Two Surahs of Hope and Encouragement
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Introduction
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) underwent great difficulties and opposition in Makkah Mukarramah, due to which he was naturally affected and his morale was low.
At times, he was physically persecuted, with thorns being strewn in his path, the entrails of a camel being placed on his blessed back in salaah and with him being assaulted and strangled. Sometimes, the difficulty was in the form of the Quraish embarking on a smear-campaign to discredit him, by posting people on the different roads leading to Makkah Mukarramah, informing them that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was a madman, fraud or a soothsayer.
The difficulty even extended to his children, with his two daughters being divorced merely to cause him pain and difficulty. Likewise, the entire Banu Haashim family was placed under boycott for three long years.
Thereafter, when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) went to Taa-if, hoping to spread Deen and gain an ally for the Muslims, he was greeted with stones, until his blessed blood flowed into his sandals.
Allah Ta‘ala revealed two surahs filled with inspiration and encouragement to console him and uplift his morale. The first is Surah Dhuha, followed by Surah Alam Nashrah.
Some narrations mention a more specific reason for the revelation of Surah Dhuha, which is as follows:
On one occasion, on account of sickness, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was unable to wake up for Tahajjud Salaah for a few nights. During this same period, Jibreel (‘alaihis salaam) did not bring any wahi (revelation) for a few days. The wife of Abu Lahab, Ummu Jameel, noticed that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had not received wahi and thus began to taunt him, saying that his ‘Shaitaan’ had abandoned him. This temporary cease in wahi, coupled with the taunts of the disbelievers, caused Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) a great amount of grief. In order to console Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), lift his spirits and encourage him, Allah Ta‘ala revealed Surah Dhuha. (Saheeh Bukhaari #1125 & #4950 and Fat-hul Baari vol. 3, pg. 11)
Although these surahs were revealed primarily to uplift the morale of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), the message of these surahs is extremely motivational and uplifting for every individual. Therefore, a summary of the message of these surahs is presented in this book.
Surah Dhuha
Two Oaths
وَ الض ُّٰحی ۙ﴿ ۱ ﴾ وَ ال َیۡلِ اِذَا سَٰجي ۙ﴿ ۲ ﴾
By the glorious mid-morning light, and by the night when it becomes peaceful.
Allah Ta‘ala commences the surah by taking an oath on two things; the night when it sets in and its darkness spreads, and the brightness of the midmorning.
An oath is generally taken to emphasize a point. In this case, the point which Allah Ta‘ala emphasized by means of the dual oath was,
مَا وَد َعَکَ رَب ُّکَ وَ مَا قَٰلی ؕ﴿ ۳ ﴾
Your Rabb has neither forsaken you nor has He become displeased.
The objects by which Allah Ta‘ala takes oath in the Quraan Majeed usually have a link to whatever is being emphasized after the oath. In this case, the oath is emphasizing the following:
Just as even the darkest of nights will be followed by the brightness of daylight, similarly the grief you experienced and the taunts of the disbelievers that you suffered will be dispelled by the noor (light) of this wahi that is being revealed to you. (Ma‘aariful Quraan – Kandhelwi vol. 8, pg. 480)
The lesson in this is that there will always be light after darkness. Hence, no matter how difficult things may be, we should be patient and persevere, as there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
The Hereafter is Better
وَ لَْلایخِرَۃُّ خَۡیٌۡ ل َکَ مِنَ اْلاُّوٰۡلی ؕ﴿ ۴ ﴾
And surely the Hereafter is better for you than the present life.
This verse has two possible meanings. The first meaning is the meaning reflected by this translation – the Hereafter is better than this world. Although the disbelievers are taunting you and causing you grief in this world, We will bless you with great bounties in the Hereafter.
The second meaning is that the condition to come will be better than the condition that you were in. This means that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), with every passing moment, was progressing in his proximity and relationship with Allah Ta‘ala, as the favours of Allah Ta‘ala were increasing at every moment. (Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 8, pg. 766)
He will Please You
وَ لَسَوافَ یُّعاطِیۡکَ رَب ُّکَ فََتَاضیی ؕ﴿ ۵ ﴾
Your Rabb will definitely give you so much that you will be pleased.
In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala did not specify what He would bless Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) with. Hence, the commentators of the Quraan Majeed have sufficed on what the verse itself mentions – Allah Ta‘ala will give Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) whatever would please him. (Tafseer Mazhari vol. 10, pg. 260)
This includes the progress and spread of Islam after all the initial difficulties that the Muslims were undergoing at that time, every need of the Ummah and victory against the enemies of Islam.
Three Favours
Allah Ta‘ala thereafter reminds Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) of just three favours that He had blessed him with:
اَلَما یَجِداکَ یَتِیۡمًا فَایویی ۪﴿ ۶ ﴾
Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was born an orphan, as his father had passed away prior to his birth. When he was just six years old, his mother passed away. He thereafter lived with his grandfather, ‘Abdul Muttalib, until he was eight years old and ‘Abdul Muttalib passed away. He then lived with his uncle, Abu Taalib, and remained under his protection, until Abu Taalib passed away. When Abu Taalib passed away, the Quraish intensified their persecution of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the Muslims.
However, just as Allah Ta‘ala had cared for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and arranged for his safety throughout his blessed life, Allah Ta‘ala again arranged for his safety when He commanded him to migrate to Madeenah Munawwarah where the Ansaar welcomed him into their hearts and homes and were prepared to defend and protect him under all circumstances. (Tafseer Ibni Katheer vol. 7, pg. 592)
After hijrah, Madeenah Munawwarah became the centre of Islam and the hub from which conquest after conquest and victory after victory were attained.
وَ وَجَدَکَ ضَٓاْل ً فَہَدیی ۪﴿ ۷ ﴾
And He found you unaware of the way and then guided you?
Prior to receiving the mantle of prophethood and wahi, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was unaware of wahi, sharee‘ah and the divine knowledge that Allah Ta‘ala subsequently blessed him with. Hence, Allah Ta‘ala expresses this as a great favour upon Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – the favour of Deen and the knowledge of Deen. (Tafseer Qurtubi vol. 22, pg. 342)
وَ وَجَدَکَ عَٓائِْلً فَاَغاٰنی ؕ﴿ ۸ ﴾
And He found you in need and made you independent?
The third favour which Allah Ta‘ala expresses is the favour of wealth. This began when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) carried out a trade expedition on behalf of Sayyidah Khadeejah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). Their agreement was that she would finance the expedition by putting up the capital, and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would see to the rest of the expedition (purchasing goods, travelling, selling, etc.). Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) earned a profit from this expedition. The next stage of financial independence arrived when Sayyidah Khadeejah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), who was wealthy, proposed marriage for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Once they were married, she made all her wealth available to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and spent her wealth for the sake of Deen.
Just as Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was blessed with the wealth of this world, Allah Ta‘ala also blessed him with the greatest wealth – the wealth of the heart i.e. contentment. (Tafseer Qurtubi vol 22, pg. 346 and Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 8, pg. 767)
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “True wealth is not through possessing abundant wealth and riches. Rather, true wealth is the wealth of the heart.” (Saheeh Bukhaari #6446)
Pondering over the Favours of Allah
A very effective remedy in dispelling depression is for a person to ponder over the countless favours which Allah Ta‘ala has blessed him with. Hence, when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was undergoing grief, Allah Ta‘ala reminded him of some of the great favours which he had been blessed with. If we ponder over the blessings that we enjoy, we will realize that they far outnumber the few difficulties that we suffer.
Three Actions
In comparison to the three aforementioned blessings of Allah Ta‘ala, Allah Ta‘ala mentions three actions which should be carried out as a form of gratitude.
فَاَم َا الایَتِیۡمَ فَْلَ تَقاہَرا ؕ﴿ ۹ ﴾
Therefore, as for the orphan, then do not oppress him.
Kindness to the orphan and ensuring that one does not oppress the orphan in any way is an injunction which applies to every individual.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “I, and the one who looks after an orphan, will be together in Jannah like this.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then held up his index and middle finger with just a slight gap between them (in order to show the proximity). (Saheeh Bukhaari #5304)
However, as Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had enjoyed Allah Ta‘ala’s divine arrangements for care and protection when he was himself an orphan, Allah Ta‘ala specifically mentions this injunction as a form of gratitude.
وَ اَم َا الس َٓائِلَ فَْلَ تَناہَرا ﴿ؕ ۰۱ ﴾
And as for the beggar, then do not scold him.
Not scolding the beggar means that the beggar should be treated with kindness. If one is able to give the beggar something, then he should do so. If one does not wish to give anything to the beggar, then one should turn him away politely, not by scolding, shouting and disgracing him. We need to realize that the roles can be swapped at any time.
وَ اَم َا بِنِعامَۃِ رَب ِکَ فَحَد ِثا ﴿٪ ۱۱ ﴾
And as for the bounty of your Rabb, then speak.
The third action is ‘tahdeeth bin ni’mah’ i.e. expressing the favours of Allah Ta‘ala as a means of gratitude. This includes praising Allah Ta‘ala for showering him with these favours and also being grateful to the one who was a means of the favour coming to him. (Tafseer Ibni Katheer vol. 7, pg. 593)
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The one who is ungrateful to people cannot be grateful to Allah.” (Sunan Tirmizi #1955)
Obviously, one should only speak of the favours which Allah Ta‘ala has showered upon him before people who are his wellwishers, or else he risks creating jealousy within the hearts of people who do not wish well for him.
Furthermore, this expression should not be as a means of boasting, rather as a means of gratitude. Thus if a person does not have control over himself and fears that he may boast instead of expressing the favours, he should not talk about these favours.
Surah Alam Nashrah
Surah Alam Nashrah commences with the theme of Surah Dhuha, enumerating some of the great blessings which Allah Ta‘ala bestowed upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
Thereafter, Allah Ta‘ala gives Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) the glad tidings of ease that will follow these days of difficulty, and explains an effective prescription for overcoming difficulties.
Expanding Your Chest
اَلَما نَشارَحا لَکَ صَدارَکَ ۙ﴿ ۱ ﴾
Did We not expand for you your chest?
In this verse, ‘expansion of the chest’ could have different meanings.
Firstly, it refers to Allah Ta‘ala expanding the chest of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to such an extent that it could preserve the wordings, manner of recitation, meanings and deduced laws of the Quraan Majeed. Further, Rasulullah’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) blessed chest could encompass the vast and extensive knowledge of the heavens and the earth and deep understanding and recognition of the being and qualities of Allah Ta‘ala. (Tafseer Mazhari vol. 10, pg. 267, Ma‘aariful Quraan – Kandhelwi vol. 8, pg. 485 and Khutubaat ‘Uthmaani vol. 6, pg. 282)
Secondly, it refers to the beautiful character of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), due to which he had a very high level of tolerance and endurance. Hence, no matter what obstacles impeded and hindered his efforts to propagate Deen, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) endured it, always persevered and never gave up. (Ad-Durrul Manthoor vol. 6, pg. 614 and Bayaanul Quraan vol. 3, pg. 650)
A third meaning of ‘sharhus sadr’ is the blessing of having a clear mind to make the correct decision, without hesitation, in a conflicting situation. During the twenty-three years of Rasulullah’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) nubuwwah, there were many decisions that he had to make in extremely sensitive and conflicting situations, and he took all these decisions with great ease and without any hesitation. (Khutubaat ‘Uthmaani vol. 6, pg. 283)
Some Mufassireen have taken the literal meaning of the word ‘sharh’ in the verse. Hence, they explain that this verse refers to the numerous occasions in which Allah Ta‘ala had sent angels to split the blessed chest of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and wash his blessed heart with Zamzam. (Tafseer Ibni Katheer vol. 7, pg. 595)
Removing Your Burden
وَ وَضَعانَا عَنۡکَ وِزارَکَ ۙ﴿ ۲ ﴾ اّل َِیۡۤۡ اَنۡقَضَ ظَہۡرَکَ ۙ﴿ ۳ ﴾
And remove from you your burden which had weighed upon your back?
The responsibility that was placed upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was never placed on any other individual. He was given the responsibility of dispensing guidance and showing the path of salvation to mankind until the Day of Qiyaamah. However, with this responsibility came great challenges and hurdles.
He was born in a place that was steeped in idol-worship, paganism, immorality, shamelessness and the worst forms of vices. Then, at the age of forty, when a person’s strength and faculties generally begin to decline, he began to receive wahi, the weight of which could not even be endured by mountains. Despite being unlettered, he had to preserve this wahi in its pure and pristine form and pass on its words, manner of recitation, meaning and laws to humanity. In the beginning, all of this had to be achieved with very little support and immense opposition.
Hence, this verse explains that Allah Ta‘ala had removed this burden from Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and made this mammoth task easy for him. (Tafseer Qurtubi vol 22, pg. 357)
Raising Your Name
وَ رَفَعانَا لَکَ ذِكارَکَ ؕ﴿ ۴ ﴾
And raised high for you your name?
This is the third favour upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that Allah Ta‘ala mentions in this surah.
No other person in the world enjoys this favour – that his name is taken in every part of the world, and not a second passes without his blessed name been taken. Millions across the globe are named after him and abundant salutations are perpetually sent upon him daily. There is no person whose life, qualities, actions and statements have been meticulously recorded, documented and discussed in the manner in which Rasulullah’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) seerah has been collated.
Furthermore, Allah Ta‘ala has made Deen such, that the majority of the time, when we take the name of Allah Ta‘ala, we also take the blessed name of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), whether it be when reciting the kalimah or the shahaadah, or when calling out the azaan and iqaamah, or when reciting the khutbah or on other occasions. This is indeed a great honour for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). (Tafseer Qurtubi vol 22, pg. 357)
Ease with Difficulty
فَاِن َ مَعَ الاعُّسارِ یُّسارًا ۙ﴿ ۵ ﴾ اِن َ مَعَ الاعُّسارِ یُّسارًا ؕ﴿ ۶ ﴾
Verily, with every difficulty there is ease. Verily, with every difficulty there is ease.
One meaning of this is that even while a person is suffering from a calamity, he still enjoys many bounties and much ease from Allah Ta‘ala. (Roohul Ma‘aani vol. 16, pg. 306)
For example, if a person is afflicted with an illness in a certain part of his body, the rest of his body is still functioning correctly. Further, he has the ease of visiting a doctor and treating the illness. He also enjoys the comfort of his family attending to him and serving him during that time.
In this way, together with the difficulty of the illness, he enjoyed so many forms of ease from the side of Allah Ta‘ala. Apart from this, is the bounty of him being rewarded tremendously for the patience he exercises upon that calamity.
Prepared and published by:
Ibnu Mas‘ood Institute & Uswatul Muslimah
