3. and by the even and the odd,*
* The ‘even’ refers to all creation begotten in pairs, while the ‘odd’ implies the One, the Creator, Who has no equal. Some say that shaf ‘ connotes the ‘Day of Sacrifice’, and watr refers to the ‘the Day of ‘Arafat’ (during Hajj). Shaf ‘ may also refer to the days and nights of the worldly life, while watr may denote the Day of Resurrection. Shaf‘ also stands for all even nights of the year, while watr are all the blissful odd nights of the year, such as the night of al-Mi‘raj, the night of al-Bara’a, the night of al-Qadr, which come successively in the months of Rajab, Sha‘ban and Ramadan. Shaf‘ also points to the first couple, Adam and Hawwa’ (Eve [peace be upon both of them]), when together, whereas watr connotes Adam (peace be upon him) when alone because he was the origin of the human race. This verse may also refer to the prayers, most of which have an even number of cycles, whereas one of them, the sunset prayer, has an odd number. Some say the ‘even’ refers to Safa and Marwa, while the ‘odd’ refers to the Ka‘ba.
