Feeling Abandoned by God? Surah Ad-Duha and Ash-Sharh (Quran 93 and 94)

Picture a quiet room late at night. You have prayed, and it feels like nothing came back. A thought arrives: maybe God has left me.

Many people are embarrassed to admit this. As if a believer is not supposed to feel distant from God. But if a believer was never supposed to feel low, God would not have sent comfort for it. Let's read these verses slowly, in four parts.

Why both? Morning and night are both created by God. The light does not mean God is near, and the dark does not mean God is far. Before the chapter says its main point, it quietly says that the dark part of the day also belongs to Him. When we are low, we tend to treat the dark as proof of something. Here it is simply night.

Now comes the line everything else is built on:

If He is that near, then the feeling of distance is a feeling, not a fact. And look at the second half of the first verse: “I answer their prayers when they pray to Me” [2:186]. It does not say every request gets the answer we imagine. It says He answers. Not every prayer gets a yes, but every prayer is heard.

Then the chapter looks ahead:

Now something interesting happens. God does not only promise. He reminds the messenger of the past:

See the pattern. You were an orphan, and God gave you a home, so do not push the orphan away. You were poor, so do not shout at the one who asks. The comfort we receive is meant to make us gentler with others. When we feel abandoned, one of the best things we can do is help someone who feels alone. It does not remove the pain, but it gives the pain somewhere to go.

It is put as a question, “Did we not?” It is as if God says, remember, I have done this before. And then comes the line that is said twice:

Same word, with. In both, God does not promise that the hard season will not come. He promises to be with us in it. That is common ground, and it comes back to the one God we turn to.

Strive, and turn to God alone. It does not say wait until you feel better. It says, whenever possible, strive. Do the next small useful thing, like washing the dishes, calling your mother, or praying. Many of us wait to feel ready before we move. The chapter says, move, and the feeling will follow. And keep the heart pointed to God, not to what people think or what we have achieved.

If the heaviness does not lift after weeks, please talk to a doctor or a trusted person. Asking for help is not a lack of faith. God gives us many means of help, including other people and medicine.

What if we have made big mistakes? Are these verses for us too? The Quran answers clearly:

Both traditions say the same thing about the heart that is hurting. And one more verse about the load we carry:

Here are the questions from the episode, each with a short answer.

Has God left me when I feel nothing? No. God says He never abandoned you and did not forget [93:3].

Why does God swear by the morning and the night? Both are from Him, so the dark part of the day also belongs to Him [93:1-2].

Where is God when I pray and feel nothing? He is always near and He answers [2:186].

What should I do when I feel low? Look back at what God already did, and help someone more alone than you [93:6-11].

Why does God say it twice? The verse is underlined, and the key word is with: with pain there is gain [94:5-6].

What do I do next? Strive, and turn to God alone [94:7-8].

What if I made big mistakes? Never despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins [39:53].