In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The commentary titled *Al-Ta'liq al-Latif*
on the book *Bitaqat al-Ta'rif*
*bi-Suwar al-Mushaf al-Sharif*,
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Saffat.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We are still continuing with *Al-Ta'liq al-Latif* on *Bitaqat al-Ta'rif*.
Next is Surah al-Saffat, and regarding it I have three remarks.
The first remark concerns an error here:
The surah consists of one hundred and eighty-two verses,
and it is neither among the seven long surahs (al-Tiwal) nor among the short, segmented ones (al-Mufassal);
thus, according to this categorization, it belongs to al-Mi'in (surahs of roughly a hundred verses).
This was indeed written at the top of the page, where he stated it is from al-Mi'in,
yet in the section detailing the virtues of the surah, he stated it is from al-Mathani.
The correct view is that it is from al-Mi'in,
which the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was granted in place of the Psalms (Zabur).
This is certainly an error in the structural diagram:
in its division, he classified it under al-Mathani.
On the main page, he stated that Surah al-Saffat is among al-Mi'in,
and that is correct,
but when returning to the diagram, he stated
its category was al-Mathani, which is an error;
it is indeed from al-Mi'in.
I apologize for the numerous errors in this edition;
perfection belongs solely to the One who never errs, and I ask Allah to forgive me, you, and all who listen
to these lessons, as well as everyone who contributed to publishing the book, and to accept our humble efforts
and bless them. The second remark is that the name and opening of Surah al-Saffat
harmonize beautifully with its conclusion. It is named Surah al-Saffat because it begins with "By those lined up in rows," and we observe
at the end of the surah: "And indeed, we are those who line up in rows, and indeed, we are those who glorify Allah." All of this refers
to the angels; all of this points to the angels, demonstrating that the end of the surah
is tied to its beginning, and reading its conclusion in isolation from its opening diminishes one's grasp
of its meanings. Furthermore, its name, opening, and conclusion all correspond to what is
stated regarding its central theme. Although it addresses the affirmation of Tawhid—and this brings us to the third
remark—the second remark remains that the surah opens with the angels and concludes with the angels.
This is an instance of concluding with what corresponds to the beginning (radd al-'ajuz 'ala al-sadr). As I mentioned, regarding the harmony between the surah's end
and its beginning, I did not make a separate entry for it because it is already apparent across the sections. If you
examine the sections, you will find in the very first section the mention of certain
angels in the introduction, and at the end of the surah, in the final couplets, an elucidation of the status
of the angels. Mentioning the angels at both the beginning and the end prompts the reader
to notice this recurring focus here and there. When you read a surah across six
or seven pages, you might not notice it—especially if we read the surah quickly—but when you
read half a page and find the angels mentioned at the start and at the end,
you take note, for this is deliberately highlighted to emphasize the relationship between
the end and the beginning. As I said, this leads us to the third remark,
which concerns the central theme of the surah. The surah deals with the affirmation of Tawhid alongside
praising Allah's devoted, sincere servants. The Prophets are mentioned therein, highlighting profound moments
from their lives that demonstrate utmost servitude to Allah, as pointed out
by al-Biqa'i in his Tafsir for whoever wishes to explore this further. The angels, without
doubt, represent the pinnacle of servitude to Allah, Glorified and Exalted; thus, it was fitting
to mention them first and last, followed by the accounts of the Prophets, who are the sincere
and devoted servants of Allah. We see this most clearly in the story of Ibrahim,
peace be upon him: "And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We called out to him, 'O Ibrahim,
you have fulfilled the vision.'" Alongside this, you will notice—as indicated in the theme
of the surah—that certain phrases and motifs are frequently repeated, such as "except the chosen servants of Allah,"
"indeed, We thus reward the doers of good," and "indeed, he was of Our believing
servants." Paying attention to such recurring phrases serves as a means to identify the central theme of the surah,
showing that it revolves around affirming Tawhid and negating its opposite. This is
what is recorded regarding the surah's theme, along with praising the sincere servants
of Allah and promising them salvation and empowerment. We also notice that the emphasis
here was primarily on salvation rather than chastisement; punishment was only stated
explicitly in the story of Lut: "Then We destroyed the others." However,
in the story of Ilyas, for instance, their punishment was not mentioned; rather, it stated: "Peace
be upon Ilyas." Thus, the surah contains far more praise for the righteous, devoted
awliya' among the Prophets and Messengers of Allah than it does mentions
of the deniers and their punishment and the like. I will suffice with this amount regarding
this magnificent surah. May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and all his Companions, and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.