Ash-Sharh 94
The Opening UpHow to read the Hangul
الرَّحْمَٰنِ르r라흐마니 بِسْمِ비스밀
- Bold = the stressed syllable of the word; a little stronger.
- Overline = long vowel (madd): hold it about two beats. Length matters most in recitation.
- Tiny = no vowel in the Arabic here — just the consonant, short.
- Small Latin letter = a sound Korean lacks, on the next syllable: f upper teeth on lower lip · θ/ð tongue tip between the teeth · r rolled tongue tip (a bare ㄹ is l).
How to read the Hangul
beginning the Christ salvation
- Bold, larger (ˈ) = say it strong and a little longer — the stressed syllable.
- Faint = weak and short (a reduced vowel). Don't give every syllable equal weight.
- Tiny 으 · 트 · 스 = barely voiced. English has no vowel there — stop on the consonant.
- Whole word faint (the, of, and, to…) = light and quick in a sentence; stress the content words.
- Small f v θ ð r = sounds Korean doesn't have — f: upper teeth on the lower lip; v: the same, voiced; θ/ð: tongue tip between the teeth; r: tongue curled back, touching nothing.
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Surah
About this surah
Classed as a Meccan sura, its eight verses begin by reminding the one addressed of what God has done for him, in the form of questions: did We not expand your breast, remove the burden that weighed upon your back, and raise your renown high? The centre of the sura is a single sentence stated twice in a row, in verses 5 and 6: 'Indeed with hardship comes ease.' Both times the wording places ease together 'with' hardship. The last two verses give a short instruction: when you have finished one task, exert yourself again, and turn your longing toward your Lord. The sura moves from recalling help already received, to hope in the middle of difficulty, to continued effort directed toward God.
- An opened breast
- A lifted burden
- Ease with hardship
- Continued effort toward God
The name It is named from verse 1, 'Did We not expand for you your breast?' — ash-Sharh means the opening up or expanding.