Hope
“By the morning sunlight”
Surah Ad-Duhaa 93:1
This verse was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a time when revelation had paused. Angel Jibrīl had not appeared for a while, and the Prophet felt a deep sadness, as though something so sacred had been lost. He was in a state of longing and waiting.
Then came the opening of Surat ad-Ḍuḥā:
“وَالضُّحَىٰ” – “By the morning light.”
With it, Angel Jibrīl appeared again.
It begins with an oath with the light of the sun. ‘Duḥā’ does not literally mean the word sun, yet it is the soft light that slowly spreads after dawn, easing away the night. The first light that touches the sky, and the heart.
Sometimes in life, we are filled with light: inspiration flows, faith feels high, and everything seems to make sense. Other times, we feel blocked, unsure and disconnected, as though the spark has disappeared, and we wonder what happened.
This verse reminds us: just like the sky moves through darkness and dawn, so do we. There are times of pause, and times of movement. Times when we’re in silence, and times when we rise.
The sun shows up every single day, no matter how long the night. Inspiration will return. It’s so beautiful how the sun shows up every single day, no matter how dark the night is. Inspiration will flow again. The One who once lit your soul will light it again.
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”
Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
Witness how the sun rises every day. Look at it, feel its warmth and contemplate its dedication to always show up.
Reflect on a challenge in your life that feels blocked, and let this verse renew your hope that every pause holds the beginning of a new path.
“If you have ever had occasion to be out early in the morning before the dawn breaks, you will have noticed that the darkest time of night is immediately before dawn. The darkness deepens and becomes more anonymous. If you had never been to the world and never known what a day was, you couldn’t possibly imagine how the darkness breaks, how the mystery and color of a new day arrive. Light is incredibly generous, but also gentle. When you attend to the way the dawn comes, you learn how light can coax the dark. The first fingers of light appear on the horizon, and ever so deftly and gradually, they pull the mantle of darkness away from the world. Quietly before you is the mystery of a new dawn, the new day.”
A Book of Celtic Wisdom – John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
“People think I rise,
Yet in actually fact I am always there
An infinite circle of light.
Just as there is dark space,
There is me,
the biggest star, the sun
if life hits you with challenges
Remember me,
Even if you can’t see me,
Know I exist,
And watch me rise
Every single day
Without a doubt,
As I colour the darkness
With shades of light.”
Deena Fadel
