Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
alam nashraḥ laka ṣadraka
Did We not expand for you, [O Muḥammad], your breast?
2
٢
wawaḍaʿnā ʿanka wiz'raka
And We removed from you your burden
3
٣
alladhī anqaḍa ẓahraka
Which had weighed upon your back
4
٤
warafaʿnā laka dhik'raka
And raised high for you your repute.
5
٥
fa-inna maʿa l-ʿus'ri yus'ran
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease [i.e., relief].
6
٦
inna maʿa l-ʿus'ri yus'ran
Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
7
٧
fa-idhā faraghta fa-inṣab
So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship].
8
٨
wa-ilā rabbika fa-ir'ghab
And to your Lord direct [your] longing.
Surah Ash-Sharh (The Relief) — Full Text
Ayah 1
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
Did We not expand for you, [O Muḥammad], your breast?1
Allah is asking the Prophet a rhetorical question — didn't We open up your heart for you? This "expansion of the chest" means Allah filled his heart with divine light, wisdom, and inner peace so he could handle the weight of his mission. It's like going from feeling suffocated by life to suddenly having this deep clarity and calm that lets you take on anything. Allah didn't just give him a message to deliver — He gave him the spiritual capacity to carry it.
Ayah 2
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ
And We removed from you your burden1
And We lifted that heavy burden off of you. Before this relief came, the Prophet carried an enormous weight — the pressure of being chosen for the biggest mission in human history, the stress of trying to reform an entire society steeped in ignorance, and the emotional toll of facing constant rejection. That kind of responsibility was so intense it was literally described as something that could break a person's back.
Ayah 3
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ
Which had weighed upon your back
This ayah drives home just how crushing that burden was — it was one that weighed down his back, meaning it was almost unbearable. Imagine carrying the responsibility of guiding all of humanity while being mocked, boycotted, and threatened by your own people. The weight wasn't just emotional; it was the full reality of prophethood pressing down on him. But Allah is reminding him: I didn't leave you to carry that alone.
Ayah 4
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
And raised high for you your repute.
And We raised your name and reputation high. This is such a beautiful promise — and look at how it played out. Every single time a Muslim says the shahadah (the declaration of faith), prays, or gives the call to prayer, the Prophet's name is mentioned right alongside Allah's. No human being in history has their name spoken with as much love and reverence, billions of times a day, across every corner of the world. Allah literally elevated him to a status no one else will ever reach.
Ayah 5
فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease [i.e., relief].
Here comes one of the most iconic promises in the entire Quran: with every hardship, there is ease. Not after it, but WITH it — meaning relief is already baked into the struggle itself. This is Allah's universal law: difficulty is never permanent and it's never the full picture. Even in your darkest moments, the seeds of ease are already being planted. The Prophet was going through intense persecution in Makkah, and Allah is telling him to hold on because things are about to change.
Ayah 6
إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
Allah repeats it to make sure it really sinks in — indeed, with hardship comes ease. And here's a fascinating detail from the Arabic: the word for hardship (al-'usr) has "the" in front of it both times, meaning it's referring to the same single hardship. But the word for ease (yusr) comes without "the" both times, meaning each one is a different ease. So the math works out: one hardship, but multiple forms of relief. Hardship never wins — ease always outnumbers it.
Ayah 7
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَٱنصَبْ
So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship].
So when you finish your daily tasks and responsibilities, pour yourself into worship. This isn't about being a workaholic for your worldly goals and then crashing — it's about redirecting that same energy toward connecting with Allah. Once you're done with your obligations to people, don't just scroll or zone out. That's your moment to pray, make dua (personal supplication to Allah), and recharge spiritually. The hustle doesn't end, it just shifts to something that actually fills your soul.
Ayah 8
وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَٱرْغَب
And to your Lord direct [your] longing.
And direct all your hopes, desires, and longing toward your Lord alone. This is the perfect ending to the surah — after being reminded of all these incredible blessings and promises, the natural response is to turn to the One who gave them. Don't put your ultimate hope in people, jobs, or circumstances. Channel your deepest aspirations toward Allah, because He's the only One who can truly come through for you every single time. When your heart is fully oriented toward Him, that's when real peace hits.