Tafsir of Al-Inshirah 94:3

"Which weighed down your back": meaning it burdened it until it reached the point of naqīḍ, which is the sound of cracking and coming apart, meaning creaking. This is not limited to the sound of camel saddles or men, but is also applied to joints; it is said "the naqīḍ of the joints," intending their sound. Thus, the naqīḍ of the back is the sound heard from its joints due to the heaviness of the burden. To this refers the saying of Abbas ibn Mirdas: "My back creaked (anqaḍa) from what I endured of them / while I was compassionate and affectionate towards them."

Attributing the inqāḍ (creaking) to the burden is a figurative attribution to the causative factor. The "burden" meant here—which caused the creaking—refers to that which proceeded from him, peace and blessings be upon him, before the mission, which he found difficult to recall because, in his high estimation, it fell short of the station he attained after the mission; or his unawareness of laws and the like, which cannot be grasped except through revelation, despite his longing for them; or his confusion, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding certain matters, such as the fulfillment of the rights of the message or the receiving of revelation, for it was extremely heavy upon him at the beginning of his affair; or what he witnessed of the misguidance of his people, while being unable to guide them due to their lack of obedience and submission to the truth; or what he witnessed of their aggression in harming him; or his sorrow, peace and blessings be upon him, due to the passing of Abu Talib and Khadija, based on the view that the Surah was revealed after their deaths.

Regarding the "removal" (waḍʿ): under the first interpretation, it means forgiveness; under the second, the removal of his unawareness through teaching him via revelation; under the third, the removal of that which leads to confusion; under the fourth, making it easy for him through his practice and contemplation; under the fifth, guiding some of them to Islam, such as Hamza, Umar, and others; under the sixth, strengthening him to endure; and under the seventh, the removal of that sorrow by his ascension to the heavens, until he met every angel and was alive, and triumphed by witnessing his Greatest Beloved and his Master, Mighty and Majestic is He. Regardless, the speech contains a metaphorical representation (isti‘ārah tamthīliyyah), and the mention of "removal" is a corroboration (tarshīḥ) for it. It contains no evidence against us regarding infallibility (‘iṣmah), as is not hidden.

Abu Hayyan chose the view that the removal of the burden is a metonymy (kināyah) for his infallibility from sins and his purification from filth, expressing this through "removal" as a form of hyperbole in denying the existence of those things, just as one says, "I have removed from you the hardship of visiting," to someone who has never visited, as a way of hyperbolically denying that the act of visiting ever originated from him.

Another interpretation is that the burden is that of your nation, and it was attributed to him, peace and blessings be upon him, because of his concern for their affairs and his deep thought regarding them. Its "removal" means lifting its calamity in this world—namely, swift punishment—as long as he, peace and blessings be upon him, is among them, and as long as they are seeking forgiveness. For the Glorified One said: "And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor would He punish them while they seek forgiveness." This view is clearly far-fetched.

Anas and others recited it as ḥaṭaṭnā (we placed/removed) and ḥalalnā (we untied) instead of waḍa‘nā. Ibn Mas‘ud recited it as ‘anka wiqraka.