Thafseer Lafzi = the meaning of every word. For each surah: read the Arabic, learn the word-by-word meanings (the chips), then rebuild the translation in the Word-by-word tab. Theme / occasion / reflection are collapsed under each surah as background — context, not the focus of the lafzi paper. Flash mode hides the meanings so you can self-test.
سُورَةُ الْفَاتِحَةِAl-Fatiha — “The Opening” Makki · 7 verses · #1= the essence of the Quran
Theme & context (background)
🎯 Theme: the essence (Umm) of the Quran — praise of Allah, declaration of Tawheed,
and a plea for guidance to the straight path. Half praise/half supplication.
📜 Context: the first complete surah revealed; recited in every rak‘ah of every salah.
In a hadith qudsi Allah says: “I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant in two halves” — the first
verses are Allah's praise, the last are the servant's request. It has many names: Umm al-Kitab / Umm al-Qur'an
(mother of the Book), as-Sab‘ al-Mathani (the seven oft-repeated), al-Qur'an al-‘Azeem, ash-Shifa
(the cure / ruqyah) and al-Hamd.
Text & translation
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾1. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾2. All praise is for Allah, Lord of all the worlds,
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾3. the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤﴾4. Master of the Day of Recompense.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾5. You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾6. Guide us to the straight path —
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ﴿٧﴾7. the path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned anger, nor of those who went astray.
Key words (lafzi)
بِسْمِin the name of
اللَّهِof Allah
الرَّحْمَٰنِthe Most Gracious
الرَّحِيمِthe Most Merciful
الْحَمْدُall praise
رَبِّLord / Sustainer
الْعَالَمِينَall the worlds (mankind, jinn & all that exists)
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِMaster of the Day of Recompense
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُYou alone we worship
نَسْتَعِينُwe seek help
اهْدِنَاguide us
الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَthe straight path
أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْthose You have favoured
الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْthose who earned anger
الضَّالِّينَthose who went astray
Reflection (background)
💡 Lesson: seek Allah's help and guidance in everything (إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ);
worship Him alone; intend every good act as ‘ibadah; be grateful, follow good models and avoid the “bad models”
(those who earned anger and went astray).
سُورَةُ الضُّحَىٰAd-Duha — “The Morning Brightness” Makki · 11 verses · #93
Theme & context (background)
🎯 Theme: Allah consoles the Prophet ﷺ — He has not abandoned you, and what is to come is better than what has passed.
📜 Occasion of revelation (know this one!): revelation paused for a period (the wahy stopped coming).
The idolaters taunted: “His Lord has forsaken and hated him.” Allah revealed this surah swearing by the
forenoon and the night that He had neither forsaken nor hated His Prophet ﷺ. Ad-Duha & Ash-Sharh are the
consolation pair.
Text & translation
وَالضُّحَىٰ ﴿١﴾1. By the morning brightness,
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ ﴿٢﴾2. and by the night when it grows still,
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ ﴿٣﴾3. your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hated you,
وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الْأُولَىٰ ﴿٤﴾4. and the Hereafter is better for you than this first (life).
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ ﴿٥﴾5. And your Lord will surely give you, and you will be well-pleased.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ ﴿٦﴾6. Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you?
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَىٰ ﴿٧﴾7. And find you unaware (of the way) and guide you?
وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰ ﴿٨﴾8. And find you poor and enrich you?
فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ ﴿٩﴾9. So as for the orphan, do not oppress him,
وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ ﴿١٠﴾10. and as for the one who asks, do not repel him,
وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ ﴿١١﴾11. and as for the favour of your Lord, proclaim it.
Key words (lafzi)
الضُّحَىٰthe morning brightness / forenoon
إِذَا سَجَىٰwhen it grows still / covers with darkness
مَا وَدَّعَكَHe has not forsaken you
وَمَا قَلَىٰnor is He displeased / nor hated
الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌthe Hereafter is better
يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَyour Lord will give you
فَتَرْضَىٰand you will be well-pleased
يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰan orphan, so He sheltered
ضَالًّا فَهَدَىٰunaware (of the way), so He guided
عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰpoor, so He enriched
الْيَتِيمَthe orphan
فَلَا تَقْهَرْdo not oppress
السَّائِلَthe one who asks / beggar
فَلَا تَنْهَرْdo not repel / scold
بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَthe favour of your Lord
فَحَدِّثْproclaim it
Reflection (background)
💡 Lesson: never despair — Allah's care is constant and the best is ahead. Gratitude is shown in action:
be kind to the orphan, never repel the beggar, and openly proclaim Allah's blessings.
سُورَةُ الشَّرْحِAsh-Sharh — “The Expansion / Relief” (al-Inshirah) Makki · 8 verses · #94
Theme & context (background)
🎯 Theme: Allah eased the Prophet's ﷺ burden and raised his renown — and the timeless promise that with hardship comes ease.
📜 Context: the second of the consolation pair (after Ad-Duha). Allah reminds the Prophet ﷺ of three favours —
He expanded his breast, removed his weighing burden, and raised his mention high (his name is joined to Allah's in the shahadah and the adhan).
Text & translation
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ ﴿١﴾1. Have We not expanded for you your breast?
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ ﴿٢﴾2. And removed from you your burden,
الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ ﴿٣﴾3. which had weighed down your back?
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ ﴿٤﴾4. And raised high for you your renown.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿٥﴾5. So, indeed, with hardship comes ease.
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿٦﴾6. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ ﴿٧﴾7. So when you are free (from one task), exert yourself (in worship),
وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ ﴿٨﴾8. and turn your longing to your Lord.
Key words (lafzi)
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْhave We not expanded / opened
صَدْرَكَyour breast / chest
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَand We removed from you
وِزْرَكَyour burden
أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَweighed down your back
رَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَraised your renown high
الْعُسْرِhardship
يُسْرًاease
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْwhen free, exert yourself
فَارْغَبْturn (your longing) to Him
Reflection (background)
💡 Lesson: one hardship, two eases — the verse of ease is repeated, and scholars note the one hardship
(with “al-”) cannot defeat the two eases. Finish a task, then move straight to the next good work, always longing for Allah.
سُورَةُ التِّينِAt-Teen — “The Fig” Makki · 8 verses · #95
Theme & context (background)
🎯 Theme: man is created in the best of forms with high dignity — but only faith and good deeds keep him there; Allah's justice is absolute.
📜 Context: Allah swears by the fig, the olive, Mount Sinai (place of Musa) and the secure city (Makkah) — sacred
places of revelation — to testify that He created man perfectly, then warns that without faith man sinks “to the lowest of the low”.
Text & translation
وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ ﴿١﴾1. By the fig and the olive,
وَطُورِ سِينِينَ ﴿٢﴾2. and Mount Sinai,
وَهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ ﴿٣﴾3. and this secure city (Makkah),
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ ﴿٤﴾4. We have surely created man in the best of moulds,
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ ﴿٥﴾5. then We reduced him to the lowest of the low —
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ ﴿٦﴾6. except those who believe and do good — for them is a reward never ending.
فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِالدِّينِ ﴿٧﴾7. So what makes you deny the Recompense after (this)?
أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ ﴿٨﴾8. Is not Allah the most just of all judges?
Key words (lafzi)
التِّينِthe fig
الزَّيْتُونِthe olive
طُورِ سِينِينَMount Sinai
الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِthe secure city (Makkah)
خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَWe created man
أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍthe best of moulds / stature
رَدَدْنَاهُWe reduced / returned him
أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَthe lowest of the low
آمَنُواthose who believed
عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِdid righteous deeds
أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍa reward never ending
يُكَذِّبُكَmakes you deny / belies you
الدِّينِthe Recompense / Judgement
أَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَthe most just of judges
Reflection (background)
💡 Lesson: human dignity is a gift to be protected by faith + good deeds; reject them and you fall to the lowest.
Allah, the most just Judge, will recompense everyone fairly.
Word-by-word translation drill. For each verse, tap the word-meanings in order
to rebuild the English translation. This is the heart of tafseer lafzi — practice, not graded.
One row per surah — your crib-sheet view. Then the memory hooks.
| Surah | Name means | Key word (lafzi) | Theme keyword | Revelation hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| الفاتحة Al-Fatiha #1 | The Opening | الْحَمْدُ all praise | Essence of the Quran — praise + guidance | 1st complete surah · recited every rak‘ah · = Umm al-Kitab |
| الضحى Ad-Duha #93 | Morning brightness | مَا وَدَّعَكَ He has not forsaken you | Consolation — “He has not forsaken you” | Revelation paused; idolaters mocked → reassurance |
| الشرح Ash-Sharh #94 | Expansion / relief | الْعُسْرِ ・ يُسْرًا hardship ・ ease | With hardship comes ease | Consolation pair with Ad-Duha |
| التين At-Teen #95 | The Fig | أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ the best form | Man in best form · dignity · justice | Oath by fig, olive, Sinai, secure Makkah |
Memory hooks
- All four are Makki. In the whole syllabus only Al-Bayyinah & Az-Zalzalah (lesson 3) and An-Nasr (lesson 6) are Madani — answer everything else “Makki”.
- Fatiha split in half: hadith qudsi — “I divided the prayer between Me and My servant.” Verses 1–4 = Allah's praise; verses 5–7 = the servant's request (worship + guidance).
- Duha & Sharh = the consolation pair. Duha: “He has not forsaken you” after revelation paused. Sharh: “with hardship comes ease.”
- One hardship, two eases: مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا is repeated — the single hardship (al-‘usr) is outnumbered by the two eases (yusran).
- Duha's three favours → three commands: orphan→shelter (don't oppress), astray→guide, poor→enrich (don't repel the beggar); and proclaim Allah's blessing.
- Teen's four oaths: fig + olive + Mount Sinai + secure Makkah → man made فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ (best mould), then أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ (lowest) unless he has faith + good deeds.
- Fatiha's other names: Umm al-Kitab, as-Sab‘ al-Mathani (the 7 oft-repeated), al-Qur'an al-‘Azeem, ash-Shifa, al-Hamd, as-Salah.
12 questions. Score 10/12 on first try (≥80%) to mark this lesson done and unlock the next.