الضحى
Ad-Duhaa
The Morning Hours • makkah • 11 Verses
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وَٱلضُّحَىٰ
Commentary:
"The brightness of the Forenoon" signifies the rise and progress of Islam. The verse, therefore, purports to say that the phenomenal use of Islam will establish the truth of the Holy Prophet. الضحـیٰ may also refer to the particular forenoon when the Holy Prophet entered Mecca at the head of an army of ten thousand holy warriors and the Ka‘bah was cleared of idols.
'The brightness of the forenoon' may signify the rise and progress of Islam. It may also refer to the particular "forenoon" when the Holy Prophet entered Mecca at the head of an army of ten thousand holy warriors and the Ka‘bah was cleared of idols.
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ
81:18
Important Words:
سجـیٰ (spreads out). سجا اللیل means, the night was quiet; was or became dark and its darkness extended; was or became continuous; or the night was covered by its darkness (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse signifies that the prolonged period of the decline of Islam will also bear witness to the truth of the Holy Prophet in that according to his prophecies the decline will be followed by its renaissance.
"The Night" may also have reference to that particular night when after the fall of darkness the Holy Prophet went out of his house and took refuge in Cave Thaur along with Abu Bakr. In fact the night when the Holy Prophet left Mecca and the day on which Mecca fell, give in a nutshell the various ups and downs of the Holy Prophet’s whole career.
81:18.
'The Night' may signify the prolonged period of the decline of Islam. It may also refer to that particular night when after the fall of darkness the Holy Prophet went out of his house and took refuge in Cave Thaur along with Abu Bakr. In fact, the night, when the Holy Prophet left Mecca and the day, when it fell, give in a nutshell the various ups and downs of the Holy Prophet’s whole career.
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
Important Words:
قلـیٰ (has forsaken). They say قلی الرجل i.e. he hated the man and disliked him so much that he forsook him (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
Every day and night of the Holy Prophet; his great successes and temporary setbacks; his joys and tribulations; his devotions at night and activities in the day, all bear out that God was with him.
Every day and night of the Holy Prophet, his great successes and temporary setbacks, his joys and tribulations, his devotions at night and activities in the day, all bear out that God was with him.
وَلَلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ
87:18.
Commentary:
The verse means that every succeeding moment of the Holy Prophet’s life is better than the one that precedes. To mention a few landmarks in his career, one may observe that he left Mecca with a single Companion, a price having been put on his head. He entered the same town after a brief period of eight years at the head of ten thousand devoted followers. At Badr there were only 313 Muslims with him and at Uhud more than double that number, and in the Battle of the Ditch the number grew to several thousand, till at the last Pilgrimage more than one hundred thousand believers marched under his banner. The successes of the Holy Prophet continued after his death. Islam went from strength to strength till it spread, within a few decades, over a large part of the then known world.
The reference in the verse may also be to the latter days when the renaissance of Islam was to take place. The verse may also mean that Divine Reformers will continue to appear among Muslims during periods of decline to impart to the Faith a new life and a new vigour.
Every moment of the Holy Prophet’s life was better than the one preceding it.
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰٓ
108:2
Commentary:
The Surah being one of the earliest revelations received at a time when those who had responded to the Call of the Holy Prophet could be counted on one’s fingers, the verse under comment contains a message of hope and good cheer wherein the Prophet is told that the time is fast approaching when his cause will triumph and he will be blessed with Divine favours—in this life and the Hereafter—to his heart’s content.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَـَٔاوَىٰ
Important Words:
یتیم (orphan) is derived from یتم (yatama) which means, he became fatherless, an orphan; was or became unique; incomparable; (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The Holy Prophet was an orphan in fact, as well as figuratively. His orphanhood was of the extreme kind. His father died before he was born, leaving no property. His mother died when he was hardly six years old and his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who took charge of him after his mother’s death, died two years later, leaving him under the care of his uncle, a man of scanty means. Thus the Prophet was deprived of parental care and love in his early childhood. Yet he received love and affection from his juniors and seniors, his Companions and compatriots in a large measure such that no woman-born had ever received the like of it before or after him or is likely to receive in future.
The Holy Prophet was an orphan in fact as well as figuratively. His orphanhood was of the extreme kind. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was hardly six years old and his grandfather ‘Abdul- Muttalib, who took charge of him after his mother’s death, died two years later, leaving him under the care of his uncle, a man of scanty means. Thus the Prophet was deprived of parental care and love in his early childhood. Yet he received love and affection from his juniors and seniors, his Companions and compatriots, from his followers in the later centuries, in such a large measure that no woman-born had ever received the like of it before, or is likely to receive it in future.
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّا فَهَدَىٰ
Important Words:
ضال (wandering) is derived from ضل which means, he erred or went astray; he was perplexed and was unable to see the right course; he was entirely engrossed or was lost in the love of a thing; he wandered in search of a thing and persevered in the search. ضل الماء فی اللبن means, the water became hidden in the milk, etc. (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
In view of different meanings of the word ضل given above under Important Words, the verse may be interpreted thus: (1) The Holy Prophet wandered in search of the ways and means to attain to God, and God revealed to him the law which guided him to the desired goal. (2) He was perplexed and did not know how to find the path that led to the attainment of his quest and God guided him to it (42:53). (3) He was entirely lost in the love of God and did not know how to find Him but God led him to Himself (12:9). (4) He was hidden from the eyes of the world. God discovered him and chose him for the task of leading people to Him. Thus the word ضال has not been used in disapprobation but in praise of the Holy Prophet. The word in the sense of 'gone astray' does not and cannot apply to the Holy Prophet since according to another Quranic verse (53:3) he was immune to error or going astray. Moreover, the six concluding verses of the Surah reveal a certain sequence—vv. 7, 8 & 9 standing in close relationship and corresponding to vv. 10, 11 & 12 respectively; the ضال of verse 8 being substituted by سائل of verse 11, explains the significance of the former word which is, "one who sought God’s help to be guided to Him."
The verse may also be interpreted as: And He found thee lost in thy love for thy people, and provided thee with guidance for them.
Dalla (lost in love) means, he was perplexed and was unable to see the course; he was entirely engrossed or lost in love or wandered in search of a thing and persevered in the search (Lane). In view of the different meanings of Dalla, the verse may be interpreted as: (1) The Holy Prophet wandered in search of the ways and means to attain to God, and God revealed to him the Law which guided him to the desired goal. (2) He was perplexed and did not know how to find the path that led to the attainment of his quest and God guided him to it. (3) He was entirely lost in the love of his people and God provided him with perfect guidance for them. (4) He was hidden from the eyes of the world and God discovered him and chose him for the task of leading men to Him. Thus the word Dalla has not been used in disapprobation but in praise of the Holy Prophet. In the sense of 'gone astray' the word does not and cannot apply to the Holy Prophet, since according to another Quranic verse (53:3) he was imm
وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰ
Important Words:
عائل (one in want) is derived from عال . They say عال الرجل i.e. the man had a large family to support; he became poor. عال عیاله means, he fed, nourished or supported his family. عال الشیء فلانا means, the thing oppressed or distressed such a one (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The Holy Prophet started life as a poor orphan but ended by being the undisputed master of the whole of Arabia.
The Holy Prophet started his life as a poor orphan and ended it by being the undisputed master of the whole of Arabia.
فَأَمَّا ٱلْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ
وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
17:24
وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ
Commentary:
Verses 7, 8 & 9, speak of God’s favours on the Holy Prophet and in vv. 10, 11 and 12, the Prophet is enjoined to show his gratitude for Divine favours by doing similar favours to his fellow beings. The commandment applies equally to his followers.
Verses 7, 8 and 9, speak of God’s favours on the Holy Prophet and in 10, 11 and 12 he is enjoined to show his gratitude by doing similar favours to his fellow-beings. The commandment applies equally to his followers.