Commentary on Surah al-Duhā

﴿In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.﴾

﴿By the morning brightness, * and by the night when it grows still, * your Lord has neither forsaken you nor detested you. * The Hereafter is certainly better for you than this life. * And your Lord will surely give you until you are pleased. * Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? * And He found you unaware and guided you. * And He found you in need and enriched you. * Therefore, do not oppress the orphan, * and do not rebuke the petitioner, * and proclaim the blessing of your Lord.﴾

The opening formula has already been discussed.

﴿By the morning brightness﴾: The morning brightness is the beginning of the day, when there is light and radiance. ﴿And by the night when it grows still﴾ means when night covers the earth and draws its darkness over it. Allah Most High thus swears by two contrasting things: first, the morning brightness as it spreads and fills the earth with light and radiance; and second, the night as it envelops the earth in darkness.

﴿Your Lord has neither forsaken you﴾ means that He has neither abandoned nor neglected you. ﴿Nor detested you﴾ means that He has not hated you. Rather, as far as we know, Muhammad—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—is the most beloved of creation to Him. The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was one of the two intimate friends uniquely distinguished by this magnificent quality of intimate friendship, which is the highest form of love. As far as we know, none among Allah’s servants is His intimate friend except Abraham and Muhammad—may blessings and peace be upon them. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Allah has taken me as an intimate friend, just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend.” (1) Allah therefore chose him for the greatest of divine messages and the finest nation, and made him the Seal of the Prophets; no prophet will come after him—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Allah—Glorious and Exalted—says to His Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ﴿Be patient with your Lord’s decree, for you are indeed under Our Eyes.﴾ [al-Tūr: 48]. Thus, Allah’s Eye watches over him, tends to him, protects him, and preserves him. He is the One who said to him—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace: ﴿Who sees you when you rise, and your movements among those who prostrate.﴾ [al-Shu‘arā: 218–219]. Allah—Glorious and Exalted—did not forsake him. Rather, He encompassed him with His knowledge, mercy, care, and everything else that raises his standing in this world and the Hereafter. As He says in the surah that follows it: ﴿And We raised high your renown.﴾ [al-Sharh: 4].

﴿And the Hereafter is better