عَمَُّْ ْ 1537 اَلضُحٰی
وَالضُّحَى ﴿۱﴾ وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى ﴿۲﴾ مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى ﴿۳﴾ وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الْأُولَى ﴿۴﴾
﴾1﴿ Wad duhaa
﴾2﴿ Wal laili iza sajaa
﴾3﴿ Ma wad da'aka rabbuka wa ma qalaa
﴾4﴿ Walal-aakhiratu khairul laka minal-oola
﴾1﴿ By the morning brightness
﴾2﴿ And by the night when it covers
﴾3﴿ Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He despised you
﴾4﴿ And surely the Hereafter is better for you than this world
Relevancy:
This surah has several connections with the previous surah. The first connection is that in the previous surah, consolation was given to the Ummah, while in this surah, consolation is given to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
Claim of this surah:
Consolation is given to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) through three things in verses 3, 4, and 5, and it refutes the objections of the polytheists. One name of Allah, "Lord," is mentioned, along with five affirmative attributes of action and two negating attributes.
Summary of the surah:
Two testimonies are in (2,1); then the surah’s assertion is presented with three titles in (5,4,3); then it mentions conditions (which are the divine favors) prior to prophethood in (8,7,6); and then it cites three noble etiquettes in (11,10,9) that apply to every caller.
Note: From this surah to surah Al-'Adiyat, in seven surahs four principles of faith are mentioned – the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) in surah Ad-Dhuha, the opening of surah Bayyina, the oneness of Allah in surah At-Tin, and the grandeur of the Quran in surah Al-'Alaq, while surah Al-Qadr affirms the Day of Resurrection in surah Al-Zilzal.
[1,2] In this surah, there are two oaths. The first is by the time of Dhuha, which refers to the morning brightness or possibly the entire day. The second oath is by the night. This surah provides consolation to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace), as reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them) that Jibril (peace be upon him) delayed his coming for several days. The polytheists then said that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) had been abandoned by his Lord, which caused him great sorrow. Then, this surah was revealed.
The word Dhuha refers to the time of complete daylight, while "Wa al-layli idha saja" refers to the time of complete darkness of the night. There is a perfect contrast between these two, and both times are full of blessings and benefits, each having its distinct advantages.
[3] This is the response to the oath and serves as consolation to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace). The word "وَدَّعَكَ" (wadda‘aka) means to bid farewell, which implies separation, whether from a friend or an enemy. "وَمَا قَلَى" (wa ma qala) specifically refers to hostility, meaning that Allah has not abandoned him in any way—neither in the manner that a friend leaves a friend nor in the manner that an enemy leaves an enemy.
3: This consolation applies to every caller to the truth. At times, there is dominance over the enemy, and at other times, there is weakness. Sometimes there is illness, and sometimes there is health. There are moments of hardship, trials, and poverty, and there are moments of ease, happiness, and wealth. The alternation of these conditions is not a sign of misfortune.
[4] This is the second response to the oath and a further consolation, meaning that in both this world and the Hereafter, there is honor and dignity for you. However, the blessings and favors of the Hereafter are far superior, more abundant, and everlasting compared to those of this world.