Lessons from Surah Al Duha

Often, in this temporary dunya, we frequently forget that this world, this life is simply a destination and not our home. Yet Allah mentions in the Qur’an, our criterion, what we should be like as Muslims. One surah, that we find teaches us lots of lessons is Surah Duha.

Surah Al Duha was revealed at a time, when the Prophet (SAW) didn’t receive revelations of the Qur’an from Allah (SWT) for six months. For six months, he didn’t receive any revelation, nor did Jibreel (AS) come down, nor did he see a dream. Now it is here where the Prophet (SAW) fell into a state of sadness and depression. He thought that he displeased Allah (SWT) or didn’t see him worthy as a Prophet. He had all these thoughts rushing in his mind as sorrow overcame him. So, Allah responded to the Prophet (SAW) grief with Surah Duha and so Allah says: Surah Duha:

(Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem)

Wad duaa

By the morning sunlight,

Wal layali itha sajaa

And by the night when it covers with darkness,

Maa wadda ‘aka rabbuka wamaa qalaa

Your Lord, O Prophet has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful of you.

Wa lal aakhiratu khayrul laka minal ula

And the next life is certainly far better for you than this one.

Wa lasawfa yu’teeka rabbuka fartardhaa

And surely your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased.

Alam yajidaka yateeman fa aawaa

Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you?

Wa wa jaddaka dhaalan fahadaa

Did He not find you unguided then guided you?

Wa wa jadaka ‘aailan fa aghnaa

And did He not find you needy then satisfied your needs?

Fa ammal yateema falaa taqhar

So, do not oppress the orphan,

Wa ammas saa ila falaa tanhar

nor repulse the beggar.

Wa ammaa bini’mati rabbika fahaddith

And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.

So, the lessons are many. But what can we, as the youth of this ummah, as teenagers, as Muslims take from this surah. Firstly, as Muslims and youth of this Ummah, I know and you know, that there are days in which we feel depressed or lonely or ruined. Is there not a day when you feel Allah hates you or doesn’t care for you? Is there not a day in which all your friends have left you and you feel isolated? Or is there not a day, where you have not achieved or attained what you desired? Of course! Yet Allah, just like how he comforted his Nabi’, mentions to us ‘Wa Duha’ ‘By the morning sunlight’, ‘Wal layali itha sajaa’ ‘And by the night when it covers with darkness’, and here you find something remarkable, because Allah is saying that even though you feel the world is toppling over you, or your life is crumbling, look at my creation! Look at the morning sunlight! Look at the sunset and the calming dark night! It’s not all doom and gloom, look at the beauty of Allah’s creation! For it is within Allah’s magnificent creation, within the contemplation of this creation, that we feel peaceful and in awe of Allah’s perfect designs. So, to summarise these two ayahs, do not feel doomed, but be comforted by the sight of Allah’s magnitude and magnificence as the sun rises and the night envelops the sky. Brightness and light are associated with positivity and energy, so using these relatable surroundings Allah is awakening us from slumber and grief.

Then Allah continues and says ‘Maa wadda ‘aka rabbuka wamaa qalaa’ ‘Your Lord, O Prophet has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful of you.’ Allah is saying to our beloved Rasul (SAW) that “I do not hate you, I haven’t forgotten you” and similarly, he is saying to us “O my servant, do not become hopeless and down, I do not hate you, nor have forgotten you.” So, when we feel Allah doesn’t care about us no more, know that whether our friends or family leave you, whether the world hate you or neglect you, Allah (SWT) is always there for you and loves you, no matter your sin as long as you repent. Hope is a very important element of life that helps us carry on, that creates enthusiasm in us. Without hope we would give up on life. Allah reminds us in many ayahs that the believers should not grieve rather have hope in Allah, because He is truly our only saviour.

Then Allah says “Wa lal aakhiratu khayrul laka minal ula” “And the next life is certainly far better for you than this one.” He says to us Muslims, that while we may be upset with our current circumstance in life, maybe we feel that “Oh this person had this expensive coat or this or that”, what real value does it have? This same coat will become old and scruffy and you’ll chuck it away in a couple of years and over those years, what real benefit did it bring to you? Probably you were able to show it off to us, but is that it? Allah (SWT) offers you a much better deal as he says in the next ayah “Wa lasawfa yu’teeka rabbuka fartardhaa” “And surely your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased.” Worship Allah and follow Islam, follow the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) and he will give you an eternity of heaven, of happiness, of wealth, of relaxation, of rewards and everything you’ve ever wished for. Not only that, but by having hope in Allah, by following His commands and prohibitions we will find comfort and solace in life, we won’t feel lonely or that need for other humans to bring us joy, rather in the remembrance of Allah we will find joy and contentment. Allah said in the Quran ‘He is with you wherever you are’ (57:4). Knowing that Allah is with us at all times is one of the greatest blessings of a believer. For the one who is deprived of Allah he is deprived of all good.

In this next ayah, we come to our next lesson. Allah says “Alam yajidaka yateeman fa aawaa

Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you? Wa wa jaddaka dhaalan fahadaa Did He not find you unguided then guided you? Wa wa jadaka ‘aailan fa aghnaa

And did He not find you needy then satisfied your needs?”

Wallahi, we find ourselves, especially as youth, obsessed with the luxuries of this dunya, which is fine, until we start falling into sadness over not being able to get this new device or this new piece of clothing, this new shoe and so on. It is here that Allah (SWT) actually humbles us and mentions how he found us poor or found us misguided or found us neglected and took care of us. Isn’t this true? Let’s take our parents. Many of us have immigrant parents or grandparents who came from all across the globe. Didn’t Allah choose them over all of humanity to live a life of comfort? So, while, yes, you may not get something you want, which is your right, be grateful because not only has Allah satisfied your needs and chosen you over all of the people of the world who are suffering but has given you a life of peace, a healthy body, and a sound mind, and the ultimate blessing is that he has made you a Muslim, guided you whilst there are millions misguided. Furthermore, there are people or even children who would die for our luxurious lives in the third world countries, so what right do we have to complain, when we are not suffering?!

So, Allah tells us, that we have been raised in status and wealth and so pass it forward. He mentions in the final ayahs “Fa ammal yateema falaa taqhar, So, do not oppress the orphan, Wa ammas saa ila falaa tanhar, nor repulse the beggar. Wa ammaa bini’mati rabbika fahaddith, and proclaim the blessings of your Lord”

Allah (SWT) says to help those who need this help, help those who are in a worse condition than you. Help your Muslim brothers or sisters. Help the innocent and vulnerable. Allah has put us in a position to help those in need with sadaqah or du’a or shelter, so do not be stingy and may Allah bless you! O those who believe, O the Ummah of Muhammad (SAW), O the servants of Allah the Almighty, when you are in a position of depression or see a poor person who needs help or are angry that you didn’t get what you desired, remember Surah Al Duha and the lessons around it.