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

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A gentle commentary

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on the book of identification cards

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for the images of the Noble Qur'an,

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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Qasas.

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah,

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and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.

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We continue with our gentle commentary

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on the identification cards

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for the images of the Noble Qur'an

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by Muhammad ibn 'Umar Nasif,

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now with Surah al-Qasas.

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I have three observations regarding it,

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all of which will be connected

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to the science of thematic coherence (munasabat).

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The first observation

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concerns the placement of the Surah,

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which I have previously stated

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aims to clarify the relationship of the Surah

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to the one preceding it.

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He says here that its coherence

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with An-Naml and Ash-Shu'ara'

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lies in its detailed elaboration

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of the story of Musa, peace be upon him,

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which is mentioned in both of them.

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Thus, the coherence here is not

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related only to the preceding Surah,

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which is An-Naml,

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but to the two preceding Surahs:

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Ash-Shu'ara' and An-Naml.

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These three Surahs—

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Ash-Shu'ara', An-Naml, and Al-Qasas—

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are called the "Tawasin."

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They are united by the similarity in their opening,

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even if the similarity is complete between Al-Qasas,

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Ash-Shu'ara', and An-Naml,

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[all starting with] "Ta-Sin" without a "Mim."

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Here, I would like to speak

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about what some brothers mentioned.

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One asked me, saying:

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"Do these thematic coherences have

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a fixed rule

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that is consistent?"

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Although I have pointed

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to something of this before, there is no harm

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in repeating it.

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I say, firstly,

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these thematic coherences

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are not a matter

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of consensus among scholars;

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they are a matter of ijtihad (scholarly exertion),

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and one may be satisfied

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with the slightest connection.

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Furthermore, this specific connection—

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a connection that Al-Suyuti saw

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in his book *Tanasuq al-Durar*—

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is consistent throughout the Qur'an,

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[the idea] that a Surah elaborates on what preceded it.

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This requires research;

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meaning, the book *Tanasuq al-Durar*

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by Al-Suyuti needs

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to be examined for the general rules

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he mentioned,

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and to verify those rules

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by looking

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at the Qur'an.

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In truth, he mentioned

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subtle points that deserve study,

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among them this [notion] that every Surah elaborates

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on what preceded it.

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He did not present the argument just like that;

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rather, he provided multiple proofs

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scattered throughout his book

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for this matter.

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The second observation:

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what helps in understanding thematic coherence

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is the study of the reasons for revelation (asbab al-nuzul).

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We have two reasons in this Surah

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that may help in dating the revelation.

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Of course, not

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the dating of the entire Surah,

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because it was revealed—

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or the two reasons were revealed in verses close to each other,

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almost within the same period.

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However, [this applies to] some verses of the Surah.

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Therefore, we say it is better to say

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that it indicates the dating of

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the revelation of some verses of the Surah;

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this is more precise.

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They are two reasons that may help in dating the revelation,

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but if you reflect upon them,

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you will find they also help in thematic coherence. For the first reason for revelation:

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﴾And We have conveyed the word to them so that they might remember. Those to whom We gave the Book before it, they believe in it. And when it is recited to them, they say...﴿

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[The verses continue] regarding spending from what We have provided, until it says: ﴾Indeed, you do not guide whom you love.﴿

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“And when it is recited unto them, they say: We believe in it. Lo! it is the Truth from our Lord. Lo! even before it we were of those who surrender (unto Him).” (28:53)

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“These will be given their reward twice over, because they are steadfast and repel evil with good, and spend of that wherewith We have provided them,” (28:54)

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Abu Talib, and the preceding verses were revealed regarding some of the Jews who

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accepted Islam, the connection becomes clear. Thus, the science of thematic coherence does not rely on

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one thing alone. It may rely on language,

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it may rely on

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rhetoric, it may rely on the history of revelation, it may rely on...

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Therefore, we find among the sources of Imam Al-Tabari in the coherences he

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mentions are the reports (athar) he narrates from the Tabi'un, which indicates that this

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science is authentic—the science of thematic coherence. And it came in the reasons for revelation after

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mentioning the first reason,

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and there is evidence indicating that this was before the Hijrah.

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Meaning, the identification of this incident was reported. This was reported, and though I have not verified

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it, some have strengthened it, as in the *Seerah Dhahabiyyah*.

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However, it needs further examination. Its absence does not harm [the argument], in the sense that

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the fact that the first verses speak about people who believed even though they were

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distant, and the verses that follow are about Abu Talib—who was

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very close to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and did not believe—means the connection

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is established. But if it is proven that this was before the Hijrah, it is useful

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also for dating the revelation. So, this is the second observation,

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which is that the reasons for revelation assist in the science of thematic coherence. The third

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and final issue is regarding the sections of the Surah. You notice in the

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last two lines of the second part of the Surah, there is a reminder to the

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Prophet, peace be upon him, of the blessing of the Qur'an with the promise

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of a return to a place of return: ﴾Indeed, He who imposed the Qur'an upon you will return you to a place of return.﴿

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This "return" is connected to the beginning of the Surah, as explained by Al-Suyuti

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and Al-Biqa'i, may Allah have mercy on them all. Therefore, you find at the beginning

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of the Surah: ﴾Indeed, We will return him to you,﴿ then He said: ﴾So We returned him to his mother.﴿

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Allah returned Musa after he left in fear to Madyan;

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Allah returned him to Egypt as a righteous prophet and caller, and granted him victory over

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Pharaoh. Thus, the "return" is repeated in the Surah,

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in wording and in meaning.

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Therefore, it can be added here in the third line of the

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first section: "Then the mention of the situation of the mother of Musa, the picking up by

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the family of Pharaoh, and returning him to her"—meaning returning Musa to her.

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Then the maturation and establishment of Musa, then the journey to Madyan, then

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the sending of Musa, peace be upon him, and his discourse, then his return

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to Egypt—this sentence can be added—and the calling of

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Pharaoh and his destruction. Why did I say it is appropriate to mention

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the word "return"? To draw attention to the connection between the beginning of the Surah,

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the first section, and the end of the second section. And this connection

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is not of the type of connection we spoke about before;

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this is a connection between the parts of the Surah, and this

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is clearer than the connection between the Surah and the one preceding it.

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For the Surah and the one preceding it, as I said, scholars differed;

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a number of scholars stated that one should not be preoccupied

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with it, while some were interested in it. The connection there

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is subtle and light, perhaps based on the slightest association. But

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this one, which is inside the Surah, is very precise,

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clearer, with manifest wording and precise matters.

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I ask Allah to grant me and you success in what He loves and is pleased with, and that He

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gives us understanding of His Book and makes it a proof for us, not a proof

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against us. And may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon

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his family and all his companions. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.