With Hardship, there is Ease

“So indeed, with the hardship, there is ease”

‎فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلۡعُسۡرِ یُسۡرًا

(Quran 94:5)

Despite the ongoing hardships we go through personally and collectively as an Ummah — the hardship will not go on forever. Allah, the Most Merciful and Most Wise, promises us that after hardship comes ease! As-Sa’di says in his Tafsir of this ayah:

بشارة عظيمة، أنه كلما وجد عسر وصعوبة، فإن اليسر يقارنه ويصاحبه، حتى لو دخل العسر جحر ضب لدخل عليه اليسر، فأخرجه كما قال تعالى: ﴿سَيَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْرًا﴾ وكما قال النبي ﷺ: ” وإن الفرج مع الكرب، وإن مع العسر يسرا “.

“(This ayah) brings great glad tidings; every time there is a hardship and difficultly, it is accompanied by ease. Even if the difficulty were to enter into a lizard’s hole, ease would enter as well and force it (i.e. the difficulty) out, as Allah says (in the Quran), ‘Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease’, and as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘(and know that with) trial comes relief, and with hardship comes ease.’”

وتعريف ” العسر ” في الآيتين، يدل على أنه واحد، وتنكير ” اليسر ” يدل على تكراره، فلن يغلب عسر يسرين. وفي تعريفه بالألف واللام، الدالة على الاستغراق والعموم يدل على أن كل عسر -وإن بلغ من الصعوبة ما بلغ- فإنه في آخره التيسير ملازم له.

The word العسر/the hardship in the two ayahs comes with an ال in the beginning of the word (i.e. in the definite form) — therefore it is (just) one hardship.

The word يسر/ease comes without an ال (i.e. in the indefinite form) — which means that ease comes often, and thus one hardship will never prevail over two eases.

The letters alif and laam (that come before the word العسر/the hardship) indicate generalization — which shows that any hardship, no matter how difficult it becomes, will eventually end with ease.”