In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
"The Gentle Commentary on the 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 Yunus.
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 are continuing with the gentle commentary on the identification cards,
and this segment is dedicated to Surah Yunus.
With it, Allah willing, I will make three pauses.
The first pause concerns the opening of the Surah.
Regarding the openings, it was stated in the introduction that the primary reference for them is *al-Itqan*.
Indeed, the primary reference for them is the book *al-Itqan*, because it mentioned—
citing those who came before him—
that the openings of the Surahs are of ten types.
In truth, this was not merely a primary reference; rather, the total reliance was upon this book
and upon this classification.
Here, I pause at what was written concerning Surah Yunus:
that it opens with the disjoined letters in general,
and specifically, it opens with *Alif-Lam-Ra*.
Now, words were omitted here,
namely that other Surahs share with it
this opening of *Alif-Lam-Ra*,
which are Surahs Hud, Yusuf, Ibrahim,
and al-Hijr.
Some scholars also append to them—as will come in the hadith—
Surah ar-Ra'd, because it is mentioned in the hadith: "Recite three
of those beginning with *Alif-Lam-Ra*." This hadith
is cited in the book under the virtues of Surah Yunus.
The benefit gained from this is that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
directed us toward learning the Surahs with similar openings together.
Therefore, it would be fitting here, as in every place in the book—
and this is what I preferred—
to clarify that this Surah shares its opening with such-and-such Surah.
This is better than such brevity,
though a reader could certainly research and find out.
Of course, whoever has not memorized the Surahs might not know or recall
the Surahs that begin with *Alif-Lam-Ra*.
Thus, it is preferable to state them explicitly.
As I noted, the Prophet, peace be upon him, guided us to learn them together;
he mentioned that regarding those beginning with *Alif-Lam-Ra*, and he mentioned it regarding
those that begin with *Ha-Mim*,
and he mentioned *al-Musabbihat*.
This does not preclude the same being true for others;
rather, it indicates
that Surahs opening with a similar beginning
have an interrelationship, and it is beneficial
to study a group of them together,
as in the phrase: "three of those beginning with *Alif-Lam-Ra*."
This is something to be kept in mind across the remaining Surahs of the Qur'an.
Whenever you find "O you who have believed"
at the beginning of two Surahs, then look and reflect
upon what connects them, and the complementarity
that occurs between them, and so forth.
The second issue
in Surah Yunus: you will find
in the order of the Surah's revelation—which I suggested
should include a note on the date of revelation—
that its chronological order is placed in the fifties,
which, according to the well-known view as we agreed,
means it was revealed after al-Isra' and before Hud.
Then they said: "In it, there is address directed to the polytheists
which may suggest..." It is this phrase that I wish to pause upon.
Why this hesitation? Why did I not say,
"And in it is that which proves a late revelation"?
"Which may suggest"—this indicates
that the matter is an inference, not based upon an explicit, unambiguous proof.
For the issue of dating revelation
requires historical reports
that point to it.
Thus, if you find that the reports indicate that Surah
al-Anfal was revealed regarding the Battle of Badr,
and you find the discourse in the Surah
speaking about the Battle of Badr, I know that it was revealed close
to the Battle of Badr.
In Meccan Surahs, however, I generally do not find such historical reports;
rather, I infer it from the discourse itself.
The discourse shows severity toward the disbelievers
and an extended disputation with them.
This firmness is apparent in the stories
that are mentioned, which are only recounted
so that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, might take solace,
so that the Prophet, peace be upon him, might emulate
the prophets before them.
They are reminded of Allah's signs: "Upon Allah I have relied,
so resolve upon your plan and call upon your associates, and let not
your plan be an obscurity to you"—in this there is immense power.
Numerous are the verses I am referring to.
The second aspect is the prolonged engagement in debate
with the disbelievers, which suggests that it was not an early
revelation. This, then, is the reason for
the phrasing: "which may suggest a later revelation."
One cannot assert late revelation definitively, but rather it may
suggest that; and by this I mean
that the matter is plausible.
I also mean to draw attention toward studying this
and delving deeply into it, so that a reflecting,
contemplating researcher might find that which corroborates
this proposition or refutes it.
The third and final pause concerns the thematic sections
of the Surah. As you can see,
the Surah was divided into two sections and a conclusion:
a section establishing the proof against those who doubt the Qur'an,
and a section speaking about the Qur'an itself.
Here, I would like to recall the well-known maxim:
"Emptying comes before adorning."
Establishing the proof against those who doubt the Qur'an
acts as an emptying and a removal of doubts,
followed by the adorning through the mention of the Qur'an.
In it, there is a verse that warrants a long pause:
“O mankind! There hath come unto you an exhortation from your Lord, a balm for that which is in the breasts, a guidance and a mercy for believers.” (10:57)
"and a healing for what is in the breasts,
and guidance and mercy for the believers."
We also find that the Surah's conclusion returns to what preceded,
reiterating the negation of doubt,
emphasizing the imperative of seeking guidance through the Qur'an,
and granting steadfastness to the Master of the Messengers,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
What has been mentioned suffices regarding this magnificent Surah.
I ask Allah for myself and for you [all goodness].
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.