Heard Sūrat al-Layl brings luck and blessings? Many traditions ascribe astonishing spiritual and material benefits to this short Meccan surah(here’s the simple guide to its virtues.)
Sūrat al-Layl was revealed in Makkah and contains 21 verses. The word Layl means “night.” It was revealed after Sūrat al-Fajr and before Sūrat al-A‘lā. It is said to have striking effects for abundant openings (futūḥ) and great increase of wealth; it is said to confer strange benefits and unusual gain, and when completing it one should observe heightened piety and greater avoidance of sin.
The virtues and properties of Sūrat al-Layl and its occasion of revelation
Sūrat al-Layl is the ninety-second surah of the Qur’an and is one of the Meccan surahs found in Juz' 30. Because this surah begins with an oath by the night (al-layl), it is named “al-Layl.”
Sūrat al-Layl is the ninety-second surah and one of the Meccan surahs located in the thirtieth part (juz’) of the Qur’an. Because it opens by swearing by the night, it has been named “al-Layl.”
Sūrat al-Layl is among the Meccan surahs and is the ninth surah revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). In the present arrangement of the Mushaf it is the ninety-second surah and appears in Juz' 30 of the Qur’an.
Sūrat al-Layl contains 21 verses, 71 words and 316 letters. This surah is among the muqaṭṭaʿāt (those with brief, discrete verses) and is one of the chapters that begins with an oath.
Why the surah is named “al-Layl”
This surah is called “al-Layl” because God swears by the night at its beginning.
Sūrat al-Layl describes the conditions and fates of two groups:
First, the pious and God-fearing — those who give from their wealth for God’s sake and, by spending to seek God’s pleasure, purify their hearts. The Qur’an promises God’s pleasure and salvation for them.
Second, the hardened (the wicked) — those who are miserly and regard the promise of Paradise as a falsehood. The Qur’an warns that such people will be ruined; it says that they stingily keep their wealth out of worldly attachment and narrow-mindedness, yet that wealth will not rescue them on the Day of Resurrection.
Regarding the occasion of revelation of Sūrat al-Layl, Tafsir-e-Nemuneh recounts the following: a man had placed a branch of his date-palm tree so that it hung over his poor neighbour’s house. Whenever the owner climbed to pick dates, a few would fall into the poor neighbour’s courtyard, and the neighbour’s children would pick them up. When the owner found a date in one child’s mouth, he would put his finger into the child’s mouth to extract it.
The poor man complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet spoke with the owner of the palm tree and offered to guarantee him a palm tree in Paradise in exchange for the orchard’s ownership, but the man refused. One of the Prophet’s companions, Abu al-Dahdah, bought that palm grove from the owner for forty date palms and placed it at the Prophet’s disposal so that the Messenger of God could give it to the poor family. At that moment Sūrat al-Layl was revealed.
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: Whoever recites Sūrat al-Layl, God will grant him provision to the extent that he is satisfied, rescue him from hardship and distress, and make his affairs easy. (Reference: Majma‘ al-Bayān, Shaykh Tabarī, vol. 10, p. 372.)
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Whoever recites Sūrat al-Layl over someone who has fainted or over someone suffering from epilepsy, that person will regain consciousness in that same hour. (Reference: Tafsir al-Burhān, Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, vol. 5, p. 675.)
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Whoever recites Sūrat al-Layl by day or by night, all the limbs of his body will bear witness to his good deeds, and God will accept their testimony and guide him to Paradise. (Reference: Thawāb al-A‘māl, Shaykh Saduq, p. 123.)
Whoever recites Sūrat al-Layl fifteen times before sleeping will see in his sleep only what is good and pleasing, and will not have bad dreams; and whoever recites Sūrat al-Layl in the Isha prayer, it is as though he has recited a quarter of the Qur’an and his prayer will be accepted by God. (Reference: Tafsir al-Burhān, Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, vol. 5, p. 675.)
