1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,759 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:32,229 The concise commentary 3 00:00:32,229 --> 00:00:35,229 on the book "Identification Cards 4 00:00:35,229 --> 00:00:38,229 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 5 00:00:38,229 --> 00:00:42,229 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif, 6 00:00:42,229 --> 00:00:44,359 may Allah preserve him. 7 00:00:44,359 --> 00:00:46,359 Surah Qaf. 8 00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:48,359 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 9 00:00:48,359 --> 00:00:51,359 All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 10 00:00:51,359 --> 00:00:54,649 This is a return to the concise commentary 11 00:00:54,649 --> 00:00:56,649 on the "Identification Cards," 12 00:00:56,649 --> 00:00:59,100 and we are with Surah Qaf. 13 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:02,100 I have three points to pause and reflect upon regarding it. 14 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:05,099 The first point pertains to what has been mentioned 15 00:01:05,099 --> 00:01:08,480 regarding the order of the surah's revelation. 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,480 He said: "In the surah there is an indication of the presence of disputants." 17 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,859 Well, what does the presence of disputants have to do 18 00:01:15,859 --> 00:01:18,859 with the order of the surah's revelation, 19 00:01:18,859 --> 00:01:21,859 or, using the more precise phrasing that I noted earlier, 20 00:01:21,859 --> 00:01:24,310 dating the revelation of the surah? 21 00:01:24,310 --> 00:01:28,310 It is as though the presence of disputants suggests a somewhat later revelation. 22 00:01:28,310 --> 00:01:31,310 Therefore, this phrase ought to be added 23 00:01:31,310 --> 00:01:34,310 after "an indication of the presence of disputants": 24 00:01:34,310 --> 00:01:38,310 "which suggests a somewhat later revelation of the surah." 25 00:01:38,310 --> 00:01:41,439 And its being counted as the thirty-fourth according to the well-known view 26 00:01:41,439 --> 00:01:44,439 accords with this notion. 27 00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:47,920 As for the second point, it pertains to its virtues. 28 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:49,920 It has been reported regarding its virtues 29 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,950 that some of the female Companions memorized it 30 00:01:52,950 --> 00:01:56,950 because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to recite it 31 00:01:56,950 --> 00:02:00,950 every Friday from the pulpit. 32 00:02:00,950 --> 00:02:03,950 Scholars have discussed what is meant by "every" here: 33 00:02:03,950 --> 00:02:06,950 Was it in every single sermon, or was it simply very frequent? 34 00:02:06,950 --> 00:02:09,949 This can be reviewed in its relevant sources, 35 00:02:09,949 --> 00:02:12,949 and this is not the place for detailed discussion of it. 36 00:02:12,949 --> 00:02:16,110 But what I wish to pause upon 37 00:02:16,110 --> 00:02:19,110 is that the scholars also examined this hadith from another perspective, 38 00:02:19,110 --> 00:02:22,110 namely: Why was this surah singled out 39 00:02:22,110 --> 00:02:25,110 to be recited during the Friday sermon? 40 00:02:25,110 --> 00:02:28,430 The truth is that, as they indicated, 41 00:02:28,430 --> 00:02:31,689 it encompasses the mention of death, the Resurrection, 42 00:02:31,689 --> 00:02:34,689 and powerful deterrents, and this aligns perfectly 43 00:02:34,689 --> 00:02:37,689 with the objective of the Friday sermon: 44 00:02:37,689 --> 00:02:40,689 admonition and exhortation. 45 00:02:40,689 --> 00:02:44,229 This core objective is sometimes lost 46 00:02:44,229 --> 00:02:47,229 upon some preachers, 47 00:02:47,229 --> 00:02:50,780 so they become preoccupied with important matters— 48 00:02:50,780 --> 00:02:54,099 important, yes, but among the most essential matters 49 00:02:54,099 --> 00:02:57,099 that a preacher should be keen to maintain 50 00:02:57,099 --> 00:03:00,099 are the very matters that the Prophet, 51 00:03:00,099 --> 00:03:03,099 peace be upon him, was keen to observe. 52 00:03:03,099 --> 00:03:06,099 When the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon, 53 00:03:06,099 --> 00:03:09,099 his face would redden and his voice would rise, which accords 54 00:03:09,099 --> 00:03:12,099 with these themes of death, the Resurrection, 55 00:03:12,099 --> 00:03:15,099 stern deterrents, admonition, 56 00:03:15,099 --> 00:03:18,189 and the necessary solemnity, 57 00:03:19,189 --> 00:03:22,189 while naturally combining both encouragement and warning. 58 00:03:22,189 --> 00:03:25,189 There is no doubt that reminding people of Allah and the Hereafter 59 00:03:25,189 --> 00:03:28,189 is an immensely important matter in the Friday sermon. 60 00:03:28,189 --> 00:03:31,349 A corollary of this principle 61 00:03:31,349 --> 00:03:34,349 is that whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) was keen 62 00:03:34,349 --> 00:03:37,349 to recite a particular surah in a specific context, we should likewise be keen 63 00:03:37,349 --> 00:03:40,349 to recite it in that very setting, 64 00:03:40,349 --> 00:03:43,379 whether we comprehend 65 00:03:43,379 --> 00:03:46,379 the wisdom behind that or not. 66 00:03:46,379 --> 00:03:49,379 It is sufficient for us to follow. 67 00:03:49,379 --> 00:03:52,379 After this emulation, by the permission of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, 68 00:03:52,379 --> 00:03:55,379 the blessing of following the Sunnah will be attained, 69 00:03:55,379 --> 00:03:58,379 and the lights of what a person recites will manifest to him 70 00:03:58,379 --> 00:04:01,580 in proportion to his adherence and sincerity. 71 00:04:01,580 --> 00:04:04,580 We ask Allah to make us among the sincere followers 72 00:04:04,580 --> 00:04:07,580 of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings be upon him. 73 00:04:07,580 --> 00:04:10,860 As for the third and final point, 74 00:04:10,860 --> 00:04:13,860 it concerns the passages of the surah. We note that it consists of 75 00:04:13,860 --> 00:04:16,860 an introduction, a single central section, and a conclusion. 76 00:04:16,860 --> 00:04:19,860 This single section begins with "qad" (already/certainly), 77 00:04:19,860 --> 00:04:22,860 which is His saying, Exalted is He: "We already know what the earth diminishes of them." 78 00:04:22,860 --> 00:04:26,310 Yet notice that this single section contains 79 00:04:26,310 --> 00:04:29,410 three distinct passages. 80 00:04:29,410 --> 00:04:32,410 We previously agreed that the word "thumma" (then) indicates the start of 81 00:04:32,410 --> 00:04:35,410 a new passage. Notice the first passage: 82 00:04:35,410 --> 00:04:38,410 It naturally begins with this verse: "We already know what the earth diminishes of them." 83 00:04:38,410 --> 00:04:41,410 Regarding the second passage, he said: "Then the mention of the creation of man," 84 00:04:41,410 --> 00:04:43,410 which is His saying, Exalted is He: 85 00:04:43,410 --> 00:04:46,410 “We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16) 86 00:04:46,410 --> 00:04:49,410 Then the third: "Then establishing the proof for the Resurrection," 87 00:04:49,410 --> 00:04:55,410 which is His saying, Exalted is He: "And We have already created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days," 88 00:04:55,410 --> 00:04:57,889 and what follows it. 89 00:04:57,889 --> 00:05:00,980 Thus, we notice that the section began with "qad," 90 00:05:00,980 --> 00:05:03,180 which is the first passage— 91 00:05:03,180 --> 00:05:07,180 this verse serves simultaneously as the first passage of the section— 92 00:05:07,180 --> 00:05:11,529 while the second passage begins with "wa-la-qad" and the third with "wa-la-qad." 93 00:05:11,529 --> 00:05:14,529 This reminds us of something I have mentioned before 94 00:05:14,529 --> 00:05:17,529 and love to reiterate often, because it is 95 00:05:17,529 --> 00:05:21,529 crucial for a person's deep understanding of the surahs of the Qur'an: 96 00:05:21,529 --> 00:05:26,529 namely, that there are opening formulas that recur within each surah. 97 00:05:26,529 --> 00:05:29,529 Almost every surah has opening formulas that frequently recur, 98 00:05:29,529 --> 00:05:32,720 with hardly any exception other than the short surahs. 99 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,069 Here, the recurring word was "qad," 100 00:05:36,069 --> 00:05:39,300 followed by "wa-la-qad" and "wa-la-qad." 101 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:41,300 These aid in delineating the structure of the surah 102 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:43,329 and in understanding it, 103 00:05:43,329 --> 00:05:47,329 as well as in contemplating the consistency of this recurring element 104 00:05:47,329 --> 00:05:50,329 and its variation; for the first time it occurred without additional emphasis, 105 00:05:50,329 --> 00:05:52,329 using only "qad," 106 00:05:52,329 --> 00:05:54,329 whereas in "wa-la-qad," the emphatic "lam" was added, 107 00:05:54,329 --> 00:05:56,329 and in "wa-la-qad," the emphatic "lam" was added, 108 00:05:56,329 --> 00:05:57,329 along with the conjunction "waw." 109 00:05:57,329 --> 00:06:00,329 This subtle variation in phrasing 110 00:06:00,329 --> 00:06:05,329 has an impact on the verse's meaning 111 00:06:05,329 --> 00:06:10,490 and on its harmony with its context and theme. 112 00:06:10,490 --> 00:06:15,490 Therefore, it is among the subtleties that the reciter of the Qur'an ought to pay attention to. 113 00:06:15,490 --> 00:06:18,490 I will conclude with this, and I send blessings upon the best of the messengers, 114 00:06:18,490 --> 00:06:20,490 and upon his family and all his Companions. 115 00:06:20,490 --> 00:06:22,490 And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.