These days every other person can be seen complaining about depression and anxiety. If you are one of them, this is truly for you.
Surah Duha was revealed when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was depressed due to no revelation for 6 months.
This surah has power to relieve depression and sadness and find peace and hope.
Verse by verse it says..
وَالضُّحٰىۙ
By the morning brightness
This is the first thing you need to hear when you’re depressed: Wake up, look at the sunshine! Everything in life is not doom and gloom– you just have to look up!
وَالَّيۡلِ اِذَا سَجٰىۙ
And [by] the night when it covers with darkness
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Why is this aayah immediately talking about darkness? As a reminder to us that the night is meant to cover and give us comfort and rest.
وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلٰىؕ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [ O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].
This is a very powerful verse from Allah telling us that He doesn’t hate us and hasn’t forgotten us– reminding the depressed person that He is always by his or her side!
وَلَـلۡاٰخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ الۡاُوۡلٰىؕ
And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life].
Many times when we’re depressed we think: Is this all my life is going to be? Is it never going to get better? This aayah serves as a perfect answer to those questions, reminding us that life in this world is temporary and that Aakhira is certainly a better, more permanent place for us than this world could ever be.
وَلَسَوۡفَ يُعۡطِيۡكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرۡضٰ
And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.
A promise from Allah that very soon he will give us a massive reward (Jannah) and we will be happy! Subhanallah!
اَلَمۡ يَجِدۡكَ يَتِيۡمًا فَاٰوٰى
Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge?
From this verse onwards, Allah gives us reason to believe His declarations and promises in the first half of the surah.
Now many of us may think: how would this aayah about orphans relate to the majority of us? Think about it– weren’t there many times in your life when you were sick or lonely and felt like you had nobody who cared about you? Who was the only one by your side at that time? Allah! It was He who took care of you and guided you out of that stage in life.
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلاًّ فَهَدٰى
And He found you lost and guided [you].
How many of us, despite being born Muslims, have found ourselves misguided and straying away from Islam in the past? It was Allah who gave us that hidaya and brought us back to the straight path and to Him and made us practicing Muslims. Alhamdulillah!
وَوَجَدَكَ عَآٮِٕلاً فَاَغۡنٰىؕ
And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.
Many of us have probably gone through many periods in our lives when we have been short of money and wealth. Now when we look back we realize that it was only Allah who gave us that rizq in some form and got us through those tough financial times.
When a person is depressed, giving him or her examples of how Allah has helped them in the past will strengthen their conviction and belief in the promises Allah makes in this surah for their future.
فَاَمَّا الۡيَتِيۡمَ فَلَا تَقۡهَرۡؕ
So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him].
This aayah is the ultimate antidote to depression!
Depressed people are mostly consumed with their situation and feel that nobody could possibly be in a worse situation.
This aayah reminds us to look at people who are in far worse situations than ourselves when we’re feeling hopeless and depressed— Look at the orphans, who have no family or loved ones and nobody to care for them. We have families and parents who love us, a roof over our heads and food on the table and we still think we’re in a bad situation? Subhanallah!
وَاَمَّا السَّآٮِٕلَ فَلَا تَنۡهَرۡ
And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].
These examples of the orphan and the beggar are ones we should constantly remind ourselves of to be thankful for the numerous blessings Allah has given us, get over our depression and feel connected to Allah again, out of gratitude.
وَاَمَّا بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ
But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].
This final aayah is about maintaining that renewed faith and bond with Allah – by pondering, glorifying and talking about the blessings of Allah! Either in terms of halaqas, discussions with family and friends or even da’wah! Dhikr, reading quran and listening to lectures are also great ways to keep the remembrance of Allah close to your heart!
