أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
HAVE WE NOT opened up thy heart, (1)
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ
and lifted from thee the burden (2)
الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ
that had weighed so heavily on thy back? (3)
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
And [have We not] raised thee high in dignity? (4)
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
And, behold, with every hardship comes ease: (5)
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
verily, with every hardship comes ease! (6)
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ
Hence, when thou art freed [from distress], remain steadfast, (7)
وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ
and unto thy Sustainer turn with love. (8)
- that had weighed so heavily on thy back?2
- 2 I.e., "the burden of thy past sins, which are now forgiven" (Tabari, on the authority of Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd). In the case of Muhammad, this relates apparently to mistakes committed before his call to prophethood (ibid.), and is obviously an echo of 93:7 - 'Has He not found thee lost on thy way, and guided thee?"
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The which did gall thy back?-
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Which weighed down thy back;
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
Which pressed heavily upon your back,
— M. Habib Shakir -
Which weighed down your back?
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
Which weighed down thy back.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
that weighed down your back?
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
that had weighed down thy back,
— Ayub Khan -
Which had well-nigh broken thy back?
— Sher Ali -
that had weighed so heavily on thy back?
— Muhammad Asad -
the burden that weighed down thy back?
— Arthur Arberry -
that had well-nigh broken your back?{{2}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi