َ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَى مِنْ ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ وَاللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ عَلِمَ أَنْ لَنْ تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ عَلِمَ أَنْ سَيَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ مَرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۲۰﴾

﴾20﴿ Inna Rabbaka ya'lamu annaka taqoomu adnaa min sulusa yil laili wa nisfahoo wa sulusahoo wa taaa'ifatum minal lazeena ma'ak; wal laahu yuqaddirul laila wanna haar; 'alima al lan tuhsoohu fataaba 'alaikum faqra'oo maa tayassara minal quraan; 'alima an sa yakoonu minkum mardaa wa aakharoona yadriboona fil ardi yabtaghoona min fadlil laahi wa aakharoona yuqaatiloona fee sabeelil laahi faqra'oo ma tayassara minhu wa aqeemus salaata wa aatuz zakaata wa aqridul laaha qardan hasanaa; wa maa tuqaddimoo li anfusikum min khairin tajidoohu 'indal laahi huwa khayranw wa a'zama ajraa; wastaghfirul laahaa innal laaha ghafoorur raheem.

﴾20﴿ Indeed, your Lord knows that you stand in prayer for nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or a third, along with a group of those who are with you. Allah precisely measures the night and the day, knowing that you can never fully keep count of it, thus He has granted you ease. Therefore, recite as much of the Quran as is easy for you. He knows that among you are those who are sick, others traveling through the land seeking Allah's bounty, and others fighting in Allah's cause. So, recite what is easy from it, establish prayer, give Zakat, and lend to Allah a goodly loan sincerely. Whatever good deeds you send forth for yourselves, you will find their reward with Allah better and greater. And seek forgiveness from Allah; indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful

[20] At the beginning of the sūrah, the command was given for qiyām al-layl—half the night, or a bit more or less. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the noble Companions practiced this.
However, because of the difficulty, Allah sent relief in this concluding verse: 1. One difficulty: a person often falls asleep and cannot determine the exact half or third of the night. 2. Another difficulty: among people there are the sick and travelers, who cannot consistently fulfill that measure.
So, Allah eased the command: it is no longer necessary to perfectly observe half or one-third of the night. Rather, each person may recite and stand in prayer according to their ability.
(Wa ṭā’ifatun mina alladhīna ma‘ak) – Refers to the Companions who also performed qiyām—either individually at home or in the mosque. During Ramadan, they prayed behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) for two or three nights in congregation.
(Wa-Allāhu yuqaddiru al-layla wa al-nahār) – Two explanations:
1. Allah knows the exact measures of night and day—what is truly half or one-third—while humans estimate and may be mistaken.
2. Allah ordains various decrees in the night and day—among them was the initial obligation of qiyām and then its gradual reduction.
(Faqra’ū mā tayassara mina al-Qur’ān) – The intended meaning is ṣalāh, but it uses part (reading) to indicate the whole (prayer).
It can also mean reciting Qur’an inside and outside of prayer. Mā tayassara refers to time and ability: one hour, two hours, half the night, or more or less—according to one’s strength.
Some scholars also interpret this as referring to Sūrah al-Fātiḥah based on the ḥadīth: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite al-Fātiḥah.”
(‘Alima an sayakūnu minkum) – The verse now mentions the second reason for relaxation. The first (mentioned earlier) was: you will not be able to keep the precise count. The second is here: (Wa ākharūna) – Traveling for trade is also obedience, but such people cannot manage strict night worship.
(Wa ākharūna yuqātilūna) – Ibn Kathīr says that at the time of this verse's revelation, fighting in Allah’s cause had not yet begun—thus, its mention is a strong proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Those who fight in Allah’s path also cannot consistently perform long night prayers, so again Allah says: (Faqra’ū mā tayassara minhu) – This second occurrence refers to the amount of Qur’an recited—one sūrah, two sūrahs, a part or two, according to one’s capacity. This contextual difference explains why the phrase faqra’ū is not repeated in both statements.
(Wa aqridū Allāha) – Means to spend in charity, in halal causes, with sincerity—free from showing off or reminding others. The highest form of this is spending in da‘wah and jihād fī sabīlillāh.
(Wa astaghfirū Allāh) – Since fulfilling all divine commands perfectly is difficult given Allah’s Majesty, the verse ends with an invitation to acknowledge one’s shortcomings. This is the essence of istighfār, and it does not necessarily imply sin—just like the three istighfārs recited after finishing ṣalāh.