Surat Ađ-Đuĥaá (The Morning Hours)

• Al-Quran

  The Institute of Islamic Knowledge, USA

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  Period of Revelation: This Surah was revealed during the early period at Makkah, when the revelation was suspended for a time in the initial stage of Prophethood due to the fact that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not yet accustomed to bearing the intensity of revelation.Major Issue, Divine Law and Guidance:

  • Good news to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that the later period will be better for him than the earlier.

  The theme of this Surah is to console the Prophet (peace be upon him) and its object is to remove his anxiety and distress, which was caused by the suspension of revelation. The Prophet is reassured: “Your Rabb has not forsaken you, nor is he displeased with you.” Then, he is given the good news that the hardships that he was experiencing in the initial stage of his mission will not last long and the later period of life for him will be better than the former. Before long, Allah will bless him so abundantly that he will be well pleased. This is one of the express prophecies of the Qur’an, which proved literally true later on. When this statement was made, there seemed not to be the remotest chance that the helpless and powerless man who had come out to wage a war against ignorance and paganism would ever achieve such wonderful success.The Prophet (peace be upon him) is then told: “What made you think that your Rabb has forsaken you, and that He is displeased with you? Whereas the fact is that He has been good to you with kindness after kindness ever since the day of you birth. You were born an orphan, He made the best arrangement for your upbringing and care: you were unaware of the Right Way, He showed you the Right Way; you were indigent, He made you rich. All this shows that you have been favored by Him from the very beginning and His grace and bounty has been constantly focussed on you.” These are similar words which Allah said to console Prophet Musa (Moses) when he was sent to Pharaoh as described in Surah Ta-Ha vv. 37-42: “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.”