1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,759 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:32,140 A Gentle Commentary 3 00:00:32,140 --> 00:00:35,179 on the book "Identification Cards 4 00:00:35,179 --> 00:00:37,539 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 5 00:00:37,539 --> 00:00:42,140 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Aziz Ibn Umar Nasif, 6 00:00:42,140 --> 00:00:44,329 may Allah preserve him. 7 00:00:44,329 --> 00:00:46,329 Surah Ta-Ha. 8 00:00:46,329 --> 00:00:48,329 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 9 00:00:48,329 --> 00:00:51,329 Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 10 00:00:52,570 --> 00:00:55,369 We are still continuing with our gentle commentary on the identification cards, 11 00:00:55,369 --> 00:00:57,369 and here we are with Surah Ta-Ha. 12 00:00:57,369 --> 00:00:59,750 The first point of reflection 13 00:00:59,750 --> 00:01:01,780 concerns the opening of the Surah. 14 00:01:01,780 --> 00:01:04,780 He mentioned here in the book that it opens generally with the letters of the alphabet, 15 00:01:04,780 --> 00:01:06,780 which are known as the disjointed letters (al-huruf al-muqatta'ah). 16 00:01:06,780 --> 00:01:09,939 In truth, I followed in this regard the source 17 00:01:09,939 --> 00:01:11,939 upon which I relied, namely al-Suyuti, 18 00:01:11,939 --> 00:01:13,939 who followed those before him 19 00:01:13,939 --> 00:01:15,939 in classifying the openings of the Surahs 20 00:01:15,939 --> 00:01:18,939 into ten categories, 21 00:01:18,939 --> 00:01:21,099 among which are the disjointed letters, 22 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:23,629 and he included "Ta-Ha" among them. 23 00:01:23,629 --> 00:01:25,629 Otherwise, "Ta-Ha" 24 00:01:25,629 --> 00:01:27,629 is not considered one of the disjointed letters 25 00:01:27,629 --> 00:01:29,629 by consensus. 26 00:01:29,629 --> 00:01:31,629 We have "Alif-Lam-Mim", 27 00:01:31,629 --> 00:01:33,629 which is definitively among the disjointed letters, 28 00:01:33,629 --> 00:01:35,629 and we have "Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad", which is also among the disjointed letters. 29 00:01:35,629 --> 00:01:37,629 As for "Ta-Ha", there is disagreement concerning it, 30 00:01:37,629 --> 00:01:39,659 and Imam al-Tabari preferred 31 00:01:39,659 --> 00:01:41,659 a different view, 32 00:01:41,659 --> 00:01:43,700 giving preponderance to the meaning: "O man." 33 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:45,890 However, I followed 34 00:01:45,890 --> 00:01:47,890 al-Suyuti's classification 35 00:01:47,890 --> 00:01:50,500 for the sake of simplicity. 36 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:52,930 Here is a second point of reflection, 37 00:01:52,930 --> 00:01:54,930 and this second point 38 00:01:54,930 --> 00:01:56,930 stems from the first: 39 00:01:56,930 --> 00:01:58,930 namely, that the disjointed letters 40 00:01:58,930 --> 00:02:00,930 should not all be treated 41 00:02:00,930 --> 00:02:02,930 in the exact same manner. 42 00:02:02,930 --> 00:02:04,930 Imam al-Tabari, 43 00:02:04,930 --> 00:02:06,930 across many Surahs, 44 00:02:06,930 --> 00:02:08,930 states: "The discussion regarding the disjointed letters has preceded," 45 00:02:08,930 --> 00:02:10,960 and then he cites some other narrations. 46 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:12,990 Yet his methodology requires further induction 47 00:02:12,990 --> 00:02:14,990 in the way he cites 48 00:02:14,990 --> 00:02:16,990 the discussion on the disjointed letters throughout the different Surahs. 49 00:02:16,990 --> 00:02:18,990 In certain Surahs, however, 50 00:02:19,389 --> 00:02:21,389 such as Surah Ta-Ha, 51 00:02:21,389 --> 00:02:23,389 he mentions a dispute that takes it outside the category of disjointed letters, 52 00:02:23,389 --> 00:02:25,389 and indeed, 53 00:02:25,389 --> 00:02:27,389 he concluded, as I mentioned to you, 54 00:02:27,389 --> 00:02:29,389 that "Ta-Ha" 55 00:02:29,389 --> 00:02:31,550 means: "O man." 56 00:02:31,550 --> 00:02:33,550 This is what is expected of a researcher: 57 00:02:33,550 --> 00:02:35,550 the disjointed letters 58 00:02:35,550 --> 00:02:37,550 are not all equal 59 00:02:37,550 --> 00:02:39,550 in terms of the certainty of their belonging to this category. 60 00:02:39,550 --> 00:02:41,550 There are certain openings 61 00:02:41,550 --> 00:02:43,550 concerning which there is extensive debate, 62 00:02:43,550 --> 00:02:45,550 and which warrant 63 00:02:45,550 --> 00:02:47,550 closer examination, 64 00:02:47,949 --> 00:02:49,949 such as Surah Qaf, Surah Ta-Ha, 65 00:02:49,949 --> 00:02:51,949 and Surah Nun. 66 00:02:51,949 --> 00:02:53,949 These, 67 00:02:53,949 --> 00:02:55,949 even if the preponderant view 68 00:02:55,949 --> 00:02:57,949 among the reciter or reader 69 00:02:57,949 --> 00:02:59,949 is that they are disjointed letters, 70 00:02:59,949 --> 00:03:01,949 ought not to be treated 71 00:03:01,949 --> 00:03:03,949 in the same way as those that are 72 00:03:03,949 --> 00:03:05,949 unequivocally considered disjointed letters by consensus. 73 00:03:05,949 --> 00:03:07,949 It is an issue that requires 74 00:03:07,949 --> 00:03:09,949 thorough research, 75 00:03:09,949 --> 00:03:11,949 and perhaps some researchers will step forward 76 00:03:11,949 --> 00:03:13,949 to undertake this matter. 77 00:03:13,949 --> 00:03:15,949 The third and final point of reflection 78 00:03:16,349 --> 00:03:18,379 concerns the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) of the Surah. 79 00:03:18,379 --> 00:03:20,379 He said: "No occasion of revelation has been mentioned for it." 80 00:03:20,379 --> 00:03:22,449 I have previously clarified 81 00:03:22,449 --> 00:03:24,449 that when I say "none has been mentioned for it," 82 00:03:24,449 --> 00:03:26,449 it differs from saying "I did not 83 00:03:26,449 --> 00:03:28,449 find any for it." 84 00:03:28,449 --> 00:03:30,449 When I state on the very same page, 85 00:03:30,449 --> 00:03:32,449 regarding the virtues of the Surah: "and I did not find for it 86 00:03:32,449 --> 00:03:34,449 an independent virtue," 87 00:03:34,449 --> 00:03:36,449 this means that I searched across various works 88 00:03:36,449 --> 00:03:38,449 to the best of my ability and found none. 89 00:03:38,449 --> 00:03:40,449 However, "no occasion of revelation has been mentioned for it" is said 90 00:03:40,449 --> 00:03:42,449 because regarding the occasions of revelation, 91 00:03:42,449 --> 00:03:44,449 despite the abundance of references, I relied 92 00:03:44,849 --> 00:03:46,849 specifically on sources where no occasion of revelation was recorded for it. 93 00:03:46,849 --> 00:03:48,849 Otherwise, the author himself, 94 00:03:48,849 --> 00:03:50,849 Dr. Isam al-Humaydan, 95 00:03:50,849 --> 00:03:52,849 the author of "Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul", 96 00:03:52,849 --> 00:03:54,849 in his critical editing 97 00:03:54,849 --> 00:03:56,849 of al-Wahidi's "Asbab al-Nuzul"— 98 00:03:56,849 --> 00:03:58,849 meaning, this scholar 99 00:03:58,849 --> 00:04:00,849 critically edited al-Wahidi's "Asbab al-Nuzul"— 100 00:04:00,849 --> 00:04:02,849 and in al-Wahidi's work, 101 00:04:02,849 --> 00:04:04,849 an occasion of revelation is mentioned for the beginning of the Surah, 102 00:04:04,849 --> 00:04:06,979 but it was not deemed acceptable 103 00:04:06,979 --> 00:04:08,979 by Isam al-Humaydan in terms of chain of transmission (isnad), 104 00:04:08,979 --> 00:04:11,330 so he did not cite it. 105 00:04:11,330 --> 00:04:13,330 I have noted that once a person reads al-Humaydan's book, 106 00:04:13,729 --> 00:04:15,729 they gain a sound conception of the occasions of revelation, 107 00:04:15,729 --> 00:04:17,730 after which they should expand further, 108 00:04:17,730 --> 00:04:19,730 according to whatever Allah grants them, 109 00:04:19,730 --> 00:04:21,730 by reading other works on the occasions of revelation. 110 00:04:21,730 --> 00:04:23,730 One should add to it whenever finding a report 111 00:04:23,730 --> 00:04:25,730 that appears verified or suitable 112 00:04:25,730 --> 00:04:27,730 for citation, incorporating it 113 00:04:27,730 --> 00:04:29,730 into what they already know. 114 00:04:29,730 --> 00:04:31,730 With this, I conclude 115 00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:33,730 these points of reflection 116 00:04:33,730 --> 00:04:35,790 on Surah Ta-Ha. 117 00:04:35,790 --> 00:04:37,790 May the blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, 118 00:04:37,790 --> 00:04:39,790 and upon his family and all his Companions. 119 00:04:39,790 --> 00:04:41,790 And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.