"Did We not expand for thee thy breast, and lift from thee thy burdens that weighed heavily upon thy back? And did We not elevate thy renown? For truly with hardship comes ease! Truly with hardship comes ease! So when thou art free, exert thyself; and let thy desire be for thy Lord."
Quran 94:1-8
Here is the entirety of the 94th surah, al-Sharh, here rendered as "Expansion." As we've discussed, the surahs almost universally get shorter as the Quran progresses. When I assign specific surahs in class I'll often say to the students, "OK, that's a bigger number, so that means . . ." and they'll respond a little too enthusiastically, "It's short!" But then they remember the some of the shorter surahs are the most complex, so their joy dies quickly. This surah, however, is very straightforward, and reminds the reader that God's intention are not actually to provide sufferings for the believers. As it is even more clearly stated (and more roundly known) in 2:185: "God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you." It doesn't mean that faith is easy, but rather that hardship and suffering is not the point. Instead, faith should actually joy and ease from suffering. Truthfully, why would a harsh, judgmental God create human beings just to harshly judge them? And, more importantly I guess, why would we worship such a God?
Quran 94:1-8
Here is the entirety of the 94th surah, al-Sharh, here rendered as "Expansion." As we've discussed, the surahs almost universally get shorter as the Quran progresses. When I assign specific surahs in class I'll often say to the students, "OK, that's a bigger number, so that means . . ." and they'll respond a little too enthusiastically, "It's short!" But then they remember the some of the shorter surahs are the most complex, so their joy dies quickly. This surah, however, is very straightforward, and reminds the reader that God's intention are not actually to provide sufferings for the believers. As it is even more clearly stated (and more roundly known) in 2:185: "God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you." It doesn't mean that faith is easy, but rather that hardship and suffering is not the point. Instead, faith should actually joy and ease from suffering. Truthfully, why would a harsh, judgmental God create human beings just to harshly judge them? And, more importantly I guess, why would we worship such a God?
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