appears (92:1-2).
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ (سورة التكوير: 17)
قال تعالى: (والليل إذا عسعس) (التكوير 81: 17)، وذكر ابن كثير فيه قولين: إقباله بظلامه، وإدباره، وهو قول ابن عباس ومجاهد وقتادة والضحاك، ثم قال: لكن الإقبال هاهنا أنسب، كأنه أقسم تعالى بالليل وظلامه إذا أقبل، وبالفجر وضيائه إذا أشرق، كما قال: (والليل إذا يغشى والنهار إذا تجلى) (الليل 92: 1-2).
3. The Morning and the Dawn in Other Oaths | قسم الله بالصبح والفجر
Allah also swears by the morning in Al-Muddaththir: and by the morning when it brightens (74:34), and by the dawn at the opening of Al-Fajr (89:1); and Surah Al-Qadr ends with: peace it is until the emergence of dawn (97:5), as explained in which surah ends with a prayer time. The other times of the day named in the Quran are gathered in the times of the day mentioned in the Quran.
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ (سورة المدثر: 34)
وأقسم الله بالصبح أيضا في قوله: (والصبح إذا أسفر) (المدثر 74: 34)، وبالفجر في أول سورة الفجر: (والفجر) (الفجر 89: 1)، وختمت سورة القدر بقوله تعالى: (سلام هي حتى مطلع الفجر) (القدر 97: 5).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What breathes in the Quran yet has no soul?
The morning: and by the dawn when it breathes (81:18).
What does the dawn breathing mean?
Ibn Jarir said it means the light of day when it comes and becomes clear, as Ibn Kathir reports.
Which verse comes before it?
And by the night as it comes on or departs (81:17); Ibn Kathir says coming on is more fitting here.
Where else does Allah swear by the morning?
In Al-Muddaththir: and by the morning when it brightens (74:34).