Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā and Sūrat ash-Sharḥ
Observations on the structural relationship between Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā and Sūrat ash-Sharḥ
Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā (The Morning Hours) and Sūrat ash-Sharḥ (The Relief) are two suwar that provide encouragement and optimism to those who recite them. They were originally a source of hope for the Messenger ﷺ and it is through his example that we internalize the positive messaging.
They are the 93rd and 94th suwar, respectively, and appear to form a complementary pair in the form of a parallel structure.
Summarized, the parallels can be seen as shown below.
CONNECTIONS
[A]/[A’] – Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā begins with Allah ﷻ enumerating the numerous ways in which He favored and took care of the Messenger ﷺ. At the time of revelation, the Messenger ﷺ was beginning to think that Allah ﷻ was displeased with him, but then this sūrah came down to dispel these fears. Allah ﷻ had been caring for him before prophethood, after prophethood, and was even guaranteed to be pleased in the afterlife. Sūrat ash-Sharḥ begins in a similar vein, with Allah ﷻ listing some of the countless favors upon the Messenger ﷺ. Allah ﷻ helped ease his burden, elevated his status for the rest of time, and assured him that all future hardships always come with ease.
[B]/[B’] – Both suwar also end similarly. After the mention of blessings, Allah ﷻ begins to command the Messenger ﷺ to give back. Do not oppress the orphan, do not push away the one who asks, mention the favor of your Master, stand up for worship, and direct your efforts to Allah ﷻ. Again, as we have seen in other suwar, we find the motif of worship being linked to showing gratitude.
Looking at the contents of [A] and [A’] another way, we find that they are both made up of three points that mirror each other.
CONNECTIONS
[A1]/[A1’] – Both sections give the Messenger ﷺ assurances for his present situation. In Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā, the Messenger ﷺ fears, after a relatively long hiatus in revelation, that Allah ﷻ has left him because He is displeased with him. Allah ﷻ swears an oath and comforts the Messenger ﷺ by dispelling both worries. Sūrat ash-Sharḥ also deals with the current situation and gives the Messenger ﷺ a formula to follow for his current hardships. Ease will always be there when things are difficult.
[A2]/[A2’] – After dealing with the current situation, Allah ﷻ promises the Messenger ﷺ that “the Hereafter is better for you than this life, and your Master will give you, and you will be pleased.” So now the Messenger ﷺ can look to the future with hope.
This is done again in Sūrat ash-Sharh when Allah ﷻ promises the Messenger ﷺ that He has “elevated your mention.” Until there are no Muslims left on Earth, the Messenger ﷺ will be mentioned in the adhān (call to prayer), five times a day, across the globe. Additionally, every time his name is mentioned, Muslims say the prayer, ﷺ. In schools throughout the world, students are studying his life and praising his character and actions. In other words, there is quite possibly not a single second that goes by without someone singing his praises, and that will continue to increase as long as Islam grows in the future.
[A3]/[A3’] – Finally, after assuring the Messenger ﷺ, and giving him hope for the future, Allah ﷻ mentions His past favors upon him. Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā concludes on this point, and Sūrat ash-Sharḥ opens on it, but both serve complementary rhetorical purposes.
By placing it at the end of one sūrah, it helps to answer a question that comes up after such a strong opening. “How can one be sure that my present and future are taken care of? These are big claims!” And the ending answers by saying, “I have already done similar for you in the past. If I did it then, and you were not even aware of it, you can be assured I will do so now, now that I have explicitly stated so.”
And by placing it at the beginning, it helps to preempt the concerns. “I already took care of you before, so I am going to do it again, now and forever into the future.” And in this way, the two sections, [A] and [A’] mirror each other to great effect.
And Allah ﷻ knows best.