In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The gracious commentary
on the book "Identification Cards
for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah Luqman.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We continue with our gracious commentary on the identification cards,
focusing on Surah Luqman.
I would like to make three brief observations regarding it.
The first observation concerns the name of the surah.
Although its name shares a common feature with other surahs
in being the name of a man,
the crucial difference between it
and those other surahs
is that this individual's
status as a prophet is disputed,
and the more renowned opinion is that he was not a prophet.
This contrasts with the other men
after whom surahs were named.
Does this not draw our attention to something
whose corroboration is found in
the words of Allah the Exalted: "And whoever obeys Allah [and the Messenger—they will be with those]
“Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!” (4:69)
upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets,
the steadfast affirmers of truth,
the martyrs, and the righteous"?
Prophethood
cannot be attained through personal exertion,
whereas the rank of the steadfast affirmers of truth and the degrees below it
are realms wherein a person expends
every effort to attain them.
So I say—and this is a subject
for mutual study and contemplation:
Does naming a surah
after Luqman, who was not a prophet
according to the more sound view,
remind us that one may ascend
to immense spiritual heights, even though
one cannot reach the station of prophethood?
The station of prophethood is truly magnificent,
yet it remains beyond our reach.
So might this surah
serve as a means
to bring him closer to our reach, or
should we elevate his status because the righteous
are companions to the prophets?
Indeed, Luqman accompanied
in a spiritual sense
those very prophets by having his name become
the title of a surah in the Qur'an.
I present this issue purely as
a matter of reflection, rather than
an assertion of definitive certainty.
It is merely an attempt on my part
to indicate that
in the names of surahs, as in other matters,
there is ample room for scholarly reflection and contemplation.
The second observation
concerns the dating and chronological context of the surah.
It has been authentically established
that parts of this surah were revealed before
the verse in Surah al-An'am.
For on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud,
may Allah be pleased with him: when this verse was revealed,
“Those who believe and obscure not their belief by wrongdoing, theirs is safety; and they are rightly guided.” (6:82)
"[...and did not obscure] their faith with wrongdoing,"
it weighed heavily on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and they asked:
"Which of us has not obscured his faith with wrongdoing?"
Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"It is not as you think.
Have you not heard the words of Luqman
to his son: 'Indeed, associating partners with Allah is a tremendous wrongdoing'?"
And this
makes us realize that
the chronology of revelation can sometimes be deduced
from unexpected sources.
A mere interpretation of one verse by another
can reveal to us
that one verse preceded another, just as
is the case here. I would also mention another example:
Surah al-Ma'idah
is widely held to have been revealed quite late,
yet it contains verses mentioned
before the Battle of Badr,
within the discourse of the Companions with the Prophet,
peace be upon him,
“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
which occurred in that account.
Thus, the main point is that
interpreting the Qur'an by the Qur'an,
or rather, interpreting the Qur'an by the Sunnah,
sheds light on aspects of
the chronology of revelation.
The third and final observation
is that the central theme of the surah
is the vital necessity of seeking guidance
through the Wise Book of Allah.
We notice that
it is stated in the surah:
"And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech
to mislead from the way of Allah..."
And the vast majority of the salaf (early generations),
including our masters
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
and 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
may Allah be pleased with them,
interpreted this verse
as referring to singing.
Certain contemporary thinkers have taken issue with this view.
I do not wish
to dwell at great length on this,
but I want to emphasize that this verse aligns impeccably with the context.
Interpreting the verse as referring to singing
is exceptionally appropriate to the textual flow.
For this reason, Ibn Kathir commented
on these verses, saying regarding "And of the people...":
He said:
"When Allah the Exalted mentioned the state of the felicitous—
who are guided by the Book of Allah
and derive benefit from listening to it,
just as Allah the Exalted stated:
“Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.” (39:23)
'[Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration.] The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver therefrom,
then their skins and their hearts soften
to the remembrance of Allah.
That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills,
“Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.” (39:23)
and one whom Allah sends astray has no guide'—He coupled it with the mention
of the state of the wretched,
who turn away from benefiting
from listening to the speech of Allah,
turning instead to listen to
musical pipes and song
accompanied by melodies and musical instruments,
as Ibn Mas'ud stated
regarding the words of the Exalted: 'And of the people is he who buys
the amusement of speech.' He said: 'By Allah, it is
singing!'—to the end of his narration."
The point to take note of in this correlation
is that the surah speaks of the Qur'an,
and issues a warning
regarding whoever is preoccupied with anything besides the Qur'an.
We do not claim that this
verse is the sole proof
for the prohibition of singing,
for the proofs prohibiting singing are numerous.
Rather, the statements of the salaf (early generations) came
as if drawing attention
to the inclusion of
this particular practice within the general scope of
the matter; otherwise, the issue of
the prohibition of singing was already firmly established among them.
And Allah knows best.
With this, we bring to a close
these three observations. I ask Allah
to benefit us through the Magnificent Qur'an,
and to make it an argument in our favor
and not an argument against us.
May Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his family and Companions,
and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.