WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.299 The brief commentary 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:35.299 on the book "Identification Cards 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:38.299 for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.299 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif, 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:44.299 may Allah preserve him. 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:46.299 Surah Ad-Dukhan. 00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:48.299 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:50.299 Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.299 We are still continuing with our brief commentary 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:54.299 on the identification cards. 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 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, 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 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 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, 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 00:01:31.769 --> 00:01:36.890 one of the textual connections that exist between two surahs; it may be 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:43.310 verbal, or it may be thematic, as was the case with things we have previously covered. 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) 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 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:04.439 and again, the word "may" mentioned in such a context merely points to 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:09.909 a potential avenue of research. The verses mentioning Zaqqum in the Qur'an are numerous, 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, 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:27.370 as well as reflecting upon their contexts and contents, may lead to determining a date 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 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 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 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 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 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 00:03:05.939 --> 00:03:11.180 in acquiring knowledge. However, a researcher may delve into a specific aspect of 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:15.539 these proposed points and yet not arrive at a definitive conclusion; one might only reach 00:03:15.539 --> 00:03:21.539 a strong presumption, for the matter is one of scholarly ijtihad. As for the third 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 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:37.610 that Surahs Ghafir, Fussilat, and Az-Zukhruf mentioned the conditions of the disbelievers who denied 00:03:37.610 --> 00:03:42.050 the Qur'an in their openings; likewise, here Allah Almighty says: "Nay, they are in 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 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:56.000 in the introduction the clarification that the polytheists are indeed in doubt, playing; then, throughout 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 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:08.590 is seamlessly connected. Remarkably, the description of the disbelievers' punishment in the Hereafter in this 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, 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 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, 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 00:04:30.769 --> 00:04:37.009 those who are in doubt, playing. The discussion concerning this surah has many branching avenues, 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 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.