(1–8) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Have We not expanded your breast for you? * And relieved you of your burden * which weighed heavily upon your back? * And raised high your renown? * For indeed, with hardship comes ease * indeed, with hardship comes ease * So when you are free, strive diligently * and direct your longing to your Lord alone.”
Allah Most High says, reminding His Messenger of His favor: “Have We not expanded your breast for you?” That is, We expanded it to embrace the teachings of the religion, calling to Allah, adorning oneself with noble character, turning toward the Hereafter, and readily performing good deeds. Thus, your breast was not left narrow and constricted, reluctant to embrace good and seldom open.
“And relieved you of your burden”—that is, your sin—“which weighed heavily upon your back,” as Allah Most High says: “So that Allah may forgive you for your past and future sins.”
“And raised high your renown?” That is, We elevated your rank and granted you lofty praise and good repute such as no other creature has attained. Allah is not mentioned without His Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—being mentioned alongside Him, as when a person enters Islam, in the call to prayer, the call announcing its commencement, sermons, and other matters through which Allah has raised the renown of His Messenger Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him.
After their love and reverence for Allah Most High, the love, reverence, and veneration that his nation holds for him are accorded to no one else. May Allah therefore reward him on behalf of his nation with the best reward ever granted to a prophet on behalf of his nation.
His words, “For indeed, with hardship comes ease * indeed, with hardship comes ease,” contain magnificent glad tidings: whenever hardship and difficulty arise, ease accompanies them. Even if hardship were to enter a lizard’s burrow, ease would enter after it and bring it out. Allah Most High says: “Allah will bring about ease after hardship.” The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—likewise said: “Relief accompanies distress, and ease accompanies hardship.”
The definite form of “hardship” in both verses indicates that it is one and the same, while the indefinite form of “ease” indicates repetition. Thus, one hardship will never overcome two eases.
Moreover, the definite article used with “hardship,” denoting comprehensiveness and generality, indicates that every hardship—however severe it may become—will invariably be accompanied by ease at its end.
Allah then commanded His Messenger first and the believers in turn to thank Him and fulfill the duties owed for His blessings. He said: “So when you are free, strive diligently.” That is, when you are free from your occupations and nothing remains in your heart to hinder it, strive diligently in worship and supplication.
“And direct your longing to your Lord” alone. That is, long earnestly for your supplication to be answered and your acts of worship to be accepted (1).
Do not be among those who, whenever they are free and at leisure, play and turn away from their Lord and His remembrance, lest you be among the losers.
It has also been said that His words mean: When you have finished and completed the prayer, strive in supplication, and direct your longing to your Lord by asking Him for what you seek.
Those who hold this view have inferred from it that supplication and remembrance after the obligatory prayers are prescribed. Allah knows best concerning that. It is complete, and all praise belongs to Allah.