Skip to main content
13 Jumada al-awwal 1448 AH Saturday, 24 October 2026
Easy Da'wah Platform

Read

Listen

Personal Quran

ٱقْرَأْ

Continue your Quran journey

Read, listen and reflect on the Book of Allah with translations and renowned reciters.

Open Quran

Browse Collections

Discover

Hadith of the Day

Authentic narrations, clearly referenced

Every hadith shows its collection, book, chapter and reference so you can verify the source.

Explore Hadith

Explore

Tools

Media

Explore Islam through knowledge, reflection and authentic sources

Browse articles, tools and media gathered in one calm, ad-free place.

Start exploring

Start Learning

For Visitors

For Teachers

Personalised

Learn Quran with a qualified teacher

Choose an approved Quran teacher and learn at your own pace. Everything else on the platform stays free.

Find a Teacher

Categories

Featured Stories

A guide to Islam

A collection of essential duas

Hajj, step by step

Islamic news & updates

Community announcements, educational updates and reminders, published and verified by our team.

View all news
Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Anbya 21:20

Word by word

يُسَبِّحُونَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ

They exalt [Him] night and day [and] do not slacken.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Creation was made with Justice and Wisdom

Allah tells us that He created the heavens and the earth in truth, i.e. with justice.لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done, and reward those who do good, with what is best.) 53:31. He did not create all that in vain or for (mere) play:وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَآءَ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنَ النَّارِ (And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve!

Then woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire!) 38:27لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ (Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us, if We were going to do (that).) Ibn Abi Najih said, narrating from Mujahid:لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ(Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us,) "Meaning, `From Ourself,' He is saying, `We would not have created Paradise or Hell or death or the resurrection or the Reckoning."'إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ(if We were going to do (that).

) Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and Mughirah bin Miqsam said: "This means, `We will not do that."' Mujahid said, every time the wordأَنْ(if) is used in the Qur'an, it is a negation.بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَـطِلِ(Nay, We fling the truth against the falsehood,) means, `We explain the truth and thus defeat falsehood.' Allah says:فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ(so it destroys it, and behold, it disappears.) it is fading and vanishing.وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ(And woe to you) O you who say that Allah has offspring.مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ(for that which you ascribe.) that which you say and fabricate. Then Allah informs of the servitude of the angels, and how they persevere in worship night and day:Everything belongs to Allah and serves Himوَلَهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ(To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on earth. And those who are near Him) i.e., the angels,لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ(are not too proud to worship Him,) they do not feel proud and do not refuse to worship Him.

This is like the Ayah:لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْداً للَّهِ وَلاَ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَمَن يَسْتَنْكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيهِ جَمِيعاً (Al-Masih will never be proud to reject being a servant of Allah, nor the angels who are the near. And whosoever rejects His worship and is proud, then He will gather them all together unto Himself.) 4:172وَلاَ يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ(nor are they weary.) means, they do not get tired or feel bored.يُسَبِّحُونَ الْلَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لاَ يَفْتُرُونَ (They glorify His praises night and day, they never slacken.) They persist in their worship night and day, obeying Allah to the utmost, and they are able to do this, as Allah says:لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ(who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do what they are commanded) 66:6

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

This point has been brought to a conclusion in the next verse by saying يُسَبِّحُونَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ‌ لَا يَفْتُرُ‌ونَ , (They proclaim His purity night and day, never slackening - 21:20).

Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Harith ؓ عنہ said that he asked Ka` b al-Abbar ؓ how it was that angels kept reciting tasbih (proclaiming Allah's purity) all the time. Did they not have anything else to do? And if they did how could they do both things simultaneously, that is reciting tasbih and do other things. To this Ka'b replied "0 my nephew! Does performance of any of your jobs prevent you from breathing?" The truth is that tasbih comes to angels just as breathing comes to human beings which continues without stopping whatever else he may be doing.(Qurtubi, Al-Bahr ul-Muhit)

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

يذكرون الله وينزِّهونه دائمًا، لا يضْعُفون ولا يسأمون.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

( يسبحون الليل والنهار لا يفترون ) فهم دائبون في العمل ليلا ونهارا ، مطيعون قصدا وعملا قادرون عليه ، كما قال تعالى : ( لا يعصون الله ما أمرهم ويفعلون ما يؤمرون ) [ التحريم : 6 ] .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : حدثنا علي بن أبي دلامة البغدادي ، أنبأنا عبد الوهاب بن عطاء ، حدثنا سعيد ، عن قتادة ، عن صفوان بن محرز ، عن حكيم بن حزام قال : بينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بين أصحابه ، إذ قال لهم : " هل تسمعون ما أسمع؟ " قالوا : ما نسمع من شيء . فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : " إني لأسمع أطيط السماء ، وما تلام أن تئط ، وما فيها موضع شبر إلا وعليه ملك ساجد أو قائم " . غريب ولم يخرجوه .ثم رواه ابن أبي حاتم من طريق يزيد بن زريع ، عن سعيد ، عن قتادة مرسلا .وقال أبو إسحاق ، عن حسان بن مخارق ، عن عبد الله بن الحارث بن نوفل قال : جلست إلى كعب الأحبار وأنا غلام ، فقلت له : أرأيت قول الله [ للملائكة ] ( يسبحون الليل والنهار لا يفترون ) أما يشغلهم عن التسبيح الكلام والرسالة والعمل؟ . فقال : فمن هذا الغلام؟ فقالوا : من بني عبد المطلب ، قال : فقبل رأسي ، ثم قال لي : يا بني ، إنه جعل لهم التسبيح ، كما جعل لكم النفس ، أليس تتكلم وأنت تتنفس وتمشي وأنت تتنفس؟ .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.