In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The commentary series "Al-Ta'liq al-Latif"
on the book "Bitaqat al-Ta'rif
bi-Suwar al-Mushaf al-Sharif"
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah az-Zukhruf.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers.
O Allah, grant us gratitude for Your blessings, O Most Generous.
Resuming "Al-Ta'liq al-Latif"
on the introductory cards of the Qur'an,
we turn to Surah az-Zukhruf.
Its name
carries profound significance for understanding the surah
and observing its structural and thematic coherence.
The word *zukhruf* here
is derived from the verse:
"and ornaments of gold" (*wa-zukhrufan*), and what is meant by it
is gold, as is well known,
even though *zukhruf* can also be applied
to anything that lacks
genuine value
and is merely an outward embellishment,
a deceptive veneer, or the like.
We observe that *zukhruf* and gold
appear in this surah
across several contexts.
For *zukhruf* is mentioned
in the verse:
"And were it not that mankind would become one community [of disbelievers],
“And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We might well have appointed, for those who disbelieve in the Beneficent, roofs of silver for their houses and stairs (of silver) whereby to mount,” (43:33)
[We would have made] roofs of silver and stairs upon which
they mount, and for their houses doors
and couches upon which they recline, and ornaments of gold (*zukhrufan*)."
The meaning intended here is gold,
yet from the overall context,
it is understood that it holds
no great value in the sight of Allah,
even if some people are seduced by it.
However, Allah protected
His servants from this trial.
Without delving too deeply into the Tafsir of the verse:
"And were it not that mankind would become one community [of disbelievers],
We would have granted to whoever disbelieves in the Most Gracious..."
That is, had Allah made
worldly goods, gold,
silver, and such adornments
exclusively subservient to disbelievers, people would have been led astray;
thus, Allah did not decree it so.
As further proof, it is also mentioned in the story
of Pharaoh:
"He said, 'Am I not better than this one...?'"
“I am surely better than this fellow, who is despicable and can hardly make (his meaning) plain!” (43:52)
"'Why then have there not been placed upon him
bracelets of gold?'"
Here he explicitly said "gold."
In its physical substance it is gold, yet
in reality, even though it is
gold, it is merely fleeting *zukhruf* (ornament).
As for the true gold
mentioned by Allah in this surah,
it appears in His words:
“Therein are brought round for them trays of gold and goblets, and therein is all that souls desire and eyes find sweet. And ye are immortal therein.” (43:71)
Prior to that, He said:
"Close friends on that Day..."
"Enter Paradise,
you and your spouses, delighted.
Circulated among them will be plates
of gold and cups,
and therein is whatever the souls desire
and the eyes delight in,
and you will abide therein eternally.
And that is the Paradise which
you are made to inherit for what you used to
do."
Thus, a truly magnificent description
of Paradise was presented,
which directly corresponds to
what I will mention in our second reflection.
The second reflection:
we encounter here a distinct stance
taken by the disbelievers.
In Surah Ghafir, it was sheer disputation;
in Surah Fussilat,
“And they say: Our hearts are protected from that unto which thou (O Muhammad) callest us, and in our ears there is a deafness, and between us and thee there is a veil. Act, then. Lo! we also shall be acting.” (41:5)
"So work; indeed, we are working."
And in this surah, Allah highlights
“Shall We utterly ignore you because ye are a wanton folk?” (43:5)
“Shall We utterly ignore you because ye are a wanton folk?” (43:5)
their extravagance,
their deluded infatuation with the world,
and their appraisal of people based upon it:
"And they said, 'Why was this Qur'an not sent down
upon a great man from [one of] the two cities?'"
This is because they did not
comprehend the true worth of men.
Had they recognized the genuine worth of men, they would have known
that he is the master of all great men, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Yet according to their worldly standard of human worth—
and this, as I noted,
connects directly
to the first reflection in which I cited
the description of the immense bliss
of Paradise on one hand,
alongside the portrayal
of worldly *zukhruf* (embellishment) on the other.
For the stance of these extravagant disbelievers
is appropriately met by detaching them from the world
or trivializing that to which
they cling in worldly life—for it is nothing but
a fleeting illusion—while inspiring longing
for the magnificent Paradise
and reassuring the believers that theirs is the ultimate compensation,
and what an excellent compensation it is!
As for the third reflection, it is a question,
in truth, for contemplation
and deep reflection.
Of course, Pharaoh's narrative in this surah—
the account of Moses and Pharaoh—
mirrors the condition of the disbelievers
mentioned at the beginning of the surah
and dispersed throughout the dialogue
with them. In it, however, occurs
the statement of Allah: "So he bluffed
his people, and they obeyed him."
And before that, he said: "Am I not better than this one...?"
“I am surely better than this fellow, who is despicable and can hardly make (his meaning) plain!” (43:52)
"Why then have there not been placed upon him bracelets of gold,
or angels come with him accompanying him?"
His argument bears a striking resemblance
to the claims of the disbelievers
in several respects.
And here lies the question:
does Allah's statement, "So he bluffed his people
and they obeyed him,"
indicate that their falling for his deception
was due to their infatuation
with the world and their preoccupation
with it?
For they viewed matters just as Pharaoh did:
seeing Moses—far exalted is he from that—
as insignificant,
despite the fact that he was
among the Messengers of Allah whom He chose
and to whom He spoke directly.
Thus, their perspective parallels that of the disbelievers
in their statement: "Why was not
this Qur'an sent down upon a great man from [one of] the two cities?"
It is the very same Pharaonic outlook.
But when it says that he bluffed his people
and they obeyed him, it seems as though
this is
an indication
that among the reasons for their subjugation
was their delusion by worldly appearances.
This is merely an inquiry for reflection,
contemplation, and research;
perhaps our venerable exegetes
have pointed
to something along these lines.
I shall conclude with this much.
May Allah bestow blessings upon the best of Messengers, and upon his family and Companions
all together, and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.