1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,759 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:32,299 The brief commentary 3 00:00:32,299 --> 00:00:35,299 on the book "Identification Cards 4 00:00:35,299 --> 00:00:38,299 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 5 00:00:38,299 --> 00:00:42,299 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif, 6 00:00:42,299 --> 00:00:44,299 may Allah preserve him. 7 00:00:44,299 --> 00:00:46,299 Surah Ad-Dukhan. 8 00:00:46,299 --> 00:00:48,299 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 9 00:00:48,299 --> 00:00:50,299 Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 10 00:00:50,299 --> 00:00:52,299 We are still continuing with our brief commentary 11 00:00:52,299 --> 00:00:54,299 on the identification cards. 12 00:00:54,299 --> 00:01:00,179 Surah Ad-Dukhan, and we have a series of pauses regarding it. The first pause concerns the surah's placement 13 00:01:00,179 --> 00:01:05,930 and its suitability to Surah Az-Zukhruf, along with the similarity in their openings. At the end of the previous surah, 14 00:01:05,930 --> 00:01:11,969 there is the command to turn away graciously: "So turn away from them and say, 'Peace.'" And what 15 00:01:11,969 --> 00:01:18,209 recurs in this surah is the command to watch and wait: "So watch," at the beginning of the surah on the first 16 00:01:18,209 --> 00:01:23,010 page: "So watch for the day when the sky brings visible smoke," and at the end of the surah, 17 00:01:23,010 --> 00:01:31,769 in the very last verse: "So watch, indeed, they are waiting." Thus, there is a verbal link here, which is 18 00:01:31,769 --> 00:01:36,890 one of the textual connections that exist between two surahs; it may be 19 00:01:36,890 --> 00:01:43,310 verbal, or it may be thematic, as was the case with things we have previously covered. 20 00:01:43,310 --> 00:01:50,319 As for the second pause, it concerns the date of the surah's revelation. He noted that the mention of the smoke (ad-dukhan) 21 00:01:50,319 --> 00:01:57,680 and the tree of Zaqqum may assist in determining the chronological order of revelation. As we have noted time 22 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:04,439 and again, the word "may" mentioned in such a context merely points to 23 00:02:04,439 --> 00:02:09,909 a potential avenue of research. The verses mentioning Zaqqum in the Qur'an are numerous, 24 00:02:09,909 --> 00:02:18,680 and for some of them, specific reasons for revelation are transmitted; compiling these verses and examining the reasons, 25 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:27,370 as well as reflecting upon their contexts and contents, may lead to determining a date 26 00:02:27,370 --> 00:02:35,250 for the revelation of some or all of those verses. As for the smoke, it is mentioned only 27 00:02:35,250 --> 00:02:41,530 in this surah; nevertheless, there is a substantial difference among the Companions regarding it, which he mentioned here 28 00:02:41,530 --> 00:02:47,460 under the reasons for revelation, and examining the narrations may also assist in this regard. This requires 29 00:02:47,460 --> 00:02:53,939 collecting the diverse reports of the Companions concerning the matter of the smoke, and which of them 30 00:02:53,939 --> 00:02:58,819 interpreted it as occurring in this worldly life, as well as identifying the historical events or situations that occurred 31 00:02:58,819 --> 00:03:05,939 during the revelation of the entire surah or the revelation of these verses; all of this helps 32 00:03:05,939 --> 00:03:11,180 in acquiring knowledge. However, a researcher may delve into a specific aspect of 33 00:03:11,180 --> 00:03:15,539 these proposed points and yet not arrive at a definitive conclusion; one might only reach 34 00:03:15,539 --> 00:03:21,539 a strong presumption, for the matter is one of scholarly ijtihad. As for the third 35 00:03:21,539 --> 00:03:29,159 and final pause, it connects the theme of the surah with its internal divisions. I recall here 36 00:03:29,159 --> 00:03:37,610 that Surahs Ghafir, Fussilat, and Az-Zukhruf mentioned the conditions of the disbelievers who denied 37 00:03:37,610 --> 00:03:42,050 the Qur'an in their openings; likewise, here Allah Almighty says: "Nay, they are in 38 00:03:43,050 --> 00:03:50,080 doubt, playing." I have identified the theme of the surah as warning those who doubt and play; notice 39 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:56,000 in the introduction the clarification that the polytheists are indeed in doubt, playing; then, throughout 40 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,319 the body of the surah, the decisive proof is established against those who are in doubt, playing. Thus, the context 41 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:08,590 is seamlessly connected. Remarkably, the description of the disbelievers' punishment in the Hereafter in this 42 00:04:08,590 --> 00:04:15,349 surah carries a distinct irony that corresponds to their playful mockery in this worldly life; that is, 43 00:04:15,349 --> 00:04:20,620 by contrasting it, saying: "Seize him and drag him into the midst of Hellfire, then pour over his head 44 00:04:20,620 --> 00:04:25,500 of the torment of scalding water: 'Taste this! Indeed, you were the mighty, the noble.'" This is said in derision of him, 45 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:30,769 for what might or nobility could there possibly be in what he is tasting? Yet this is precisely what is deserved by 46 00:04:30,769 --> 00:04:37,009 those who are in doubt, playing. The discussion concerning this surah has many branching avenues, 47 00:04:37,009 --> 00:04:40,769 but I shall suffice with this much. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon 48 00:04:40,769 --> 00:04:45,089 his family and all his Companions. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.