Surah Ad-Duha: Meaning, Translation and Transliteration

Surah Ad-Duha is the surah of comfort. It was revealed when the Prophet ﷺ had gone days without revelation and his enemies were mocking him that his Lord had abandoned him. Allah answered with eleven verses: your Lord has not left you and has not come to hate you; what is coming is better than what has passed; and look at how He has cared for you all along.

Many Muslims turn to it in hard times, when they feel forgotten. This article gives the full surah in Arabic, a transliteration and the English translation, then explains it verse by verse.

The full surah

وَٱلضُّحَىٰ وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ وَلَلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرٞ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ وَلَسَوۡفَ يُعۡطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرۡضَىٰٓ أَلَمۡ يَجِدۡكَ يَتِيمٗا فَـَٔاوَىٰ وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلّٗا فَهَدَىٰ وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلٗا فَأَغۡنَىٰ فَأَمَّا ٱلۡيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقۡهَرۡ وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنۡهَرۡ وَأَمَّا بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ

Transliteration

1. Waḍ-ḍuḥā
2. Wal-layli idhā sajā
3. Mā waddaʿaka rabbuka wa mā qalā
4. Wa lal-ākhiratu khayrun laka minal-ūlā
5. Wa lasawfa yuʿṭīka rabbuka fa-tarḍā
6. Alam yajidka yatīman fa-āwā
7. Wa wajadaka ḍāllan fa-hadā
8. Wa wajadaka ʿāʾilan fa-aghnā
9. Fa-ammal-yatīma fa-lā taqhar
10. Wa ammas-sāʾila fa-lā tanhar
11. Wa ammā bi-niʿmati rabbika fa-ḥaddith

English translation (Saheeh International)

By the morning brightness and [by] the night when it covers with darkness, your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muḥammad], nor has He detested [you]. And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. 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. So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him]. And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him]. But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it]. (93:1-11)

If you learned to read the Quran in the IndoPak script, here is the same surah as it appears in a South Asian mushaf:

وَالضُّحٰىۙ وَالَّيۡلِ اِذَا سَجٰىۙ مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلٰىؕ وَلَـلۡاٰخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ الۡاُوۡلٰىؕ وَلَسَوۡفَ يُعۡطِيۡكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرۡضٰىؕ اَلَمۡ يَجِدۡكَ يَتِيۡمًا فَاٰوٰى وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآ لًّا فَهَدٰى وَوَجَدَكَ عَآٮِٕلًا فَاَغۡنٰىؕ فَاَمَّا الۡيَتِيۡمَ فَلَا تَقۡهَرۡؕ وَاَمَّا السَّآٮِٕلَ فَلَا تَنۡهَرۡؕ وَاَمَّا بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ

You can read and listen to Surah Ad-Duha with its translation, or read it with the Urdu translation.

About the surah

Ad-Duha is the 93rd surah of the Quran, with 11 verses, in the 30th juz. Its name is its first word, aḍ-ḍuḥā: the bright part of the morning, after sunrise, when the sun is up and warm. (It is also the name of the voluntary ḍuḥā prayer prayed at that time.) It is Meccan, and is followed by Surah Ash-Sharh, which continues the same comfort.

Why it was revealed. Jundub ibn Sufyan reported that the Prophet ﷺ fell ill and did not get up for the night prayer for two or three nights. A woman came and said: "Muhammad, I think your devil has left you; I haven't seen him come near you for two or three nights." So Allah revealed: "By the morning brightness, and by the night when it covers with darkness, your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor has He detested you" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4950; Sahih Muslim 1797). Narrations name the woman as Umm Jamil, the wife of Abu Lahab (see Surah Al-Masad).

Verses 1-3: Your Lord has not left you

وَٱلضُّحَىٰ وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ

By the morning brightness and [by] the night when it covers with darkness, your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muḥammad], nor has He detested [you]. (93:1-3)

Allah swears by the morning light and by the still night. The pairing is the message: night comes, but it doesn't mean the day is gone. A pause in revelation was like a night, and it was not abandonment.

Waddaʿaka is to say goodbye and leave; qalā is to hate. Allah denies both. Notice that the verse says "nor has He detested", without "you": commentators noted that even the word you is left out next to hate, out of gentleness to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verses 4-5: What is coming is better

وَلَلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرٞ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ وَلَسَوۡفَ يُعۡطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرۡضَىٰٓ

And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. (93:4-5)

Al-ākhirah here can mean the Hereafter, or simply "what comes later", and both meanings are true. His mission would grow from a persecuted few in Makkah to a whole people, and what awaits him in the Hereafter is better than all of it. And Allah will keep giving him until he is satisfied: the commentators connected this with his intercession for his ummah on the Day of Judgement.

Verses 6-8: Remember how He cared for you

أَلَمۡ يَجِدۡكَ يَتِيمٗا فَـَٔاوَىٰ وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلّٗا فَهَدَىٰ وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلٗا فَأَغۡنَىٰ

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. (93:6-8)

Three reminders, each a fact from his life:

• An orphan, given shelter. His father died before he was born and his mother when he was six. His grandfather ʿAbd al-Muttalib took him in, then his uncle Abu Talib.
• Lost, and guided. Ḍāllan here doesn't mean sinful. It means he didn't yet know the details of revelation and law, as another verse says: "You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith" (42:52). Allah guided him to them.
• Poor, and made sufficient. He grew up with little, and Allah enriched him, through his trade and through Khadijah's wealth, and with contentment.

The point for anyone reading: the One who looked after you before will not abandon you now.

Verses 9-11: So care for others

فَأَمَّا ٱلۡيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقۡهَرۡ وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنۡهَرۡ وَأَمَّا بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ

So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him]. And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him]. But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it]. (93:9-11)

Each command matches a reminder. You were an orphan: so don't be harsh with an orphan. You were in need: so don't drive away someone who asks, whether they ask for money or for knowledge. You were given blessings: so speak of them.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise," holding up his index and middle fingers (Sahih al-Bukhari 5304). And: "Allah loves to see the trace of His blessing on His servant" (Jami' al-Tirmidhi 2819). Speaking of blessings means gratitude, not showing off: thanking Allah, letting His favour be seen in how you live, and sharing it.

Word by word

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
وَٱلضُّحَىٰ	wal-ḍuḥā	By the morning brightness
وَٱلَّيۡلِ	wa-al-layli	And the night
إِذَا	idhā	when
سَجَىٰ	sajā	it covers with darkness
مَا	mā	Not
وَدَّعَكَ	waddaʿaka	has forsaken you
رَبُّكَ	rabbuka	your Lord
وَمَا	wamā	and not
قَلَىٰ	qalā	He is displeased
وَلَلۡأٓخِرَةُ	walalākhiratu	And surely the Hereafter
خَيۡرٞ	khayrun	(is) better
لَّكَ	laka	for you
مِنَ	mina	than
ٱلۡأُولَىٰ	l-ūlā	the first
وَلَسَوۡفَ	walasawfa	And soon
يُعۡطِيكَ	yuʿ'ṭīka	will give you
رَبُّكَ	rabbuka	your Lord
فَتَرۡضَىٰٓ	fatarḍā	then you will be satisfied
أَلَمۡ	alam	Did not
يَجِدۡكَ	yajid'ka	He find you
يَتِيمٗا	yatīman	an orphan
فَـَٔاوَىٰ	faāwā	and give shelter
وَوَجَدَكَ	wawajadaka	And He found you
ضَآلّٗا	ḍāllan	lost
فَهَدَىٰ	fahadā	so He guided
وَوَجَدَكَ	wawajadaka	And He found you
عَآئِلٗا	ʿāilan	in need
فَأَغۡنَىٰ	fa-aghnā	so He made self-sufficient
فَأَمَّا	fa-ammā	So as for
ٱلۡيَتِيمَ	l-yatīma	the orphan
فَلَا	falā	then (do) not
تَقۡهَرۡ	taqhar	oppress
وَأَمَّا	wa-ammā	And as for
ٱلسَّآئِلَ	l-sāila	one who asks
فَلَا	falā	then (do) not
تَنۡهَرۡ	tanhar	repel
وَأَمَّا	wa-ammā	But as for
بِنِعۡمَةِ	biniʿ'mati	(the) Favor
رَبِّكَ	rabbika	(of) your Lord
فَحَدِّثۡ	faḥaddith	narrate

Living by Surah Ad-Duha

• When you feel forgotten, read it. A pause is not abandonment; night is followed by morning.
• Trust that later is better. "And the Hereafter is better for you than the first."
• Count how you were cared for. List the times Allah sheltered, guided or provided for you.
• Be gentle with orphans. Sponsor one, visit one, or simply don't be harsh.
• Don't turn away someone who asks. If you can't give, refuse kindly.
• Talk about your blessings with gratitude. Say alḥamdulillāh out loud, and let His favour show in your generosity.

Open Surah Ad-Duha to read and listen to it with its translation.