WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:32.140 A Gentle Commentary 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:35.179 on the book "Identification Cards 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:37.539 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:42.140 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Aziz Ibn Umar Nasif, 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:44.329 may Allah preserve him. 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:46.329 Surah Ta-Ha. 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:48.329 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:51.329 Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:55.369 We are still continuing with our gentle commentary on the identification cards, 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:57.369 and here we are with Surah Ta-Ha. 00:00:57.369 --> 00:00:59.750 The first point of reflection 00:00:59.750 --> 00:01:01.780 concerns the opening of the Surah. 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:04.780 He mentioned here in the book that it opens generally with the letters of the alphabet, 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:06.780 which are known as the disjointed letters (al-huruf al-muqatta'ah). 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:09.939 In truth, I followed in this regard the source 00:01:09.939 --> 00:01:11.939 upon which I relied, namely al-Suyuti, 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:13.939 who followed those before him 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:15.939 in classifying the openings of the Surahs 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:18.939 into ten categories, 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:21.099 among which are the disjointed letters, 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:23.629 and he included "Ta-Ha" among them. 00:01:23.629 --> 00:01:25.629 Otherwise, "Ta-Ha" 00:01:25.629 --> 00:01:27.629 is not considered one of the disjointed letters 00:01:27.629 --> 00:01:29.629 by consensus. 00:01:29.629 --> 00:01:31.629 We have "Alif-Lam-Mim", 00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:33.629 which is definitively among the disjointed letters, 00:01:33.629 --> 00:01:35.629 and we have "Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad", which is also among the disjointed letters. 00:01:35.629 --> 00:01:37.629 As for "Ta-Ha", there is disagreement concerning it, 00:01:37.629 --> 00:01:39.659 and Imam al-Tabari preferred 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:41.659 a different view, 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:43.700 giving preponderance to the meaning: "O man." 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:45.890 However, I followed 00:01:45.890 --> 00:01:47.890 al-Suyuti's classification 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.500 for the sake of simplicity. 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:52.930 Here is a second point of reflection, 00:01:52.930 --> 00:01:54.930 and this second point 00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:56.930 stems from the first: 00:01:56.930 --> 00:01:58.930 namely, that the disjointed letters 00:01:58.930 --> 00:02:00.930 should not all be treated 00:02:00.930 --> 00:02:02.930 in the exact same manner. 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:04.930 Imam al-Tabari, 00:02:04.930 --> 00:02:06.930 across many Surahs, 00:02:06.930 --> 00:02:08.930 states: "The discussion regarding the disjointed letters has preceded," 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:10.960 and then he cites some other narrations. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:12.990 Yet his methodology requires further induction 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:14.990 in the way he cites 00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:16.990 the discussion on the disjointed letters throughout the different Surahs. 00:02:16.990 --> 00:02:18.990 In certain Surahs, however, 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:21.389 such as Surah Ta-Ha, 00:02:21.389 --> 00:02:23.389 he mentions a dispute that takes it outside the category of disjointed letters, 00:02:23.389 --> 00:02:25.389 and indeed, 00:02:25.389 --> 00:02:27.389 he concluded, as I mentioned to you, 00:02:27.389 --> 00:02:29.389 that "Ta-Ha" 00:02:29.389 --> 00:02:31.550 means: "O man." 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:33.550 This is what is expected of a researcher: 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:35.550 the disjointed letters 00:02:35.550 --> 00:02:37.550 are not all equal 00:02:37.550 --> 00:02:39.550 in terms of the certainty of their belonging to this category. 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:41.550 There are certain openings 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:43.550 concerning which there is extensive debate, 00:02:43.550 --> 00:02:45.550 and which warrant 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:47.550 closer examination, 00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:49.949 such as Surah Qaf, Surah Ta-Ha, 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:51.949 and Surah Nun. 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:53.949 These, 00:02:53.949 --> 00:02:55.949 even if the preponderant view 00:02:55.949 --> 00:02:57.949 among the reciter or reader 00:02:57.949 --> 00:02:59.949 is that they are disjointed letters, 00:02:59.949 --> 00:03:01.949 ought not to be treated 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:03.949 in the same way as those that are 00:03:03.949 --> 00:03:05.949 unequivocally considered disjointed letters by consensus. 00:03:05.949 --> 00:03:07.949 It is an issue that requires 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:09.949 thorough research, 00:03:09.949 --> 00:03:11.949 and perhaps some researchers will step forward 00:03:11.949 --> 00:03:13.949 to undertake this matter. 00:03:13.949 --> 00:03:15.949 The third and final point of reflection 00:03:16.349 --> 00:03:18.379 concerns the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) of the Surah. 00:03:18.379 --> 00:03:20.379 He said: "No occasion of revelation has been mentioned for it." 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:22.449 I have previously clarified 00:03:22.449 --> 00:03:24.449 that when I say "none has been mentioned for it," 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:26.449 it differs from saying "I did not 00:03:26.449 --> 00:03:28.449 find any for it." 00:03:28.449 --> 00:03:30.449 When I state on the very same page, 00:03:30.449 --> 00:03:32.449 regarding the virtues of the Surah: "and I did not find for it 00:03:32.449 --> 00:03:34.449 an independent virtue," 00:03:34.449 --> 00:03:36.449 this means that I searched across various works 00:03:36.449 --> 00:03:38.449 to the best of my ability and found none. 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:40.449 However, "no occasion of revelation has been mentioned for it" is said 00:03:40.449 --> 00:03:42.449 because regarding the occasions of revelation, 00:03:42.449 --> 00:03:44.449 despite the abundance of references, I relied 00:03:44.849 --> 00:03:46.849 specifically on sources where no occasion of revelation was recorded for it. 00:03:46.849 --> 00:03:48.849 Otherwise, the author himself, 00:03:48.849 --> 00:03:50.849 Dr. Isam al-Humaydan, 00:03:50.849 --> 00:03:52.849 the author of "Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul", 00:03:52.849 --> 00:03:54.849 in his critical editing 00:03:54.849 --> 00:03:56.849 of al-Wahidi's "Asbab al-Nuzul"— 00:03:56.849 --> 00:03:58.849 meaning, this scholar 00:03:58.849 --> 00:04:00.849 critically edited al-Wahidi's "Asbab al-Nuzul"— 00:04:00.849 --> 00:04:02.849 and in al-Wahidi's work, 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:04.849 an occasion of revelation is mentioned for the beginning of the Surah, 00:04:04.849 --> 00:04:06.979 but it was not deemed acceptable 00:04:06.979 --> 00:04:08.979 by Isam al-Humaydan in terms of chain of transmission (isnad), 00:04:08.979 --> 00:04:11.330 so he did not cite it. 00:04:11.330 --> 00:04:13.330 I have noted that once a person reads al-Humaydan's book, 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:15.729 they gain a sound conception of the occasions of revelation, 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:17.730 after which they should expand further, 00:04:17.730 --> 00:04:19.730 according to whatever Allah grants them, 00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:21.730 by reading other works on the occasions of revelation. 00:04:21.730 --> 00:04:23.730 One should add to it whenever finding a report 00:04:23.730 --> 00:04:25.730 that appears verified or suitable 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:27.730 for citation, incorporating it 00:04:27.730 --> 00:04:29.730 into what they already know. 00:04:29.730 --> 00:04:31.730 With this, I conclude 00:04:31.730 --> 00:04:33.730 these points of reflection 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:35.790 on Surah Ta-Ha. 00:04:35.790 --> 00:04:37.790 May the blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, 00:04:37.790 --> 00:04:39.790 and upon his family and all his Companions. 00:04:39.790 --> 00:04:41.790 And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.