Surah Ad-Dhuhaa
وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
“And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].”
Translation: Saheeh International
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Reason for the Revelation of Surat Ad-Duha
Imam Ahmad recorded from Jundub that he said, "The Prophet became ill, so he did not stand for prayer for a night or two. Then a woman came and said, `O Muhammad! I think that your devil has finally left you.' So Allah revealed,
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
Injunction [ 2]
وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ (and as for the beggar, do not scold him....93:10). The verb tanhar is derived from nahr which means 'to scold'. The word sa'il means 'one who asks'. It includes a person who asks people's wealth, that is, a beggar, and it also includes the one who asks a question of knowledge, that is, an academic investigator. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has forbidden to berate either of them. The best course of action is to give the beggar something. If one is unable to give a beggar anything, one should at least apologise to him politely [ so as not to give him any further grief ]. Likewise, anyone who is searching knowledge and asks questions, it is forbidden to respond to him harshly and unkindly. The teacher should reply kindly and politely. However, if the investigator is unreasonable in his approach, it is permissible to scold him to the degree that is necessary.
What does this verse bring up for you today?