The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 504
CH. 94 سورة الانشراح مكية ٩٤ ركوعها (AL-INSHIRĀḤ) 1. "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2. Have We not opened for thee thy bosom, 4770 3. And removed from thee thy burden 4. Which had well-nigh broken thy back, 4771 4770. Important Words: 9 PT. 30 بسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ اَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ "See 1:1. means, he شرح المسألة. (opened) شرح شرح الكلام. explained the question means, he understood the talk. all zuü means, he guarded the thing, he means, he شرح صدره للشيء preserved it was pl<mark>ease</mark>d with the thing. The breast symbolically being the seat of knowledge and feelings, its expansion (in the present context) signifies its illumination with wisdom, divine light and peace and its vastness for the reception of what was to be revealed to the Holy Prophet (Lane, Aqrab & Muḥīt). Commentary: In view of different meanings of the word, the verse may have one or all of the following interpretations: (1) God had protected the heart of the Holy Prophet from all harmful influences. It was impossible for evil to enter it. (2) God was the Prophet's own Preceptor and Teacher and besides temporal knowledge He had opened his breast to comprehend the divine mysteries. (3) The Prophet never suffered from straitness of the heart and was endowed with patience and fortitude to such a degree that even the hardest tribulation could not disturb his peace of mind. 4771. Commentary: The Holy Prophet had been saddled with such a nerve-racking and back-breaking task as had never been entrusted to a human being, i. e. first to raise a degenerate people from the depths of moral turpitude to the peaks of spiritual excellence and, then through them to cleanse and purify the whole of mankind of the dross of iniquity, ignorance and superstition. This was indeed a very heavy responsibility which almost crushed the Prophet under its weight, but God lightened his burden in that He gave him devoted and sincere Companions who shared his burden and helped him in the discharge of his manifold and hard duties. 3400 had