Quran Universe
7:2

كِتَٰبٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ فَلَا يَكُن فِي صَدۡرِكَ حَرَجٞ مِّنۡهُ لِتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ وَذِكۡرَىٰ لِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

Kitabun onzila ilayka fala yakun fee sadrika harajun minhu litunthira bihi wathikra lilmumineena

[This is] a Book revealed to you, [O Muhammad] - so let there not be in your breast distress therefrom - that you may warn thereby and as a reminder to the believers.

Word by word
  1. كِتَٰبٌ(This is) a Book
  2. أُنزِلَrevealed
  3. إِلَيۡكَto you
  4. فَلَاso (let) not
  5. يَكُنbe
  6. فِيin
  7. صَدۡرِكَyour breast
  8. حَرَجٞany uneasiness
  9. مِّنۡهُfrom it
  10. لِتُنذِرَthat you warn
  11. بِهِۦwith it
  12. وَذِكۡرَىٰand a reminder
  13. لِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَfor the believers
Al-A'raf · 7:2Makkah

Do not let the message feel heavy in your chest.

Carrying a truth others do not want

One Book, two jobs
the Booksent down to him ﷺ
to
warnthose who turn away
remindthose who believe
The tightness in the chest
hold it backthey will not like it
no tightnessit is from your Lord

The Prophet ﷺ faced a city that mocked him. Scholars explained the tightness here as doubt, or hesitation to deliver it. The tafsir links it to being patient like the messengers of strong will.

Your cousins are arguing in the family group chat, and you know something true that would help. You type it, delete it, type it again. What will they think of me? The truth does not need you to be embarrassed for it.

If people may not like what is right, I should keep quiet.

What comes from Allah does not need me to feel cramped about it.

Try this

Say one kind, true thing today that you have been holding back.

Related46:35
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:1)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

المص - كِتَابٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُن فِي صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِّنْهُ لِتُنذِرَ بِهِ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ - اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

(1. Alif-Lam-Mim-Şad.)(2. (This is the) Book (the Qur'an) sent down unto you, so let not your breast be narrow therefrom, that you warn thereby; and a reminder unto the believers.)(3. Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any Awliya' (protectors), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember!)

We mentioned before the explanation of the letters [such as, Alif-Lam, that are in the beginning of some Surahs in the Qur'an].

كِتَابٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ

((This is the) Book (the Qur'an) sent down unto you (O Muhammad)), from your Lord,

فَلَا يَكُن فِي صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِّنْهُ

(so let not your breast be narrow therefrom,) meaning, having doubt about it according to Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi. It was also said that the meaning here is: 'do not hesitate to convey the Qur'an and warn with it,'

فَاصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُولُو الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ

(Therefore be patient as did the Messengers of strong will)[46:35]. Allah said here,

لِتُنذِرَ بِهِ 

(that you warn thereby) meaning, 'We sent down the Qur'an so that you may warn the disbelievers with it,'

وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(and a reminder unto the believers). Allah then said to the world,

اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord) meaning, follow and imitate the unlettered Prophet ﷺ, who brought you a Book that was revealed for you, from the Lord and master of everything.

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ

(and follow not any Awliya', besides Him (Allah)) meaning, do not disregard what the Messenger ﷺ brought you and follow something else, for in this case, you will be deviating from Allah's judgment to the decision of someone else. Allah's statement,

قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

(Little do you remember!) is similar to,

وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly)[12:103], and;

وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

(And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's path)[6:116], and,

وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ

(And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him)[12:106].