Surah Ad-Duha

Its theme is to console the Prophet ﷺand its object to remove his anxiety and distress, which he had been caused by the suspension of Revelation. First of all, swearing an oath by the bright morning and the stillness of night, he has been reassured, so as to say: “Your Lord has not at all forsaken you, nor is he displeased with you.” Then, he has been given the good news that the hardships that he was experiencing in the initial stage of his mission, would not last long, for every later period of life for him would be better than the former period, and before long Allah would bless him so abundantly that he would be well pleased. This is one of the express prophecies of the Qur’an, which proved literally true, afterwards, whereas when this prophecy was made there seemed not to be the remotest chance that the helpless and powerless man who had come out to wage a war against the ignorance and paganism of the entire nation, would ever achieve such wonderful success.

Then, addressing His Prophet ﷺ, Allah says: “O My dear Prophet ﷺ, what has caused you the anxiety and distress that your Lord has forsaken you, and that We are displeased with you? Whereas the fact is that We have been good to you with kindness after kindness ever since the day of your birth. You were born an orphan, We made the best arrangement for your upbringing and care: you were unaware of the Way, We showed you the Way, you were impoverished, We made you rich. All this shows that you have been favoured by Us from the very beginning and Our grace and bounty has been constantly focused on you.” Here, one should also keep in view v. 37-42 of Surah 20: Ta Ha, where Allah, while sending the Prophet Moses to confront a tyrant like Pharaoh, encouraged and consoled him, saying: “We have been looking after you with kindness ever since your birth; therefore, you should be satisfied that you will not be left alone in this dreadful mission. Our bounty will constantly be with you.”

In conclusion, Allah has instructed His Prophet telling him how he should treat the creatures of Allah to repay for the favours He has done him and how he should render thanks for the blessings He has bestowed on him.