In the Shade of the Qur'an

THE FORENOON
                                  AD-DHUHA

              In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

By the white forenoon and the brooding night your Lord has neither
forsaken you, nor does He hate you. Surely the life to come will be
better for you than this present life. Did certainly your Lord will
be bounteous to you and you will be satisfied. Did He not find you
an orphan and give you a shelter? Did He not find you in error and
guide you? Did He not find you poor and enrich you? Therefore do not
wrong the orphan, nor chide away the beggar, but proclaim the goodness
of your Lord.

                         In the Shade of the Qur'an

This surah, with its subject matter, mode of expression, scenes, con-
notations and rhythm is a touch of tenderness and mercy. It is a mes-
sage of affection, it is a benevolent hand which soothes pains and
troubles and generates an air of contentment and confident hope.

The surah is dedicated in its entirety to the Prophet (peace be on
him). It is a message from his Lord which touches his heart with
pleasure, joy, tranquillity and contentment. Altogether it i5 a flow of
mercy and compassion to his restless soul, and suffering heart.

Several accounts mention that the revelation of the Qur'an to the
Prophet came, at one stage, to a halt and that Jibril stopped coming
to him for a while. The unbelievers therefore said, "Muhammad's
Lord has bidden him farewell!" Allah therefore revealed this surah.

Revelation, Jibril's visits and the link with Allah were the
Prophet's whole equipment along his precarious path. They were his
only solace in the face of hard rejection and his sole comfort against
outright repudiation. They were the source from which he derived his
strength to stand steadfast against the unbelievers who were intent
on rebuff and refusal, and bent on directing a wicked, vile attack
against the Prophet's call, faith and guidance.

So when the Revelation was withheld, the source of strength for
the Prophet was cut off. His life spring was sapped and he longed for
his heart's friend. Alone he was left in the wilderness, without susten-
ance, without water, without the accustomed companionship of the
beloved friend. It was a situation which taxes human endurance heavily.

Then this surah was revealed and it came as a rich flow of com-
passion, mercy, hope, comfort and reassurance. "Your Lord has
neitier forsaken you, nor does He hate you. Surely the life to come will
be better for you than this present life. And certainly your Lord will be
bounteous to you, and you will be satisfied." Your Lord has never
before left you or rejected you, or even denied you His mercy or pro-
tection. "Did He not find you an orphan and give you a shelter? Did He
not find you in error and guide you? Did He not find you poor and enrich
you?

Do you not see the proof of all this in your own life? Do you not
feel it in your heart? Do you not observe it in your world? " Your Lord
has neither for saken you, nor does He hate you. " Never bad His mercy
been taken away from you and it never will be. "Surely the life to
come will be better for you than this present life. " And there will be
much more: "And certainly your Lord will be bounteous to you and you
will be satisfied."

This statement of the fact of the matter, made in excellent style and
fine rhythm, is given in the framework of a universal phenomenon:
"By the white forenoon and the brooding night." The expression
spreads an air of affection, kindliness and complete satisfaction.
"Your Lord has not for saken you, nor does He hate you. Surely the life
to come will be better for you than this present life. And certainly your
Lord will be bounteous to you and you will be satisfied. Did He not find
you an orphan and give you shelter? Did He nor find you in error and
guide you? Did He not find you poor and enrich you? " That tenderness,
that mercy, that satisfaction, that solace are all felt in the sweet ex-
pressions and the soothing words and phrases which softly thread
along the surah with gentle echoes and lively rhythm as they are con-
tained within the frame of the morning hours and the still night
which are the times of the day and night most conducive to clarity.
During these periods one's reflections flow like a stream, and the soul
is best able to communicate with the universe and its Creator, and
feels the universe worshipping its Lord and turning towards Him in
praise with joy and happiness. In addition, the night is described as
"brooding". It is not the dark gloomy night as such but the "brood-
ing" night that is clear, silent and tranquil, covered with a light cloud
of sweet longing and kind reflection. It is a picture similar to that of
the orphan's life. More still, the night is cleared away by the crossing
morning and thus the colours of the picture beautifully match with
those of the framework, and harmony is achieved.

The scene drawn here is one of perfect beauty. Such perfection is
Divine, unparalleled and inimitable.

"By the white forenoon, and the brooding night: your Lord has
neither for saken you, nor does He hate you. Surely the life to come shall
be better for you than this present life. And certainly your Lord will be
bounteous to you and you will be satisfied."

Allah vows by these two calm and inspiring periods of time and es-
tablishes a relationship between natural phenomena and human feel-
ings. Thus, mutual response is encouraged between human hearts
and the universe, which is beautiful, alive and sympathetic to all
living beings. Hence, hearts live in peace with the world, relaxed and
happy .

This mode of expression is particularly appropriate in this surah as
the feeling of fellowship is stressed here as if to tell the Prophet right
from the beginning of the surah that his Lord had already blessed him
with the fellowship of the world around him and that he was by no
means forsaken or left alone.

Then follows a straight forward assertion. " Your Lord has neither
forsaken you, nor does He hate you. " He has not left you, nor has He
been harsh to you as is alleged by those who want to afflict your heart
and soul or trouble your feelings. For He is your Lord and you
belong to Him. He is your sustainer and protector. Allah's favours
on you have neither run out nor have they been stopped. You,
Muhammad, are to get much more and better favours in the
hereafter than you are getting in this life. "Surely the lire to come will
be better for you than this present life."

Allah is saving for you, Muhammad, what will satisfy you in your
mission and ease your hard path and bring about the victory of your
call and the vindication of the truth you advocate. These thoughts
were in fact pre occupying the Prophet's mind as he was encountering
his people's outright rejection, ill-treatment, and malice. " Your Lord
will be bounteous to you and you will be satisfied . "

The surah then goes on to remind the Prophet of his Lord's atti-
tude towards him from the very beginning of his mission so that he
may reflect on how favourably Allah has been treating him. This is to
make him recall the happy memories of the Divine kindness which is
a joy revived by the words, "Did He not find you an orphan and give
you a shelter? Did He not find you in error and guide you? Did He not
find you poor and enrich you?" Reflect on your present life and on
your past. Has He ever forsaken you or hated you even before He
charged you with the assignment of prophethood.

You were born an orphan but Allah protected you. He made so
many people kind to you, especially your uncle Abu Talib, though he
followed a religion different from yours. You were poor and He
made your heart rich with contentment, and made you rich through
your business gains and the wealth of your wife, Khadeejah, so that
you would not suffer from poverty or yearn for the riches that
abound all around you.

You were also brought up in an Ignorant society, full of confusion
of beliefs and concepts, where erring ways and practices abounded.
You did not like those beliefs, concepts and practices but you could
not find a clear and suitable way out. You could find your way
neither in the Ignorant world nor with the followers of Moses and
Jesus, who adulterated their beliefs, distorted their original form and
went astray. But Allah has guided you through His revelations and
the way of life He has set which establishes a firm bond between Him
and you.

This "guidance" in the wilderness of disbelief and confusion is the
greatest favour of them all. The happiness and reassurance it brings
about cannot be matched. The Prophet had been greatly perturbed
and afflicted because of the cessation of revelation, and the malicious
attitude of the polytheists during the period of its cessation. Hence
comes this reminder to put his heart at ease and reassure him of his
Lord's promise never to abandon him .

Allah takes the opportunity of mentioning the Prophet's earlier
orphanhood, error and poverty in order to instruct the Prophet and
all Muslims to protect every orphan, to be charitable to every beggar,
and to speak of the great favours they enjoy from Allah, the first of
which is guidance to the religion of Islam. "Therefore, do not wrong
the orphan nor chide away the beggar, but proclaim the goodness of
your Lord.

As we have already mentioned repeatedly, these instructions
reflect the needs of the day, in that greedy and materialistic society in
which the weak, who could not defend their own rights, were not
catered for. Islam came to reform that society with Allah's laws
which establish equity, justice and good-will.

Speaking of Allah's bounties, especially those of guidance and
faith, is a form of expressing gratitude to Him, the Giver. It is a prac-
tical manifestation of thanks on the part of the recipient.