surah ad-duha explanation
Surah
Duha, Chapter 93
(The
Glorious Morning Light,morning hours or morning bright)
Number
of Verses: 11
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In The Name of Allah,
The Beneficent, The Merciful
Period of Revelation:
After
the first sura (al-Alaq) was received, there was a period of silence in which
no further messages were revealed, which caused the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah's peace) to be deeply distressed and grieved. On this account he felt
very anxious that perhaps he had committed some error because of which his Lord
had become angry with him and had forsaken him. The pagans of Mecca taunted
Muhammad. According to IbnKathir it was the wife of Abu Lahab) began to
sarcastically ridicule him. She would say that Allah had abandoned Muhammad and
that He was unhappy with him. Then, the verses descended on him, like
refreshing rain and gave him a new strength, which ceased his enemies, taunts.
There
is no agreement in narrations as to the exact length of time he had to wait.
Some have cited it as 12 days, some 15 days, some 19 days, some 25 days, some
forty days and some six months. Some narrations also denote that it was only
for 2-3 days.
Through
this consolation revelation ALLAH told Prophet Muhammad SAW that the stillness
of revelation was necessitated, as it said: "If you had continuously been
exposed to the intensely bright light of Revelation (Wahi) your nerves could
not have endured it. Therefore, an interval was given in order to afford you
peace and tranquility." This state was experienced by the Holy Prophet in
the initial stage of the Prophethood when he was not yet accustomed to hear the
intensity of Revelation.
This
explained also in Surah Al Muddaththir; and in Surah Al-Muzzammil also we have
explained what great burden of the coming down of Revelation he had to bear.
Because of subject matter, length, style, and placement in the Qur'an, this
sura is often coupled with Sura Al-Inshirah. They are generally considered to
have been revealed around the same time.
Theme and Subject Matter
The
main themes of this Surah are:
a)
Mention of some major favors of Allah upon Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him)
b)
Recommended conducts to show gratitude to these favors
c)
Superiority of the life after death
Its
theme is to console the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and its object to
remove his anxiety and distress, which he had been caused by the suspension of
Revelation.
Just
like ALLAH console Prophet Moses vv. 37-42 of Surah Ta Ha, where Allah, while
sending the Prophet Moses to confront a tyrant like Pharaoh, encouraged and
consoled him, saying: "We have been looking after you with kindness
ever since your birth; therefore, you should be satisfied that you will not be
left alone in this dreadful mission. Our bounty will constantly be with
you."
Don’t we have similar feelings in our lives?
Times when our level of imaan is low, our khushoo in salah wavers and we feel
a drop in our connection with Allah? We feel like our duas are not being
answered, our salah is
not having a positive impact on our hearts, and worst of all the feeling that
we’re horrible human beings, that Allah doesn’t love us or doesn’t care about
us anymore.
بِسْمِ اللهِ
الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
ALLAH HAS NEVER FORSAKEN PROPHET MUHAMMAD:
1) By the
morning brightness
At the beginning of the
Surah, again, we are faced with two oaths sworn to the Light and sworn to the
Night, saying:
"By
the Glorious Morning Light".
"And
by the Night when it is still".
Oaths
in the Quran are a means by which one is encouraged to reflect on and prepare
for the lesson about to come. Allah (swt) swears by ad-Duha and duha refers to the light of
the sun and the early part of the day or the beginning hours of
the day when the sun raises high in the sky and it brightens up everywhere.
This is, in fact, the best time of day or, in other words, it is the youth of
the day. Duha in contrast though can be considered to be akin to the
morning rush hour when the day is full of life and movement, and it is at this
time that we are, both bodily and spiritually, full of energy ready to do
whatever we need to do. It is the time of the day in which there is a lot of
activity and hustling and busting in contrast to fajr.
A
parallel is being drawn here with the revelation coming down to the messenger
(saw). The revelation is
being compared to the soothing warmth of the sun falling upon
the messenger (saw).
Allah (swt) now takes an oath by the night when it is still.
The
word sajaa has three
meanings and in this verse it means stillness. Basically the term /saja/ is
derived from /sajw/ and originally means 'to be quiet, tranquil'; and it has
also been used with the meaning of 'to cover, to darken' but, here it confers
the meaning of 'quietness' and 'tranquility', hence, on the nights when the
wind does not blow the terms; laylatun- sajiyah; 'a quiet night',.In any case what is
important about 'night' is its peace and stillness which naturally gives peace
and calmness to Man's nerves and makes him prepared for his next day's
struggles or days of spiritual life and work. From this point of view 'night'
is very important and it deserves to be sworn to.
Both
of these times, the day and the night, are important from a psychological point
of view to the nafs and human personality. These two times are
completely opposite to one another and Allah (swt) here alludes to the
different emotions people face during the day and night and both opposites
enable us to feel grateful for the other. Sometimes in life there is difficulty
and sometimes there is happiness and ease. The fact that there is not always
ease because an important part of life is to experience hardship and difficulty
and to go through tough times. It is through these experiences that Allah (swt)
gives us qualities that we would have never have otherwise been able to
harness. If life was always easy than one would never
learn sabr which is a quality that Allah (swt) put inside us but one
which only comes out and blooms under difficult circumstances. Furthermore, one
can only truly feel gratitude and be thankful when something you once had is
taken away from you.
So
just like the day is, metaphorically represent the descent of the revelations
to the holy heart of the Prophet (S), the stillness or quiescence of the night
is compared to the days and periods of waiting for revelation.
Then, following these
two great oaths, it refers to the conclusion and the response of the oaths and
says:
"Your
Lord has neither forsaken you nor has He become displeased".
The term /wadda'a/ is derived from /taudi/ which
means 'to leave'.
In Arabic al-Widdaa’
means to say goodbye but at-Tawddee’ means to say a final farewell when one
does not intend to return, for example when one has bought a single ticket and
not a return. In this verse, Allah (swt) is saying that He (swt) has not given
a permanent farewell. Allah (swt) could have said ‘lam yuwaddi’ka’ which means
‘He did not bid you farewell’ but instead Allah uses ‘maa’. The use of the word
maa for negation, in order to convince the messenger (saw). The maa in of
itself is an expression of the Allah’s love of the messenger (saw) as this is
not the type of farewell used when enemies say goodbye to each other but rather
it is the type of farewell between people who love each other like family.
The oaths that Allah
(swt) took in the beginning are regarding the night and the day, neither of
which are permanent, and so it is only fitting that Allah (swt) says the gap in
revelation is not permanent. The word for Allah (swt) used here is rabbuka.
Allah does not say here that ‘Allah bid you farewell’ rather he says your Lord.
The use of the word rabbuka in of itself exhibits love for the messenger (saw).
Why would Allah (swt), your Master, the one who gives you gifts and takes
charge of you and manages your affairs say goodbye to you? Of all the ways in
Arabic to say farewell, Allah (swt) has chosen the most perfect way to let the
messenger know that He (swt) has not left him.
The term /qala/ is based on /qila/ in the sense of
'hate and enmity", and is derived from the root /qalw/ meaning 'to throw'.
Qallaa in Arabic is when
you are so unhappy with someone that as a result you abandon all communication
with them. It means that Allah (swt) is not unhappy with anything associated
with the messenger (saw).
This was natural. The apparent indifference on
the part of the beloved, the apparent deprivation of the contact with the
source of power, which was his chief support, in the soul-destroying conflict
between belief and unbelief, and above all, the taunts and jeers of the enemy,
when all these things combined they must have caused great anguish to the Holy
Prophet, and he must be thinking that because of some error that he might have
committed his Lord had become displeased with him and had forsaken and left him
to fight the battle between truth and falsehood alone.
THE NEXT LIFE IS BETTER THAN THE PRESENT LIFE:
And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world)
Typically
in Arabic one would say wal-aakhiratukhayrun (the
hereafter is better) versus wa-lal- aakhiratukhayrunlaka (the
hereafter really is better), which we see in this verse. There is an
additional laam here which is called laam at-tawqeed and is
used in Arabic to add emphasis and certainty in statements when addressing
those in doubt. It is used when taking oaths in order to convince a skeptical
audience and the strength of the language will often indicate the state of the
audience. When the audience is very skeptical of the information being relayed,
stronger language often through the use of oaths is needed. Allah (swt) is very
strongly and clearly saying that what will come later is definitely better for
the messenger (saw) than the former. This has been interpreted in two ways. One
group of mufassiroon are of the opinion that it refers literally to
the akhirah and the joy of Jannah whilst others have said that it
refers to the struggles of this life and how the challenges ahead will become
easier; that which refers to the expansion and development of Islam when the
Muslims were frequently victorious in battles against their enemies and the
light of Islam removed the gloom of paganism and idolatry in many areas.
This
surah was revealed at early time of islam when the torture and jeers from
kafirs of Makkah were at peak.
When the season
of depression rises and we are unable o find any solution of our problem, than
most of time we complain too much about never having better life. This aayah serves as a perfect answer
to those questions, reminding us that life in this world is temporary and that Aakhira is certainly a better, more
permanent place for us than this world could ever be. This makes us look
forward to attaining our place in Jannah and helps us look at any problems in
our lives as temporary tests of our faith from Allah.
The
previous surah al-Layl ends by saying that the one who is in pursuit of Allah’s
contentment will soon be truly pleased and in this surah we learn who is the
most qualified for that title of being most pleased. We also learnt that whosoever seeks Allah’s pleasure
in general will be pleased whilst in this surah it is
specifically Muhammad (saw) who will be pleased.
In
Arabic when referring to the future one can use sa or sawfa. In this verse Allah (swt) says ‘wa
la sawfa’ and so Allah (swt) is saying that He will soon give you.
The sawfa also serves to add emphasis and Allah (swt) uses emphasis
because the harder the struggles of the messenger (saw) becomes, the more you
have to emphasise why this work is being done and the more the promise of
victory in the future and the promise of paradise is emphasised.
in
this surah Allah (swt) Himself is saying ‘your Master will soon give’ and He is
giving because the messenger (saw) in his lifetime gave so much in his work of
dawah.
The
word yu’teeka roughly means
that Allah will give you and the implication is that He (swt) will give a lot
because of the word a’tta which is in the hyperbolised form
(i.e. afdal, akram). The selection of the word a’tta which
means to give a lot but by removing the object of the verb Allah (swt) does not
mention what will be given. The benefit of this is that He (swt) made the
giving absolute and did not put any limits on it. If someone rich comes to you
and says he will take care of you, you do not expect to receive a small amount
as this person did not put a number on what he will give. The Arabs have a
saying that ‘Giving is appropriate to the one who gives’ (Al ittaa’uqadarin
‘alaMu’tti) and so when Allah (swt) says He will give you and does not put a
limit on it, one can only imagine how unlimited the reward of the messenger
(saw) will be. So, firstly Allah (swt) does not put a limit on what He is
giving and then He also selects a word that indicates that He (swt) will give a
lot.
Imam Sadiq (as) says:
“The Messenger of Allah
entered Fatima's home when she, wearing rough clothes of camel wool, was
grinding grain with one hand and nursing her child with the other.
He, having tears in his
eyes, advised his daughter to tolerate the hardship and the bitterness of this
world for the sweetness of the Next World, because Allah had revealed to him
'And soon your Lord
will grant you, and you shall be well-pleased'.
That
is "Although it will take some time, yet the time is not far when your
Lord will bless you with so much that you will be well pleased "This
promise was fulfilled during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and all Arabia,
from the southern coasts to the Syrian frontiers of the Byzantine empire and
the Iraqi frontiers of the Persian empire in the north, and from the Persian
Gulf in the east to the Red Sea in the west, carne under his control. For the
first time in the history of Arabia this land became subject to one law and
rule. Whichever power clashed with it was doomed to destruction. The slogan La
ilaha ill-allah-u Muhammad ur-Rasul-Allah reverberated throughout the land
where the polytheists and the followers of the earlier scriptures had tried
their utmost to keep their false creeds and slogans aloft till the last. The
people not only bowed their heads in obedience, their hearts also were conquered,
and their beliefs, morals and acts were revolutionized. There is no precedent
in human history that nation sunk in paganism might have completely changed in
only 33 years. Then the movement started by the Holy Prophet gathered such
power that it spread over a large part of Asia, Africa and Europe and its
influence reached every nook and corner of the world. This much Allah gave His
Messenger in the world, the glory and extent of what he will give him in the
Hereafter cannot be imagined."
MENTION OF SOME FAVORS OF ALLAH UPON HIS PROPHET:
As we mentioned before,
the Surah mostly tends to comfort the Prophet (S) and enumerates the Divine
graces granted to him.
In relation to the
former verses containing this very meaning, the following verses begin by
mentioning three particular blessings of Allah's Bounties to the holy Prophet
(S); and along with them it gives him three important instructions:
Allah (swt) could have said wawajadakayateeman – ‘He found you an orphan’ but instead Allah (swt) asks it as a rhetorical question. This is akin to one asking someone ‘Haven’t I taken care of you in the past?’, almost as if the person is advising one not to worry because they have proven their reliability already. He (swt) reassures the prophet (saw) by reminding him (saw) of the past. In the same way that Allah (swt) found the prophet (saw) an orphan and helped him in the past, He (swt) will help him in the present and the future.
This
refers to the fact that the Holy Prophet's father passed away three months
before his birth; thus he was an orphan at birth. But Allah did not leave him
without support even for a day. Up to six years of age his mother nourished and
looked after him. After her death, his grandfather took him and brought him up
with great love. He would proudly tell the people; "My this son has a
great future.' When he also died, his uncle, Abu Talib, became his guardian and
treated him with such rare love that one father could treat his son better. So
much so that when after his proclamation to be a Prophet the entire nation
turned hostile, Abu Talib alone stood firm as his chief supporter for as long
as ten years.
His
uncle Abu Talib took responsibility for him and continued to protect him,
assist him, elevate his status, honor him, and even restrain his people from
harming him when the Prophet was forty years of age and Allah commissioned him
with Prophethood. Even with this, Abu Talib continued to follow the religion of
his people, worshipping idols. After the death of Abu Talib, the foolish and
ignorant people of Makkah began to attack the Prophet, so Allah chose for him
to migrate away from them to the city of Al-Madeenah. Then, when the Prophet
arrived in Al-Madeenah, its inhabitants gave him shelter, supported him,
defended him and fought alongside him against the enemies of Islam. All of
these were from Allah’s protection for him, guarding over him and caring for
him. [TafsirIbnKathir]
The
word aawaa in Arabic means
to give someone or to take refuge from danger and eewaa is to bring
someone into your home as a guest. We know that Allah (swt) gave the prophet
(saw) shelter by means of his uncle Abu Talib but Allah (swt) does not mention
the prophet’s uncle and instead takes the credit for it Himself.
We
can understand from this that when people do us favors we should be thankful to
them but understand that these are just a means and that the favors all came from Allah (swt),
The
meaning is expanded to include all possible permutations such as gave you
shelter, gave shelter for you (your sake) and gave shelter by you to others
(i.e Muslims who help orphans by following the prophetic example and sunnah.
Many people are also sheltered from hellfire because they follow Allah’s
Messenger). Yateem which means orphan is a word which is mentioned
throughout the Quran and the orphan is someone who we are continuously reminded
to help because a child that has lost one’s parents is one of the hardest
things to imagine. Nobody cares for you like your parents, even if it’s a blood
relative like an uncle or aunt and even if someone adopts you it can never be a
substitute for your parents. The way they love and forgive you and the way they
overlook your shortcomings. Furthermore, if you have no shelter after your
parents have gone then you from amongst the most oppressed groups in society
especially in a tribal society where an orphan will have no one to support
them. Who is an orphan going to be able to complain to and who will hear his
cries? Losing one’s parents does not just mean a potential loss of shelter and
food but also that rather basic human need of needing to be loved and cared
for. The prophet (saw) was in this state and Allah (swt) is reminding him of
the fact that he was brought out of this state.
Then,
referring to the second blessing, it says:
7)
Did He not find you lost and guide you?
'Yes,
you were not acquainted with prophecy at all and it was Us Who enlightened your
heart with a Light which not only show you the right path but enable you to
guide Mankind’; as, in another occasion it says:
Therefore,
the term
/qalalat/ ‘aberration',
here
does not mean 'the absence of faith, monotheism, piety and virtue' As from
childhood till just before Prophethood, there is no trace that he ever might
have been involved in idolatry, polytheism or atheism, or in any of the acts,
customs and practices of paganism prevalent among his people. Therefore,
inevitably wawa. jadakadaallan cannot mean that Allah had found him erring and
astray in respect of creed or deed., but here referring to, it means
'unacquaintance with the secrets of prophecy, the laws of Islam and similar
facts, but, later and after being appointed to the prophetic mission, the
Prophet (S) learned them all with Allah's help and guidance.
“And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Rûh (a revelation, and a
mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith. But We
have made it (this Qur’an) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves
We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to a
Straight Path (i.e. Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism).”
[Al Qur’an 42:52]
This
is essentially the difference between a prophet and a philosopher. Philosophers
find truth from reflection and from their own thoughts whereas the messenger’s
wisdom was given to him by Allah (swt).
Then,
referring to the third blessing, it says:
There are a number of words in the Quran for poverty but Allah (swt) specifically uses the word ‘ayla or ‘eela here which is translated as poor or financially desperate. Aa’il is someone who is under so much pressure that they feel like they are being crushed by it. The word ‘ayaal is used to describe someone financially responsible for their family and which almost feels like a burden placed on you. Allah (swt) says that He found Muhammad (saw) crushed by the weight of this problem, in a desperate state and then He made him free of need. The Holy Prophet's father had left only a she-camel and a slave-girl in heritage for him; so he started his life in a state of poverty. Then a time came when the wealthiest lady among the Quraish, Hadrat Khadijah, first made him her partner in trade, then married him, and he took charge of all her trade and business. Thus, he not only became wealthy but his riches in no way were dependent on the resources of his wife; his own hard work and ability had gone a long way towards promoting her trade and commerce. And after the prophethood, the pious lady Khadijah gave all her wealth to use for prophet Muhammad SAW great and holy aims on the way of Islam.
Though
her wealth played a strategic role in his struggle but in the end, although she
will be rewarded for it, it was Allah (swt) who made the prophet (saw) free of
need.
We
should never think that by making the above comments, which are understood from
the appearance of the verses, that it would decrease the high value of the
Prophet (S), or that it is a negative idea from Allah about Muhammad (S). On
the contrary, it is indeed the statement of His grace and respect towards the
holy Prophet (S) which refreshes his great soul.
Allah
blesses those who follow His commandments. The Prophet said:
“Whoever accepts Islam is provided with his
basic needs, and Allah makes him content with what He has given him, then he
will be successful.” [Narrated by Muslim]
The
Prophet also said:
“Wealth is not determined by abundance of
possessions, but wealth is the richness of the soul.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim]
INSTRUCTION OF SOME NOBLE CONDUCTS:
Allah
(swt) in the previous three verses gave the messenger (saw) three reminders of
favours that He has given him. Now, Allah (swt) symmetrically places on the
messenger (saw) three demands. The word taqhar is to not only have
power over someone but to humiliate them through it in addition.At first, it
says:
“Therefore,
treat not the orphans with harshness",
The
term /taqhar/ is based on /qahr
/and as Raqib cites in his book, Mufradat, it means 'prevalence with contempt'.
But, the term is used with either of these two senses, separately, and here
'contempt' seems to be more fitting.
This
shows that in relation to orphans, even though feeding and donating are
considered highly commendable actions, it is more important to respect them and
to be kind and spiritually helpful to them, or to satisfy their emotional
needs.
That
is why it is narrated in a tradition from the Prophet (S) that he said:
"He who touches an orphans' head,
affectionately, Allah will bestow on him as many rays (of blessings) on the Day
of Final Judgment, as the number of the orphans' hair which touch under the
person's hand”.
It
seems as if Allah is telling the Prophet (S) that 'you, yourself, have been an
orphan and suffered from the pain of orphanhood. Now, be careful of the orphans
with all your heart and treat them with tender affection and respect, and
quench their thirsty souls with kindnesses.
This
verse commands mankind not to
humiliate or disrespect any orphan. Every person should remember
that his children may also become orphans. Therefore, he should be kind and
gentle towards the orphans. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And let those have the
same fear in their minds as they would have for their own, if they had left
weak offspring behind. So, let them fear Allah and speak right words.” [Al Qur’an 4:9]
The messenger (saw) is being taught that
orphans should not be dominated or humiliated. Of course the messenger (saw)
would never do this especially considering he himself was once an orphan but
when the messenger (saw) is being addressed and taught a lesson, we are all
supposed to be learning and taking heed. In the previous surah it was man who
was needy and seeking Allah’s pleasure and in this surah in contrast the needy
are coming to us and so we should not turn them away. The lesson we learn here
is that the one who is truly in need of the pleasure of Allah (swt) will never
turn away anyone who comes to them in need.
The one who asks could be asking you for knowledge and guidance or even food. In the next verse another command is presented:
"And
for the one who asks, repulse not",
The
term /tanhar/ is derived from the
root /nahara/ which means 'to repulse' or 'to repel by discourtesy or
coldness', and it is not improbable that its root is the same as the term
/nahr/ with the meaning of 'the running stream', since it flows with violence.
Nahr is
a river in which the water is gushing and this word is also used for scolding
someone because when you scold someone, that person can almost feel like he is
standing in a river with wave after wave hitting him in a gushing wrath,
pushing him away with force. This is what it feels like when you humiliate
someone by yelling at them and Allah (swt) is advising us not to be like this
and push people away.
Here
are two type of needy mentioned:
1. Those who are in need
of finance and come to you, help them and do not make them feel hopeless by
repelling them. you should help him; if you cannot you should excuse yourself
politely, but should never scold him. In this sense the instruction corresponds
to Allah's this favor: "You were poor, then Allah enriched you. "
2. Those who are poor in
both knowledge and finances. Allah orders Muhammad (S) to respond positively to
those who make a request of any type. if such a person asks for enlightenment
on a religious matter or injunction, even he is extremely ignorant and
ill-mannered and might put the question, or present his problem, impolitely,
you should in any case answer him politely and kindly, and should not turn him
away like the rude people proud of their knowledge.
The word ni’ma is a favour and comes from the word nu’ooma which means softness. Allah (swt) is telling the messenger (saw) to make mention of the softness, ease and relaxation that his Master has given him.
This final aayah is about maintaining that
renewed faith and bond with Allah – by pondering, glorifying and talking about
the blessings of Allah!
'Bounty', here may means all
bounties that are mentioned in above three verses or it may means spiritual
bounties, such as, prophethood and the Holy Qur'an which the Prophet (S) was
called to announce and spread. And this is the meaning of 'announcing the
Bounty'.
It is, also, probable
that it applies to all material and spiritual bounties.
Announcing the bounties
is sometimes done by statements, containing thankfulness and gratitude and that
is far from pride and haughtiness, and sometimes by action through donation and
charity from those bounties, on the path of Allah, in a way that shows He has
given him much Bounty.
This is the style of
generous noble people that when a blessing befalls them they proclaim it and
thank Allah and their behavior also confirms and reinforces this fact. On the contrary,
the jealous, begrudging, miserly persons groan and moan all the time and even
if they were to get the whole world they would insist on covering over the favors;
their appearance is poor, their statements are full of weeping and complaining;
and their actions illustrate poverty too.
This is when the holy
Prophet (S) is reported to have said:
"When
Allah gives a servant a bounty, it pleases Him to see the signs of the bounty
on him.” Nahj-ul-Fisahah,
Tradition 686
So the next time you feel disconnected,
disheartened or depressed with your level of Imaan and your connection with
Allah – read Surah Ad Duha and ponder over its meanings – Inshallah it will
restore your faith and increase your belief in the greatness and power of
Allah.
O Lord! Your Bounties
are beyond what can be announced. Do not restrain them from us, and increase
them with your generosity.
O Lord! We are
encompassed by your grace in this world. We hope for the same in the Next
World.
O Lord! Help us to be
always the advocators of the deprived and the supporters of the rights of the
orphans.
Comments
Post a Comment