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Showing posts with label Surah Al Inshirah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surah Al Inshirah. Show all posts

Monday 18 September 2023

Man laments: It’s too difficult - Allah reassures: With every difficulty there is ease

Many a man when confronted with difficulties, lose heart and give away. It is only a few from the whole lot which never lose heart and continue to strive to achieve their goals and aims. This is true today and has been true in the past since worldly life set in. 

More than others, the arduous mission of the prophets and messengers of Allah has been more than the capacity of the common man and it has been their resilience to continue bearing the physical and mental stress, torture and slanders and continuing with the Divine task entrusted to them. But there has always been a limit to bear. Prophet Yunus (Jonah, peace be upon him) gave away and found him in the belly of a whale where he repented. And when finally forgiven and brought alive on the seashore, he was amazed to find the same hostile people had accepted the Divine will. Likewise, Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) when came down with tablets Divinely engraved found division in his people and was frustrated. But he too was shown the way to deal with the developing situation.

Likewise, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was in no different situation as his predecessors. And when the hostilities towards him by pagans of Makkah increased beyond his bearing limits, he too lamented for the difficulties he was being confronted with. It was then that the 94th chapter of Qur'an, Al Inshirah (The Opening Up) was revealed unto him and reassured him of Allah's help and that with every difficulty there is ease.

Herein under we pick up the 5th and 6th verses in which Allah reassures His prophet of there being ease after the difficulties he was facing:

فَاِنَّ مَعَ الۡعُسۡرِ يُسۡرًا ۙ - اِنَّ مَعَ الۡعُسۡرِ يُسۡرًا ؕ‏ 
(94:5) Indeed, there is ease with hardship - (94:6) Most certainly, there is ease with hardship
This has been repeated twice so as to reassure the Holy Prophet that the bad times hp was passing through at that time would not last forever, but were going to be replaced by good times in the near future. On the surface this appears to be a contradiction that hardship should be accompanied by ease, for these two things do not co-exist. But the words "hardship with ease" instead of "ease after hardship" have been used in the sense that the period of ease is so close to it as if it were a concomitant of it.

Qur'an Wiki Explanation:
Hardship is never absolute, for ease always accompanies it. When your burden became too heavy, We lifted up your heart and relieved you. The repetition suggests that the Prophet had endured serious hardship and much affliction. This reminder recalls the various aspects of care and concern shown to the Prophet and then reassures him emphatically. A matter which afflicts Muhammad’s soul so much must be very serious indeed. Then follows a statement pointing out the aspects of comfort and the factors contributing to the lifting up of hearts and spirits, which is of great help to Muslims as they travel along their hard and long way.

Yusuf Ali Explanation
This verse is repeated for extra emphasis. Whatever difficulties or troubles are encountered by men, Allah always provides a solution, a way out, a relief, a way to lead to ease and happiness, if we only follow His Path and show our Faith by patience and well-doing. The solution or relief does not merely come after the Difficulty: it is provided with it. I understand the definite article in al-'usr in a generic sense, and translate: "every difficulty". In xcii. 7, I have translated Yusr as Bliss, and in xcii. 10 'Usr as Misery.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
(Therefore, [rest assured,] with this difficulty) Ie., so close is this ease to the difficult time he is facing that it is almost adjacent.

([you are now facing], a great ease awaits.)  The ease referred to in the verse is that which was afforded to the Prophet (sws) in Madīnah after migration. As a result, not only did his preaching endeavours lead to political authority, but also with this authority the whole of Arab became subservient to him.

(With this difficulty, a great ease awaits) The repetition emphasizes the glad tidings. The period in which this sūrah was revealed was apparently a very testing one. The Almighty presented various incidents of the Prophet’s life to assure him. He was told that the God Who endowed him with all these blessings was there to help him; very soon, these difficult times would give way to ease; the hindrances in his way would be removed and he and his companions would finally reach the destination the Almighty had appointed as an established practice for His messengers. The words are rather precise here. But in Sūrah al-Naṣr, details are cited. It is stated that God’s help and victory would come and the Prophet (sws) would see people entering the folds of Islam in multitudes.

So, my dear sisters and brothers in Islam, we must remember and should have firm faith that hardship is never absolute, for ease always accompanies it. Difficulties do go away and pave the way for ease provided one has faith in Allah and does not lose heart in the face of times, no matter how adverse and challenging. Floods wash away lands and houses, yet men rebuild what has been lost and continue living another life. In fact, losing heart and being scared of difficult times is something that Satan injects into us to break our will to carry one. So let us not have someone break our will and turn us into a failure. There is always light at the end of the tunnel that suddenly scares away the darkness we have been travelling in.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may read this post in our series of posts related to: Al Qur'an guides and helps those who sincerely seek Divine guidance and help.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'anYou may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from the following sources: 
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • Qur'an Wiki
  • Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Thursday 5 May 2022

Believers! Never lose hope - For with each difficulty there is ease

The worldly life is never smooth - it has rises and falls as the waves of the oceans. No man claim to have had a smooth life all along. In fact the life is like the tug of war, sometimes one loses and sometimes one wins, though only those who lose win again who have perseverance, steadfastness and faith in winning. Those who stumble, fall but keep trying to rise. Unless a man learns to fall, he can never learn to rise. Or in other words, every hardship comes with comfort provided one is sure footed and has firm faith in Allah that he will never be left in the quagmire of worldly affairs forever.

This is the essence of 94th Chapter of the Qur'an: Surah Al Inshirah and it has been mentioned twice in the 5th and 6th verses that with each difficulty there is ease. These verses were revealed when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was very disturbed and distressed at the great hardships that he was passing through in the initial stage of his mission of calling the people to Islam. Under those conditions Allah addressed him and consoling him, said: O Prophet, have We not blessed you with such and such favor. Then, why do you feel so disturbed and distressed at these initial difficulties, and thus reassures him of comfort:

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا 
( 5 )   For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
Ie., so close is this ease to the difficult time he is facing that it is almost adjacent. Ie., so close is this ease to the difficult time he is facing that it is almost adjacent. The ease referred to in the verse is that which was afforded to the Prophet (sws) in Madinah after migration. As a result, not only did his preaching endeavours lead to political authority, but also with this authority the whole of Arab became subservient to him.

Yusuf Ali Explanation:
This verse is repeated for extra emphasis. Whatever difficulties or troubles are encountered by men, Allah always provides a solution, a way out, a relief, a way to lead to ease and happiness, if we only follow His Path and show our Faith by patience and well-doing. The solution or relief does not merely come after the Difficulty: it is provided with it. I understand the definite article in al-'usr in a generic sense, and translate: "every difficulty". In xcii. 7, I have translated Yusr as Bliss, and in xcii. 10 'Usr as Misery.

 إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا 
( 6 )   Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.

This has been repeated twice so as to reassure the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the bad times he was passing through at that time would not last for ever, but were going to be replaced by good times in the near future. On the surface this appears to be a contradiction that hardship should be accompanied by ease, for these two things do not co-exist. But the words hardship with ease instead of ease after hardship have been used in the sense that the period of ease is so close to it as if it were a concomitant of it.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
The repetition emphasizes the glad tidings. The period in which this surah was revealed was apparently a very testing one. The Almighty presented various incidents of the Prophet’s life to assure him. He was told that the God Who endowed him with all these blessings was there to help him; very soon these difficult times would give way to ease; the hindrances in his way would be removed and he and his companions would finally reach the destination the Almighty had appointed as an established practice for His messengers. The words are rather precise here. But in Surah al-Nasr, details are cited. It is stated that God’s help and victory would come and the Prophet (sws) would see people entering the folds of Islam in multitudes.

Verse By Verse Quran Study Circle Explanation:
In Ayaat 5 and 6, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala comforts and reassures the Prophet by saying, “…indeed, with hardship [will be] ease…” Hardship is never absolute, for ease always accompanies it. When the Prophet’s burden became too heavy, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala lifted up his heart and relieved him. This is strongly emphasized by a literal repetition of the statement: “Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” For every challenge there is a way. A matter which afflicts Muhammad’s soul so much must be very serious indeed. The repetition also indicates while the challenge might be one there are several ways of addressing it. Secondly, the times of ease are more frequent than the times of difficulty. How often does one fall sick? How often does one lose all their money or face a loss? How often are we tested? Our problem is that when we are tested we only focus on all problem or the calamity and forget all the other blessings that we enjoy.

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala is acknowledging that yes at this moment there is difficulty. You have only handful followers but there will be ease. Grounds are being prepared for future success. The lesson for us is that when we are tested we should be patient and acknowledge that if Allah has put me in this there must be some khair and wisdom. Only then the person can survive his test.

Qur'an Wiki:
In the verses 5-6, God addresses His beloved messenger kindly and comforts and reassures him, explaining to him how He has given him unceasing ease. “With hardship comes ease. Indeed, with every hardship comes ease.” (Verses 5-6) Hardship is never absolute, for ease always accompanies it. When your burden became too heavy, We lifted up your heart and relieved you.

This is strongly emphasized by a literal repetition of the statement: “With hardship comes ease.” The repetition suggests that the Prophet had endured serious hardship and much affliction. This reminder recalls the various aspects of care and concern shown to the Prophet and then reassures him emphatically. A matter which afflicts Muhammad’s soul so much must be very serious indeed.

Thus in these two verses, there is a hope for the believers that no matter how much stressed we are and how much difficulties surround us, we should never lose hope of good days ahead and ease of our sufferings. May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'anYou may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Reference: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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