Interpretation of Fortress 94 (Relief)
I seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
1. ((Did We not relieve your heart for you (oh Mohammad),))
2. ((And remove from you your burden))
3. ((Which weighed on your back,))
4. ((And raise high the esteem of your message (reminiscent of God)?))
5. ((So, truly with every hardship there is ease;))
6. ((Truly with every hardship there is ease.))
7. ((Therefore, when you come to nothing (with some people), continue to labour hard,))
8. ((And turn all your attention to your Lord.))
§§§§§
During the overwhelming sorrow which befell the spirit of the Prophet (cpth) because of people’s opposition to him in Mecca, and their refusal to listen to him or follow his guidance, the Almighty God sent him this noble Fortress to relieve him from the grief and distress he was feeling, and to give him the promise of victory.
At the beginning of this noble Fortress, the Almighty reminded His noble Envoy of the hardship that he had felt before he was charged with his mission. At that time he had been sorrowful on behalf of the creatures because he had not yet learned how to guide them, but this feeling was soon to be followed by ease and relief. Through His Reminder, He wanted him (cpth) to be sure that ease would indeed come after the opposition he had faced, and that he would become happy, because his people would follow his guidance. Therefore God says:
1. ((Did We not relieve your heart for you (oh Mohammad),))
That is, ((do you not remember the day that We relieved your chest and showed you how to guide people, after you had been sad and sorrowful on their behalf, and had not you yet been informed of the way through which you would save them from aberration and darkness?))
2. ((And removed from you your burden,))
The ((burden)) here refers to the distress and sadness that the Prophet (cpth) was bearing at this time, and the sorrow and grief for his people that he was feeling in his spirit.
The Verse asks: ((after you had been sad and sorrowful, when we sent down Our Revelation and Guidance did We not disburden you from the gloom and heartache which you were bearing, and from the sorrow and sadness that you were feeling for your nation?))
The Almighty wanted to describe this distress and sadness to us; that is to say, ‘the burden’ which the messenger (cpth) was bearing out of his compassion for humanity. He says:
3. ((Which weighed on your back,))
Indeed, the Messenger’s worry and sorrow on behalf of all creatures were so great that they overburdened him and made his back feel exhausted. Thus this Verse asks: ((Did We not release you from this weighty burden when We acquainted you with the way of invitation?))
4. ((And raise high the esteem of your message (reminiscent of God)?))
That is, ((did We not send this revelation down upon you, making you speak the wise revelations and words of sublime degree and elevated importance that you spoke?))
5. ((So, truly with every hardship there is ease;))
That is, ((were the sorrow and distress that you were feeling for people before you were charged with your mission not replaced with relief and ease when you were granted this guidance?
((Did God not relieve you when He illuminated the hearts of the believers with this knowledge which He sent down upon you? Have your invitation and revelation not helped their hearts to become overwhelmed with belief and knowledge?
((Your hardship was followed by the lofty and elevated revelation which made your people obtain happiness and bliss, and which removed sadness, distress and gloominess from your heart.))
God addressed His noble Prophet, saying: ((We comforted your heart and relieved you of the burden which weighed down your back, and then exalted your invitation so that the Qur’an’s revelation spread until it reached all of the Arab countries. The circumstances to spread the truth all over the world then became suitable, and with that, you became compassion for them all. It is just the same at this time, so do not be sad or take the opposition of your nation or their shunning of you to heart. After this distress, your Provider will undoubtedly fulfill your wish and all the worlds will follow you and believe in you.)) God says:
6. ((Truly with every hardship there is ease.))
Assuredly every hardship is followed by ease. That is a Godly Law and a firm rule.
After the Almighty Al’lah reassured His Prophet (cpth) that the heartache he was feeling due to his people’s opposition would certainly be followed by ease and happiness, He wanted to show His Messenger the way that he should adopt to move on to that ease and relief. He says:
7. ((Therefore, when you come to nothing (with some people), continue to labour hard,))
In this noble Verse, the Almighty God wanted to confirm the will of His Envoy (cpth) and to increase the determination in his spirit to call people to the true path. Therefore He ordered him to keep on going forward and preaching, without paying heed to the opposition of those who opposed him, and furthermore, to make every effort to remind people of God, without caring about those who did not believe him.
Thus, the Verse ((Therefore, when you come to nothing (with some people), continue to labour hard)) means: ((if you cannot make them believe and submit, to the point that you are about to despair that they will follow you, and you are about to despair that they will advance in your company, allowing you to help them attain knowledge of the Source of bounty and charity: if you did your utmost with them without achieving your purpose, do not be gloomy about what they do; do not stop preaching and warning people; on the contrary, go on with your invitation to piety and persist in advancing with all of your fervor.))
8. ((And turn all your attention to your Lord.))
That is, ((let the full aim behind your invitation be the attainment of the Satisfaction of your Creator and Provider. You should only seek Him, and your only purpose should be that He is pleased with you.
Finally I say that in this Fortress, the Almighty God teaches us how to be steadfast in calling people to righteousness, without caring about the opposition of those who oppose us, or the denial of those who deny the truth.
If we are firm, surely our Provider will support us with victory, and will grant us comfort and ease after the hardship we suffer.
God says: ((Many large armies who followed their Provider’s Guidance have fought by the side of their Prophet. They were never daunted by what befell them on the Path of Al’lah; nor did they weaken (in will) or give in; and Al’lah loves those who are firm and steadfast. Their only words were: ‘Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses; make us firm of foot and give us victory over the unbelievers’. Therefore Al’lah gave them the rewards of this life and the glorious recompense of the life to come, for Al’lah loves those who do good.)) .[28]
I have to love and appreciate the Divine lightning lamp ((the Prophet Mohammad (cpth) remembering his favor of his sublime call to God, and how he tolerated and faced most difficulties in the way of guiding people to God, removing them out of the darkness into the light. So, the mercy of the Prophet (cpth) towards us is greater in a most high degree above that of our fathers or mothers.
Visit any Mosque in your area, ask about its construction date and think how far we are from the period of the Prophet (cpth)! How he tolerated and worked hard till the Islamic message reached us! Think about a man (the holy Prophet) who emerged in the wasteland having no schools or universities, lived among callous men, whose hearts like, in their harshness, rocks due to their act of worshiping idols. Then he could change their minds, thoughts, and then when they obeyed him their attributes completely were changed from what they were into sublime good ones. God the Almighty assisted him in spreading the Islam message all over the world providing him with His victory.