In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A Gentle Commentary
on the book "Identification Cards
for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Fatihah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers.
Our lesson today, within the gentle commentary
on the identification cards,
focuses on Surah al-Fatihah.
Discussion on this surah could easily be vast and prolonged,
but I shall confine myself to three main points.
The first point
concerns the author's text regarding the chronological order of its revelation.
Surah al-Fatihah is not mentioned
in the well-known transmission concerning the chronological order of revelation,
although it is evident that it was revealed very early on.
In the footnote,
I indicated what is actually intended
by the well-known transmission,
contrary to what appears in the printed book.
For the author confined himself in the footnote
to citing
another weak transmission
that ought not to have been mentioned.
Anyone who has the book will find
this flaw in the footnote
on page nineteen.
As for the second point,
it concerns the analysis of this narration itself:
this well-known transmission
upon which I relied.
I will address it from three perspectives.
First, its chain of transmission (isnad):
its isnad contains weakness.
Although some contemporary researchers declared it strong,
they did so without any clear evidence.
Nevertheless, the scholars
relied upon it due to its renown,
and its weakness does not warrant discarding it altogether.
The scholars have thus relied upon it.
This is the first matter,
concerning the weakness in its isnad.
The second matter relates to its text (matn):
its text requires critical examination.
Among the best
of those who relied upon it
and cited it
in his Tafsir
for every surah—
while simultaneously critiquing its text—
was Shaykh al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.
In his Tafsir,
you will find him at the beginning of each surah
saying, "It is counted as the ninth,"
"It is counted as the tenth,"
and the like.
Then he mentions what contradicts
that statement,
or presents
other evidence that he favors,
scrutinizes,
and uses to debate
this well-known transmission.
As for most others who relied on this transmission,
to the best of my knowledge,
they would simply cite it without
significant critical scrutiny.
Perhaps
Muhammad 'Izzat Darwazah's book,
"Al-Tafsir al-Hadith",
also paid some attention to it, but it does not match
the attention given by al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.
Indeed, al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur is among the finest to critique
the text of Jabir ibn Zayd's transmission,
the famous narration
mentioned by al-Suyuti in
"Al-Itqan" and other works.
The third matter is that there is
confusion in the sequencing of this transmission;
that is, those who relied on this transmission
confounded it, advancing some surahs and delaying others.
Even al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur
fell into this, among others.
For this reason, I relied upon
the narration that I referenced
in the footnote
on that very page,
where the modification in the footnote occurred.
I relied on the transmission of Abu 'Amr al-Dani
in his book
"Al-Bayan fi 'Add Ay al-Qur'an",
because it is a narration with a connected isnad; later authors transmitted it from it,
yet when they transmitted it,
errors occurred in their ordering.
And this transmission,
which is found with Abu 'Amr,
may Allah have mercy on him, contains no mention of al-Fatihah.
Therefore, al-Fatihah
is not counted within
the well-known transmission
upon which I relied. These were two points,
both of which were related
to the chronological order of revelation.
With each surah,
we will attempt to pause over an aspect we have not previously addressed.
We have now paused over the order of revelation,
and with another surah we shall examine
the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) and other matters,
to clarify various issues, if Allah wills.
The third point is the most important of all,
so lend it your hearing
and your hearts;
I ask Allah to grant spiritual opening to me and to you,
reminding both myself and my beloved listeners.
Give your full attention to Surah al-Fatihah,
for it is the greatest surah of the Qur'an.
It is the one that encapsulates the entire Qur'an,
encompassing all of its core objectives.
Here, I wish to draw attention
to two essential dimensions:
the scholarly and the practical.
As for the scholarly dimension,
I say: one must attain deep understanding (fiqh)
of the meanings of al-Fatihah.
Make a habit, every so often, of reading
a Tafsir of al-Fatihah
that you have not read before.
If you read Ibn Kathir this month,
read al-Qurtubi the next month,
then a third exegete, and a fourth.
Read as abundantly as you can
from the works of Tafsir on al-Fatihah,
because this continually renews
what you already know and provides you with fresh
insights. This is directly connected
to the other dimension, which is the practical
application: be diligent
in contemplating al-Fatihah
during prayer whenever you recite it or hear it.
Never pass over it
hastily;
rather, know and be certain that it is greater
than anything you will recite or hear after it.
Indeed,
as we mentioned, it encompasses the objectives of the Qur'an,
serving as the key
to understanding everything that follows it.
When you recite al-Fatihah in prayer,
realize that whatever follows is understood through it,
and that it is the key to that understanding.
So focus deeply upon it
and give it its due reverence.
In fact, al-Fatihah is the prayer itself,
as indicated by the hadith: "I have divided the prayer
between Myself and My servant into two halves."
Thus, He designated al-Fatihah
as the prayer itself,
which is by way of elevating its supreme status.
For that reason, it has been named
the Surah of Prayer.
I shall content myself with this discussion regarding this
surah; otherwise, speech
concerning it could extend indefinitely, as I noted.
Whoever wishes
may listen to the detailed commentary.
Furthermore, seek an abundance
of learning and spiritual tasting
of Surah al-Fatihah,
and you will find immense good,
by Allah's leave.
May peace and blessings be upon his family and all his Companions,
and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.