Tafsir of Surat al-Duha in full.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the seventy-seventh of the weekly gatherings that take place every Thursday, and this day is Thursday, the twenty-ninth of Jumada al-Ula, 1415. We ask Allah the Exalted to make these gatherings beneficial and to make them useful knowledge by which we are guided to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). In today's gathering, we will speak about what is facilitated from Surat al-Duha. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: We are speaking about this because we have already spoken about what preceded it, from Surat al-Naba to Surat al-Layl, and all praise is due to Allah.
Allah the Exalted said: The morning is the beginning of the day, and it contains light and brightness. The night is when it covers the earth and casts its darkness over it. So Allah the Exalted swore by two contrasting things:
The first is the morning, which contains brightness and light.
And the second is the night when it covers, and it contains darkness.
Meaning: It covered the earth with its darkness. Meaning: He did not abandon you. Meaning: He did not hate you. Rather, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): So the eye of Allah the Exalted watches over him, cares for him, protects him, and guards him. He is the One who said to him (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): So Allah the Exalted did not abandon him, but rather encompassed him with His knowledge, mercy, and care, and other things that necessitate his high status in this world and the Hereafter. As He said in the surah that follows: Meaning: He did not hate him, but rather he is the most beloved of creation to Him, as we know, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). For this reason, Allah chose him for the greatest of the missions and the best of the nations, and made him the Seal of the Prophets, so there is no prophet after him.
This sentence is emphasized by the lam of affirmation. The Hereafter is the day on which people are resurrected and return to their final abode, to Paradise or to the Fire. So Allah says to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Meaning: From this world. And that is because the Hereafter contains and as it came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Therefore, when Allah gave His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) the choice during his illness between living in this world as long as he lives and what is with Allah, he chose what is with Allah. As he announced this (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in his sermon, where he said while on the pulpit: So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) wept, and the people were amazed at his weeping, asking how could he weep from this?!
But he (may Allah be pleased with him) was the most knowledgeable of the people about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). He knew that the one given the choice was the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and that he had chosen what is with Allah, which is the Hereafter, and that this was a sign of the nearness of his term.
This lam is also for emphasis, and it is a preparation for the oath, and it will indicate the realization of the thing, but after a delay and a period of time.
And Meaning: He will give you what pleases you, so you will be pleased. And indeed, Allah the Exalted gave him what pleased him and more than what pleased him. For Allah the Exalted will raise him on the Day of Resurrection to a Praiseworthy Station, in which the first and the last will praise him, even the prophets and the Ulul 'Azm (those of firm resolve) among the messengers will not be able to reach what he reached.
And I will tell you about that: When the Day of Resurrection comes and the great distress and grief befalls the creation, and matters become narrow for them, some of them will ask others to seek someone to intercede for them to Allah the Exalted. They will come to Adam, then Nuh, then Ibrahim, then Musa, then 'Isa. These are four, the first of whom is the father of mankind, and Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and 'Isa are four of the Ulul 'Azm, so they are five: the first is Adam, the father of mankind, and four of the Ulul 'Azm. All of them will excuse themselves from interceding for the creation until it reaches the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who will stand up and intercede.
And there is no doubt that this is a great gift that no one of the creation has attained. Then Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) explained His previous blessings upon him so that they can be used as evidence for the subsequent blessings. He said: The question here is for affirmation, meaning that Allah the Exalted found you an orphan, so He sheltered you. You were an orphan from your father and an orphan from your mother, for your father died before you were born, and your mother died before you were weaned. But Allah the Exalted took charge of you and facilitated for you those who would raise you and defend you until you reached the goal that Allah the Exalted intended.
And His saying: He did not say "so He sheltered you" for two reasons: a linguistic reason and a semantic reason. As for the linguistic reason: it is so that the beginnings of the verses from the start of the surah would be consistent.
As for the semantic reason: if He had said "so He sheltered you," the sheltering would have been specific to him (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the matter is broader than that. For Allah the Exalted sheltered him and sheltered through him. He sheltered through him the believers in Him, so He supported them, aided them, and repelled [evil] from them. Rather, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) defended for them Meaning: Unknowing, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not know anything before the revelation was sent down to him. As He said: And He said: So he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not know anything, but he was from the unlettered , not reading or writing. But he reached this great goal through the revelation that Allah sent down upon him, so he knew and taught.
And here He said: He did not say "so He guided you" so that this would be more comprehensive and broader. For he was guided (peace and blessings be upon him), and Allah guided through him. So he is a guide and one who guides (peace and blessings be upon him).
So Meaning: So He guided you and guided through you. Allah the Exalted said: Meaning: He found you poor, possessing nothing.
Meaning: He enriched you and enriched through you. Allah the Exalted said: And how much the Muslims gained from the disbelievers under the shadows of the swords, great and numerous spoils, all because of this noble Messenger when they followed his guidance and adhered to his Sunnah. So Allah the Exalted supported them through him, and they gained from the east and west of the earth.
If the Muslim nation had returned to what the righteous Salaf were upon, victory, wealth, honor, and strength would have returned to them. But unfortunately, the Muslim nation today, each of them looks at his own interests, regardless of what would be the support of Islam or the abandonment of Islam. It is not hidden from one who reflects on the events that have recently occurred that they are in fact a humiliation for the Muslims, and that they are a cause for great and major evil that is anticipated behind what has happened, especially from the Jews and the Christians, who are allies of one another, as Allah the Exalted said: And they, I mean the Jews and the Christians, are agreed upon the enmity of the Muslims. None of them wants Islam, nor the people of Islam, nor the honor of Islam. And we ask Allah the Exalted to protect us from the evil of what has happened recently of matters that cause the forehead to sweat with shame. But Allah the Exalted will support His religion no matter what the circumstances are. Allah the Exalted is the supporter of His religion and His Book. And if what has happened to the Muslims happens, then Allah says: So perhaps the day will come when the Muslims will fight the Jews until the Jew hides under a tree, and the tree will call out: "O Muslim, O servant of Allah, this is a Jew under me." So the Muslim will come and kill him, and that is not difficult for Allah.
But the Muslims need wise, knowledgeable leadership, knowledgeable above all else about the rulings of the Shari'ah. For leadership without being illuminated by the light of the Shari'ah ends in calamity, no matter how high it rises. If it rises to the highest peak, it will descend to the lowest bottom. Guidance is by Islam, by the light of Islam, not by nationalism, not by tribalism, not by patriotism, nor by anything else. By Islam only.
Islam alone is the guarantor of the honor of the nation. But as I said, it needs wise leadership that places things in their proper places and is deliberate in matters and does not rush. It is not possible to reform the people overnight. Whoever wants that, he has wanted to change the laws of Allah. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not change the laws.
So this is the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who remained in Makkah for thirteen years calling to Allah, with revelation being sent down to him, calling with that which is best. And yet, in the end, he left Makkah fearful and hidden. The call was not completed in Makkah. So why do we want to change the nation that has passed through centuries in heedlessness and sleep, to change it overnight? This is foolishness, foolishness in intellect and misguidance in religion.
The Muslim community now needs a gentle treatment, a calm and gentle approach that calls to what is best. After understanding the religion of Allah and possessing wisdom in calling to Allah, the community also needs knowledge of reality, discernment, experience, and a far-sighted consideration of matters that require such consideration, because the results may not become clear in a month, two months, a year, or two years. However, the wise person is patient, observes, and reflects until he understands the matters. It also requires determination, resolve, and patience, because this is necessary. One must have the determination that drives a person forward and the patience that keeps a person steadfast; otherwise, matters will be lost, or much of them will be lost.
Allah the Exalted said: This is in contrast to . So if Allah has taken you in as an orphan, do not oppress the orphan, but honor the orphan. Being kind to orphans and honoring them is among the commands of the Shari'ah and among the good deeds of the Shari'ah, because the orphan, whose father died before he reached maturity, has a broken heart and needs to be comforted. He needs someone to console him and someone to bring him joy, especially if he has reached an age where he understands matters, such as seven or ten years old, or similar. This is in contrast to what? No, . So, questioner, do not rebuke him. The first thing that enters the questioner's mind is that he is asking about the Shari'ah and knowledge. Do not rebuke him, because if he asks you, it is so that you clarify the Shari'ah for him, and it is obligatory for you to clarify it for him, by the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: . Do not rebuke him. If you rebuke him, you will drive him away. Then, if you rebuke him while he believes that you are above him—meaning he did not come to ask except that he believes you are above him—if you rebuke him while he feels that you are above him, he will be struck with fear, his faculties will be disturbed, and he may not understand the question he is putting to you or the answer you are giving him. Compare yourself: if you spoke to a man of higher status than you and he rebuked you, your faculties would be lost and you would not be able to organize your thoughts and mind. Therefore, do not rebuke the questioner. This may also include the one asking for money; if someone comes to you asking for money, do not rebuke him. However, this general rule is specified by an exception: if you know that the questioner regarding knowledge is only seeking to be stubborn, to take your opinion, and to take the opinion of so-and-so and so-and-so, so that he pits the opinions of scholars against each other, if you know that, then you have the right to rebuke him and say: "O so-and-so, fear Allah. Did you not ask so-and-so? How can you ask me after you asked him? Are you playing with the religion of Allah? Do you want that if the people give you a fatwa that you like, you remain silent, but if they give you a fatwa that you do not like, you go ask? This is permissible, because this rebuke is a form of discipline for him. Likewise, the one asking for money: if you know that the one who asked you for money is rich, you have the right to rebuke him, and you also have the right to reprimand him for asking while he is rich. So, this general rule, 'the questioner, do not rebuke,' we say: this general rule is specified by what the public interest requires, in which case it is permissible to rebuke. How many blessings of Allah upon the Messenger are mentioned in these verses? How many blessings? Three:
With these three, the blessings are complete. Narrate the blessing of Allah. Say: "I was an orphan, so Allah took me in. I was lost, so Allah guided me. I was poor, so Allah made me rich." But speak of them to display the blessing and give thanks to the Bestower, not to boast over the creation. Because if you did that in boasting over the creation, this would be blameworthy.
As for if you say, or if you mention the blessing of Allah upon you by speaking of the blessings and giving thanks to the Bestower, this is what Allah has commanded.
These are few words on this great Surah. What we or others from the scholars of knowledge say does not encompass the great meanings to which the Qur'an points. We ask Allah the Exalted to grant us and you understanding in the religion of Allah and action upon what He has taught us. Indeed, He is capable of all things.
Now, to the questions. We begin with the oath. It is our custom that the questioner does not exceed one question and that there is no comment on the answer, because that leads to time being spent on a single question. Yes.