Interpretation of Fortress 93 (The Morning Brightness)
I seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan
In the Name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
1. (Consider) The morning brightness, ))
2. ((And the fall of night, when it grows still and spreads (its darkness) over everything,))
3. ((Prove that your Provider has not forsaken you; nor is He aVerse to you. ))
4 ((And indeed, the Hereafter will be better for you than the present (life), ))
5. ((And soon your Provider will grant you (that with) which you will be content. ))
6. ((Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? ))
7. ((Did He not find you without guidance, and guide you? ))
8. ((Did He not find you dependent and make you independent? ))
9. ((Therefore, do not treat the orphan wrongly with harshness, ))
10. ((Or repulse him who asks (for help).))
11. ((Rather, talk about the goodness of your Provider.))
§§§§§
This Fortress was revealed as a consolation to the noble Envoy of Al’lah and subsequently to the believers who follow his footsteps. Now the believer is the addressee. The overall meaning for the believer is as follows:
In this noble Fortress, the Almighty Al’lah wants to show humanity His continuous Care for them, and to acquaint them with His permanent Protection and Sympathy for them.
Therefore, He began this Fortress by showing His abundant Favor concerning what He has created for you, oh, humanity, and what He has obliged you with. He then clarified to you that it is unreasonable to think that the One Who took care of you in such a way and sent this perfect grace to you might leave you or forsake you.
The meaning has now been explained in detail. God says:
1. (((Consider) The morning brightness,))
In Arabic, this phrase is ‘Ad-Duha’, which means ‘appearance’ and ‘manifestation.’ In this Verse it refers to everything that appears and becomes manifest when the sun rises.
Accordingly, these words indicate all the beings that are before your eyes which have been created with the most wonderful appearance and the most perfect position. They also refer to the rules which control the uniVerse, and which make it proceed with strict discipline, to its accuracy of formation, to its beauty and arrangement and to this amazing perfect creation.
Thus, everything that appears and is apparent and everything that you can see when the sun rises is included within this Verse.
2. ((And the fall of night, when it grows still and spreads (its darkness) over everything,))
This Verse indicates the night and its advantages, through which the functions of life proceed, are regulated, and ultimately fulfilled.
When the night falls and shields the uniVerse in its darkness, the temperature becomes moderate and calmness and tranquility prevail. These phenomena are conducive for the growth of plant life and the ripening of fruit, as well as helping to allow for rest and recreation of human and animal, and for much in creation.
Accordingly, since this Great Creator has created this entire uniVerse and has employed everything that it contains for your sake oh, human, how then would this Creator – Who has taken care of you in such a way – leave or forsake you? God says:
3. ((Prove that your Provider has not forsaken you; nor is He aVerse to you.))
Suppose that a person has built a fine house and adorned it with the most beautiful decorations, would we then accept that he could turn away from it and depart, or leave it empty having prepared it perfectly?
How then could you believe that your Provider, Who created this entire uniVerse and subjugated everything in it for your service, could leave you alone or forsake you?
These facts prove that your Provider has not left you; nor is He aVerse to you.
Thus the Almighty reminds you of His Kindness for you, as demonstrated by all that He has created for you in this life.
Having done so, He wanted to inform you that the bliss and bounty He has prepared for you in the other abode are even greater and more lasting. He says:
4. ((And indeed, the Hereafter will be better for you than the present (life).))
To give a more detailed comparison between this life and the Hereafter, we can say that the Hereafter is better than this life in that its bliss is more intensive and more extensive. It has no end and lasts forever.
While a person experiences the pleasures of this life indirectly through their body using their senses, a believer’s spirit experiences pleasures directly (through their communication with God).
In the Hereafter the spirit will be wearing its body, covering it and totally surrounding it. This means that life will be more vivid and lovely by far; the spirit will be all ears, all eyes, all taste, and all smell.
Humanity will experience the transcendent pleasure of witnessing the Beauty and Glory of Al’lah the Almighty – Glorified is His Name.
Thus a person will be absorbed in witnessing and looking towards the Source of Glory, Beauty, Majesty and Bounty, and will ascend from one degree of witnessing to a still higher degree, and from one state of bliss to a more intensive one.
In short, all the pleasures of this life, from the creation of the uniVerse to the end of life on earth, constitute but an infinitesimal part of the bliss that is experienced when the spirit views its Glorious and Bounteous Lord.
In fact, no description can ever be adequate to portray the bliss of the Hereafter, which is so eloquently and concisely expressed in the Verse: ((And indeed, the Hereafter will be better for you than the present (life).))
5. ((And soon your Provider will grant you (that with) which you will be content.))
If you pay attention to God’s Recommendations and Guidance and if you follow the Orders of your Creator, you will attain happiness and all that you enjoy and desire.
After the Almighty has informed us of His unending Donation to us – which confirms that He has not left us at all and that He is still looking after us, supporting us with providence and sustaining us throughout time – He wanted to remind us of one of the stages which every person passes through, during which the Grace of God was obvious and undeniable.
He is referring to this day in order to put a tangible truth and a firm fact into our hands. God says through the tongue of His Envoy:
6. ((Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?))
The word ((orphan)) suggests one who is weak, alone, and lonely.
In this Verse, the Almighty wants to remind us of the day we were inside the bellies of our mothers. On that day each one of us was an orphan; that is to say, a creature who was weak and alone. Nobody was taking care of us except our Creator. No eyes were watching over us except the Eyes of our Maker and Former.
Then, when we emerged into this world, our Provider sheltered us with our parents and put tenderness, sympathy and compassion in their hearts. This made them look after us more than they do themselves.
Is this not a portion of our Creator’s Compassion for us?
Do the sympathy and tenderness that exist in their hearts not emanate from the endless sea of God’s Mercy and Affection for us?
Who shelters us in the arms of our mothers?
Who put the kindness for us in the hearts of our parents?
Is that not Al’lah, our Provider?
He (glory to Him) then reminds us of the second stage of our life, saying through the tongue of His Envoy:
7. ((Did He not find you without guidance, and guide you?))
The words ((without guidance)) refer to a person who does not know the way which will lead them to their goal.
In fact, each of us has come to this world unguided, and knowing nothing.
Who guides us to suckle from our mothers’ breasts once the umbilical card, through which our food had been flowing to us, was cut?
Who taught us that our mouths are the means by which we ingest the aliment necessary for our bodies? Who led us to discriminate between good things and bad ones, and to know which things are useful and which are not useful? Before this we knew nothing.
Who guided us to the way through which we can attain our means of subsistence? Who opened fields of work before us?
Who taught us how to exploit the land so as to profit by its blessings?
Was that not Al’lah, the Owner of these limitless graces?
The third stage during which we were overwhelmed by God’s boons is clarified in the next Verse:
8. ((Did He not find you dependent and make you independent?))
A dependent person is one who needs others to provide them with what they need, take care of them and subsidize them.
Similarly, every one of us was dependent when we were newly born infants and children. We were in need of somebody to support us, have affection for us and handle certain matters for us.
The Almighty continually supplied us with knowledge and strength, day after day, granting us growth and health until we attained puberty.
Elaborating on this Verse, we say that a baby comes into this world helpless, possessing nothing and unable to do anything.
However, Al’lah the Almighty harnesses and subjects the whole uniVerse for such a helpless creature, providing it with health and strength, and guiding it to what will help it to earn its living.
This is what Al’lah the Almighty wanted to remind us of, having given us strength when we were weak, and wealth when we were poor.
After these successive noble Verse s – which give us a series of examples of God’s Care for us – should we not obey His Orders?
Should we not know that He does not need us, and that all His Commands are only for our benefit and our happiness?
The Almighty God wanted to guide us to the way through which we can obtain what is good for ourselves, after acquainting us with His favor, Attention and abundant Gifts, so He says:
9. ((Therefore, do not treat the orphan wrongly with harshness,))
As previously mentioned, ((the orphan)) is one who is weak and alone, who needs help no matter what their age.
If you meet such a person, act in a humanist way towards them and treat them with kindness. Help them and stand by them. Overwhelm them with favor just as the Almighty treated you, for Allah loves those who are charitable.
10. ((Or repulse him who asks (for help).))
If such a person expresses their need to you, help them. Do not turn your back on them or allow them to fail.
11. ((Rather, talk about the goodness of your Provider.))
That is, keep talking about the Providence of your Provider for you. Oh, human! Talk to yourself and remind yourself of this Godly Care.
Everything that this uniVerse contains, including the sun, moon and stars, heaven and earth, land and sea, animals and plants: all have been subjected and employed only to serve you.
You are the noblest creature of them all, and you are qualified to obtain all blessings. If you take your spirit into the Grace of your Provider and remind it of His Charity towards you, you will be thankful to the Obliger, as our spirits are disposed to love those who are charitable to them. If you are grateful for your Lord, He will grant you more and more of His kindness.
God says: ((…if you give thanks, I will bestow abundance upon you...)) .[29]