Sūrat al-Ḍuḥā is the 93rd sura of the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 with 11 ayat.

Although there is some debate amongst scholars, this sura

Sura

A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...

 in often considered to be the second revealed to Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

. After the first sura (al-Alaq

Al-Alaq

Sūrat al-ʿAlaq , is the 96th sura or chapter of the Qur'an. It is composed of 19 Ayat , and is traditionally believed to have been revealed at Mecca at cave Hira...

) was received, there was a period of silence in which no further messages were revealed. During this time, the new Prophet

Prophet

In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...

 wondered if he had somehow displeased God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

, who it seemed for a while was no longer sending down His message. This sura broke that silence, and reassured Muhammad that all will be understood in time. The image of the morning (ad-Dhuha) is the first word of the sura, and can be understood as symbolizing Muhammad's "new day" as the Messenger of God, as well as the "dawn" of the new way of life that would become Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. After this sura, the visitations of Gabriel

Gabriel

In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...

 with the words of the Qur'an would come to Muhammad regularly until his death.

Because of subject matter, length, style, and placement in the Qur'an, this sura is often coupled with Sura Al-Inshirah

Al-Inshirah

Sūrat al-Sharḥ is the 94th sura of the Qur'an with eight ayat and is a Meccan sura.It is typically assumed that this sura is referring to the early days of Muhammad's prophethood, when he would have been both confused by the revelations, and unsure about how his people would receive him...

. They are generally considered to have be revealed around the same time.

Summary

This sura begins by invoking the Morning and the Night, meaning that God's will acts both during the day (when the Light of God is obvious), and the night (when it seems to man that God is absent). The Qur'an comforts the new Prophet with the message that God is not angered with him, nor has God abandoned him; indeed, God says He is pleased with him. It goes on saying that "The Last will be better for thee than the First" - things will end better as they are now, meaning either (or both) in Muhammad's victories on Earth, or in the Afterlife. To prove the point, the Qur'an asks Muhammad if God has ever failed him:

"Did He not find thee an orphan and shelter thee?

Did He not find you lost and guide thee?

And He found thee in need and enrich thee?"

The answer for all of these is, of course, yes. Muhammad was in each of these three positions and has risen above them: when he was orphaned he was protected, when he was looking for answers they were given, and when he was without wealth he was provided for. The Qur'an then reverts the three questions into three commands, suggesting that as God has done to His Prophet, the Prophet must do to all people:

"Therefore, as for the orphan protect him,

As for the beggar, oppress him not,

And as for thy Lord's favor, declare it."

Trivia

The first part of this sura was recited in Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia (film)

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...

where Lawrence surprises the others by showing he knows it.

See also

• Salat
  Salat
  Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
  
   (Prayer)
• Dhuhr
  Dhuhr
  The dhuhr prayer is the prayer after midday Performed daily by practicing Muslims, it is the second of the five daily prayers...
  
  (Mid-day prayer)