Surah Ash-Sharh, Ayah 4

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Meaning of opening the Breast

Allah says,

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ

(Have We not opened your breast for you) meaning, `have We not opened your chest for you.' This means, `We illuminated it, and We made it spacious, vast and wide.' This is as Allah says,

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلَـمِ

(And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam.) (6:125) And just as Allah expanded his chest, He also made His Law vast, wide, accommodating and easy, containing no difficulty, hardship or burden.

وَرَ‌فَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَ‌كَ (and We raised high for you your name....94:4). The meaning of raising the name of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is that his blessed name is remembered together with the name of Allah in all the symbols of Islam, like the kalimah, the adhan, the iqamah, and in sermons from the minarets and pulpits [ throughout the world ]:

اَشھَدُ اَنَّ لا إله إلا اللہ

اَشھَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدَ رَّسُولُ اَلله

(I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except

Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'

No sensible person utters the Holy Prophet's ﷺ name without respect and honour even though he may not be a Muslim.

Note Carefully

Here three verses mention three favours that are bestowed on the Holy Prophet t: [ 1] opening of the bosom widely; [ 2] removal of the burden; and [ 3] raising of the name high. Each of the sentence is composed of a verb, an object and between them is a prepositional phrase thus:

شرح صدر

for your benefit? [ 1] '

وضع وزر

'from you your burden [ 2] '

رفع ذکر

'for you your name. [ 4] '

This indicates the essential characteristic and special greatness of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، in that all this is done for the sake of him.