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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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A Gentle Commentary on the Book "Identification Cards for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"

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by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif, may Allah preserve him.

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Surah ash-Shura.

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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.

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We continue with our gentle commentary on the identification cards,

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and we are now with Surah ash-Shura, concerning which I have three reflective pauses.

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The first pause pertains to the chronological dating of the surah's revelation.

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I have mentioned previously that the well-known report is the one cited first,

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though it is sometimes contradicted.

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Here, however, we have an example where the well-known report aligns with other supporting evidence.

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Specifically, the well-known transmission lists the surahs that open with "Ha-Meem,"

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from Ghafir to al-Ahqaf consecutively, with the exception of ash-Shura.

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That is, Surah Ghafir is the fifty-ninth in the chronological order of revelation,

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followed sequentially by Fussilat as the sixtieth, then az-Zukhruf as the sixty-first, and the rest in uninterrupted sequence.

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Surah ash-Shura is the only one placed apart, being ranked sixty-eighth according to the well-known transmission.

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If we examine its verses, we find an element that sets it apart from the other related surahs,

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or rather a distinct verse that distinguishes it, which is the verse praising the one who retaliates after being wronged:

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"And whoever retaliates after being wronged, for those there is no cause of blame against them." This verse and those around it

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suggest that the Muslims had reached a stage where they experienced a degree of victory and self-defense.

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We know that prior to that, they were commanded to withhold their hands from fighting,

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as indicated in Surah an-Nisa': "Have you not seen those who were told, 'Restrain your hands'?"

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This implies that ash-Shura was revealed later than the other surahs that open with "Ha-Meem."

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This internal evidence confirms the well-known transmission, so I felt it worthwhile to point it out.

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For a well-known report may be corroborated by other transmissions, or contradicted by them,

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or there may be no alternative transmission, in which case we simply rely upon it.

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As for the second pause, it concerns the overarching theme of the surah, which can be deduced from its structural sections.

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It can be said that its theme is divine revelation, its intrinsic worth, and the necessity of adhering to it.

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Notice with me its sections: the first section is naturally the introduction.

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The surah consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction begins with disjointed letters:

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"Ha-Meem. 'Ayn-Seen-Qaf," after which Allah says, "Likewise He reveals..." using the simile particle "likewise."

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Therefore, it opens with disjointed letters followed immediately by an opening simile.

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The central section also begins with an opening simile:

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"And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur'an..."

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And the conclusion likewise begins with an opening simile:

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"And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command."

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You will notice that all of them—

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the introduction, setting aside the disjointed letters "Ha-Meem. 'Ayn-Seen-Qaf,"

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along with the central section and the conclusion—all begin with a simile.

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This is a pattern that does not occur frequently in the Qur'an.

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Why these simile-based openings?

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Regarding simile, we know that it inherently requires a subject of comparison and an object of comparison,

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and as the scholars of rhetoric state, the default principle

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is that the object of comparison must possess the shared quality more intensely than the subject.

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Thus, you say, "Zayd is like a lion."

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The lion is more famous for courage,

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so when you say, "Zayd is like a lion,"

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you have sought to elevate Zayd's status by drawing a comparison to the lion.

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In these Qur'anic similes, however, the subject and the object of comparison are not distinct entities;

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rather, the subject of comparison is identical to the object of comparison itself.

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This is not exclusive to Surah ash-Shura;

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this stylistic construction appears across many other surahs as well,

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and several exegetes have drawn attention to it.

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It is among the most subtle and elegant rhetorical constructions,

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where something is compared only to itself,

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signifying that it has no peer and no equal whatsoever.

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For example, you might see an outstanding student who strives diligently and surpasses his peers,

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prompting the teacher to say, "Like this, students should be!"

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He compares the student's conduct to his own conduct,

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praising him and demonstrating that he has no equal.

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And here, Allah says: "Likewise He reveals to you and to those before you,"

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and: "And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur'an,"

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and: "And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command."

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This Qur'an that has been revealed is without parallel and without equal.

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As for the third and final pause,

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it pertains to what was mentioned in the conclusion.

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In summarizing the conclusion of the surah and its openings,

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the author noted an opening simile regarding the revelation of the Qur'an

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to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and the reminder that it is a spirit and a light—

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that is, the Qur'an—and that he possessed no prior knowledge of it,

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and that through this revelation, he—peace be upon him—became

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a guide to the path of Allah.

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Here we should add: "to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth,

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and to Him do all matters return."

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Why should we add this?

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We add it so that you notice

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the profound correspondence between the beginning of the surah and its end.

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For at its very beginning: "Likewise He reveals to you and to those before you—

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Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

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To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."

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And at the end of the surah: "The path of Allah, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."

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Note this correspondence, which scholars designate as

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"connecting the end to the beginning" (radd al-'ajuz 'ala as-sadr).

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The conclusion of the surah returns directly to its opening,

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reinforcing this truth: that to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

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Note that a person who does not read the surah in its entirety,

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but rather reads it in fragmented passages as we often do,

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deprives himself of perceiving this exquisite subtlety,

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which demonstrates that the surah from its very beginning to its end

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is enveloped by this cardinal reality:

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that to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth,

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glorified and exalted is He.

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Therefore, there should also be added to the summary of the introduction

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an explicit reference showing that revelation to the Prophet, peace be upon him,

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and to those before him

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is inextricably bound to Allah's ultimate might and wisdom,

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and that to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

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Thus, whoever reads this becomes keenly aware of the structural harmony

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and coherence between the beginning of the surah and its end.

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This is the device known, as I mentioned,

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among exegetes in particular as "connecting the end to the beginning,"

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and rhetoricians term it similarly,

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though they impose technical constraints on it

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that would exclude many such verses from the definition.

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I do not wish to delve further into that technical discussion now.

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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions all together.

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And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.