WEBVTT

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

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A gentle commentary

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on the book "Identification Cards

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for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

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

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Qiyamah.

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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 His Messenger.

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Returning now to this gentle commentary

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on the identification cards,

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the last surah we covered was Surah al-Muddaththir,

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and today we take up Surah al-Qiyamah.

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I have three points of reflection upon it.

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The first point pertains to the opening of the surah.

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The author stated that it begins with an oath,

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which is the fifth type of opening among those mentioned in *Al-Itqan*.

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Furthermore,

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it and Surah al-Balad—

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though written as feminine dual, the phrasing should indicate singular concord—

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meaning Surah al-Qiyamah along with Surah al-Balad,

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are uniquely characterized by a distinctive style of oath,

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the signification of which is debated,

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because some scholars regard it as an oath,

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while others do not consider it an oath.

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Therefore,

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he noted that it could be classified under the fourth category,

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which is opening with an informative statement,

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meaning the fourth of the various types of openings.

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The fifth type is the oath.

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Indeed, al-Suyuti himself,

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upon whom the author relied in this book regarding surah openings,

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classified it

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among the openings

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by informative statements

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and did not count it among the oaths.

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The apparent reason for this is the scholarly difference:

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is this an oath,

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or is it a negation of an oath?

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Moreover, both surahs,

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by virtue of sharing this opening,

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merit deep reflection and comparison.

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It is also observed that in both of these surahs,

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there occurs

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the phrase "Does man think...?" twice

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in each surah.

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Thus, the two surahs beginning with "Nay, I swear"

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resemble each other

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in the fact that

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both contain this specific expression.

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And this phrase, "Does man think...?",

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is a recurring motif

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throughout the Qur'an,

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expressing denunciation

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against anyone who harbors a false assumption,

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as though it delivers him from the darkness

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in which he resides into the light,

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should he be guided by the words

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of the Subtle, the All-Aware.

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As for the second point of reflection, it concerns the occasion of revelation.

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The author mentioned a single occasion of revelation,

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which relates to an issue

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connected to the science of textual correlations (*'ilm al-munasabat*).

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There is an important principle in the science of textual correlations

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that al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur pointed out

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frequently.

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Sometimes an exegete attempts

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to

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forge a link between verses,

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and this endeavor in itself

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is good and accepted by the vast majority of scholars,

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save for a few who hesitated regarding this matter

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and objected to the study of textual correlations.

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But the problem arises

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when speaking of textual correlations

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without taking into account the occasions of revelation.

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Thus, you find someone interpreting a verse

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incorrectly merely

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to make it cohere neatly

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with what precedes it and what follows it,

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completely disregarding the occasion of revelation.

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Here,

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the occasion of revelation for Allah's words, "Do not move your tongue therewith

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to make haste with it,"

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is that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to endure

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great hardship during revelation

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and would frequently move his lips—

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to the end of the narration.

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Thus, it is evident

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that this occasion has no thematic link

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to the verses preceding it or following it.

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And we said that this relates back to the science of textual correlations,

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in the sense that

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verses may be revealed for a specific reason,

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and their descent happens to coincide with

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the revelation of verses

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treating an entirely different topic.

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Thus we understand the rationale for their mention alongside them:

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namely, that they coincided

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in the time of revelation, not that there is an intrinsic

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correlation between them—a point emphasized by al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.

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By keeping this in mind, the scholar treating

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this subject is spared from forced contrivance

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regarding certain verses.

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The third and final point of reflection

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concerns the thematic sections.

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Under the single section, it says: "And in it [fem.]..."

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We should assume it means: "And in it [masc.]..."

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"The opening with a denunciatory interrogative,

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and the denunciation of those who deny

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the gathering of bones..." It would be better phrased as:

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"and the denunciation of him who assumes

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that Allah will not assemble his bones,"

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and the like,

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because this aligns

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with the statement in the last two lines: "and the refutation of

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whoever assumes that he will be left neglected,"

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in reference to "Does man think

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that We will not assemble his bones?" at the beginning of the surah,

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and "Does man think that he will be left neglected?"

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at the end of the surah.

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So it is preferable for the wording

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to point to this parallelism.

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Furthermore, it is noteworthy

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that there are parenthetical verses

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mentioned in the occasions of revelation a moment ago,

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and they are noted here in the third line

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of the single thematic section.

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He stated: "Parenthetical verses discussing

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the manner required of the Prophet,

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peace be upon him, in his reception of the Qur'an."

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It is clear that these verses

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are not directly

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connected to the verse preceding them.

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I spoke about this a moment ago,

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but I wish to add here

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that such parenthetical insertions

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remind anyone who reads the Qur'an

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and listens to these verses

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

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holds a sublime status with Allah,

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and that he, peace be upon him,

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is the one upon whom

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the revelation descended.

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This reminds me

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that the Prophet, peace be upon him, received the revelation,

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conveyed it to us,

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and was then taken by Allah, Exalted is He;

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so it must remain ever-present in our hearts

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that he is the one who received the revelation,

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who conveyed it,

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and who will be a witness

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over his Ummah: "So how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness

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“But how (will it be with them) when We bring of every people a witness, and We bring thee (O Muhammad) a witness against these?” (4:41)

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and We bring you as a witness over these?"

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Thus, such verses that appear

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parenthetically speaking about the Messenger of Allah

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ought to draw our attention

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to this reality and to other insights that emerge

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through deep contemplation.

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I content myself with this, and I invoke blessings upon the best of Messengers,

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and upon his family and Companions.