هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۵﴾ إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿۶﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا وَرَضُوا بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَأَنُّوا بِهَا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا غَافِلُونَ ﴿۷﴾ أُولَئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿۸﴾

﴾5﴿ Huwal lazee ja'alash shamsa diyaaa'anw walqamara nooranw wa qaddarahoo manaazila li ta'lamoo 'adadas sineena walhisaab; maa khalaqal laahu zaalika illa bilhaqq; yufassilul aayaati li qawminy ya'lamoon
﴾6﴿ Inna fikh tilaafil laili wannahaari wa maa khalaqal laahu fis samaawaati wal ardi la aayaatin liqawminy yattaqoon
﴾7﴿ Innal lazeena laa yarjoona liqaaa'anaa wa radoo bilhayaatid dunyaa watma' annoo bihaa wallazeena hum 'an Aayaatinaa ghaafiloon
﴾8﴿ Ulaaa'ika ma'waahumun Naaru bimaa kaanoo yaksiboon

﴾5﴿ The special essence of Allah, the Exalted, is the one who made the sun very bright and the moon slightly bright, and determined phases for each so that you may know the count of years and the reckoning (of months and days). Allah, the Exalted, did not create this except to manifest the truth. He explains the signs in detail for a people who understand
﴾6﴿ Indeed, in the alternation of night and day, and in all that Allah the Exalted has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for a people who fear Allah the Exalted
﴾7﴿ Indeed, those who do not believe in meeting Us and are content with the life of this world and satisfied with it, and those who are heedless of Our signs
﴾8﴿ This place is their destination, a fire, because of the deeds they commit

[5] This is the second rational proof for monotheism. It describes a specific quality of light, where the essence of this quality is called nūr (light), and when this quality is complete and intense, it is called ḍiyā’ (radiance).
"Wa qaddarahu manāzil" refers to the phases of both the sun and the moon. The second interpretation is preferred based on the context of verse 39 in Surah Yā-Sīn.
Through these lunar phases, the days and Islamic months are determined, and they are twenty-eight in number. The "manāzil" refer to the positions of the moon's rising and setting.
"‘Adada as-sinīn" means the beginning and end of the year.
"Wa al-ḥisāb" refers to the calculation of months and days.
"Mā khalaqa Allāhu dhālika illā bil-ḥaqq"—here, al-ḥaqq means to manifest the matter of monotheism and to serve as a proof of Allah’s power and knowledge. This interpretation is also mentioned by al-Khāzin.
Therefore, this verse is evidence that the popular saying of the ḥadīth al-lawlāk—as it is commonly quoted among the people—is not valid in meaning, just as its wording has been rejected by the scholars of ḥadīth.
In al-Fawā’id al-Majmū‘ah (page 326) and Kashf al-Khafā’ (page 146), both cited from al-Ṣan‘ānī, it is stated that this ḥadīth is fabricated.
And even if the interpretation is given that “Had it not been for your sending for the manifestation of monotheism,” still it lacks soundness in terms of meaning. However, this interpretation is quite far-fetched.
[6] This is the third rational proof.
"Ikhtilāf al-layl" refers to the succession of night and day, one following the other, as well as the changes in their colors.
"Li-qawmin yattaqūn" refers to the people of monotheism, because those who commit shirk do not take these creations as a proof.
[7] In this verse, there is a warning to the deniers, and four of their traits are mentioned:
"Lā yarjūn"—this can mean fear, hope, or belief; here, the intended meaning is belief.
"Wa raḍū bil-ḥayāti ad-dunyā"—means they are content with worldly life in place of the Hereafter, so they act only for the world.
"Wa iṭma’annū bihā"—true contentment is not found in the world, so what is meant here is their satisfaction and deep attachment to it.
"Ghāfilūn"—ghaflah here does not mean ignorance or naivety, but rather heedlessness and turning away.
The "āyāt" mentioned refer either to the signs of monotheism or to the Qur’an.
[8] This is a fear of the Hereafter for the deniers, and it is the predicate of inna (verily).