Tafseer of The Sun · Ash-Shams · 91:2
And [by] the moon when it follows it
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His word: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا ("By the moon when it follows it") (91:2). He, exalted is His mention, says: and by the moon when it follows the sun, and that is in the first half of the month, when the sun sets and the moon follows it as it rises.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — he said: it follows the day.
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Malik informed us, on the authority of Qays ibn Saʿd, on the authority of Mujāhid, his word: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — he means: the sun, when the moon follows it.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — he said: it follows it.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — it follows it on the morning of the new moon; for when the sun sets, the new moon is seen.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — he said: when it follows it on the night of the new moon.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the word of Allah: وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا * وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلاهَا — he said: this is an oath, and the moon follows the sun in the first half of the month, and it follows it in the second half. As for the first half: the moon follows the sun, and it (the sun) is before it and it (the moon) is behind it; and when it is the second half, it (the moon) goes ahead of it and precedes it, and it (the sun) follows it.
