Surah Ad-Dhuhaa

The name. Ad-Duha means "The Morning Hours," or "The Morning Brightness," from its opening oath by the morning brightness and by the night when it covers with darkness (93:1-2). It is Meccan, and is commonly understood to have been revealed after a pause in revelation that had left the Prophet troubled, which is why it opens directly into reassurance rather than argument or narrative.

What it is known for. The surah is known for its verse telling the Prophet that his Lord has not taken leave of him nor detested him (93:3), words of comfort answering that pause, followed by the promise that what comes later will be better for him than what came before (93:4-5). It also recalls three stages of the Prophet's own early life — found an orphan and given refuge, found astray and guided, found poor and made self-sufficient (93:6-8) — and turns that memory directly into instruction: do not oppress the orphan, do not repel the one who asks, and speak of your Lord's favor (93:9-11).

Reading it. At 11 ayahs it is a short surah, often read together with the surah immediately after it, Ash-Sharh, since both are addressed personally to the Prophet in a similar register of comfort and both open with the same oath-then-reassurance shape. A first-time reader should notice how personal and direct its address is compared with the surahs around it, closer to a private word of comfort than to a public proclamation.