Surah Ash-Sharh Verse 1

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ - وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ - الَّذِى أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ - وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ - فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ - وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ

(1. Have We not opened your breast for you)

(2. And removed from you your burden.)

(3. Which weighed down your back)

(4. And have We not raised high your fame)

(5. Verily, along with every hardship is relief,)

(6. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.)

(7. So when you have finished, devote yourself to Allah's worship.)

(8. And to your Lord turn intentions and hopes.)

The Meaning of opening the Breast

Allah says,

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ

(Have We not opened your breast for you) meaning, `have We not opened your chest for you.' This means, `We illuminated it, and We made it spacious, vast and wide.' This is as Allah says,

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلَـمِ

(And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam.) (6:125) And just as Allah expanded his chest, He also made His Law vast, wide, accommodating and easy, containing no difficulty, hardship or burden.

A Discussion of Allah's Favor upon His Messenger Concerning Allah's statement,

وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ

(And removed from you your burden.) This means

لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ

(That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future.) (48:2)

الَّذِى أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ

(Which weighed down your back) Al-Inqad means the sound. And more than one of the Salaf has said concerning Allah's saying,

الَّذِى أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ

(Which weighed down your back) meaning, `its burden weighed heavy upon you.'