093- Al-Dhuha
THE MORNING BRIGHTNESS
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
#By the morning brightness, # and by the night when still, # thy Lord has not forsaken thee; nor does He despise. # And the Hereafter shall be better for thee than this life # And surely thy Lord shall give unto thee, and thou shalt be content. # Did He not find thee an orphan and shelter, # find thee astray and guide, { and find thee in need and enrich? # So as for the orphan, scorn not. # And as for one who requests, repel not. # And as for the blessing of thy Lord, proclaim!
COMMENTARY
# By the morning brightness,
# and by the night when still,
1–2 In addition to some interpretations given in the introduction, the morning brightness (al-ḍuḥā) is understood here as a specific reference to the morning (ḍuḥā) on which God spoke to Moses, and the night as a specific reference to the Night Journey and Ascension (see 17:1c; introduction to Sūrah 53); others say al-ḍuḥā refers to the hour at which the sorcerers who opposed Moses recognized the truth of his message and fell prostrate (see 20:59;). According to al-Shawkānī, when al-ḍuḥā precedes the mention of night, as in this context, it refers to the entire day. It is also said that al-ḍuḥā is the light of the Garden and the night is the darkness of the Fire, for the Fire of Hell is said to be without light; or that al-ḍuḥā is the light within the hearts of those who know God (al-ʿārifūn) and that the night is the blackness of the hearts of the disbelievers. When still is said to refer to the darkness as it extends over the day. V. 2 is also interpreted to mean, “The night as it approaches” or “The night as it leaves”.
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# thy Lord has not forsaken thee; nor does He despise.
3 See the introduction to this sūrah. This verse constitutes what is known as the response to the oath. Although most interpret the second-person singular (thee) to be the implied direct object of despise, it is not present in the Arabic text. It could thus be taken as a general statement that it is not in God’s Nature to despise.
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# And the Hereafter shall be better for thee than this life.
4 This verse literally reads, “And the last shall be better for thee than the first.” Throughout the Quran the Abode of the Hereafter is considered better for human beings than the abode of this world (see also 16:30, 41; 28:60, 79–80; 29:64; 40:39; 42:36; 43:35; 57:20–21; 87:16–17). As 13:26 maintains, Compared to the Hereafter, the life of the world is but [fleeting] enjoyment. The Quran thus criticizes those who have purchased the world at the price of the Hereafter (2:86; cf. 4:74). It is reported that when the Prophet was given the choice between remaining in this life until the end of time and then going to Paradise or moving on to the Hereafter, he chose being with God over life in this world.
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# And surely thy Lord shall give unto thee, and thou shalt be content.
5–8 Regarding the revelation of these verses, Ibn ʿAbbās reported that the Prophet said, “I have asked my Lord for something I wish I had not asked for. I said, ‘O my Lord! There were prophets before me, to some of whom you had subjugated the wind, [and he mentioned Solomon, son of David,] and some of whom could bring the dead back to life, [and he mentioned Jesus son of Mary,] and some of whom . . .’ God responded by saying, ‘Did I not find thee an orphan and shelter thee?’ I said, ‘Indeed, O my Lord.’ God said, ‘Did I not find thee astray and guide thee?’ I said, ‘Indeed, O my Lord.’ God said, ‘Did I not find thee in need and enrich thee?’ I said, ‘Indeed, O my Lord.’ God said, ‘Have I not caused thy breast to expand and lifted from thee thy burden? [see 94:1–2].’ I said, ‘Indeed, O my Lord’”.
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# Did He not find thee an orphan and shelter,
6 The Prophet was orphaned at an early age. His father, ʿAbd Allāh, died while his mother, Āminah, was pregnant with him, and his mother died when he was six years old. After this he was under the guardianship of his grandfather, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, until he died when the Prophet was eight years old. Then his uncle, Abū Ṭālib, took responsibility for him and continued to protect him, assist him, and even restrain the people from harming him when he began to declare the message of the Quran. He also found great refuge in his marriage to Khadījah, who was his most ardent supporter when the revelations first began.
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# find thee astray and guide,
7 This verse can be taken as reference to God’s teaching Muhammad his true nature as a messenger of God. Some understand this verse literally to mean that Muhammad had been astray and that God guided him to belief in the Oneness of God (tawḥīd) and the reality of prophethood (nubuwwah). This reading is supported by verses such as 12:3: We recount unto thee the most beautiful of stories by Our having revealed unto thee this Quran, though before it thou wert among the heedless. For others, this verse means that the Prophet had strayed in the sense that he did not follow a revealed law or rite (sharīʿah), as none was known to his people, but not that he had strayed from belief in the Oneness of God (tawḥīd). It can also be read as implying that, although he believed in the Oneness of God, he had no scripture and no direct guidance until the Quran was revealed. This reading is supported by 42:52: Thus have We revealed unto thee a Spirit from Our Command. Thou knewest not what scripture was, nor faith. But We made it a light whereby We guide whomsoever We will among Our servants. Some try to avoid the implication that the Prophet could have been astray in any religious or spiritual sense and read this verse as a reference to a time when the Prophet was lost in the streets of Makkah and God sent the Archangel Gabriel to guide him. Still others see it as a reference to a time when the Prophet was on a journey, his mount strayed from the road, and Gabriel came to set him back on the right course.
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# and find thee in need and enrich?
8 Some understand this verse as a reference to the Prophet’s enrichment through the wealth of his first wife, Khadījah. Others say it refers to the true wealth, which is spiritual contentment (see 58:22; 89:27–28; 98:8), as in a famous ḥadīth, “Wealth comes not from abundance of goods; rather, wealth is the wealth of the soul”.
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# So as for the orphan, scorn not.
9 On one level, this verse serves as a reminder from God that the Prophet should remember his own state as an orphan. On another level, it is an admonition to all of the Quraysh, because they were known to take the wealth of orphans and abuse their rights; see 89:17; 107:1–2c. In the Madinan revelations, many instructions are given to uphold justice for the orphans (4:127), and Muslims are enjoined, Approach not the orphan’s property, save in the best manner (6:152; 17:34); see commentary on 4:2, 3, 6, 10. In this regard a famous ḥadīth says, “The best house among the Muslims is a house in which an orphan has been treated well. And the worst house among the Muslims is a house in which an orphan has been treated poorly.” Then the Prophet pointed with his middle finger and his index finger and said, “I and the caretaker (kāfil) of an orphan are like this in the Garden”, meaning that those who care for orphans will attain a high station and know the Prophet in Paradise.
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# And as for one who requests, repel not.
10 An exhortation for mercy and kindness toward beggars in general, this verse is seen by most commentators as a specific reference to the beggar who comes to the door, who should either be fed or turned away gently without rebuke. It is also interpreted as an exhortation to share knowledge of the religion with anyone who seeks it.
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# And as for the blessing of thy Lord, proclaim!
11 This verse is a command to the Prophet meaning, “Spread that with which God has blessed thee through thanks and praise”. The blessing of thy Lord can refer to the Quran itself, the gift of prophethood (nubuwwah) the blessing of guidance after the mention of being astray (v. 7), or any blessing God has bestowed upon a person. In this regard, the Prophet is reported to have said during a sermon, “Whosoever does not give thanks for that which is little is not thanked for that which is much. And whosever does not thank people does not thank God, and proclaiming [God’s] blessings is thanks, while abandoning it [i.e., proclaiming God’s Blessings] is disbelief (kufr)”. It is said that when this sūrah was revealed, the Prophet was joyous, proclaimed, “God is great (Allāhu akbar),” and counseled his followers to do the same whenever they read this sūrah.
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