In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The Graceful Commentary
on the book "Identification Cards
for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Baqarah.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,
and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and upon his family and Companions all together.
This
is the second recording
concerning Surah al-Baqarah
from the Graceful Commentary
on the book
"Identification Cards."
It contains three main points, as usual,
but the first point is extremely important
due to a major defect in the printed book,
which occurred in the printing
and through alterations
made by the publisher.
We have "the period in which the surah was revealed,"
which refers to
the Makkan and Madinan classification,
and we also have
"the chronological order of the surah's revelation."
If you examine Surah al-Baqarah,
you will find that "the period in which
the surah was revealed" does not appear as a heading;
instead, there is
"its order of revelation" and "its dating."
In fact, its dating and its order of revelation
are one and the same thing,
or rather both fall under a single category,
as I will clarify shortly.
Because of this, there is a major defect here:
if you turn to Surah al-Baqarah
and look
under the heading "its order of revelation,"
some text has been written,
and under the heading
"its dating," other text has been written.
The reality is that the heading "its dating,"
across almost the entire book—
though I have not checked every single page,
it appears throughout the book that "its dating"
is an error, and in its place should be written:
"the period in which it was revealed."
Thus, this surah is Madinan
by consensus, without any authentic exception.
This pertains to the period
in which it was revealed,
and for this point I relied
on the two scholarly
theses
mentioned
in the book on page ten;
likewise, both
are referenced in footnote number three
in the attached file which
I shared in the first lesson,
and perhaps I will post it here once again,
which contains the introductory portals and their scholarly sources.
As for the question of the order of revelation
and the dating of revelation, the order of revelation—which
I previously commented on in an earlier clip—
alongside the dating of revelation,
signifies chronological placement.
This order—
namely, that this surah is the eighty-sixth,
for instance, in the case of Surah al-Baqarah—
helps in determining the dating of its revelation,
though it alone is not sufficient;
rather, alongside it, the occasions of revelation
and other factors lead to establishing the dating of revelation.
Regarding the dating of revelation, if you observe
in Surah al-Baqarah,
as I mentioned, the heading "its dating"
should become "its revelation period,"
and what is there should be moved to "its order of revelation."
Its order of revelation and its dating
belong together, and the heading
I chose for it in the book is "its dating,"
which encompasses its order of revelation;
hence, it is the first surah revealed in
Madinah, and so forth.
This discussion relates,
as we have explained in detail,
to what may require listening to this
clip several times to verify the information and master it. Whoever has a question may
ask it. So this is the first point, and it is vital for understanding the entire book.
Thus, dating and the order of revelation fall under a single heading, whereas the period
in which the surah was revealed stands on its own. This period is always mentioned in
the book—for whoever possesses the complete book—in the detailed commentary at
the top of the page along with the surah's number, verse count, and juz'. The second point
pertains to the second passage of the surah, or let us say, the second section of the surah.
We spoke about the first section, the change of the Qiblah, and so forth. The second section contains
a detailed exposition of legal rulings, after hearts were prepared for them in the first
section. In it, themes from the end of the first section are reiterated: at the end
of the first section, those who conceal what Allah revealed were mentioned, and here likewise
they are mentioned at the beginning of this section, followed by the detailed rulings. This second section
extends from verse 168 to verse 207,
beginning with His saying, Exalted is He: "O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful
and good." This section addresses numerous rulings, the most prominent of which are
Hajj and fasting. One will notice the difference between the rulings contained herein
and those in the third section in tomorrow's recording, if
Allah wills. This passage extends up to the verse: "O you
who have believed, enter into Islam completely." It concludes with the verses of Hajj, and then
“And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen.” (2:207)
we move to the third point, which is closely linked to the second
point. We notice that when the Qur'an speaks of these
acts of worship, it differs from the way jurists speak about them.
Therefore, one ought to complete one's conception of acts of worship
through learning both the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Sunnah focuses on the outward
aspects of worship: "Pray as you have seen me pray," and
similarly, "Take from me your pilgrimage rites," among other legal injunctions.
In the Qur'an, however, there are indications of other inner dimensions that must
be observed in fasting, Hajj, and other rituals. I shall provide
an example, and then try reading these verses, for they
unveil to you the inward dimension. That is to say, when you study fiqh,
it largely relies for detailed rulings upon
the Prophetic hadiths, and this is an immense good; yet it is only
a part of the reality of that worship. The Qur'an contains
pointers to those rulings, but it also contains pointers to
something else. As I said, an example clarifies the matter.
The Exalted said: "And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days," in
the verses of Hajj in Surah al-Baqarah, "then whoever hastens in
“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)
“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)
to Him you will be gathered." This is a well-known fiqh ruling,
detailed in the Sunnah and discussed by the jurists: should a person
hasten or delay his departure during the days of Tashriq? Yet
the conclusion of the verse—"And fear Allah and know that
to Him you will be gathered"—is a profound sign; indeed, it holds multiple indications, of which I will mention only one:
that the dispersal of people during Hajj and their departure
from Mina, as with all the pilgrimage rites, serves as a reminder of the Resurrection.
The pilgrim ought to remember, through that gathering, the immense Day of
Gathering when Allah will assemble all creation. By
this analogy, judge these few verses concerning Hajj, and those
verses preceding them on fasting, and what
lies between them: you will find abundant indications of spiritual meanings
upon which the exegetes dwelt at great length.
Whoever wishes to truly learn their religion requires, alongside fiqh—
which is critically important—this spiritual dimension
that gives worship an entirely distinct flavor. Let us not forget,
in conclusion: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting
as it was decreed upon those before you that you may
become righteous." Notice how the words "that you may become righteous" orient fasting
toward a completely different horizon, drawing attention to a crucial dimension of fasting:
namely, God-consciousness (taqwa), the seat of which is the heart. I will suffice with
this much. May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon
his family and all his Companions. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.