Surah Ad-Duhaa: Finding Our Light
Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, grew up as an orphan and Allah SWT took care of him and made sure he was taken care of. However, there were times when the prophet ﷺ faced hardships in the society he lived in, being perturbed by the prevalence of idol worship, inappropriate taking of life and ill treatment of orphans among other wrongs. So the prophet ﷺ would isolate himself in a cave to have time to think and that is when the Angel Jibril visited Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and revealed to him the Words of Allah SWT beginning with Surah Al-’Alaq (96 The Clot). The beginning of the Qur’an’s revelation signified Allah choosing Prophet Muhammed ﷺ as His final messenger.
With the frequency of revelation and visits from Angel Jibril, the prophet ﷺ came to enjoy the close companionship of Allah’s angel. But then the visits from Angel Jibril stopped. About six months went by and the prophet ﷺ began to ask himself what he could have done to stop Angel Jibril from visiting him. His enemies in Mecca began to taunt him for being abandoned by the angel he spoke about. Then Angel Jibril returned, revealing Surah Ad-Duhaa (93 The Morning Hours). This was like a bright light after darkness. For six months the prophet ﷺ had endured negative feelings and loss, but instantly found relief and light in the Words of Allah SWT.
Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares how this resonates with us today. Sometimes we have feelings of abandonment, sadness or face depression but it’s important to remember that Allah is always with us. Just as the prophet ﷺ saw the light at the end of the tunnel through Allah’s Guidance, we all will find our light as well. Allah knew how His prophet was feeling when Angel Jibril revealed Surah Ad-Duhaa, just as Allah knows when we are in pain or facing hardships. Allah SWT told the prophet in Surah Ad-Duhaa that He has not forgotten him and that the hereafter is much better than this life. In verses 3 – 5, Allah says: “Your Lord ˹O Prophet˺ has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful ˹of you˺. And the next life is certainly far better for you than this one. And ˹surely˺ your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased.” (93: 3 – 5)
If you are always in the light then you will not appreciate the light. After darkness, we value the light which follows. Allah SWT will make us go through difficult times begetting negative emotions but when we turn to Allah and when things get better, we are so much happier. We thank Allah for letting us go through hard times and for guiding us towards the light, like he did with His prophet ﷺ as an example for us.