Ash-Sharh 94:1

Commentary

It was mentioned at the end of the preceding Surah that twenty-two Surahs from Surah Ad-Duha to the end of the Qur'an are mainly concerned with Divine favours conferred upon the Holy Prophet ' and with his greatness. Only a few Surahs are concerned with the conditions of the Hereafter or some other subject. Surah Al-Inshirah is concerned with special favours that Allah conferred upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Its style is the same as that of the preceding Surah - the interrogative style. In the preceding Surah, the style was 'Did He not find you...?' [ Here the style is ]:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَ‌حْ لَكَ صَدْرَ‌كَ (Did We not cause your bosom to be wide open for your benefit?...94:1). The word sharp literally denotes 'to open, to cause the bosom to be widely opened'. [ In the present context ] it is to cause the bosom to be wide open to comprehend the Divine mysteries. The verse signifies that Allah illuminated his bosom with wisdom, Divine light and peace and made it spacious, vast and wide as is said in another verse:

فَمَن يُرِ‌دِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَ‌حْ صَدْرَ‌هُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ

'So, he whom Allah wills to give guidance, He opens his heart for Islam [ 6:125] '

The Holy Prophet's ﷺ bosom was expanded to receive the knowledge and wisdom and the gracious morals and ethical qualities, which the greatest philosophers could not match. As a result of this expansion of heart, tawajjuh ilal-makhluq (attentiveness to the creation) did not disturb his attentiveness to and concentration on Allah. Some of the authentic Traditions report that the angels, with Allah's permission, physically opened the blessed chest of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Some of the commentators interpret this 'expansion of the chest' to refer to the same miracle, as mentioned in Ibn Kathir and others. And Allah knows best!