سورة الشرح

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: Caesar gifted a mule to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). One day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) mounted that mule and had me ride behind him, then he said: 'O young man! Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will be mindful of you. If you are mindful of Allah and act on His commands, you will find Allah before you. Know Allah in times of ease, and Allah will know you in times of hardship. Whenever you wish to seek help, seek it from Allah. The Pen has already passed over what will be, and whatever is decreed will come to pass. If people strive to bring you any benefit, but it is not decreed, their effort will bear no result and will bring you no benefit. If you have the capacity to act with patience and certainty, then strive in it; and if you do not have the capacity, then adopt patience and be steadfast in hardships, so that you may attain much good. And know that patience brings victory, and relief comes after difficulties, and with every hardship there is also an ease.'

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [Surely with difficulty is ease], meaning that alongside difficulty and hardship there is relief and ease, and one difficulty will never overcome two reliefs.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Jibra'il said to me: Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: Whenever I am mentioned, you are mentioned with Me. فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً أَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [Surely with difficulty is ease; indeed with difficulty is ease].

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah the Exalted says: I created one difficulty and two eases, so one difficulty shall never overcome two eases.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Hasan said: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) came out joyful and smiling, laughing, and saying: "One difficulty shall never overcome two eases, for with every difficulty there are two eases, with every difficulty there are two eases."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated from his father from Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Indeed a woman came to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and complained about her husband that he was not providing for her, while the man was in difficulty. So Ali (peace be upon him) refused to imprison him and said: إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [Indeed with difficulty is ease].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): With every difficulty there is ease. Know that the help and support of Allah lies in patience. When you are patient, you reach your goal, and when He gives sorrow and grief, after it He gives joy and deliverance; إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [Indeed, with difficulty is ease].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali narrates from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) that he said: I know two verses from the revealed Book of Allah which, when a woman's childbirth becomes difficult, are written for her on a piece of deerskin and tied around her waist. [And they are:] بسم اللَّه و باللَّه، فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً، إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْراً [In the name of Allah and by Allah; for indeed with difficulty is ease, indeed with difficulty is ease] — seven times. یَأَیُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّکُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شیَ‌ْءٌ عَظِیم * یَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ کُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَ تَضَعُ کُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَ تَرَی النَّاسَ سُکَارَی وَ مَا هُم بِسُکَارَی وَ لَاکِنَّ عَذَابَ اللهِ شَدِید [O people, be mindful of your Lord; indeed the quaking of the Hour is a great thing. On the day you see it, every nursing mother will forget what she nursed and every pregnant one will drop her burden, and you will see the people as though drunk, though they are not drunk; but the punishment of Allah is severe] (Hajj/1-2) — one time.