al-Ḍuḥā

أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَى

وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى

وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَى

فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ

وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ

وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ

6. “Did He not find you an orphan and sheltered (you)?"
7. “And He found you wandering and guided (you).”
8. “And He found you in need and made you free of need.”
9. “Therefore treat not the orphans with harshness,"
10. “And for the one who asks, repulse not,"
11. “And as for the Bounties of your Lord, do proclaim (it).”

As a Sign of Gratitude for the Bounties of Your Lord

As we mentioned before, the Surah mostly tends to comfort the Prophet (S) and enumerates the Divine graces granted to him. Then, in relation to the former verses containing this very meaning, the following verses begin by mentioning three particular blessings of Allah's Bounties to the holy Prophet (S); and along with them it gives him three important instructions:

'(O' Muhammad) you were in your mother's womb when your father, 'Abdullah, died. I caused you to be raised in the lap of your grandfather ('Abdul-Muttalib).' 'You were six years old when your mother died and you from this point of view became lonely but! I increased the love for you in the heart of your uncle (Abu-Talib)’. 'You were eight years old when your grandfather, 'Abdul-Muttalib, died'. 'I appointed your uncle to serve you and support you and he showered you with love and care in protecting you'.

'Yes, you were an orphan and I sheltered you'. Some commentators have cited many other meanings about this verse that are not compatible with its appearance. For example, the meaning of orphan, here is said to be a person who is unique in grace and holiness just as a unique piece of jewellery is called 'an orphan jewel'. According to this idea the meaning of this verse would be, 'Allah found you unique in grace and honour, therefore, He selected you and gave you the prophethood'.

Another meaning is that: 'You, yourself, were an orphan one day but We selected you to be a protector of orphans and a leader for mankind’. Without doubt, the first interpretation is the most appropriate in every respect and is more harmonious with the content of the verse. Then, attention is paid to the second blessing and says:

'Yes, you were not acquainted with prophecy at all and it was Us Who enlightened your heart with a Light by which you could guide Mankind’; as, in another occasion it says:

It is clear that before receiving his prophetic mission, the holy Prophet (S) lacked this Divine emanation. Allah helped him and guided him, as Surah Yusuf. No 12, Verse 3 says:

Surely if Allah had not helped the Prophet (S) with His hidden assistance in guiding him, he would have never succeeded an the path to his goals. Therefore, the term

here does not mean 'the absense of faith, monotheism, piety and virtue', but referring to (the above verses and according to the statements of many commentators, it means 'unacquaintance with the secrets of prophecy, the laws of Islam and similar facts, but, later and after being appointed to the prophetic mission, the Prophet (S) learned them all with Allah's help and guidance. In Surah Baqarah, No. 2, verse 282 when stating the philosophy of severalty of witnesses for writing loan documents involving future payment, it says:

In this verse the term /qalalat/ is used only with the sense of forgetfulness with reference to the phrase

There are additional commentaries given on the verse. For example, it means that 'you were unknown and Allah bestowed on you so many gifts of His blessings that you became quite well-known everywhere'. Or, you were lost several times: Once in the valleys of Mecca when you were supported by Abdul-Muttalib. Another time when your nursing period had finished and your foster mother, Halimah Saidiyah, was taking you to Mecca to give you to Abdul-Muttalib, then you became lost on the way and the third time when your uncle was going to Sham (Syria) in a caravan and you were with him, and you lost the way in the dark of night Allah guided you, on all occasions, and led you either to your loving grandfather or uncle'.

It is worthy to note that the term /qall/, from the point of terminology has two shades of meaning: 'lost' and 'misled'. For instance, it is said: 'knowledge is the lost item of a believer' (meaning that a believer is always searching for more knowledge), and thus, it is also used with the meaning of 'hidden' and 'absent', as:

If the word /dall / mentioned in the verse under discussion, is used with the meaning of 'lost', or if it means 'misled or astray', the purpose is that the path of prophecy was out of his reach before his appointment or in other words the Prophet (S) had nothing from his own and what he had was from Allah. Thus, there will be no problem in using either term. Then, referring to the third blessing, it says:

'Allah attracted the attention to you of that sincere pious lady Khadijah, so she could give you all her wealth to use for your great and holy aims on the way of Islam. And, later, at the time of the glory of Islam. He paved the way for you to reach abundant riches through wars, enabling you to become independent in attaining your great goals. ' On commenting about these verses, there is a tradition from Imam Ali-ibnMusa-ar-Riza (S) who said:

'Did He not find you an orphan or a unique person among His creatures and sheltered people with you; and He found you wandering or unknown among the people who did not know your greatness and then He led them to you; and He found you as a custodian for them from the point of knowledge and made them free of need by you.” ⁸

This tradition, of course, refers to the hidden meaning of the verse, otherwise the outward appearance of it is the very same that was said in the above. We should never think that by making the above comments, which are understood from the appearance of the verses, that it would decrease the high value of the Prophet (S), or that it is a negative idea from Allah about Muhammad (S). On the contrary, it is indeed the statement of His grace and respect towards the holy Prophet (S) which refreshes his great soul.

With the conclusion of the previous verses, the next verses command the Prophet (S) with three important instructions. Although they are directly addressing Muhammad (S), they are surely applied to everyone. At first, it says:

The term /taqhar/ is based on /qahr /and as Raqib cites in his book, Mufradat, it means 'prevalence with contempt'. But, the term is used with either of these two senses, separately, and here 'contempt' seems to be more fitting. This shows that in relation to orphans, even though feeding and donating are considered highly commendable actions, it is more important to respect them and to be kind and spiritually helpful to them, or to satisfy their emotional needs.

That is why it is narrated in a tradition from the Prophet (S) that he said:

"He who touches an orphans' head, affectionately, Allah will bestow on him as many rays (of blessings) on the Day of Final Judgement, as the number of the orphans' hair which touch under the person's hand”.

It seems as if Allah is telling the Prophet (S) that 'you, yourself, have been an orphan and suffered from the pain of orphanhood. Now, be careful of the orphans with all your heart and treat them with tender affection and respect, and quench their thirsty souls with kindness'. In the next verse another command is presented:

The term /tanhar/ is derived from the root /nahara/ which means 'to repulse' or 'to repel by discourtesy or coldness', and it is not improbable that its root is the same as the term /nahr/ with the meaning of 'the running stream', since it flows with violence. In order to specify who is meant by the term /sa'il/ ‘petitioner', there are several commentaries which have been put forth. It could mean:

1. Those who have some questions on scientific, religious and theological matters. This, as a subdivision, is understood from the verse:

'Then you too spread this divine guidance and tried to guide the needy and did not repulse any petitioner'.

2. Those who are in need of finance and come to you, help them and do not make them feel hopeless by repelling them.

3. Those who are poor in both knowledge and finances. Allah orders Muhammad (S) to respond positively to those who make a request of any type. This idea is fitting both with divine guidance to the Prophet (S) and sheltering him when he was an orphan.

Strangely enough, some commentators, in order to prove that the term

here means only 'a petitioner who is asking for knowledge’, have said that the term has never been used in the Holy Qur'an with the sense of financial help'.⁹ But, it has frequently appeared in the Qur'an with this meaning, such as Surah Zariyat, No. 51, verse 19:

Also from Surah Ma'arij, No. 70, verse 177 and Surah Baqarah, No. 2, verse 177 are other examples containing this idea. Finally, in the third and last command, it says:

Announcing the bounties is sometimes done by statements, containing thankfulness and gratitude and that is far from pride and haughtiness, and sometimes by action through donation and charity from those bounties, on the path of Allah, in a way that shows He has given him much Bounty. This is the style of generous noble people that when a blessing befalls them they proclaim it and thank Allah and their behavior also confirms and reinforces this fact. On the contrary, the jealous, begrudging, miserly persons groan and moan all the time and even if they were to get the whole world they would insist on covering over the favours; their appearance is poor, their statements are full of weeping and complaining; and their actions illustrate poverty too.

This is when the holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

"When Allah gives a servant a bounty, it pleases Him to see the signs of the bounty on him.” ¹⁰

Therefore, the concluding meaning of the verse is that in appreciation of the fact that Allah made you free of need, bountifully, when you were in need; your duty is that you should make that Divine Bounty spread far and wide and proclaim it and share it by speech and action. But, some commentators have said that

here means only spiritual bounties, such as, prophethood and the Holy Qur'an which the Prophet (S) was called to announce and spread. And this is the meaning of 'announcing the Bounty'. It is, also, probable that it applies to all material and spiritual bounties. So, on commenting on this verse, Imam Sadiq (as) is narrated to have said:

"Announce them all, whatever Allah has endowed to you, from merits, sustenance, goodness, and guidance". ¹¹

Another tradition from the holy Prophet (S), as a general admonition, says:

"He who is endowed a blessing and it is not seen on him, is called an enemy of Allah and an opponent to His Bounties". ¹²

We conclude this subject with a tradition from Hazrat Ali (as) who is reported to have said:

"Surely Allah, the Most Bountiful, likes bounties; and also likes to see the signs of His bounties on His servants.” ¹³

Supplication

O Lord! Your Bounties are beyond what can be announced. Do not restrain them from us, and increase them with your generosity.

O Lord! We are encompassed by your grace in this world. We hope for the same in the Next World.

O Lord! Help us to be always the advocators of the deprived and the supporters of the rights of the orphans.