سُورَةُ الضُّحَىٰ
Surah 93 - Ad-Dhuhaa
The Morning Hours
- 11 verses
- Juz 30
- Page 596 of the Mushaf
Ad-Dhuhaa has eleven verses and speaks to a single addressee. It opens on two oaths: the brightness of the rising day, then the night. The answer they announce follows: the one addressed has not been left nor held in dislike; what comes later is worth more than what came first; a gift is promised to him. The text then recalls three past states and what followed each of them: an orphan, then given shelter; astray, then guided; without means, then provided for. It closes on three orders that answer them one by one: the orphan who is not to be crushed, the one who asks and is not to be driven off, the favour that is to be told.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلضُّحَىٰ
By the morning brightness
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ
And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].
وَلَلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ
And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life].
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰٓ
And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًۭا فَـَٔاوَىٰ
Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge?
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّۭا فَهَدَىٰ
And He found you lost and guided [you],
وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلًۭا فَأَغْنَىٰ
And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.
فَأَمَّا ٱلْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ
So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him].
وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].
وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ
But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].
Key verses of the surah
The answer to the two oaths: the text sets aside any leaving behind or dislike.
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].
First of the three recollections: being an orphan, followed by what was done for him.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًۭا فَـَٔاوَىٰ
Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge?
The last verse: the order to tell the favour received, closing the series of three.
وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ
But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].
What is surah Ad-Dhuhaa about?
Of an address to one single hearer. The text swears by two moments of the day, sets aside the idea that he was left behind, then recalls what he received before telling him what he owes in turn.
How is surah Ad-Dhuhaa built?
In four moves: two oaths, an answer over three verses, three recollections of the past, three orders. The recollections and the orders match term for term, in the same order: the orphan first, then the one who asks.
What does surah Ad-Dhuhaa say about the orphan?
It names him twice. In verse 6, the one addressed was himself found an orphan, then sheltered. In verse 9, he is told not to crush the orphan. What he received becomes what he owes.
How does surah Ad-Dhuhaa end?
With three short orders, in verses 9 to 11. Two are negative and concern people; the third is positive and concerns the favour of the Lord, which is to be spoken. The surah stops there, with no closing warning.
Why is surah Ad-Dhuhaa called that?
“Ad-Dhuhaa” names the brightness of the morning, the moment when the day is already up. The name comes from the first verse (93:1), with which the surah opens its first oath. Verse 2 swears by the night: the two moments answer each other before the text turns to its addressee.
How many verses does surah Ad-Dhuhaa have?
Surah Ad-Dhuhaa has 11 verses. It stands at number 93 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.