In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
A Gentle Commentary on the Book "Identification Cards for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif, may Allah preserve him.
Surah ash-Shura.
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 continue with our gentle commentary on the identification cards,
and we are now with Surah ash-Shura, concerning which I have three reflective pauses.
The first pause pertains to the chronological dating of the surah's revelation.
I have mentioned previously that the well-known report is the one cited first,
though it is sometimes contradicted.
Here, however, we have an example where the well-known report aligns with other supporting evidence.
Specifically, the well-known transmission lists the surahs that open with "Ha-Meem,"
from Ghafir to al-Ahqaf consecutively, with the exception of ash-Shura.
That is, Surah Ghafir is the fifty-ninth in the chronological order of revelation,
followed sequentially by Fussilat as the sixtieth, then az-Zukhruf as the sixty-first, and the rest in uninterrupted sequence.
Surah ash-Shura is the only one placed apart, being ranked sixty-eighth according to the well-known transmission.
If we examine its verses, we find an element that sets it apart from the other related surahs,
or rather a distinct verse that distinguishes it, which is the verse praising the one who retaliates after being wronged:
"And whoever retaliates after being wronged, for those there is no cause of blame against them." This verse and those around it
suggest that the Muslims had reached a stage where they experienced a degree of victory and self-defense.
We know that prior to that, they were commanded to withhold their hands from fighting,
as indicated in Surah an-Nisa': "Have you not seen those who were told, 'Restrain your hands'?"
This implies that ash-Shura was revealed later than the other surahs that open with "Ha-Meem."
This internal evidence confirms the well-known transmission, so I felt it worthwhile to point it out.
For a well-known report may be corroborated by other transmissions, or contradicted by them,
or there may be no alternative transmission, in which case we simply rely upon it.
As for the second pause, it concerns the overarching theme of the surah, which can be deduced from its structural sections.
It can be said that its theme is divine revelation, its intrinsic worth, and the necessity of adhering to it.
Notice with me its sections: the first section is naturally the introduction.
The surah consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction begins with disjointed letters:
"Ha-Meem. 'Ayn-Seen-Qaf," after which Allah says, "Likewise He reveals..." using the simile particle "likewise."
Therefore, it opens with disjointed letters followed immediately by an opening simile.
The central section also begins with an opening simile:
"And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur'an..."
And the conclusion likewise begins with an opening simile:
"And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command."
You will notice that all of them—
the introduction, setting aside the disjointed letters "Ha-Meem. 'Ayn-Seen-Qaf,"
along with the central section and the conclusion—all begin with a simile.
This is a pattern that does not occur frequently in the Qur'an.
Why these simile-based openings?
Regarding simile, we know that it inherently requires a subject of comparison and an object of comparison,
and as the scholars of rhetoric state, the default principle
is that the object of comparison must possess the shared quality more intensely than the subject.
Thus, you say, "Zayd is like a lion."
The lion is more famous for courage,
so when you say, "Zayd is like a lion,"
you have sought to elevate Zayd's status by drawing a comparison to the lion.
In these Qur'anic similes, however, the subject and the object of comparison are not distinct entities;
rather, the subject of comparison is identical to the object of comparison itself.
This is not exclusive to Surah ash-Shura;
this stylistic construction appears across many other surahs as well,
and several exegetes have drawn attention to it.
It is among the most subtle and elegant rhetorical constructions,
where something is compared only to itself,
signifying that it has no peer and no equal whatsoever.
For example, you might see an outstanding student who strives diligently and surpasses his peers,
prompting the teacher to say, "Like this, students should be!"
He compares the student's conduct to his own conduct,
praising him and demonstrating that he has no equal.
And here, Allah says: "Likewise He reveals to you and to those before you,"
and: "And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur'an,"
and: "And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command."
This Qur'an that has been revealed is without parallel and without equal.
As for the third and final pause,
it pertains to what was mentioned in the conclusion.
In summarizing the conclusion of the surah and its openings,
the author noted an opening simile regarding the revelation of the Qur'an
to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the reminder that it is a spirit and a light—
that is, the Qur'an—and that he possessed no prior knowledge of it,
and that through this revelation, he—peace be upon him—became
a guide to the path of Allah.
Here we should add: "to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth,
and to Him do all matters return."
Why should we add this?
We add it so that you notice
the profound correspondence between the beginning of the surah and its end.
For at its very beginning: "Likewise He reveals to you and to those before you—
Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."
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."
Note this correspondence, which scholars designate as
"connecting the end to the beginning" (radd al-'ajuz 'ala as-sadr).
The conclusion of the surah returns directly to its opening,
reinforcing this truth: that to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Note that a person who does not read the surah in its entirety,
but rather reads it in fragmented passages as we often do,
deprives himself of perceiving this exquisite subtlety,
which demonstrates that the surah from its very beginning to its end
is enveloped by this cardinal reality:
that to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth,
glorified and exalted is He.
Therefore, there should also be added to the summary of the introduction
an explicit reference showing that revelation to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and to those before him
is inextricably bound to Allah's ultimate might and wisdom,
and that to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Thus, whoever reads this becomes keenly aware of the structural harmony
and coherence between the beginning of the surah and its end.
This is the device known, as I mentioned,
among exegetes in particular as "connecting the end to the beginning,"
and rhetoricians term it similarly,
though they impose technical constraints on it
that would exclude many such verses from the definition.
I do not wish to delve further into that technical discussion now.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions all together.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.