Surah Yaseen 36:40 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 40 of 83
لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
English: The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.
Bengali: সূর্য নাগাল পেতে পারে না চন্দ্রের এবং রাত্রি অগ্রে চলে না দিনের প্রত্যেকেই আপন আপন কক্ষপথে সন্তরণ করে।
Meaning & Reflection
'The sun is not permitted to overtake the moon, nor does the night outrun the day; each floats in an orbit.' al-Biqa'i and Ibn Ashur note the flawless order: no collision, no jostling for the same lane — 'each swims (yasbahun) in an orbit', gliding as a swimmer through water. The imagery is of effortless, unbroken discipline across unimaginable time. Ask yourself: I live inside a cosmic traffic system that has never once had an accident — bodies of staggering size and speed, never colliding, never late. The order I take for granted every night is a mercy holding steady behind the scenes. If the heavens keep their appointed lanes so faithfully, what would it mean for me to keep mine — the limits, the boundaries, the 'orbit' set for a life — instead of forever trying to overtake?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Biqa'i, Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Yaseen 36:40:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?