OnIslam.net

Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother, we really do appreciate your question, which shows how interested you are in becoming well acquainted with the Qur’an. May Allah bless your efforts in the pursuit of knowledge!

Regarding your question, there is no contradiction between the two verses. The context of the two verses is that when Zakariyya (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was told by Allah Almighty that he would be granted a baby in such an old age -- which is considered a miracle -- he asked for a sign saying, “My Lord! Appoint a sign for me.” (Aal `Imran 3: 41)

By asking for a sign, Zakariyya (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wished to recognize the pregnancy of his wife so that he can thank Allah Almighty for this blessing. He was told that the sign would be that he would not be able to speak to people, without any defect, for three days and nights.

Responding to your question, Dr. Sayed Zaki Khalil, professor of Tafsir and Qur’an Sciences, Al-Azhar university, stated,

The word “day” (yawm in Arabic) generally is used as the opposite to the night as long as it is not specified to include the night also.

As for the above-mentioned verses, there is no contradiction between “…three days…” and “…three nights…” as mentioning the day includes the night and vice versa. Also, mentioning the “days” in a verse and the “nights” in another one mans three days with their nights or three nights with their days.

Hence, it is understood that Zakariyya was told that the sign he asked for would be that he would not be able to talk to people for three days including their nights.

Allah Almighty knows best.