1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,759 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:32,149 A Gentle Commentary 3 00:00:32,149 --> 00:00:35,229 on the book "Identification Cards 4 00:00:35,229 --> 00:00:37,670 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 5 00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:42,189 by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar Nasif, 6 00:00:42,189 --> 00:00:44,350 may Allah preserve him. 7 00:00:44,350 --> 00:00:46,350 Surah al-Isra'. 8 00:00:46,350 --> 00:00:48,380 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 9 00:00:48,380 --> 00:00:52,979 All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 10 00:00:54,009 --> 00:00:56,929 We continue with our gentle commentary on the identification cards, 11 00:00:56,929 --> 00:00:58,450 and we are now with Surah al-Isra'. 12 00:00:58,450 --> 00:01:00,250 I have three points of reflection concerning it. 13 00:01:00,250 --> 00:01:03,380 The first reflection pertains to the virtues of the Surah, 14 00:01:03,380 --> 00:01:05,579 and it entails two matters. First, 15 00:01:05,579 --> 00:01:08,340 the hadith mentioned at the beginning of its virtues 16 00:01:08,340 --> 00:01:10,420 has been narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 17 00:01:10,420 --> 00:01:12,260 that he would not sleep 18 00:01:12,260 --> 00:01:16,109 until he recited Bani Isra'il and al-Zumar. 19 00:01:16,109 --> 00:01:19,780 The truth is that I cited this hadith as established 20 00:01:19,780 --> 00:01:25,540 based on its authentication by some contemporary scholars, 21 00:01:25,540 --> 00:01:30,459 but it has become clear to me that establishing it requires further investigation; 22 00:01:30,459 --> 00:01:33,459 the documentation (takhrij) here is deficient. 23 00:01:33,459 --> 00:01:37,980 I hope to rectify this and examine the hadith more thoroughly 24 00:01:37,980 --> 00:01:40,260 in the forthcoming edition, if Allah wills, 25 00:01:40,260 --> 00:01:43,140 and I ask Allah to forgive any shortcoming. 26 00:01:43,140 --> 00:01:45,260 The second matter concerning its virtues 27 00:01:45,260 --> 00:01:49,829 is that this Surah is among "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal). 28 00:01:49,829 --> 00:01:51,390 We have the well-known fourfold division: 29 00:01:51,390 --> 00:01:55,310 we have already encountered the Seven Long Surahs, the Mi'un, the Mathani, 30 00:01:55,349 --> 00:02:01,150 and the Mufassal. There are also groups of Surahs that share common features, 31 00:02:01,150 --> 00:02:06,469 such as the Hawamim, those beginning with Alif-Lam-Ra, 32 00:02:06,469 --> 00:02:11,949 as well as the Al-Hamim and the Tawasin. 33 00:02:11,949 --> 00:02:13,819 These are thematic clusters. 34 00:02:13,819 --> 00:02:15,500 Most typically, these clusters— 35 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:19,300 or many of them—share a common opening. 36 00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:22,780 As for this group, "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal), 37 00:02:22,819 --> 00:02:27,030 it is taken from the statement of Ibn Mas'ud mentioned in the book, 38 00:02:27,030 --> 00:02:29,229 in which he refers to Bani Isra'il— 39 00:02:29,229 --> 00:02:31,069 which is al-Isra'— 40 00:02:31,069 --> 00:02:34,310 al-Kahf, Maryam, Taha, and al-Anbiya'. 41 00:02:34,310 --> 00:02:38,259 He says, "They are among the first vintage," 42 00:02:38,259 --> 00:02:41,740 and the word *'atiq* denotes something ancient, 43 00:02:41,740 --> 00:02:44,099 while it also carries another meaning: something 44 00:02:44,099 --> 00:02:46,550 of exquisite quality. 45 00:02:46,550 --> 00:02:50,229 This meaning—the meaning of antiquity—opens up an avenue for research: 46 00:02:50,229 --> 00:02:54,909 what did Ibn Mas'ud mean by these Surahs being ancient? 47 00:02:54,909 --> 00:02:57,349 Did he mean that they were revealed in Makkah, 48 00:02:57,349 --> 00:03:00,990 or did he mean that they were revealed in the earliest phase of the Makkan period? 49 00:03:00,990 --> 00:03:03,110 This warrants careful study. 50 00:03:03,110 --> 00:03:05,310 Furthermore, why were these specific Surahs grouped together? 51 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:07,349 What is the link between them, 52 00:03:07,349 --> 00:03:09,590 given that, as you may notice, 53 00:03:09,590 --> 00:03:13,060 they are also consecutive in the arrangement of the Mus-haf? 54 00:03:13,060 --> 00:03:17,300 In truth, "the first vintage" requires specialized study. 55 00:03:17,340 --> 00:03:21,060 I have seen passing remarks by some commentators in Tafsir, 56 00:03:21,060 --> 00:03:24,900 but they are brief observations within the limits of what I have reviewed; 57 00:03:24,900 --> 00:03:27,300 hence, this is something truly worthy of investigation. 58 00:03:27,300 --> 00:03:29,139 This concludes the first point of reflection. 59 00:03:29,139 --> 00:03:31,000 As for the second reflection, 60 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,520 it concerns the chronological order of the Surah's revelation, 61 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:39,039 which I have agreed with you to term the "dating of the Surah's revelation," 62 00:03:39,039 --> 00:03:40,539 as that is more precise. 63 00:03:40,539 --> 00:03:44,740 Here you find it counted as the forty-ninth Surah, 64 00:03:44,740 --> 00:03:48,090 revealed after al-Qasas and before Yunus. 65 00:03:48,090 --> 00:03:51,740 I have told you that this is the precise count, 66 00:03:51,740 --> 00:03:54,219 whereas you may find in some books 67 00:03:54,219 --> 00:03:57,039 discrepancies in the numbering. 68 00:03:57,039 --> 00:04:00,759 You can find this precise enumeration documented with this accuracy 69 00:04:00,759 --> 00:04:04,000 in the work of Imam Abu 'Amr al-Dani 70 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,740 on counting the verses of the Qur'an, 71 00:04:06,740 --> 00:04:09,740 entitled *Al-Bayan fi 'Add Ay al-Qur'an*. 72 00:04:09,740 --> 00:04:11,680 He mentioned therein the transmission 73 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:16,649 by which the Surahs and their sequence are counted. 74 00:04:16,689 --> 00:04:19,930 Then it is noted here in the text of the book: 75 00:04:19,930 --> 00:04:23,529 "and the mention of consecutive rulings therein." 76 00:04:23,529 --> 00:04:28,370 It is well known that Makkan Surahs do not typically contain many rulings, 77 00:04:28,370 --> 00:04:31,370 yet here consecutive legal rulings are mentioned: 78 00:04:31,370 --> 00:04:33,850 "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, 79 00:04:33,850 --> 00:04:35,850 and that you be dutiful to parents," and so forth. 80 00:04:35,850 --> 00:04:37,759 Several legal rulings are stated, 81 00:04:37,759 --> 00:04:41,079 and this mention of rulings aids in dating the revelation. 82 00:04:41,079 --> 00:04:44,120 Then I noted: "and the incident of the Night Journey (al-Isra')," 83 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,439 meaning the mention of the event of al-Isra', 84 00:04:46,439 --> 00:04:47,959 which took place late. 85 00:04:47,959 --> 00:04:50,959 Mentioning rulings helps in dating the revelation; 86 00:04:50,959 --> 00:04:55,839 the incident of al-Isra'—which occurred late, towards the end of the Makkan period— 87 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:58,120 is another factor that helps in dating the revelation; 88 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,480 along with its being among the first vintage, 89 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,240 which suggests, as we mentioned, that its revelation may have begun very early; 90 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,480 and the fact that parts of it were revealed while the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah. 91 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:13,420 This fourth factor becomes evident upon examining the reasons for revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul): 92 00:05:13,420 --> 00:05:14,819 the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah, 93 00:05:14,860 --> 00:05:17,660 which may indicate that they are early— 94 00:05:17,660 --> 00:05:20,939 specifically those verses revealed on that occasion. 95 00:05:20,939 --> 00:05:25,740 It suggests that its revelation was dispersed over a long span of time. 96 00:05:25,740 --> 00:05:28,740 Thus, there are four factors that indicate— 97 00:05:28,740 --> 00:05:33,019 the conclusion being that they indicate the Surah was revealed intermittently over an extended period: 98 00:05:33,019 --> 00:05:34,660 the mention of consecutive legal rulings, 99 00:05:34,660 --> 00:05:36,540 the mention of the incident of al-Isra', 100 00:05:36,540 --> 00:05:38,459 its being from the first vintage, 101 00:05:38,459 --> 00:05:41,829 and the revelation of parts of it while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was in hiding in Makkah. 102 00:05:41,829 --> 00:05:44,990 These four factors lead us to say: 103 00:05:44,990 --> 00:05:52,100 they give the sense that it was revealed intermittently over a long period during the Makkan era, 104 00:05:52,100 --> 00:05:56,160 while noting the repeated revelation of one of its verses during the Madinan era, 105 00:05:56,160 --> 00:06:00,279 which is: "And they ask you about the soul." 106 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:05,480 Thus, the revelation of the Surah spanned a long time, as these evidences suggest. 107 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:06,949 And Allah knows best. 108 00:06:06,949 --> 00:06:10,509 As for the third and final reflection, 109 00:06:10,509 --> 00:06:14,350 when you look at the central theme of the Surah 110 00:06:14,350 --> 00:06:16,779 or its thematic passages, 111 00:06:16,779 --> 00:06:21,019 you will find that the word *ni'am* (blessings) or *ni'mah* (blessing) 112 00:06:21,019 --> 00:06:23,800 recurs throughout this Surah. 113 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,740 We have already mentioned that Surah al-Nahl is called the Surah of Blessings, 114 00:06:27,740 --> 00:06:30,019 as it contains many blessings, 115 00:06:30,019 --> 00:06:36,579 but the blessings there were mostly tangible, worldly blessings 116 00:06:36,579 --> 00:06:40,019 calling for submission to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. 117 00:06:40,019 --> 00:06:44,579 As for the blessing emphasized 118 00:06:44,620 --> 00:06:47,019 alongside other blessings in Surah al-Isra', 119 00:06:47,019 --> 00:06:52,339 it is an intangible, religious blessing, 120 00:06:52,339 --> 00:06:53,819 far greater than all those other blessings: 121 00:06:53,819 --> 00:06:56,779 it is the blessing of the Magnificent Qur'an. 122 00:06:56,779 --> 00:06:59,939 You find the Qur'an mentioned from the early parts of the Surah— 123 00:06:59,939 --> 00:07:06,879 "Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright"—all the way to its end. 124 00:07:06,879 --> 00:07:10,920 “And (it is) a Qur'an that We have divided, that thou mayst recite it unto mankind at intervals, and We have revealed it by (successive) revelation.” (17:106) 125 00:07:10,959 --> 00:07:15,639 The verses in the Surah that speak of the Qur'an are numerous. 126 00:07:15,639 --> 00:07:20,800 This is a blessing that, as I mentioned, is the greatest of spiritual blessings. 127 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,779 The Surah urges gratitude, 128 00:07:23,779 --> 00:07:30,180 and showing gratitude to Allah for the blessing of the Qur'an is accomplished by acting upon it; 129 00:07:30,180 --> 00:07:33,819 and there can be no acting upon it without recitation and comprehension. 130 00:07:33,819 --> 00:07:37,420 I ask Allah to grant me and you success in doing that which He loves and is pleased with. 131 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:40,779 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions. 132 00:07:40,779 --> 00:07:42,579 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.