WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:32.259 A Gentle Commentary 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:35.259 on the book "Identification Cards 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.259 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:42.259 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Omar Naseef, 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:44.460 may Allah preserve him. 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:46.460 Surah Al-Anbiya'. 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:48.259 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:52.539 Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:55.539 We are continuing with our gentle commentary on "Identification Cards," 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:57.539 and we have arrived at Surah Al-Anbiya'. 00:00:57.539 --> 00:01:00.670 I wish to pause and reflect on three points regarding it. 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.570 As for the first point, 00:01:03.570 --> 00:01:07.180 it concerns the historical dating of the surah's revelation. 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:10.459 The author notes that its style 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:12.459 and its occasion of revelation 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:16.459 might suggest an intensification of the conflict with the disbelievers. 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:21.140 As I have mentioned before, the phrase "might suggest" 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:25.519 signals that this matter is an interpretive judgment (ijtihad) 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:28.519 and not grounded in definitive proofs. 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:31.519 Rather, it is an inference drawn directly from the text. 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.420 For indeed, we find within the text— 00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:36.420 meaning within the Qur'anic verses themselves— 00:01:36.420 --> 00:01:38.420 an intense and forceful tone. 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:41.420 “Their reckoning draweth nigh for mankind, while they turn away in heedlessness.” (21:1) 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:44.450 And so forth; there is severity 00:01:44.450 --> 00:01:46.450 and intimidating admonition. 00:01:46.450 --> 00:01:49.450 “And if a breath of thy Lord's punishment were to touch them, they assuredly would say: Alas for us! Lo! we were wrong-doers.” (21:46) 00:01:50.450 --> 00:01:53.450 Along with other similar verses. 00:01:53.450 --> 00:01:55.700 Thus, the style is unmistakably severe. 00:01:55.700 --> 00:01:57.700 The second factor is the occasion of revelation. 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:01.700 The reported occasion of revelation reflects conflict 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:05.700 and a contentious debate between that particular man 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:09.150 and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:02:09.150 --> 00:02:11.599 Combining both elements together 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:13.729 gives the impression— 00:02:13.729 --> 00:02:15.729 though we cannot be entirely certain— 00:02:15.729 --> 00:02:19.759 it suggests an escalation in the struggle against the disbelievers. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:26.080 Consequently, this indicates that it is not among the earliest surahs to be revealed. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:31.080 This aligns well with what was recorded regarding the date of its revelation 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:35.080 and its chronological order, as it is counted among the seventies. 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:38.080 The well-known transmission adopted in the book 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:43.080 sometimes agrees with the other historical traditions 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:47.080 and sometimes diverges from them, as we have seen previously 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:49.080 across numerous examples. 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.080 Therefore, you will notice this throughout the book; 00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:54.080 otherwise, I explicitly point it out in certain places, 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.080 and I have likely drawn attention to it elsewhere. 00:02:57.080 --> 00:02:59.180 As for the second point, 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:01.620 it pertains to the prophetic narratives. 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:05.099 It is well known that Surah Al-Anbiya' contains a great number of stories. 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:14.189 In fact, these narratives are among the greatest aids in discerning the central theme of the surah, 00:03:14.189 --> 00:03:20.580 especially if they encompass a substantial portion— 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:23.740 a significant part of the surah. 00:03:23.740 --> 00:03:26.960 Even when it is only a brief story, 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:28.960 it still maintains a connection to the overarching purpose of the surah. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:33.250 However, in a surah like this, where the stories extend 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:38.539 over more than two pages, or around more than three pages— 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:40.539 three faces of the pages in the Mus-haf— 00:03:40.539 --> 00:03:44.539 they become especially helpful for comprehending the objective of the surah. 00:03:44.539 --> 00:03:48.819 Even so, one must also understand 00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:52.819 their structural composition and rhetorical phrasing; 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:55.819 they must be understood within the context of the surah as a whole. 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.819 It is, therefore, a reciprocal relationship. 00:03:58.819 --> 00:04:04.300 Perhaps something of this will become clearer in the third point. 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:07.400 And in this third point, I say: 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:12.400 reading the surah from beginning to end in a single sitting 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:16.529 is essential for uncovering its core objective, 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:24.560 and vital for benefiting from and noticing its subtle insights and allusions. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:29.720 An example will make the point clear, and this surah is an evident example. 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:34.199 We notice, for instance, at the beginning of the surah: "Mankind's reckoning has drawn near," 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:38.259 and toward the end of the surah: "And the true promise draws near." 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:44.259 We notice at the beginning of the surah: "He said: My Lord knows every word spoken in the heaven and the earth," 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:48.259 while at the end of the surah: "He said: My Lord, judge with truth; 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:53.839 and our Lord is the Most Merciful, Whose help is sought against what you describe." 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:58.319 When we look thereafter at the stories situated 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:02.319 between these verses—right in the middle, after "Mankind's reckoning has drawn near," 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:06.319 after "My Lord knows every word spoken in the heaven and the earth," and before "And the true promise draws near," 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:09.449 and "My Lord, judge with truth"— 00:05:09.449 --> 00:05:13.449 we find that these stories are in complete harmony 00:05:13.449 --> 00:05:15.449 with what precedes them and what follows them. 00:05:15.449 --> 00:05:19.860 Notice the phrase: "My Lord knows every word spoken in the heaven and the earth, 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.310 and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." 00:05:22.310 --> 00:05:28.540 You will observe throughout the prophets' stories in this surah a distinct emphasis on divine knowledge, 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:32.949 and on Allah hearing His prophets and answering their prayers. 00:05:32.949 --> 00:05:35.949 This also corresponds seamlessly with the conclusion of the surah: 00:05:35.949 --> 00:05:39.949 "My Lord, judge with truth; and our Lord is the Most Merciful, Whose help is sought." 00:05:39.949 --> 00:05:43.050 Consider the word "Whose help is sought": from whom is help sought? 00:05:43.050 --> 00:05:46.050 The One Who rescued Abraham from the fire, 00:05:46.050 --> 00:05:50.050 the One Who likewise delivered Jonah from the whale, 00:05:50.050 --> 00:05:54.050 the One Who granted Zechariah a son, and so forth. 00:05:54.050 --> 00:05:59.050 Thus, you see that what comes before and after the narrative harmonizes perfectly with the narrative itself. 00:05:59.050 --> 00:06:03.050 Through this, the ultimate objective of the surah is understood. 00:06:03.050 --> 00:06:07.050 Therefore, we can refine our understanding of the surah's central theme 00:06:07.050 --> 00:06:11.050 by examining both the stories and the opening and closing passages of the surah. 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:16.050 I would say that the surah's central theme is identified through reflecting upon its sections— 00:06:16.050 --> 00:06:18.050 and among its sections, of course, are the stories— 00:06:18.050 --> 00:06:22.050 that its theme, or rather within its sections where the stories are mentioned, 00:06:22.050 --> 00:06:26.050 is known through reflecting upon its divisions: that its core subject is 00:06:26.050 --> 00:06:29.050 refuting the specious arguments of the disbelievers, 00:06:29.050 --> 00:06:33.050 warning them of the approaching reckoning and the true promise, 00:06:33.050 --> 00:06:36.139 and reassuring the Master of the Messengers, 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:41.139 particularly through the narratives recounted within the surah. 00:06:41.139 --> 00:06:43.850 I will suffice with this much, 00:06:43.850 --> 00:06:47.850 and I ask Allah to grant me and you the full benefit of His Magnificent Book. 00:06:47.850 --> 00:06:52.069 And may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions. 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:54.069 And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.