Social Quranevery verse · a conversation
Sign in
سُورَةُ اللَّيۡلِ · 92:20
MeccanRevelation order ٩Juzʾ ٣٠Page ٥٩٦

إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ

٢٠
Saheeh International · EN

But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High.

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 20 of Sūrat Al-Lail (The Night), the 9th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 30. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
9 of 114
Surah
Al-Lail (92)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Truly, on Us is (to give) guidance (12)And truly, unto Us (belong) the last (Hereafter) and the first (this world)(13)Therefore I have warned you of a Fire Talazza (14)None shall enter it save the most wretched (15)Who denies and turns away (16)And those with Taqwa will be far removed from it (17)He who gives of his wealth for self-purification (18)And who has (in mind) no favor from anyone to be paid back (19)Except to seek the Face of his Lord, the Most High (20)He, surely, will be pleased (21) The Matter of Guidance and other than it is in the Hand of Allah, and Allah's Warning about the Hellfire Qatadah said, إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ (Truly, on Us is (to give) guidance.) "This means, We will explain what is lawful and what is prohibited." Others have said that it means, "Whoever traverses upon the path of guidance, then he will reach Allah (i.e., in the Hereafter)." They consi…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

The wall

And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

Sign in to add your voice to this verse.
No reflections yet — be the first.
Provenance

Community resources

No community resources for this verse yet.