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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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"The Graceful Commentary

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on the Book of Introductory Profiles

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to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Saff.

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,

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and may peace and blessings

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be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

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and upon all his family and Companions.

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We continue with our graceful commentary

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on the introductory profiles,

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and we have arrived at Surah al-Saff.

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I have three observations regarding it.

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The first observation

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concerns what was mentioned about the opening of the surah.

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He stated that it opens

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with a declarative sentence,

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and that it is among the surahs that begin

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with glorification (tasbih).

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In truth,

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this is not consistent

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with the methodology of the book

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as established earlier in Surah al-Isra'

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and in the introduction of the book.

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If you look at the beginning of the book,

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on pages fourteen and fifteen,

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you will find a lengthy citation

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from Imam al-Suyuti

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explaining the various types of surah openings.

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What he mentioned

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is a fine scholarly effort (ijtihad),

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though it may be contested in certain aspects.

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However, if one adheres

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throughout the book, as noted there,

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to what Imam al-Suyuti mentioned,

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then consequently,

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the most precise phrasing here,

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which is appropriate and consistent

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with what preceded in Surah al-Isra',

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is to say:

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"It opens with a sentence

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of praise (thanā'),"

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which is one of the categories mentioned

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in *Al-Itqan*.

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Thus, we should say: "It opens with a sentence of praise,

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and it is among the surahs

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that begin with glorification," because praise

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encompasses various forms, as previously noted:

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among them is tasbih (glorification),

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tahmid (praise), and tabrik (exaltation of blessings).

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Therefore, it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih,

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so it should read:

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"It opens with a declarative sentence [of praise],

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and it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih."

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It may also be added

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that it opens with a verb

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in the past tense.

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If you return to that same passage,

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you will find an explanation

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for that on page

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fourteen

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specifically.

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I mentioned page fourteen,

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or page fifteen,

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where this quotation appears:

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"Glorification is an expression reserved exclusively for Allah;

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thus, He began with the verbal noun (masdar)

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in [the Surah of] the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il),"

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meaning in Surah al-Isra', where He said, "Exalted is He

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who took His Servant by night..."

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He stated: "Because it is the root form;

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the root of derived words

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is the verbal noun"—

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although this is actually a contested linguistic issue.

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He continued: "Then with the past tense in al-Hadid and al-Hashr,

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because it is the earlier of the two timeframes;

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for we have the past tense

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and we have the present tense,

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and of the two, the past is prior."

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Thus, He began with al-Hadid and al-Hashr.

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He continued: "Then with the present/imperfect tense in al-Jumu'ah

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and al-Taghabun,"

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meaning the timeframe of the present and the future.

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Then he stated: "Then with the imperative form in al-A'la,"

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and the imperative pertains to the future.

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He explained: "In order to encompass

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this word from all its grammatical facets."

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While what he mentioned

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is subtly insightful in itself,

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it is not the most precise explanation

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for such stylistic variation.

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Rather, this variation is grounded in

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contextual suitability.

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For each surah has its own context

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and its own core purpose,

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and the grammatical form arrives

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perfectly suited to that context.

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I have devoted specialized research to this,

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including a study

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dedicated specifically to these

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openings featuring glorification,

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detailing the distinctions

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between them and the appropriateness of each

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to its specific context,

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while considering the verse in its entirety.

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“All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (57:1)

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Thus,

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the formulation varies

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across the entire verse,

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which is

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a delightful topic of study

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indeed,

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and one that requires

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deep reflection.

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As for the second

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observation,

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it concerns what was mentioned

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regarding the thematic placement of the surah.

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It was noted therein

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regarding its correlation with al-Mumtahanah

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that it commands

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fighting in Allah's cause.

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In truth, this matter

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is very important.

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As scholars of spiritual purification always say:

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"Purging impurities precedes adorning with virtues (al-takhliyah qabl al-tahliyah)."

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It is essential

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first to purify

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hearts from every

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sentiment

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that does not please Allah, the Exalted and Glorified,

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which includes

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loyalty to the disbelievers

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and taking them as close allies.

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Thus, the fighting mentioned in al-Mumtahanah—

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the preceding surah—

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purifies the hearts of the believers

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from this taint.

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And it is a taint that directly affects

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what is addressed in this surah,

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for the believers fighting

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in unified ranks and in solidarity

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requires beforehand,

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or necessitates prior to it, the cleansing of their hearts

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and their purification

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from the impurities of allegiance to disbelievers.

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Thus, between the two surahs, there is

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a clear thematic harmony and mutual reinforcement.

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As I said, this relates to the principle of purging

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occurring before

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adorning.

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Fighting the disbelievers is an act of adornment,

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but prior to it, the heart must be purged

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of these impurities.

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As for the third

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observation,

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it concerns what was stated regarding the chronological order of the surah's revelation,

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where it was stated at the end:

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"And its multiple revelation narratives

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may help in

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dating its revelation."

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Regarding its multiple revelation narratives:

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when we consult the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzul),

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we find only a single occasion.

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Before I conclude this point,

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I wish to make a brief digression and say:

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the occasion of revelation mentioned

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is incomplete.

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If you refer to the *Musnad* of Ahmad,

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you will find it in full,

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and in its completion, it states that the entire surah

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was revealed,

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contrary to the apparent meaning of this text.

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For the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited to us:

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"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah..."

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up to His words: "...most hateful in the sight of Allah,"

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and then the rest of the narration mentions that he

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completed the entire surah.

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This has a significant bearing

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on its revelation,

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as it was revealed all at once.

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Consequently, if its date of revelation is identified,

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whether approximately or precisely,

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it encompasses every single one of its verses.

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Returning to the multiple narratives of its revelation:

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how can there be multiple narratives when we have

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only one occasion?

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This comes down to two matters:

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first, that this single occasion has

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multiple transmission chains (riwayat),

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which can be helpful, because by compiling them,

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mention might be made of one

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of the Companions whose date

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of accepting Islam is known, or

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the date of his martyrdom, and so forth.

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This aids us in achieving precise

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a meticulous compilation of the transmission chains.

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Some names may be mentioned,

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or certain events or places,

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which, through our knowledge of the Seerah, aid us

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in determining the precise dating

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of revelation. And we say "may",

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because this comprehensive research has not yet been conducted,

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so one might arrive,

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after collecting these narrations,

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at a precise determination

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of the date of revelation.

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Furthermore, regarding the multiplicity of narrations from another perspective,

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of course, only one occasion of revelation was mentioned here,

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but there are other reasons

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mentioned in other books.

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I have only restricted myself—as I have explained

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on multiple occasions

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and in the book itself—

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to the book *Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*

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by Shaykh Dr. Issam Al-Humaydan,

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which is the adopted source in this work.

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Other narrations of reasons for revelation have also been reported

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that likewise aid in knowing

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the precise date of revelation.

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Thus, the narrations

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regarding the occasion itself are numerous,

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and they help; and there are other narrations

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not mentioned here because they do not meet the criteria of

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the book, which are also helpful.

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I will conclude with this much regarding Surah As-Saff,

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and I ask Allah

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to illuminate my heart and yours,

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and my path and yours,

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through the Magnificent Qur'an.

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May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

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and upon all his family and Companions,

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and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.