Commentary: (5) For indeed, with hardship...

There are several issues here:

Issue 1: The connection of this verse to the preceding one.

The polytheists used to taunt the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) with poverty, saying: "If your goal in this claim is to seek wealth, we will gather wealth for you until you are the richest among the people of Mecca." This distressed the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to the extent that it crossed his mind that they only rejected Islam because he was poor and insignificant in their eyes.

Therefore, Allah the Almighty enumerated His favors upon him in this Surah, saying:

• "Have We not expanded for you your breast?"
• "And removed from you your burden," meaning the state of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) you were in.

Then, Allah promised him ease/wealth in this world to remove the distress caused by their taunts about poverty. The evidence for this is the inclusion of the particle fa (ف) in His saying: "For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." It is as if Allah was saying: "Do not be saddened by what they say or by your current scarcity, for complete ease will be attained in this world."

Issue 2: The meaning of "with hardship [will be] ease" (إن مع العسر يسرا).

Ibn Abbas said: Allah the Almighty means: "I have created one hardship between two easings, so one hardship will never overcome two easings."

Al-Muqatil narrated from the Prophet (PBUH) that he said: "A hardship will never overcome two easings," and he recited this verse.

There are two ways to establish this meaning:

The First View: Al-Farra' and Al-Zajjaj said: The word al-'Usr (hardship) is mentioned with the definite article (al-), and there is no prior established context for it, so it refers to the essential reality (the haqiqah). Thus, the al-'Usr mentioned in both instances refers to the same thing. As for al-Yusr (ease), it is mentioned indefinitely (nakirah), implying that one ease is different from the other.

Al-Jurjani refuted this, saying: If a man says, "Indeed, with the horseman is a sword," and then says, "Indeed, with the horseman is a sword," it does not necessitate that there is one horseman with two swords. This is clearly not required by the rules of Arabic grammar.

The Second View: The second clause is a repetition of the first for emphasis, just as Allah repeated: "Woe on that Day to the deniers." The purpose is to confirm the meaning in the souls and establish it firmly in the hearts, similar to how one repeats a singular noun in speech, saying: "Zayd came, Zayd."

The meaning of the two easings (al-Yusrayn) is:

1. The ease of this world, which is what is facilitated through the opening of lands (victories).
2. The ease of the Hereafter, which is the reward of Paradise, based on His saying: "Say: Do you await for us aught but one of the two best things?" (referring to victory/success and the reward of Paradise).

The meaning of "A hardship will never overcome two easings" is this: The span of this world, relative to the ease of this world and the ease of the Hereafter, is like a small, submerged thing.

Here are two questions:

Question 1: What is the meaning of the indefiniteness (tankir) of Yusr (ease)? Answer: It is for glorification (tafkhim). It is as if He said: "Indeed, with hardship is a great ease, and what an ease!"

Question 2: Ease cannot coexist with hardship because they are opposites and cannot be combined. Answer: Because the occurrence of ease follows the hardship by a short time, it is considered certain and is treated as if it were concurrent with it.

7 < { So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. } > 7 !

Then Allah the Almighty said: "So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]."