Teachers Book Surah Al-Inshirah (2)

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ SURAH 94: AL- INSHIRĀḤ ‫سورة الانشراح‬ The Relief Learning Outcomes: At the end of this Surah, the students will be able to: 1. Understand the sadness that affected the Prophet. 2. Understand hardship as a fact of life based on this surah. 3. Understand worshipping Allah as the real human preoccupation. SURAH OVERVIEW Surah al-Inshirāḥ was revealed in Makkah, which means that it is a Makkiyyah surah. ‘al-Inshirāḥ’ means expansion – especially of the heart. It is to expand the heart of the Prophet, to calm him from his problems. Also, it promises full divine support for his da’wah. This is because, at the time, the Prophet and the Muslims were facing the most hostile opposition from the disbelievers. At the same time, the revelation was paused for quite a long time. This event caused the disbelievers thought that victory is surely theirs. They thought that Allah has abandoned the Prophet and left him alone. The hostility and the pause of revelation made the Prophet felt helpless and sad. His chest felt very tight and his thoughts messy. Therefore, Allah revealed two surahs – which are al-Inshirāḥ and al- Ḍuḥā – reminding the Prophet as His lover, to calm him and deny the false claims made by the disbelievers. It is impossible for a Lover to abandon His love, alone and dumbfounded. Surah al-Inshirāḥ is a continuation of the contents of surah al-Ḍuḥā. It describes the blessings that are specified only for the Prophet, where these blessings are given as rewards for the Prophet’s patience in facing all the hardships in his life – be it before his prophethood or after it. These blessings are: expansion of the chest, lessening of the burden of da’wah, and uplifting his rank among all of creations – angels, humans, and everything else. Surah al-Inshirāḥ is related to surah al-Tīn by being the precursor to surah al-Tīn. Because the Prophet has been patient towards the hardships that he faced, he is lifted to be the best of creations. Surah al-Tīn also gives examples for other perfect men aside from Prophet Muhammad. These are the Ulū al-ʿAzmi. It is also related to surah al-Ḍuḥā by being its continuation in describing the blessings that have been given by Allah to His lover.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 1. Expansion of the Chest. “Did We not expand for you, O Muhammad, your chest?” Allah begins the surah with a negative question – by beginning the question with a negation. This indicates that the question does not expect an answer. Instead, it is a reminder that the question itself is an answer. Therefore, when Allah asks the question, it means that Allah is reminding the Prophet that He indeed has expanded the Prophet’s chest. “Nashraḥ” means to expand. But it means, more specifically, to ease something difficult, to make it more understandable and practicable. In this verse, Allah refers to the heavy contents of the revelation (qawlan thaqīlan) that are made easy for the Prophet to understand and practice. The second meaning is that Allah makes the Prophet’s heart calm from feeling stuck and clueless due to the continuous opposition from the disbelievers. LESSON 1: THE EXPANDED CHEST (VERSE 1) - (EXPERIMENT) Introduction: Verse 1 & 2 describes the manner in which the Prophet’s chest was expanded. This condition is pictured by the soda-vinegar reaction experiment. Set Induction: In the first verse, Allah tells us that He has expanded the Prophet’s chest so that he can understand the Quran easily and to calm him down. Let us conduct an experiment on how the chest could be expanded by reading Surah al-Inshirāḥ. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. To understand the experience of the expanded chest. 2. To understand the reaction that causes the balloon to expand. Materials: 1. Balloon. 2. Baking soda. 3. Vinegar. 4. Funnel or a plastic bottle. Procedure: 1. Pour the baking soda into the funnel. 2. Then, pour some vinegar until it covers all of the baking soda. 3. Quickly, put the balloon’s mouth around the funnel’s mouth.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ 4. Observe the reaction. To increase the rate of the reaction, stir the mixture by shaking the funnel gently. Lessons: 1. The balloon expands because the reaction releases carbon dioxide. Because the carbon dioxide cannot escape, therefore it has to fill the cavity of the apparatus. 2. The expanded balloon is like the expanded chest of the Prophet. 3. This is so that he can easily understand the contents of Revelation and also to ease him from worry. 4. This surah is usually recited as a request from Allah to increase us in knowledge. Lesson Assessment: 1. What does ‘expanded chest’ mean? 2. Why must the Prophet’s chest be expanded? 3. What is the reaction that occurs with the mix of carbon dioxide and vinegar? 4. How does the reaction cause the balloon to expand?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 2. Uplifting the Burden of Daʿwah. “And We removed from you your burden.” How did Allah expand the Prophet’s chest? By lessening his burdens. The phrase “waḍaʿnā ʿanka” means to remove something from the Prophet. It means Allah removes the burden that the Prophet has to bear. What kind of burden? The term “wizr” means burden. But this burden is not ordinary, but a kind of burden that the bearer cannot carry at all. Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet. And the revelation that he received is also the last. Therefore, there will no other prophets and revelations after this. In other words, the fate of mankind from the time of the Prophet’s appointment until the Day of Judgment rests upon his shoulder. On top of that, he did not have a long time to complete his mission. With this kind of expectation, the burden is overwhelming. It is this kind of burden that Allah meant. The burden almost broke the Prophet’s strength and spirit. LESSON 2: THE LIGHT-HEAVY, THE HEAVY LIGHT. (VERSE 2) – (DIY) Introduction: Here, the experiment describes the weight of Revelation received by the Prophet. And this is pictured by the change in weight of the objects of the experiment. Source: (https://www.newscientist.com/article/2203422-weird-physical-illusion- makes-you-think-objects-are-impossibly-light/) Set Induction: In verse 2, Allah tells us that He has uplifted the burden that has to be carried by the Prophet. Let us make an activity to understand the kind of burden that the Prophet has to carry. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. To understand the heavy nature of Revelation. 2. To understand how perception can cause a weight change. Materials: 1. 3 matchboxes. 2. Heavy small objects (marbles, pennies and others).

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ Procedure: 1. Put the heavy small objects into one of the boxes. 2. Arrange the boxes next to each other. 3. Lift the box with the load first. Then, put it back. 4. Now, lift all of the boxes at once. And then put it back. Lessons: 1. The box with the loads, if lifted alone, feels heavier than when lifting all of the boxes at once. 2. This is caused by our perception. We experience the first box as being heavy, so we expect all of the boxes combined will be heavier. 3. Surprisingly, they feel lighter because of our perception of lifting two empty boxes. 4. The Revelation that was sent down to the Prophet is a heavy object, even when though seen from the point of view of others, it looks ordinary. 5. Revelation even bears physical weight such that when the Prophet was receiving it, he excretes cold sweats heavily. 6. Therefore, the pause of Revelation is a blessing in disguise, helping the Prophet to rest for a while. Lesson Assessment: 1. Is Revelation something light or heavy? 2. Is its weight real or just metaphorical? 3. How did Allah lighten the burden of Revelation? 4. What makes the matchboxes change in weight?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 3. Heavy Burden. “Which weighed so heavily on your back?” Then, Allah continues to describe the burden. The word “anqaḍa” means a burden that can break the back. This is the kind of imagery that Allah presents to explain the gravity of the task that is carried by the Prophet – with the task to spread Islam globally from an isolated place in the world, and with the increasingly harsh opposition by the disbelievers. As if the burden almost broke the Prophet’s backbone. LESSON 3: BENDY BONES (VERSE 3) - [EXPERIMENT] Introduction: In this section, the focus will be given to verses 3 and 4. In lesson 3, the experiment addresses the physical effects of Revelation on the body of the Prophet. It was so heavy that it almost broke the backbone of the Prophet. Set Induction: In verse 3, Allah describes Revelation as a weight that almost broke the Prophet’s backbone. Let us experiment to understand how can a bone bend. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. To understand the physical effects of Revelation on the body of the Prophet. 2. To understand the nature of the chemical that makes bones soft and bendy. Materials: 1. A chicken thigh bone. 2. Vinegar. 3. A jar. Procedure: 1. Prepare a clean chicken thigh. 2. Put the bone in a jar. 3. Pour some vinegar into the jar until the bone is covered. 4. Leave for a week. 5. After a week, take out the bone and observe its flexibility. Lessons: 1. Vinegar dissolves calcium that is in the bone, making it soft. 2. In verses 2 and 3, Allah describes the Revelation as something heavy and almost broke the Prophet’s backbone. 3. The chicken bone is a metaphor of the Prophet’s bone that almost bent due to the heavy Revelation.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ Lesson Assessment: 1. What are the physical and emotional effects of Revelation on the Prophet? 2. How does vinegar soften a chicken bone?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 4. Allah Uplifts the Prophet. “And elevated your reputation for you?” One of the blessings that Allah bestowed on the Prophet – which is not bestowed to anyone, not even the other prophets. This blessing is in the form of elevated rank at God’s side. “Dhikr” means to remember in the heart and to mention at the tongue. This means that the Prophet will always be remembered and be mentioned until the end of time. Whenever Allah’s name is mentioned, the Prophet will be mentioned alongside Him. One’s faith is invalid if he believes in Allah but does not acknowledge the special status of the Prophet. Furthermore, Allah and His angels always pray for the Prophet. And He commanded us to do the same (al-Aḥzāb: 56). Also, mentioning the Prophet’s name is a prerequisite to one’s obligatory prayer to be accepted. Also, Allah has addressed the Prophet as His messenger in the Quran in a way that is not found for the other prophets. Whenever there are verses that mention the Prophet, his title will be mentioned. Whereas, as for the other prophets, Allah only mentions their names. All of these are how Allah honours Rasulullah as His beloved. LESSON 4: THE HIGH NAME (VERSE 4) - [GROUP ACTIVITY] Introduction: Meanwhile, activity 4 portrays one of the rewards enjoyed by the Prophet for his patience in carrying the weight of Revelation. As a result, Allah has elevated his name by ensuring its mentioning among the entire creations. Set Induction: In verse 3, Allah mentions one of the blessings that He has given to the Prophet, which is the exaltation of his name among the entire creations. Let us conduct an activity to know that even in our hearts, the Prophet is there. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. To identify one of the forms of exaltation given to the Prophet. 2. To recognise why the exaltation is given to him. 3. To recognise one of the forms of praise that humans present to the Prophet. Materials: 1. The lyric of Qāṣidah Burdah by Imam al-Busiri. 2. Mah-jong paper. 3. Whiteboard marker. 4. Scissors.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ 5. Tape. Note: This activity is more interesting to be done in a large number. Procedure: Before class: 1. The teacher has to prepare the materials. 2. Write down some stanzas from the qāṣidah on a piece of mah-jong paper. 3. Cut the lyrics into smaller pieces. In class: 1. Play the qāṣidah several times until the students partially memorize it. 2. Assign a piece of the lyric to every student. 3. Ask them to arrange the cut lyrics based on the qāṣidah. 4. This time, only the sound of the lyric is played. But the words of the lyric are not displayed. Lessons: 1. The Qāṣidah Burdah was written by Imam al-Busiri when he suffered partial paralysis that caught half of his body. 2. When he was asleep, he dreamt of the Prophet teaching him the stanzas of the qāṣidah, while tucking him with a blanket. 3. Today, this poem is among the most famous poems that have been written as a tribute to the Prophet. 4. It is proof of Allah’s promise to him. Lesson Assessment: 1. What is one of the rewards that were given to Rasulullah? 2. Why is this reward given to him? 3. What is one of the forms of exaltation that humans have composed for the Prophet?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 5. Ease After Hardship. “So, surely with hardship comes ease.” Therefore, Allah gives a guarantee to the Prophet, which is no matter how difficult life will be, and no matter how challenging the effort of da’wah, there will always be a way out in the end. In this verse, Allah uses the word “maʿa” which means “with”. Allah did not say after hardship will be ease. But hardship itself is a means to ease. To acquire ease, there is no way except with hardship. The bigger the ease expected, the bigger the challenge. Alternatively, the bigger the challenges, the bigger the ease that Allah promises. One of the things that are referred to like ease is the praiseworthy moral qualities that are instilled in the character of a person. To have the quality of patience, for example, a person must first endure a great challenge. To have gratitude, a person must taste poverty. And to have courage, a person must face danger and know the meaning of fear and many others. 6. An Emphasis. “Indeed, with hardship, there will be ease.” And then Allah repeats His promise that behind the curtain of hardship, there is unimaginable ease. LESSON 5: THE HIGHWAYS OF LIFE (VERSE 5 & 6): [REFLECTION] Introduction: In this section, the focus will be given to verse 5 and the keywords of the surah. Activity 5 is a reflection activity. From the life story of the Prophet, it is a mirror that reflects the nature of human life. That humans are created to face challenges but will achieve success in the end. Set Induction: In verse 5 & 6, Allah stresses that the hardship experienced by humans are a part of the nature of their life. But, along with the hardships, there is also ease. Let us do an activity to help us understand the nature of life better. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. To survey the life of the Prophet that is full of hardships and challenges. 2. To understand his life as a reflection of human life generally. 3. To understand that along with every hardship, there is ease.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ Materials: 1. Paper. 2. Pen. 3. A video that portrays the perseverance of animals. Recommended source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPpmd9uRgJw) Procedure: 1. Make sure the students are comfortable and ready. 2. Play the video. 3. Ask them to extract the quality shared by all the animals. 4. Invite them to reflect on their lives. 5. Ask them to write down a situation of their lives in which they were facing hardship but then came out successful. Lessons: 1. Everyone will live in the pattern that has been made by Allah. 2. And He has decreed that everyone will live in hardship. 3. Therefore, we must face this fact of life with courage. Because Allah will surely help us to go through those hardships. Lesson Assessment: 1. Overall, what kind of life did the Prophet experience? Easy or hard? 2. Is a difficult life only limited to the life of the Prophet? 3. What is the wisdom behind a difficult life? LESSON 6: KEYWORDS Introduction: Activity 6 focuses on the keywords of the surah to understand the overall message of the surah better. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to be familiar with the keywords of the surah. Keywords: Procedure: 1. Inshirāḥ. You may use your own ideas to do this exercise. For example, like: 2. Rafʿun. Wordwall / Anagram/ Word Puzzle etc. 3. Dhikr. 4. ʿUsr. 5. Yusr. 6. Naṣb. 7. Raghb

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ TAFSIR CORNER 7. The preoccupation in Ibadah. “So, once you have fulfilled your duty, strive in devotion.” With all the promise and guarantee that Allah has given, He urged the Prophet to keep being motivated in preoccupying himself with da’wah and worship. And after he has finished doing da’wah for the day, the Prophet has to hasten towards worship. And after finished worshipping, he must return to the field of da’wah. Such is his daily preoccupation. 8. Taqarrub With Allah. “Turning to your Lord alone with hope.” After he has finished both of the matters, then only there is free time for him to perform his favourite activity – which is, to spend his time alone with Allah. After he has finished his prophetic task, then only he can proceed with his matter. And his personal time is only for Allah. LESSON 7: THE LAST DAYS (VERSE 7 & 8) Introduction: In this section, focus will be given to verse 7 and 8. Activity 7 describes verse 7 and 8 as a sign of the upcoming death of the Prophet. Therefore, this activity addresses the final years of the Prophet’s life. Set Induction: The Prophet is a person who loves Allah profoundly. In fact, he only wanted to spend his time with his eternal Lover. However, in verse 7 and 8, Allah informed him that he can only do so after he has finished his task to spread Islam. Some interpreters say that his mission will never settle, unless after the victory of Islam. This indicates that the Prophet will only live a short life after the victory of Islam. Let us go through his final days. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to experience the final days of the Prophet’s life. Materials: 1. A book on the sīrah of the Prophet (suggestion: al-Rahiq al-Makhtum). 2. Learning aid materials (suggestion: videos from the internet). Recommended video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XSG-99yMd8). Procedure:

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ 1. The teacher must first ensure everyone is comfortable and ready to watch the video. 2. The teacher tells the story. 3. The teacher conducts a discussion based on the story. Lessons: 1. Surah al-Inshirāḥ was revealed to strengthen the Prophet in his mission. 2. And it promises the company of Allah after his death. 3. When the surah was revealed, some companions already knew that the Prophet will not live long after he has completed his mission. 4. And some of them were even prepared for the day. Lesson Assessment: Retell the story phase by phase.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Inshirāḥ SUMMARY This surah aims to calm the Prophet’s heart so that he remains strong in completing his mission as a Prophet/. Therefore, we have to make an example out of the Prophet in drawing out strength in our daily life for Allah. This world is a place for us to preoccupy ourselves with good deeds and spreading Islam. The hereafter is the true resting residence for us, to be together with Allah forever. LESSON 8: JOURNAL Set Induction: Let us write a journal to record all the lessons that we have acquired. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to compile the themes and lessons of the surah. Materials: 1. Journal Procedure: 1. Update the activities of surah al-Inshirāḥ in the journal. 2. Write down the important lessons in every verse. 3. Write down the general lessons of the surah.