Surah 93. Ad-Duha

Did He not find you as an orphan then shelter you?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)? ^{6181 6182}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Judge the future from the past. Allah has been good to you in your past experience: trust to His goodness in the future also. Again, there is a particular and a general meaning. Three facts are taken from the holy Prophet's outer life by way of illustration. Metaphorically they also apply to us. And further, the outer facts are themselves types for the spiritual life. See notes below.

(1) There is the case of the orphan, literally and figuratively. Our holy Prophet was himself an orphan. His father Abdullah died young before the child was born, leaving a little property. The Prophet's mother Amina was in ailing health, and he was chiefly brought up by his nurse Halima. His mother herself died when he was only six years old. His aged grandfather Abdul Muttalib treated him as his own son, but died two years later. Therefore his uncle Abu Talib treated him as his own son. He was thus an orphan in more senses than one, and yet the love he received from each one of these persons was greater than ordinary parental love.

Did He not find you unguided then guide you?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And He found thee wandering and He gave thee guidance. ⁶¹⁸³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(2) The holy Prophet was born in the midst of the idolatry and polytheism of Makkah, in a family which was the custodian of this false worship. He wandered in quest of Unity and found it by the guidance of Allah. There is no implication whatever of sin or error on his part. But we may err and find ourselves wandering in mazes of error, in thought, motive, or understanding: we must pray for Allah's grace ever to give us guidance. The Arabic root dhalla has various shades of meaning. In i. 7, I have translated it by the verb "stray". In liii. 2 the Prophet is defended from the charge of being "astray" or straying in mind. In xii. 9 and xii. 95 Jacob's sons use the word for their aged father, to suggest that he was senile and wandering in mind. In xxxii. 10 it is used of the dead, and I have translated "hidden and lost" (in the earth).

And did He not find you needy then satisfy your needs?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And He found thee in need and made thee independent. ⁶¹⁸⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(3) The holy Prophet inherited not much wealth and was poor. The true, pure, and sincere love of Khadija not only raised him above want, but made him independent of worldly needs in his later life, enabling him to devote his whole time to the service of Allah. So do we all find ourselves in some want or another, which, if we work whole-heartedly and sincerely is supplied to us by the grace of Allah. When we have found the Way, it is a laborious task to climb up in our poverty of spiritual equipment: Allah will give us spiritual riches in love and knowledge.

So do not oppress the orphan,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Therefore treat not the orphan with harshness ⁶¹⁸⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Verses 9-11 carry on, to a step further, the triple argument of verses 6-8, as explained in the preceding notes. The Prophet treated all orphans with tender affection and respect, setting an example to his contemporaries, who frequently took advantage of the helpless position of orphans, and in any case looked upon them as subordinate creatures to be repressed and kept in their place. Such an attitude is common in all ages. Helpless creatures ought, on the contrary, to be treated as sacred trusts, whether they are orphans, or dependants, or creatures of any kind unable to assert themselves, either through age, sex, social rank, artificial conditions, or any cause whatever.

nor repulse the beggar.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 And, by extension, anyone asking for help.

Nor repulse the petitioner (Unheard); ⁶¹⁸⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then there are the people who come with petitions,-who have to ask for something. They may be genuine beggars asking for financial help, or ignorant people asking for knowledge, or timid people asking for some lead or encouragement. The common attitude is to scorn them or repulse them. The scorn may be shown even when alms or assistance is given to them. Such an attitude is wrong. Charity is of no moral value without sympathy and love. Nor is it charity to give to idle sturdy professional beggars, for show or to get rid of them. They are mere parasites on society. Every petition should be examined and judged on its merits.

And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.

  - Mustafa Khattab

But the Bounty of thy Lord Rehearse and proclaim! ⁶¹⁸⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Besides the petitioners, who ask for help, there is the case of those who do not ask but are nevertheless poor-poor but contented in worldly goods, or poor in knowledge or resources and not even knowing that they are poor. If you are bountifully endowed by Allah, your duty is to make that Bounty spread far and wide. Proclaim it and share it, as the holy Prophet always did. We all receive Allah's grace and guidance in some degree or other. We all owe it as a duty to our fellow-men to be kind and helpful to those less endowed in any respect than ourselves.