فَسَنُيَسِّرُ‌هُ لِلْيُسْرَ‌ىٰ (We will facilitate for him the way to extreme ease [ i.e. the comforts of Paradise ]....92:7). The word yusra literally denotes 'ease and comfort' or a thing in which there is no difficulty, but here it refers to "Paradise". Likewise, referring to the second group it says:

فَسَنُيَسِّرُ‌هُ لِلْيُسْرَ‌ىٰ (for him We will facilitate the way to extreme distress...92:10). The opposite of yusra is ` usra which literally denotes 'extreme distress, referring to "Hell". The two statements signify that those who exert their efforts in the first three acts, that is, spending in the cause of Allah, fearing Allah and testifying to the kalimah, Allah. will pave their way to extreme ease, that is, to deeds that will lead them to the comforts of Paradise. On the other hand, those who exert their efforts in the latter three acts, Allah will pave their way to extreme distress, that is, make easy for them to perform deeds that will lead them to Hell. By right, here it should have been said that the deeds of Paradise or Hell are made easy for them, because 'easy' or 'difficult' qualify deeds, and not persons or people. But the Qur'an says that the people or the people themselves will be made easy to do the deeds. This probably implies that the first group will be predisposed to behave in a particular way that behaving otherwise will make them feel uneasy. The second group will be predisposed to behave in a way that will make them feel comfortable to do deeds of Hell, and they will feel uneasy doing deeds of Paradise. Each of these two groups will have their own nature and predisposition, and will find it easier to behave in that particular way. A Hadith confirms that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

اعملوا فکل میسر لما خلق لہ، امّا من کان من اھل السّعادۃ فییسّرلعمل السّعادۃ، وامّا من کان من اھل الشّقاوۃ فییسّر لعمل اھل الشّقاوۃ

"Perform deeds, for everyone will have the deeds of what he was created for [ Paradise or Hell ] made easy for him. Those people who are the people of happiness, they will have the deeds of the people of happiness made easy for them. And those who are the people of misery, they will have the deeds of the people of misery made easy for them."

But both these things are the results of the use of the God-given choice and free will. Therefore, man is rewarded or punished.

Thereafter the unfortunate inmates of Hell are warned, thus:

وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَ‌دَّىٰ (And his wealth will not help him when he will fall down...92:11). The word taradda literally denotes 'to fall into a pit and perish'. The expression 'When he fall' signifies that when Divine decree regarding his destruction comes into operation, nothing - not even his wealth - will save him, whether in grave after his death, or on the Day of Judgment, when he will be falling into the abyss of Hell.

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ (None will enter it but the wretched one who rejected [ the truth ] and turned away....92:16). This describes the fire of Hell. It is quite clear that only a kafir will reject Allah and His Messenger. Apparently, it seems that a sinful believer who does not reject the truth will not enter Hell, whereas the Qur'an and Hadith are replete with clear texts that a sinful believer will enter Hell, unless he had repented, or someone interceded for him, or was forgiven out of pure Grace. He will abide in Hell until he has received punishment for the sins he has committed. After paying for his sins, he will be taken out of Hell, and through the blessings of his faith, he will be admitted into Paradise.

Apparently, the wordings of the verse are contrary to this interpretation. Therefore, it is necessary that the interpretation of the verse under comment be brought in line with other Qur'anic verses and authentic Ahadith. It’ s plain and simple interpretation would be that this verse refers to entering the Hell for good, which is peculiar to the unbelievers. They will be tortured eternally in the Hell-fire. The sinful believers, on the other hand, will receive punishment for their sins and will eventually - at some time or the other - be taken out of Hell. Other scholars of Tafsir have given some other interpretations too, which can also be appropriate. Tafsir Mazhari has come up with another explanation according to which 'the wretched one' and 'the most God-fearing one' should not be taken in its general sense. Both words refer particularly to people who lived during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . From amongst them, no Muslim, who lived at that time, will enter Hell through the blessings of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ company, even though he might have committed some sins incidentally.

All of The Blessed Companions will be Saved from the Ordeal of Hell

The reason for this is that the Companions rarely ever committed sins. Furthermore, even if they did commit sins, they must have repented by dint of the fear of the Hereafter - as their living conditions indicate . If any of them committed a sin, his good deeds are so many that they can wipe out the sin as the Qur'an says:

إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ

'...Surely good deeds erase bad deeds [ 11:114] '

Adopting the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is an act that can outweigh all other good deeds. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said regarding the righteous members of the community:

ھم قوم لا یشقیٰ جلیسھم ولا یخاف انیسھم

'The one who sits with them is never deprived, and the one who feels happy in their company is never unsuccessful.' [ Sahihain ]

Obviously, a person who sits in the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and is his intimate associate cannot be wretched. Therefore, there are express texts available in the authentic Traditions that all the noble Companions are safe from the punishment of Hell. The Qur'an itself bears testimony that –

وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّـهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ

...and to each Allah has promised good [ 4:95] '

Husna in this statement refers to 'Paradise'. In another verse, the Qur'an says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُم مِّنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَـٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ

Surely, those for whom the good (news) from Us has come earlier shall be kept far away from it. [ 21:101]

Husna in this statement also refers to 'Paradise'. The pronoun 'it' in the phrase 'from it' refers to 'Hell', signifying that they will be far away from Hell. A Tradition says that 'Hell-Fire will not touch him who has seen me'. [ Tirmidhi transmitted it from Jabir ؓ ].

وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ (And saved from it will be the most God-fearing one who gives his wealth [ in charity ] to become purified,....92:17-18). This verse describes the reward of the most God-fearing person, as opposed to the punishment of the most wretched in the preceding verse. The word atqa is the superlative form and signifies a man of taqwa, that is, the most God-fearing person, who spends his wealth in obedience of his Lord in order to purify himself from sins, will be kept far away from the fire of Hell.

The wordings of the verse give good news, in general, to anyone who spends in Allah's cause in a state of faith, but the occasion of revelation indicates that atqa refers to Sayyidna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ؓ in particular. Ibn Abi Hatim reports from Sayyidna 'Urwah ؓ that seven Muslims had been enslaved by the Makkan disbelievers. When they became Muslims, they were persecuted in a variety of ways. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ spent a great amount of his money, and purchased them and set them free. Verses [ 17-21] were revealed on this occasion. [ Mazhari ]

وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ (while no one has conferred any favour on him for which he would give a return,...92:19) Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ did this great favour by spending abundant wealth. The emancipated slaves had not done him any favour in the past, so that one could say that he was returning their favour. He took this step for one purpose only as the verse says:

إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَ‌بِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ (but [ he gave his wealth in charity ] only to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High....92:20). Mustadrak of Hakim records that it was a usual practice of Sayyidna Abu Bakr that he used to purchase Muslim slaves from the disbelievers and set them free whenever he found them in their bondage. Generally, these people were weak and helpless. Abu Qahafah ؓ ، the father of Abu Bakr ؓ ، said to him: "Since you are emancipating slaves, why do you not set free strong and brave people, so that they may assist you in fighting the enemies and protect you." He replied: "My purpose of emancipating them is not to expect any benefit in return. My only purpose is to seek the pleasure of Allah." [ Mazhari ]

وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْ‌ضَىٰ (And surely he will soon be happy...92:21). Whoever spends in Allah's way with pure and good intentions of pleasing Allah, and not for any personal worldly gains, will acquire the pleasure of Allah in the Hereafter by achieving the wonderful and eternal blessings of Paradise. It is confirmed that these verses were revealed about Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ . Therefore, this last verse of the Surah is a great and splendid news and honour for him given in this very world by Allah.

Al-hamdulillah

The Commentary on Surah Al-Lail ends here.

وَلَلْآخِرَ‌ةُ خَيْرٌ‌ لَّكَ مِنَ الْأُولَىٰ (And the Hereafter is much better for you than the present life....93:4). The word 'akhirah may be taken in its popular sense of the 'Hereafter' and its opposite ula may be taken in the sense of the present 'world'. With these words, Allah tells the Holy Prophet not to be disturbed by the taunts of the pagans, because they will see in this world that their assumptions and accusations were absolutely false. In the Hereafter, he will be blessed with Divine favours to his heart's content - much more than what he will receive in this fleeting world. The word 'akhirah may also be taken in its primitive sense i.e. 'the later state or condition' as opposed to ula 'the former state or condition'. The verse, in this case, would mean that every succeeding moment of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ life is better than the preceding one. It includes progress in knowledge and wisdom, as well as in degrees of his nearness to Allah, and it also includes progress in economic and political fields.

وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَ‌بُّكَ فَتَرْ‌ضَىٰ (And of course, your Lord will give you so much that you will be pleased....93:5). Allah does not specify here what he will give him. The statement is open and general. The Holy Prophet ﷺ will be granted everything he desires so much that he will be pleased. Among his desired thing is the progress of Islam; the general spread of Islam in the world; fulfillment of every need of the Ummah; triumph of the Holy Prophet himself over his enemies and raising the word of Allah in the land of the enemy. When this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

اِذا ! لّا اَرضٰی وَ وَاحدُ مِّن اُمَّتِی فِی النَّار

'If that is the case, then I will not be pleased as long as one [ single member ] of my Ummah [ remains ] in Fire.' [ Qurtubi ].

In a narration by Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah will accept my intercession for my Ummah [ community ]. Allah will ask: رضیتَ یا محمد '0 Muhammad, are you pleased?' He will reply: یا رَبِّ رَضِیتُ "My Lord, I am pleased." Muslim records from Sayyidna ` Amr Ibn-ul-` As to the effect that the Holy Prophet ﷺ recited a verse concerning the Prophet Ibrahim : (علیہ السلام)

فَمَن تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ

'...So, one who followsme is surely mine, and the one who

disobeys me, then You are Most Forgiving, Very Merciful. [ 14:36] '

Then he recited a verse which contains the words of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام)

إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ

'If You punish them, then, they are Your slaves [ 5:118] '

Then he raised his hands, he wept and prayed:

اَللّٰھُمَّ اُمَّتِی اُمَّتِی

'0 Allah, my ummah, my ummah!'

Allah sent Jibra'il علیہ السلام to inquire as to why he was weeping [ while Allah knows the reason ]. Jibra'il Amin علیہ السلام came and inquired why he was weeping. The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied: "I seek my ummah's forgiveness." Allah sent Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) back to inform him that He has pardoned them, and that Allah would please him and would not displease him regarding his ummah.

In response to the unbelievers' taunts, it was briefly mentioned that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has already been blessed with many Divine favours. The Surah elaborates on three of them in particular.

Favour [ 1]

أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ (Did He not find you an orphan, and give you shelter?...93:6). The Holy Prophet ﷺ was an orphan. His father died before he was born, leaving no wealth or property to look after him. The words 'and gave you shelter' signify that the Holy Prophet ﷺ received such deep love and affection from his grand-father, ` Abd-ul-Muttalib, and after him from his uncle, Abu Talib , who took care of him more than their own children.

Favour [ 2]

وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَىٰ (And He found you unaware of the way [ the Shari` ah ], then He guided you....93:7). The word dall has two meanings: [ 1] stray; and [ 2] unaware. Here it stands for the second meaning. The verse signifies that before Muhammad k was commissioned as the Prophet ﷺ ، he was unaware of Divine Shari'ah. He was granted the status of the Prophet ﷺ and thus was guided.

Favour [ 3]

وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰ (and He found you in need, then made you need-free....93:8). The word ail is derived from ` ailah which means 'to be in need'. The verse signifies that Allah found him impoverished and enriched him. This happened in the beginning through a business partnership with Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra ؓ then once she became his wife and 'Mother of the Faithful', her entire wealth was devoted to his service.

After elaborating on the three favours of Allah, three injunctions follow:

Injunction [ 1]

فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ‌ (Therefore, as for orphan, do not oppress him,...93:9). The word qahr means 'to treat people who are less powerful in an unfair and cruel way'. In the present context, the verse means: 'Since you were a poor orphan, and Allah sheltered you, do not oppress the orphan.' [ In words, 'do not seize their wealth by force and squander it. Do not scorn them, humiliate them or despise them. Rather, you should be kind and gentle to them.'] As a result, the Holy Prophet ﷺ emphasised that the orphan be treated kindly and gently, and has forbidden any hurting attitude towards them. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said that the best house of a Muslim is the one in which there is an orphan who is treated kindly, and with love and affection. The worst house is the one in which there is an orphan who is treated badly. [ This is transmitted by Bukhari in Al-Adab-ul- Mufrad, and by Ibn Majah and Baghawi, as quoted by Mazhari ].

Injunction [ 2]

وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ‌ (and as for the beggar, do not scold him....93:10). The verb tanhar is derived from nahr which means 'to scold'. The word sa'il means 'one who asks'. It includes a person who asks people's wealth, that is, a beggar, and it also includes the one who asks a question of knowledge, that is, an academic investigator. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has forbidden to berate either of them. The best course of action is to give the beggar something. If one is unable to give a beggar anything, one should at least apologise to him politely [ so as not to give him any further grief ]. Likewise, anyone who is searching knowledge and asks questions, it is forbidden to respond to him harshly and unkindly. The teacher should reply kindly and politely. However, if the investigator is unreasonable in his approach, it is permissible to scold him to the degree that is necessary.

Injunction [ 3]

وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَ‌بِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ (And about the bounty of your Lord, do talk....93:11). The verb haddith is derived from tahdith which means 'to talk' meaning, 'just as you were poor and needy, and Allah made you wealthy, then talk about Allah's favours upon you'. Talking about Divine favours to people is one way of thanking Allah. If a person has done something good to another, he should be thanked. Therefore, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "Whoever is not thankful to people on their favours is not thankful to Allah." [ This is transmitted by Ahmad. The chain of authorities are reliable - vide Mazhari ].

The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: "Whoever has done good to you, you ought to return the good. If you are unable to return the pecuniary good, then praise him in public, because he who praises people in public fulfils his moral obligation." [ Al-Baghawi transmitted it from Jabir Ibn ` Abdullah, vide Mazhari ].

Ruling

It is obligatory to offer gratitude to Allah on every favour He has bestowed. (But the way of offering gratitude may be different.) If Allah has granted a person wealth, a part of that wealth may be spent with the sincerity in Allah's way. If Allah has given a person strong body, his bodily strength may be utilised in fulfilling Divine obligations. If Allah has granted a person Divine knowledge, he should impart it to others. [ Mazhari ].

Ruling

It is sunnah to recite takbir at the beginning of every Surah from Surah Duha to the end of the Qur'an. The wordings of the takbir, according to Shaikh Salih al-Misri, are as follows:

لَٓا اَلٰہَ اِلَّا اللہُ وَ اللہُ اَکبَرُ

'There is no god except Allah and Allah is the greatest' [ Mazhari ].

According to Ibn Kathir, the takbir may be recited at the end of every Surah and, according to Baghawi, it may be recited once at the beginning of every Surah. [ Mazhari ]. Either way the requirement of sunnah will be fulfilled. And Allah knows best!

Note

In most Surahs from Surah Duha to the end of Qur'an, Allah's special favours upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his special virtues and characteristics are mentioned. In a few of the Surahs, the Day of Judgment and its conditions are mentioned. The earlier part of the Qur'an asserts the greatness and authenticity of the Qur'an, while the later part asserts the greatness of the personality to whom the Qur'an was revealed.

Al-hamdulillah

The Commentary on Surah Ad-Duha ends here.

وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَ‌كَ الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَ‌كَ (And We removed from you your burden that had [ almost ] broken your back...94:2-3). The word wizr literally denotes 'burden' and the phrase naqd-uz-zahr means 'to break one's back as for instance when a heavy load is put on one's back, it bends'. This verse signifies that Allah had relieved him of his burden that was breaking his back. What was that burden or heavy load? One answer to this question is that now and then the Holy Prophet ﷺ did certain permissible deeds, thinking that they were of benefit and in the interest [ of spiritual development ]. Later on he discovered that they were not in keeping with wisdom, or they were undesirable. The Holy Prophet was conscious of his high status and close proximity to Allah. He regarded even such things as serious infractions. This was naturally a very heavy load that made him grieved. But Allah relieved him of his burden in that a blanket pardon was granted to him and it was declared that he would not be held accountable for such things.

Some commentators say that wizr (burden) refers to the effect of revelation. It weighed heavily on him in the initial stages of the Prophethood. He was saddled with a nerve-racking and back-breaking task of raising [ a morally degenerated people ], through propagation of Tauhid and elimination of kufr and shirk, [ from the depths of moral turpitude to the peaks of spiritual excellence, and then through them to cleanse and purify the whole of mankind of the dross of iniquity, ignorance and superstition ]. The task enjoined:

فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْ‌تَ

'So, stand firm - as you have been commanded [ 11:112] '

The Holy Prophet ﷺ used to feel the heavy weight of this task and responsibility. Some narration report that a few strands of his beard had turned grey as a result of this command. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said that the following verse has made me old:

فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْ‌تَ

'So, stand firm - as you have been commanded [ 11:112] '

Verses [ 2-3] give the cheerful news that Allah will remove from him the load which was weighing down his back. The following verses show how the back-breaking load will be removed, and every difficulty will be followed by ease and relief. By means of expansion of bosom, Allah gave the Holy Prophet so much of courage that no instance of hardship seemed hardship, and no burden of any magnitude seemed a burden. And Allah knows best!