In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
A Gentle 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 al-Isra'.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We continue with our gentle commentary on the identification cards,
and we are now with Surah al-Isra'.
I have three points of reflection concerning it.
The first reflection pertains to the virtues of the Surah,
and it entails two matters. First,
the hadith mentioned at the beginning of its virtues
has been narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
that he would not sleep
until he recited Bani Isra'il and al-Zumar.
The truth is that I cited this hadith as established
based on its authentication by some contemporary scholars,
but it has become clear to me that establishing it requires further investigation;
the documentation (takhrij) here is deficient.
I hope to rectify this and examine the hadith more thoroughly
in the forthcoming edition, if Allah wills,
and I ask Allah to forgive any shortcoming.
The second matter concerning its virtues
is that this Surah is among "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal).
We have the well-known fourfold division:
we have already encountered the Seven Long Surahs, the Mi'un, the Mathani,
and the Mufassal. There are also groups of Surahs that share common features,
such as the Hawamim, those beginning with Alif-Lam-Ra,
as well as the Al-Hamim and the Tawasin.
These are thematic clusters.
Most typically, these clusters—
or many of them—share a common opening.
As for this group, "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal),
it is taken from the statement of Ibn Mas'ud mentioned in the book,
in which he refers to Bani Isra'il—
which is al-Isra'—
al-Kahf, Maryam, Taha, and al-Anbiya'.
He says, "They are among the first vintage,"
and the word *'atiq* denotes something ancient,
while it also carries another meaning: something
of exquisite quality.
This meaning—the meaning of antiquity—opens up an avenue for research:
what did Ibn Mas'ud mean by these Surahs being ancient?
Did he mean that they were revealed in Makkah,
or did he mean that they were revealed in the earliest phase of the Makkan period?
This warrants careful study.
Furthermore, why were these specific Surahs grouped together?
What is the link between them,
given that, as you may notice,
they are also consecutive in the arrangement of the Mus-haf?
In truth, "the first vintage" requires specialized study.
I have seen passing remarks by some commentators in Tafsir,
but they are brief observations within the limits of what I have reviewed;
hence, this is something truly worthy of investigation.
This concludes the first point of reflection.
As for the second reflection,
it concerns the chronological order of the Surah's revelation,
which I have agreed with you to term the "dating of the Surah's revelation,"
as that is more precise.
Here you find it counted as the forty-ninth Surah,
revealed after al-Qasas and before Yunus.
I have told you that this is the precise count,
whereas you may find in some books
discrepancies in the numbering.
You can find this precise enumeration documented with this accuracy
in the work of Imam Abu 'Amr al-Dani
on counting the verses of the Qur'an,
entitled *Al-Bayan fi 'Add Ay al-Qur'an*.
He mentioned therein the transmission
by which the Surahs and their sequence are counted.
Then it is noted here in the text of the book:
"and the mention of consecutive rulings therein."
It is well known that Makkan Surahs do not typically contain many rulings,
yet here consecutive legal rulings are mentioned:
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him,
and that you be dutiful to parents," and so forth.
Several legal rulings are stated,
and this mention of rulings aids in dating the revelation.
Then I noted: "and the incident of the Night Journey (al-Isra'),"
meaning the mention of the event of al-Isra',
which took place late.
Mentioning rulings helps in dating the revelation;
the incident of al-Isra'—which occurred late, towards the end of the Makkan period—
is another factor that helps in dating the revelation;
along with its being among the first vintage,
which suggests, as we mentioned, that its revelation may have begun very early;
and the fact that parts of it were revealed while the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah.
This fourth factor becomes evident upon examining the reasons for revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul):
the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah,
which may indicate that they are early—
specifically those verses revealed on that occasion.
It suggests that its revelation was dispersed over a long span of time.
Thus, there are four factors that indicate—
the conclusion being that they indicate the Surah was revealed intermittently over an extended period:
the mention of consecutive legal rulings,
the mention of the incident of al-Isra',
its being from the first vintage,
and the revelation of parts of it while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was in hiding in Makkah.
These four factors lead us to say:
they give the sense that it was revealed intermittently over a long period during the Makkan era,
while noting the repeated revelation of one of its verses during the Madinan era,
which is: "And they ask you about the soul."
Thus, the revelation of the Surah spanned a long time, as these evidences suggest.
And Allah knows best.
As for the third and final reflection,
when you look at the central theme of the Surah
or its thematic passages,
you will find that the word *ni'am* (blessings) or *ni'mah* (blessing)
recurs throughout this Surah.
We have already mentioned that Surah al-Nahl is called the Surah of Blessings,
as it contains many blessings,
but the blessings there were mostly tangible, worldly blessings
calling for submission to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
As for the blessing emphasized
alongside other blessings in Surah al-Isra',
it is an intangible, religious blessing,
far greater than all those other blessings:
it is the blessing of the Magnificent Qur'an.
You find the Qur'an mentioned from the early parts of the Surah—
"Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright"—all the way to its end.
“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)
The verses in the Surah that speak of the Qur'an are numerous.
This is a blessing that, as I mentioned, is the greatest of spiritual blessings.
The Surah urges gratitude,
and showing gratitude to Allah for the blessing of the Qur'an is accomplished by acting upon it;
and there can be no acting upon it without recitation and comprehension.
I ask Allah to grant me and you success in doing that which He loves and is pleased with.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.