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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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The Graceful Commentary

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on the book "Identification Cards

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for the Surahs 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-Baqarah.

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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,

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and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

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and upon his family and Companions all together.

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This

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is the second recording

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concerning Surah al-Baqarah

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from the Graceful Commentary

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on the book

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"Identification Cards."

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It contains three main points, as usual,

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but the first point is extremely important

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due to a major defect in the printed book,

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which occurred in the printing

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and through alterations

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made by the publisher.

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We have "the period in which the surah was revealed,"

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which refers to

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the Makkan and Madinan classification,

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and we also have

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"the chronological order of the surah's revelation."

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If you examine Surah al-Baqarah,

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you will find that "the period in which

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the surah was revealed" does not appear as a heading;

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instead, there is

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"its order of revelation" and "its dating."

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In fact, its dating and its order of revelation

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are one and the same thing,

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or rather both fall under a single category,

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as I will clarify shortly.

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Because of this, there is a major defect here:

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if you turn to Surah al-Baqarah

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and look

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under the heading "its order of revelation,"

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some text has been written,

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and under the heading

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"its dating," other text has been written.

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The reality is that the heading "its dating,"

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across almost the entire book—

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though I have not checked every single page,

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it appears throughout the book that "its dating"

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is an error, and in its place should be written:

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"the period in which it was revealed."

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Thus, this surah is Madinan

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by consensus, without any authentic exception.

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This pertains to the period

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in which it was revealed,

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and for this point I relied

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on the two scholarly

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theses

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mentioned

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in the book on page ten;

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likewise, both

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are referenced in footnote number three

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in the attached file which

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I shared in the first lesson,

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and perhaps I will post it here once again,

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which contains the introductory portals and their scholarly sources.

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As for the question of the order of revelation

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and the dating of revelation, the order of revelation—which

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I previously commented on in an earlier clip—

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alongside the dating of revelation,

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signifies chronological placement.

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This order—

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namely, that this surah is the eighty-sixth,

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for instance, in the case of Surah al-Baqarah—

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helps in determining the dating of its revelation,

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though it alone is not sufficient;

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rather, alongside it, the occasions of revelation

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and other factors lead to establishing the dating of revelation.

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Regarding the dating of revelation, if you observe

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in Surah al-Baqarah,

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as I mentioned, the heading "its dating"

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should become "its revelation period,"

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and what is there should be moved to "its order of revelation."

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Its order of revelation and its dating

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belong together, and the heading

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I chose for it in the book is "its dating,"

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which encompasses its order of revelation;

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hence, it is the first surah revealed in

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Madinah, and so forth.

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This discussion relates,

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as we have explained in detail,

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to what may require listening to this

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clip several times to verify the information and master it. Whoever has a question may

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ask it. So this is the first point, and it is vital for understanding the entire book.

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Thus, dating and the order of revelation fall under a single heading, whereas the period

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in which the surah was revealed stands on its own. This period is always mentioned in

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the book—for whoever possesses the complete book—in the detailed commentary at

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the top of the page along with the surah's number, verse count, and juz'. The second point

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pertains to the second passage of the surah, or let us say, the second section of the surah.

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We spoke about the first section, the change of the Qiblah, and so forth. The second section contains

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a detailed exposition of legal rulings, after hearts were prepared for them in the first

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section. In it, themes from the end of the first section are reiterated: at the end

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of the first section, those who conceal what Allah revealed were mentioned, and here likewise

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they are mentioned at the beginning of this section, followed by the detailed rulings. This second section

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extends from verse 168 to verse 207,

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beginning with His saying, Exalted is He: "O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful

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and good." This section addresses numerous rulings, the most prominent of which are

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Hajj and fasting. One will notice the difference between the rulings contained herein

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and those in the third section in tomorrow's recording, if

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Allah wills. This passage extends up to the verse: "O you

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who have believed, enter into Islam completely." It concludes with the verses of Hajj, and then

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“And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen.” (2:207)

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we move to the third point, which is closely linked to the second

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point. We notice that when the Qur'an speaks of these

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acts of worship, it differs from the way jurists speak about them.

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Therefore, one ought to complete one's conception of acts of worship

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through learning both the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Sunnah focuses on the outward

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aspects of worship: "Pray as you have seen me pray," and

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similarly, "Take from me your pilgrimage rites," among other legal injunctions.

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In the Qur'an, however, there are indications of other inner dimensions that must

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be observed in fasting, Hajj, and other rituals. I shall provide

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an example, and then try reading these verses, for they

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unveil to you the inward dimension. That is to say, when you study fiqh,

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it largely relies for detailed rulings upon

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the Prophetic hadiths, and this is an immense good; yet it is only

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a part of the reality of that worship. The Qur'an contains

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pointers to those rulings, but it also contains pointers to

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something else. As I said, an example clarifies the matter.

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The Exalted said: "And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days," in

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the verses of Hajj in Surah al-Baqarah, "then whoever hastens in

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“Remember Allah through the appointed days. Then whoso hasteneth (his departure) by two days, it is no sin for him, and whoso delayeth, it is no sin for him; that is for him who wardeth off (evil). Be careful of your duty to Allah, and know that unto Him ye will be gathered.” (2:203)

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“Remember Allah through the appointed days. Then whoso hasteneth (his departure) by two days, it is no sin for him, and whoso delayeth, it is no sin for him; that is for him who wardeth off (evil). Be careful of your duty to Allah, and know that unto Him ye will be gathered.” (2:203)

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to Him you will be gathered." This is a well-known fiqh ruling,

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detailed in the Sunnah and discussed by the jurists: should a person

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hasten or delay his departure during the days of Tashriq? Yet

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the conclusion of the verse—"And fear Allah and know that

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to Him you will be gathered"—is a profound sign; indeed, it holds multiple indications, of which I will mention only one:

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that the dispersal of people during Hajj and their departure

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from Mina, as with all the pilgrimage rites, serves as a reminder of the Resurrection.

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The pilgrim ought to remember, through that gathering, the immense Day of

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Gathering when Allah will assemble all creation. By

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this analogy, judge these few verses concerning Hajj, and those

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verses preceding them on fasting, and what

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lies between them: you will find abundant indications of spiritual meanings

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upon which the exegetes dwelt at great length.

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Whoever wishes to truly learn their religion requires, alongside fiqh—

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which is critically important—this spiritual dimension

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that gives worship an entirely distinct flavor. Let us not forget,

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in conclusion: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting

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as it was decreed upon those before you that you may

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become righteous." Notice how the words "that you may become righteous" orient fasting

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toward a completely different horizon, drawing attention to a crucial dimension of fasting:

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namely, God-consciousness (taqwa), the seat of which is the heart. I will suffice with

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this much. May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon

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his family and all his Companions. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.