Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Have We not expanded for you your chest?”
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (Have We not expanded for you your chest)]
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says, making clear His blessing upon His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): [Al-Sharh: 1] The scholars say that this interrogative is an interrogative of affirmation. Interrogatives of affirmation occur frequently in the Qur'an, and the verb is understood as a past tense verb accompanied by the particle *qad*.
So in his saying: (Have We not expanded for you) is understood to mean: We have expanded for you your chest, because Allah affirms that He expanded his chest for him. This applies to all interrogatives of affirmation you encounter; they are understood as a past tense verb accompanied by *qad*.
As for it being understood as a past tense verb, it is because the action has been completed and occurred. As for it being accompanied by *qad*, it is because *qad* conveys realization when it precedes a past tense verb, and it conveys diminution when it precedes a present tense verb. And *qad* can convey realization,So in the saying of people: “Perhaps the miser will be generous.” Here, *qad* is for diminution.But in the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Nur: 64] This one is for realization, without doubt.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: (Have We not expanded for you your chest) means: We widened it. This expansion is a conceptual expansion, not a physical expansion. Expanding the chest means that it is spacious for the ruling of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: the legislative ruling of Allah, which is the religion, and the decree of Allah, which is the calamities that befall a person. This is because the Shari'ah involves opposing one's desires. A person finds heaviness in carrying out the commands of Allah and heaviness in avoiding what Allah has forbidden, because it is contrary to desire—the desire of the self that commands evil, which does not open up to the commands of Allah or its prohibitions.
You find that prayer is heavy for some people,As Allah the Exalted said regarding the hypocrites: [Al-Nisa: 142] and there are people for whom prayer is light; indeed, they long for it and anticipate its occurrence.As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (I have made the delight of my eyes in prayer).
So, the Shari'ah involves heaviness for souls. As for avoiding forbidden things,So some people desire things that are forbidden for them: such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, and the like, they are heavy for him. But there are people whose chests open up to leaving that, and they stay away from what Allah has forbidden. Look at Yusuf (peace be upon him) when the wife of the minister called him after she had locked the doors. She said, “Come here”, and she prepared herself for him with the best clothing and the best appearance. The atmosphere was empty, and the place was safe from anyone entering. She locked the doors. [Yusuf: 23],So he said to her: [Yusuf: 23] He sought refuge in his Lord, because this was a critical situation: a young man and the wife of the minister, in an empty and safe place. A human being is a human being, and perhaps his soul might suggest to him that he do it.For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: [Yusuf: 24].
In the authentic collections, it is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he said: “Seven will be shaded by Allah in His Shade on a day when there is no shade except His: a just ruler, a young man who grew up in the obedience of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, meeting for it and parting for it,And a man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says to her: a man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says, ‘I fear Allah,’ and a man who gives charity in secret such that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends”. The point of this is his saying: “A man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says, ‘I fear Allah’”.
So I say: Expanding the chest for the legislative ruling means: accepting the legislative ruling, being content with it, and implementing it.And that the one who says: We hear and obey. And you yourself, sometimes, find your heart open to a worship you perform with ease, submission, tranquility, and contentment. And sometimes, it is the opposite; if it were not for your fear of sin, you would not have done it. If this difference exists in one person, what can be said about different people?
Before speaking about the expansion of the chest for the decree of Allah, we pose a question: Are all the cosmic decrees of Allah suitable for human nature, or not? No.
Health is suitable, wealth is suitable, security is suitable, satiety is suitable, marriage is suitable. But illness is not suitable, fear is not suitable, hunger is not suitable, and many other things. So, the person whose chest Allah has expanded for the cosmic decree is found to be content with the decree and destiny of Allah.Being reassured by him, he says: “I am a servant, and Allah is my Lord, doing what He wills.” This man, in this state, will always be in joy; he will not be sad or worried. He suffers, but it does not reach the point of carrying worry or grief. For this reason, it came in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: “Wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all his affair is good for him, and that is only for the believer. If hardship strikes him, he is patient, and it is good for him. And if ease strikes him, he is grateful, and it is good for him”.
Therefore: Expanding the chest means: widening it and preparing it for the legislative and cosmic decrees of Allah. One does not feel constrained by the decrees of Allah at all. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has the greatest share of that. For this reason, you find him to be the most God-fearing of people, the most steadfast in the obedience of Allah, and the most patient with the decrees of Allah. What did people do to him when he stood up for the call? And what illnesses did he suffer until he was stricken with fever as two of us are stricken? He was made to suffer, so he was like two of us. And even when he was dying, it was made difficult for him, (peace be upon him), until he left the world as the most patient of the patient. And patience is known to be a high degree that is not attained except by the presence of something to be patient with. As for something cold, there is no patience in it. For this reason, we find the prophets to be the most afflicted of people, then the righteous, the best of them after the best.
I return a second time: What is the meaning of: [Al-Sharh: 1]? It means: We widened it to accept the decree of Allah or the legislative and cosmic ruling of Allah. And this is realized in the most perfect way for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says, making clear His blessing upon His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
Did We not expand for you, [O Muhammad], your breast?
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَSo in his saying: (Have We not expanded for you) is understood to mean: We have expanded for you your chest, because Allah affirms that He expanded his chest for him. This applies to all interrogatives of affirmation you encounter; they are understood as a past tense verb accompanied by *qad*.
As for it being understood as a past tense verb, it is because the action has been completed and occurred. As for it being accompanied by *qad*, it is because *qad* conveys realization when it precedes a past tense verb, and it conveys diminution when it precedes a present tense verb. And *qad* can convey realization,So in the saying of people: “Perhaps the miser will be generous.” Here, *qad* is for diminution.But in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Already He knows that upon which you [stand]
قَدْ يَعْلَمُ مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِAllah, Mighty and Majestic, says: (Have We not expanded for you your chest) means: We widened it. This expansion is a conceptual expansion, not a physical expansion. Expanding the chest means that it is spacious for the ruling of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: the legislative ruling of Allah, which is the religion, and the decree of Allah, which is the calamities that befall a person. This is because the Shari'ah involves opposing one's desires. A person finds heaviness in carrying out the commands of Allah and heaviness in avoiding what Allah has forbidden, because it is contrary to desire—the desire of the self that commands evil, which does not open up to the commands of Allah or its prohibitions.
You find that prayer is heavy for some people,As Allah the Exalted said regarding the hypocrites:
And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily
وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىSo, the Shari'ah involves heaviness for souls. As for avoiding forbidden things,So some people desire things that are forbidden for them: such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, and the like, they are heavy for him. But there are people whose chests open up to leaving that, and they stay away from what Allah has forbidden. Look at Yusuf (peace be upon him) when the wife of the minister called him after she had locked the doors. She said, “Come here”, and she prepared herself for him with the best clothing and the best appearance. The atmosphere was empty, and the place was safe from anyone entering. She locked the doors.
and said, "Come, you."
وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَI seek refuge in Allah
مَعَاذَ اللَّهِAnd she certainly determined [to seduce] him, and he would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof of his Lord
وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلا أَنْ رَأى بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِIn the authentic collections, it is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he said: “Seven will be shaded by Allah in His Shade on a day when there is no shade except His: a just ruler, a young man who grew up in the obedience of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, meeting for it and parting for it,And a man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says to her: a man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says, ‘I fear Allah,’ and a man who gives charity in secret such that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends”. The point of this is his saying: “A man who is called by a woman of high status and beauty, and he says, ‘I fear Allah’”.
So I say: Expanding the chest for the legislative ruling means: accepting the legislative ruling, being content with it, and implementing it.And that the one who says: We hear and obey. And you yourself, sometimes, find your heart open to a worship you perform with ease, submission, tranquility, and contentment. And sometimes, it is the opposite; if it were not for your fear of sin, you would not have done it. If this difference exists in one person, what can be said about different people?
Before speaking about the expansion of the chest for the decree of Allah, we pose a question: Are all the cosmic decrees of Allah suitable for human nature, or not? No.
Health is suitable, wealth is suitable, security is suitable, satiety is suitable, marriage is suitable. But illness is not suitable, fear is not suitable, hunger is not suitable, and many other things. So, the person whose chest Allah has expanded for the cosmic decree is found to be content with the decree and destiny of Allah.Being reassured by him, he says: “I am a servant, and Allah is my Lord, doing what He wills.” This man, in this state, will always be in joy; he will not be sad or worried. He suffers, but it does not reach the point of carrying worry or grief. For this reason, it came in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: “Wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all his affair is good for him, and that is only for the believer. If hardship strikes him, he is patient, and it is good for him. And if ease strikes him, he is grateful, and it is good for him”.
Therefore: Expanding the chest means: widening it and preparing it for the legislative and cosmic decrees of Allah. One does not feel constrained by the decrees of Allah at all. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has the greatest share of that. For this reason, you find him to be the most God-fearing of people, the most steadfast in the obedience of Allah, and the most patient with the decrees of Allah. What did people do to him when he stood up for the call? And what illnesses did he suffer until he was stricken with fever as two of us are stricken? He was made to suffer, so he was like two of us. And even when he was dying, it was made difficult for him, (peace be upon him), until he left the world as the most patient of the patient. And patience is known to be a high degree that is not attained except by the presence of something to be patient with. As for something cold, there is no patience in it. For this reason, we find the prophets to be the most afflicted of people, then the righteous, the best of them after the best.
I return a second time: What is the meaning of: