Quran Verses about Time

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذۡ أَدۡبَرَ ٣٣

Wal-layli idh adbar.

And [by] the night when it departs

وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَآ أَسۡفَرَ ٣٤

Waṣ-ṣubḥi idhā asfar.

And [by] the morning when it brightens,

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا عَسۡعَسَ ١٧

Wal-layli idhā ʿasʿas.

And by the night as it closes in¹

وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ ١٨

Waṣ-ṣubḥi idhā tanaffas.

And by the dawn when it breathes [i.e., stirs]

وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ ١

Wal-fajr.

By the dawn

وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٖ ٢

Wa layālin ʿashr.

And [by] ten nights¹

وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ ٣

Wash-shafʿi wal-watr.

And [by] the even [number] and the odd

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ ٤

Wal-layli idhā yasr.

And [by] the night when it passes,

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَغۡشَىٰ ١

Wal-layli idhā yaghshā.

By the night when it covers¹

وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ ٢

Wan-nahāri idhā tajallā.

And [by] the day when it appears

وَٱلضُّحَىٰ ١

Waḍ-ḍuḥā.

By the morning brightness

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ ٢

Wal-layli idhā sajā.

And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,¹

وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ ١

Wal-ʿaṣr.

By time,¹

إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَفِي خُسۡرٍ ٢

Innal-insāna lafī khusr.

Indeed, mankind is in loss,

إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ ٣

Illal-ladhīna āmanū wa ʿamiluṣ-ṣāliḥāti wa tawāṣaw bil-ḥaqqi wa tawāṣaw biṣ-ṣabr.

Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٞۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَأۡخِرُونَ سَاعَةٗ وَلَا يَسۡتَقۡدِمُونَ ٣٤

Walikulli ummatin ajal, fa idhā jāʾa ajaluhum lā yastaʾkhirūna sāʿataw wa lā yastaqdimūn.

And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرۡجِعُونِ ٩٩

Ḥattā idhā jāʾa aḥadahumul-mawtu qāla rabbirjiʿūn.

[For such is the state of the disbelievers] until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back

لَعَلِّيٓ أَعۡمَلُ صَٰلِحٗا فِيمَا تَرَكۡتُۚ كـَلَّآۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَاۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِم بَرۡزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُونَ ١٠٠

Laʿallī aʿmalu ṣāliḥan fīmā tarakt, kallā, innahā kalimatun huwa qāʾiluhā, wa miw warāʾihim barzakhun ilā yawmi yubʿathūn.

That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind."¹ No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.

وَهُمۡ يَصۡطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخۡرِجۡنَا نَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحًا غَيۡرَ ٱلَّذِي كُنَّا نَعۡمَلُۚ أَوَلَمۡ نُعَمِّرۡكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُۖ فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ ٣٧

Wa hum yaṣṭarikhūna fīhā rabbanā akhrijnā naʿmal ṣāliḥan ghayral-ladhī kunnā naʿmal, awalam nuʿammirkum mā yatadhakkaru fīhi man tadhakkara wa jāʾakumun-nadhīr, fadhūqū famā liẓ-ẓālimīna min naṣīr.

And they will cry out therein, "Our Lord, remove us;¹ we will do righteousness - other than what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.

أَن تَقُولَ نَفۡسٞ يَٰحَسۡرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطتُ فِي جَنۢبِ ٱللَّهِ وَإِن كُنتُ لَمِنَ ٱلسَّٰخِرِينَ ٥٦

An taqūla nafsuy yāḥasratā ʿalā mā farraṭtu fī janbillāhi wa in kuntu laminas-sākhirīn.

Lest a soul should say,¹ "Oh, [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allāh and that I was among the mockers."

أَوۡ تَقُولَ لَوۡ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هَدَىٰنِي لَكُنتُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٥٧

Aw taqūla law annallāha hadānī lakuntu minal-muttaqīn.

Or [lest] it say, "If only Allāh had guided me, I would have been among the righteous."

أَوۡ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى ٱلۡعَذَابَ لَوۡ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةٗ فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ ٥٨

Aw taqūla ḥīna taral-ʿadhāba law anna lī karratan fa akūna minal-muḥsinīn.

Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn¹ so I could be among the doers of good."

وَأَنفِقُواْ مِن مَّا رَزَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوۡلَآ أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ قَرِيبٖ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ١٠

Wa anfiqū mim mā razaqnākum min qabli ay yaʾtiya aḥadakumul-mawtu fayaqūla rabbi lawlā akhkhartanī ilā ajalin qarībin fa aṣṣaddaqa wa akum minaṣ-ṣāliḥīn.

And spend [in the way of Allāh] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be of the righteous."

وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ ١١

Wa lay yuʾakhkhirallāhu nafsan idhā jāʾa ajaluhā, wallāhu khabīrum bimā taʿmalūn.

But never will Allāh delay a soul when its time has come. And Allāh is Aware of what you do.

۞ يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡأَهِلَّةِۖ قُلۡ هِيَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلۡحَجِّۗ وَلَيۡسَ ٱلۡبِرُّ بِأَن تَأۡتُواْ ٱلۡبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلۡبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰۗ وَأۡتُواْ ٱلۡبُيُوتَ مِنۡ أَبۡوَٰبِهَاۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ ١٨٩

Yasʾalūnaka ʿanil-ahillah, qul hiya mawāqītu lin-nāsi wal-ḥajj, wa laysal-birru biʾan taʾtul-buyūta min ẓuhūrihā wa lākinnal-birra manittaqā, waʾtul-buyūta min abwābihā, wattaqullāha laʿallakum tufliḥūn.

They ask you, [O Muḥammad], about the crescent moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people and for ḥajj [pilgrimage]." And it is not righteousness to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is [in] one who fears Allāh. And enter houses from their doors. And fear Allāh that you may succeed.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ ضِيَآءٗ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ نُورٗا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعۡلَمُواْ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلۡحِسَابَۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٥

Huwal-ladhī jaʿalash-shamsa ḍiyāʾaw wal-qamara nūraw wa qaddarahū manāzila litaʿlamū ʿadadas-sinīna wal-ḥisāb, mā khalaqallāhu dhālika illā bil-ḥaqq, yufaṣṣilul-āyāti liqawmiy yaʿlamūn.

It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allāh has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.

وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيۡنِۖ فَمَحَوۡنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَجَعَلۡنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبۡصِرَةٗ لِّتَبۡتَغُواْ فَضۡلٗا مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَلِتَعۡلَمُواْ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلۡحِسَابَۚ وَكُلَّ شَيۡءٖ فَصَّلۡنَٰهُ تَفۡصِيلٗا ١٢

Wa jaʿalnal-layla wan-nahāra āyatayn, famaḥawnā āyatal-layli wa jaʿalnā āyatan-nahāri mubṣiratal litabtaghū faḍlam mir rabbikum walitaʿlamū ʿadadas-sinīna wal-ḥisāb, wa kulla shayʾin faṣṣalnāhu tafṣīlā.

And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible¹ that you may seek bounty from your Lord and may know the number of years and the account [of time]. And everything We have set out in detail.

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ خِلۡفَةٗ لِّمَنۡ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوۡ أَرَادَ شُكُورٗا ٦٢

Wa huwal-ladhī jaʿalal-layla wan-nahāra khilfatal liman arāda ay yadhdhakkara aw arāda shukūrā.

And it is He who has made the night and the day in succession for whoever desires to remember or desires gratitude.