Tafseer of The Morning Hours · Ad-Dhuhaa · 93:8
And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His word: وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلا فَأَغْنَى ("And He found you in need and made you rich"). He says: and He found you poor and made you rich. Concerning this one says: "ʿāla fulān yaʿīlu ʿaylatan," and that is when someone becomes poor. From this is also the saying of the poet:
Thus the poor man does not know when his wealth will come,
nor does the rich man know when he will become needy (yaʿīlu).
He means: when he becomes poor.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān: وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلا ("and He found you in need"): poor.
And it has been mentioned that in the muṣḥaf of ʿAbd Allāh (Ibn Masʿūd) it reads: وَوَجَدَكَ عَدِيما فآوَى ("And He found you without possessions and gave you shelter").
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَى * وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالا فَهَدَى * وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلا فَأَغْنَى ("Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? And did He not find you wandering and guide you? And did He not find you in need and make you rich?"), he said: these were the circumstances of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, before Allah, glory be to Him and exalted is He, sent him as a prophet.
