In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A brief 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 'Abasa.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah,
and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah,
and upon his family, his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance.
Today, we continue our brief commentary
on the identification cards with Surah 'Abasa.
The first reflection regarding this Surah
concerns this distinctive name among the Surahs of the Qur'an,
in that it comes in the form of a past-tense verb.
I cannot recall any other Surah right now
whose most famous name placed in the copies of the Qur'an
is a past-tense verb, except for this Surah.
Notice that there is a Surah named Muhammad,
and Surahs named al-Muzzammil and al-Muddaththir,
all referring to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
yet they appear in the form of nouns.
As for this one, it comes in the form of a verb,
and this is worthy of reflection.
The verb appears in the past tense here,
indicating that the matter occurred and has concluded—
a transient incident in the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
This was not his customary characteristic (peace be upon him),
but rather a momentary occurrence,
so Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, reproved him with the gentlest reproach.
It was an isolated incident in his life (peace be upon him);
however, his Lord, who nurtured him with this Qur'an,
intended by reproaching His Prophet
to warn those after him who might persistently adopt such a trait,
when it ought never to persist.
From this, we move to the second reflection,
which concerns the gentleness of the reproach addressed to our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Indeed, this gentleness teaches us, created human beings,
how we ought to speak of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
If this is how the Creator, Exalted and Majestic is He, addresses His Prophet,
then how ought the creation to address him and speak of him?
Notice that He did not say, "You frowned and turned away,"
which would be the default phrasing since he (peace be upon him) was the one being addressed;
rather, He said, ﴾He frowned and turned away,﴿
using the past tense—
meaning He used the third-person absent pronoun without naming the subject directly.
"He frowned"—that is, in the third person.
Thus, it came with a third-person pronoun,
and the verb was in the past tense,
conveying that it was a fleeting moment in a life
entirely filled with everything that pleases Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He.
This gentleness must serve as a methodology for us
when speaking of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Furthermore, the numerous other verses wherein Allah honors His Prophet
must likewise serve as a guiding methodology for us.
When you speak about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
O caller, O speaker,
know whom you are talking about!
Observe proper etiquette, honor him, and revere him,
for this is indicative of your faith,
drawing you nearer to your Lord and earning His pleasure, Exalted is He.
The third and final reflection concerns the word "al-Sakhkhah" (the Deafening Blast),
which was referenced in the third section where the author states:
"In the third section, the conditional opening is fulfilled, mentioning what occurs
when the Deafening Blast arrives: the fleeing
and the condition of the two groups, between rejoicing and gloom."
Al-Sakhkhah is mentioned as one of the names of the Day of Resurrection,
and every name among the names of the Day of Resurrection appears in a context
perfectly suited to that specific passage,
offering a profound ground for contemplation as to why that particular word was used here.
Here, it does not say, "So when the Calamity (al-Qari'ah) comes,"
or "when the Inevitable Reality (al-Haqqah) comes," but rather ﴾So when the Deafening Blast comes.﴿
And al-Sakhkhah is the sound that deafens the ears on the Day of Resurrection—
the blast that pierces and deafens the ears.
This is al-Sakhkhah.
If you reflect upon the Surah,
you find at its beginning a man turning away from the remembrance of Allah,
turning away from the call of the Messenger of Allah,
regarding whom Allah said to him: ﴾As for him who considers himself free from need, to him you give attention.﴿
Then in the middle of the Surah, you find tremendous signs
to which man pays no heed: ﴾Cursed is man; how disbelieving is he!﴿
﴾From what thing did He create him? From a sperm-drop He created him and destined for him;﴿
﴾then the way He made easy for him.﴿ These are profound signs.
Then He says: ﴾No! Man has not yet accomplished what He commanded him. Then let mankind look at his food.﴿
If you do not heed the admonition of Allah,
and you do not listen to the signs of Allah that alert you to the wonders around you,
then beware: ﴾So when the Deafening Blast comes, on the Day a man will flee from his brother!﴿
This is a subtle indication that we must listen attentively to the Qur'an,
take heed from the Qur'an,
and heed the call of the Master of Creation (peace and blessings be upon him).
For whoever does not listen here will inevitably hear there,
﴾on the Day a man will flee from his brother and his mother.﴿
We suffice with this much regarding this noble Surah.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.