So I swear by the twilight glow [84:16]
وَاللَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ
And [by] the night and what it envelops [84:17]
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ
And [by] the moon when it becomes full [84:18]
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ
[That] you will surely experience state after state. [84:19]
If we consider the four phenomena by which oath is taken, it bears evidence to the subject which is forthcoming in the complement of the oath, that is, the condition of man never remains the same at all times.
He undergoes changes and unexpected phases all the time. The first phenomenon that brings about a change in his life is the twilight after the sunset, or the red glow that remains on the west side of the sky after the sunset in the evening. This is the beginning of the night. This is the harbinger of a massive change in human conditions, that is, the light is disappearing and a flood of darkness is setting in. The second phenomenon by which oath is taken is night itself which completes the change in his life. The third phenomenon by which oath is taken includes all things that night envelops or shrouds. The primitive sense of the word wasaqa means to 'pile, gather, heap up the thing'. If it is taken in general sense, it embraces every member of the entire universe which the darkness of night covers, such as animals, vegetation, minerals and inorganic matter, mountains and oceans. By extension, the word would comprehend all things that normally disperse in the light of day and retreat to their own places at night. Human beings return to their homes, animals to their habitats and birds to their nests. Business goods and merchandise are or piled up in one place. This massive change is related to man himself. The fourth phenomenon by which oath is taken is in the following verse(and by the moon when it develops at the full...84:18). The word ittisaq is also derived from wasaqa and it means 'to gather'. The gathering of moon' signifies that it gathered its light, and it became complete and full [badr] the moon of the 14th night. The phrase 'idhat-tasaqa' in relation to moon points to the phenomenon that it goes through various phases. First, it appears as a very fine semicircle. Then its light grows progressively night after night, until it becomes 'badr kamil' [full moon of the 14th night]. Having taken oath by the vicissitudes of the four phenomena, the Surah asserts the subject: (you shall certainly ascend from stage to stage 84:19) The word tabaq or tabqah refers to a 'stage'. Its plural is tabaqat. The verb 'latarkabunna' is derived from 'rukub' which means 'to mount or mount up'. The verse purports to say that mankind from the inception to the end of his life will continue to mount up stage by stage, or will pass through all the conditions, gradually and in stages referred to in the preceding verses, that is, periods of light and darkness and other phenomena. He never remains in one condition all the time. He gradually goes through the vicissitudes of life.
He undergoes changes and unexpected phases all the time. The first phenomenon that brings about a change in his life is the twilight after the sunset, or the red glow that remains on the west side of the sky after the sunset in the evening. This is the beginning of the night. This is the harbinger of a massive change in human conditions, that is, the light is disappearing and a flood of darkness is setting in. The second phenomenon by which oath is taken is night itself which completes the change in his life. The third phenomenon by which oath is taken includes all things that night envelops or shrouds. The primitive sense of the word wasaqa means to 'pile, gather, heap up the thing'. If it is taken in general sense, it embraces every member of the entire universe which the darkness of night covers, such as animals, vegetation, minerals and inorganic matter, mountains and oceans. By extension, the word would comprehend all things that normally disperse in the light of day and retreat to their own places at night. Human beings return to their homes, animals to their habitats and birds to their nests. Business goods and merchandise are or piled up in one place. This massive change is related to man himself. The fourth phenomenon by which oath is taken is in the following verse(and by the moon when it develops at the full...84:18). The word ittisaq is also derived from wasaqa and it means 'to gather'. The gathering of moon' signifies that it gathered its light, and it became complete and full [badr] the moon of the 14th night. The phrase 'idhat-tasaqa' in relation to moon points to the phenomenon that it goes through various phases. First, it appears as a very fine semicircle. Then its light grows progressively night after night, until it becomes 'badr kamil' [full moon of the 14th night]. Having taken oath by the vicissitudes of the four phenomena, the Surah asserts the subject: (you shall certainly ascend from stage to stage 84:19) The word tabaq or tabqah refers to a 'stage'. Its plural is tabaqat. The verb 'latarkabunna' is derived from 'rukub' which means 'to mount or mount up'. The verse purports to say that mankind from the inception to the end of his life will continue to mount up stage by stage, or will pass through all the conditions, gradually and in stages referred to in the preceding verses, that is, periods of light and darkness and other phenomena. He never remains in one condition all the time. He gradually goes through the vicissitudes of life.
...The final stage of this life, that is, death, began to mount. All this happens in full view of everyone. No one dare deny this. But the ignoramus assumes that death or grave is his final stage, and there is nothing beyond. Allah, the Creator of the universe, the Omniscient, made it known, through the various Prophets [through the ages], to the heedless man that grave is not the final stage of his life, but it is merely a waiting-room to enter an enormously large and gigantic world that is yet to come, where the final examination will be conducted and the final stage of his life will be determined. In this world, he will celebrate the Divine remembrance and enjoy eternal comfort and pleasure or he will suffer eternal perdition and damnation [depending on the final assessment]. This is where the vicissitudes of his life will end. Thus the Qur'an says:
Surely, to your Lord is the return. [96:8]
...and that to your Lord is the end (of every one). [42]
...you have to work hard constantly to reach your Lord. [84:6]
The Prophet, SAW, said: Be in this world as though you are a stranger or a wayfarer
Under the phrase above 'tabaqan 'an tabaq' 'from stage to stage', a similar narration is cited by Abu Nu'aim from Sayyidna Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah that the Holy Prophet, SAW, stated that these verses remind the unmindful of his creation, the vicissitudes of his life and instructs him to reconsider his position and the consequences [of his attitude in this life as there is still time] and to prepare for next life. However, despite these clear guidelines, there are people who never desist from their heedlessness.
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