ضيق الصدر ← شرح الصدر
From Constriction to Expansion
Constriction → Expansion
You are here. Allah's guidance reaches you here.
Qur'an
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
“Have We not expanded for you your breast?”
Sūrat al-Sharḥ 94:1
Personal Reflection
The sūra does not begin by denying the narrowness — it begins by announcing the widening. The same chest that Allah describes as tight is the chest He promises to open. Notice too that the verse is a question: Allah invites the heart to remember what He has already done for it. Heaviness, in the Qur'anic language, is not a verdict on your worth. It is the narrow doorway that mercy passes through. Ease is mentioned twice after it, in the same sūra, before anything is asked of you.
This is the author's own contemplation. It is not tafsīr.
Insight from Tafsīr al-Mīzān
When Allah entrusted Prophet Mūsā (peace be upon him) with one of the greatest responsibilities in history, Mūsā did not first ask for the task to become easier. Instead, he turned to Allah and prayed:
Tafsīr al-Mīzān explains that this prayer is not simply a request for relief from hardship. Rather, Prophet Mūsā asks Allah to expand his heart so that he may receive Divine guidance and carry the responsibility entrusted to him with clarity, patience, wisdom, and trust.
The burden itself is not necessarily removed. Instead, Allah prepares the servant by expanding the heart that carries it.
“My Lord, expand my breast for me, and ease for me my task.”
Qur'an 20:25–26
Tafsīr al-Mīzān, commentary on Sūrat Ṭā Hā (20:25–36)
almizan.orgGuidance from the Ahlulbayt
آلَةُ الرِّيَاسَةِ سَعَةُ الصَّدْرِ
“The instrument of leadership is spaciousness of the breast (largeness of heart).”
— Imam Ali (peace be upon him)
Nahj al-Balāgha, Ḥikmah 176 (numbering may vary by edition)
Du'a
رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي
“My Lord, expand for me my breast, and ease for me my task.”
Sūrat Ṭāhā 20:25–26
One step forward
Today, find a quiet place. Slowly recite: رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي — “My Lord, expand my breast for me and ease for me my task.” Repeat it slowly several times. Rather than asking Allah to remove every difficulty, ask Him to expand your heart so you can carry what He has entrusted to you with patience, wisdom, and trust.
Journal Reflection
Where in my life am I asking Allah to remove a burden, when perhaps I first need Him to expand my heart to carry it?
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