In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"The Graceful Commentary
on the Book of Introductory Profiles
to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Saff.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings
be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and upon all his family and Companions.
We continue with our graceful commentary
on the introductory profiles,
and we have arrived at Surah al-Saff.
I have three observations regarding it.
The first observation
concerns what was mentioned about the opening of the surah.
He stated that it opens
with a declarative sentence,
and that it is among the surahs that begin
with glorification (tasbih).
In truth,
this is not consistent
with the methodology of the book
as established earlier in Surah al-Isra'
and in the introduction of the book.
If you look at the beginning of the book,
on pages fourteen and fifteen,
you will find a lengthy citation
from Imam al-Suyuti
explaining the various types of surah openings.
What he mentioned
is a fine scholarly effort (ijtihad),
though it may be contested in certain aspects.
However, if one adheres
throughout the book, as noted there,
to what Imam al-Suyuti mentioned,
then consequently,
the most precise phrasing here,
which is appropriate and consistent
with what preceded in Surah al-Isra',
is to say:
"It opens with a sentence
of praise (thanā'),"
which is one of the categories mentioned
in *Al-Itqan*.
Thus, we should say: "It opens with a sentence of praise,
and it is among the surahs
that begin with glorification," because praise
encompasses various forms, as previously noted:
among them is tasbih (glorification),
tahmid (praise), and tabrik (exaltation of blessings).
Therefore, it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih,
so it should read:
"It opens with a declarative sentence [of praise],
and it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih."
It may also be added
that it opens with a verb
in the past tense.
If you return to that same passage,
you will find an explanation
for that on page
fourteen
specifically.
I mentioned page fourteen,
or page fifteen,
where this quotation appears:
"Glorification is an expression reserved exclusively for Allah;
thus, He began with the verbal noun (masdar)
in [the Surah of] the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il),"
meaning in Surah al-Isra', where He said, "Exalted is He
who took His Servant by night..."
He stated: "Because it is the root form;
the root of derived words
is the verbal noun"—
although this is actually a contested linguistic issue.
He continued: "Then with the past tense in al-Hadid and al-Hashr,
because it is the earlier of the two timeframes;
for we have the past tense
and we have the present tense,
and of the two, the past is prior."
Thus, He began with al-Hadid and al-Hashr.
He continued: "Then with the present/imperfect tense in al-Jumu'ah
and al-Taghabun,"
meaning the timeframe of the present and the future.
Then he stated: "Then with the imperative form in al-A'la,"
and the imperative pertains to the future.
He explained: "In order to encompass
this word from all its grammatical facets."
While what he mentioned
is subtly insightful in itself,
it is not the most precise explanation
for such stylistic variation.
Rather, this variation is grounded in
contextual suitability.
For each surah has its own context
and its own core purpose,
and the grammatical form arrives
perfectly suited to that context.
I have devoted specialized research to this,
including a study
dedicated specifically to these
openings featuring glorification,
detailing the distinctions
between them and the appropriateness of each
to its specific context,
while considering the verse in its entirety.
“All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (57:1)
Thus,
the formulation varies
across the entire verse,
which is
a delightful topic of study
indeed,
and one that requires
deep reflection.
As for the second
observation,
it concerns what was mentioned
regarding the thematic placement of the surah.
It was noted therein
regarding its correlation with al-Mumtahanah
that it commands
fighting in Allah's cause.
In truth, this matter
is very important.
As scholars of spiritual purification always say:
"Purging impurities precedes adorning with virtues (al-takhliyah qabl al-tahliyah)."
It is essential
first to purify
hearts from every
sentiment
that does not please Allah, the Exalted and Glorified,
which includes
loyalty to the disbelievers
and taking them as close allies.
Thus, the fighting mentioned in al-Mumtahanah—
the preceding surah—
purifies the hearts of the believers
from this taint.
And it is a taint that directly affects
what is addressed in this surah,
for the believers fighting
in unified ranks and in solidarity
requires beforehand,
or necessitates prior to it, the cleansing of their hearts
and their purification
from the impurities of allegiance to disbelievers.
Thus, between the two surahs, there is
a clear thematic harmony and mutual reinforcement.
As I said, this relates to the principle of purging
occurring before
adorning.
Fighting the disbelievers is an act of adornment,
but prior to it, the heart must be purged
of these impurities.
As for the third
observation,
it concerns what was stated regarding the chronological order of the surah's revelation,
where it was stated at the end:
"And its multiple revelation narratives
may help in
dating its revelation."
Regarding its multiple revelation narratives:
when we consult the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzul),
we find only a single occasion.
Before I conclude this point,
I wish to make a brief digression and say:
the occasion of revelation mentioned
is incomplete.
If you refer to the *Musnad* of Ahmad,
you will find it in full,
and in its completion, it states that the entire surah
was revealed,
contrary to the apparent meaning of this text.
For the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited to us:
"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah..."
up to His words: "...most hateful in the sight of Allah,"
and then the rest of the narration mentions that he
completed the entire surah.
This has a significant bearing
on its revelation,
as it was revealed all at once.
Consequently, if its date of revelation is identified,
whether approximately or precisely,
it encompasses every single one of its verses.
Returning to the multiple narratives of its revelation:
how can there be multiple narratives when we have
only one occasion?
This comes down to two matters:
first, that this single occasion has
multiple transmission chains (riwayat),
which can be helpful, because by compiling them,
mention might be made of one
of the Companions whose date
of accepting Islam is known, or
the date of his martyrdom, and so forth.
This aids us in achieving precise
a meticulous compilation of the transmission chains.
Some names may be mentioned,
or certain events or places,
which, through our knowledge of the Seerah, aid us
in determining the precise dating
of revelation. And we say "may",
because this comprehensive research has not yet been conducted,
so one might arrive,
after collecting these narrations,
at a precise determination
of the date of revelation.
Furthermore, regarding the multiplicity of narrations from another perspective,
of course, only one occasion of revelation was mentioned here,
but there are other reasons
mentioned in other books.
I have only restricted myself—as I have explained
on multiple occasions
and in the book itself—
to the book *Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*
by Shaykh Dr. Issam Al-Humaydan,
which is the adopted source in this work.
Other narrations of reasons for revelation have also been reported
that likewise aid in knowing
the precise date of revelation.
Thus, the narrations
regarding the occasion itself are numerous,
and they help; and there are other narrations
not mentioned here because they do not meet the criteria of
the book, which are also helpful.
I will conclude with this much regarding Surah As-Saff,
and I ask Allah
to illuminate my heart and yours,
and my path and yours,
through the Magnificent Qur'an.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions,
and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.