Ad-Dhuhaa — The Morning Hours
سُورَةُ الضُّحَىٰ
Verses
11
Revealed
11th
Period
Makkan
Juz
30
Ad-Duha is one of the most tender and consoling surahs in the Qur'an. It is widely understood to have been revealed to comfort the Prophet ﷺ during a period when revelation had paused, reassuring him that his Lord had neither abandoned nor forsaken him. After swearing by the morning brightness and the stilling night, it delivers its gentle reassurance: your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor does He hate you.
The surah then lifts the gaze forward — the Hereafter is better for you than this first life, and your Lord will give you until you are pleased — and looks back at three concrete blessings already received: He found you an orphan and sheltered you, lost and guided you, in need and enriched you. It closes by turning that gratitude outward into action: do not oppress the orphan, do not repel the one who asks, and proclaim the favour of your Lord.
Divine consolationHe has not forsaken youThree past blessingsGratitude in action
Before you begin
Start with sincerity — ask Allah to make this easy for you and to let what you learn benefit you. A short dua to begin with:
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Rabbi zidni ‘ilma — “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Qur'an 20:114)
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Core message
Allah swears by the morning brightness (aḍ-ḍuḥā) and the night when it grows still to reassure His Prophet ﷺ: his Lord has neither left him nor come to hate him. The Hereafter will be better for him than this life, and his Lord will keep giving until he is pleased. As proof of this love, Allah recalls three blessings already granted: He sheltered the orphan, guided the lost, and enriched the one in need.
1–2
وَٱلضُّحَىٰ•وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ
By the morning brightness And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,
3
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].
4–5
وَلَلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ•وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰٓ
And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.
6–8
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًۭا فَـَٔاوَىٰ•وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّۭا فَهَدَىٰ•وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلًۭا فَأَغْنَىٰ
Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge? And He found you lost and guided [you], And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.
Memory hook — two oaths, the reassurance, then three blessings
Structure the section as numbers: 2 oaths (morning, night) → 1 reassurance (mā wadda'aka rabbuka wa mā qalā) → 2 promises (the Hereafter is better; your Lord will give until you are pleased) → 3 blessings, each opening with the same rhythm: alam yajidka yatīman (orphan → sheltered), wa wajadaka ḍāllan (lost → guided), wa wajadaka 'ā'ilan (in need → enriched). The triple wajadaka pattern locks vv.6–8 in place.
The meaning of "lost" — v.7
Wa wajadaka ḍāllan fa-hadā — "He found you lost and guided you." Here ḍāllan does not mean misguided in belief; the scholars explain it as the Prophet ﷺ not yet knowing the details of revelation and law before prophethood, then being guided to them by Allah. It is a statement of Allah's grace, not of fault.
Section 1 — Reassurance and blessings (vv. 1–8)
وَٱلضُّحَىٰ
waḍ-ḍuḥā
By the morning brightness
v.1 — the opening oath and the surah's title
سَجَىٰ
sajā
Grew still / settled into darkness
v.2 — the night when it covers in calm
وَدَّعَكَ
wadda'aka
Has taken leave of / forsaken you
v.3 — what your Lord has not done
قَلَىٰ
qalā
Detested / hated
v.3 — nor has He come to hate you
يَتِيمًا
yatīman
An orphan
v.6 — found and given refuge
فَـَٔاوَىٰ
fa-āwā
And He gave refuge / shelter
v.6 — the first blessing
ضَآلًّا
ḍāllan
Lost / not yet guided to the details
v.7 — found and then guided
عَآئِلًا
'ā'ilan
In need / poor
v.8 — found and made self-sufficient
Section 2 — Three commands (vv. 9–11)
ٱلْيَتِيمَ
al-yatīm
The orphan
v.9 — whom you must not oppress
تَقْهَرْ
taqhar
Oppress / treat harshly
v.9 — so as for the orphan, do not (oppress)
ٱلسَّآئِلَ
as-sā'il
The petitioner / one who asks
v.10 — whom you must not repel
تَنْهَرْ
tanhar
Repel / rebuke
v.10 — so as for the petitioner, do not (repel)
بِنِعْمَةِ
bi-ni'mati
The favour / blessing
v.11 — of your Lord
فَحَدِّثْ
fa-ḥaddith
Then proclaim / speak of it
v.11 — the surah's closing command
On its consoling tone
Ad-Duha is short, gentle, and intimate — reciters typically give it a warm, unhurried delivery that matches its reassuring content. It is frequently recited alongside Ash-Sharh (94), to which it is closely connected in theme, and the two together form a continuous message of comfort and uplift.
Full surah — single rak'ah
Verses 1–11 · the natural way to recite it
At 11 verses the surah is comfortably recited in a single rak'ah and is a common choice in the daily prayers.
Let the reassurance of v.3 (mā wadda'aka rabbuka wa mā qalā) be the emotional centre, then move through the three blessings and into the three closing commands.
Paired recitation with Ash-Sharh
Ad-Duha (93) then Ash-Sharh (94)
Many scholars recommend reciting Ad-Duha and Ash-Sharh together because of their closely linked theme of divine consolation; the message flows continuously from one to the next.
If pairing them, recite Ad-Duha first and continue straight into Ash-Sharh, treating the two as one extended passage of comfort.
Natural stopping points
v.3
mā wadda'aka rabbuka wa mā qalā — the heart of the surah's reassurance; a complete, comforting statement on its own.
v.5
wa la-sawfa yu'ṭīka rabbuka fa-tarḍā — the close of the forward-looking promise before the recollection of past blessings begins.
v.8
wa wajadaka 'ā'ilan fa-aghnā — the end of the three blessings, before they are turned into three commands.
v.11
wa ammā bi-ni'mati rabbika fa-ḥaddith — the final verse, closing the surah on the command to proclaim Allah's favour.