In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Gentle Commentary
on the book *Profile Cards
of the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah az-Zumar.
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 continue with our gentle commentary
on the profile cards, and we have reached Surah az-Zumar.
The first point of reflection concerns the reasons for the revelation of this surah.
It is stated in the book
that the surah has two reasons for revelation,
which portray an aspect of the Prophetic mission.
The first of the two reasons was already mentioned
in Surah Yusuf,
and I would like to recite this reason
in this first point of reflection
and benefit from it in the second point, if Allah wills.
Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas said—
and it is well known that he was among the Companions who embraced Islam early—
may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The Qur'an was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and he recited it to them for a period of time.
So they said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
if only you would narrate stories to us!'
So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed:
◁Alif, Lam, Ra.▷
◁These are the verses of the clear Book.▷"
He recited up to the verse:
“We narrate unto thee (Muhammad) the best of narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur'an, though aforetime thou wast of the heedless.” (12:3)
◁...the best of stories...▷
He continued: "Then he recited it to them for a period of time,
and they said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
if only you would relate discourses to us!'
So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed:
“Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.” (39:23)
◁...a consistent Book...▷"
to the end of the verse,
wherein they are directed to the Qur'an.
I wanted to pause at this hadith
because I had stopped
for a few days
from recording the gentle commentary due to other preoccupations.
And I wanted to say
that a person should never
cease clinging to the Qur'an,
nor cease reciting the Qur'an,
nor cease returning to the Qur'an.
The point is not merely to go through this book,
or through an exhaustive work of Tafsir,
and consider the matter finished.
Neither upon this brief book
nor upon the lengthiest work of Tafsir
should your reliance be,
such that you stop
seeking to comprehend
the Book of Allah,
gaining knowledge of the Book of Allah,
and pondering the Book of Allah.
For it is truly a lifelong endeavor,
without a doubt.
In fact, I believe
that after every
commentary on a surah,
it is highly recommended
to at least recite the surah
once or twice,
and reciting it more is even better.
Spend a few days with it,
contemplating it,
so that between you and it there develops
a heartfelt bond
and an affection
that compels you to recite it
and makes you sense its immense value.
That is what is required.
Otherwise,
once Allah brings
this gentle commentary to completion,
one should not imagine
that spending seven minutes on each
surah, or five minutes,
which can all be listened to in a single day
if gathered together,
or listened to in a day or two,
means one simply says, "Praise be to Allah"—
of course one says, "Praise be to Allah,"
and it is indeed a blessing—
but one must not settle for that,
nor say, "Praise be to Allah,
we have done enough and learned the surahs of the Qur'an."
Rather, it is merely the opening of a door,
which I ask Allah to make blessed,
good, and a source of light.
However,
know that the closer
you draw to the Qur'an,
the more you will benefit from it,
and that nothing can substitute for you
in place of the Qur'an,
whereas the Qur'an suffices you above all else.
This is the first point of reflection.
And from this reason for revelation, we arrive
at the second point of reflection, for you find
that there is mentioned
in this narration
a verse from Surah Yusuf
and a verse from Surah az-Zumar.
We can therefore add,
regarding the chronology of the surah's revelation,
that a portion
of Surah az-Zumar—
some of its verses—was revealed
after the beginning of Surah Yusuf,
“We narrate unto thee (Muhammad) the best of narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur'an, though aforetime thou wast of the heedless.” (12:3)
as the opening of Yusuf was revealed
prior to these verses from
Surah az-Zumar.
This is beneficial
in determining the order of revelation, though we cannot
state that the entirety of Surah
az-Zumar was revealed before
the entirety of Surah Yusuf.
Rather, what we deduce
is only that which has reached us
clearly in the narration.
As for the third
and final point of reflection,
if you examine the central theme of Surah az-Zumar,
you will find that,
alongside
the surah's call to tawhid—
which is evident in: ◁The revelation
of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Indeed, We have revealed to you the Book in truth,
so worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion▷—
“Surely pure religion is for Allah only. And those who choose protecting friends beside Him (say): We worship them only that they may bring us near unto Allah. Lo! Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Lo! Allah guideth not him who is a liar, an ingrate.” (39:3)
the establishment of creed in Surah
az-Zumar, the greatest foundation of which
is the tawhid of Allah, Glorified
and Exalted,
contains another prominent theme.
This theme corresponds to the surah's name on one hand,
and is equally essential for whoever wishes
to realize pure tawhid:
it is the contrast between the believers
and the disbelievers in their worldly state
and in their ultimate destiny.
This explicit emphasis
on their worldly state is crucial.
Some people assume,
regarding the difference between the disbeliever and the believer,
that the believer enters Paradise,
and even if he enters the Fire beforehand,
he ultimately enters Paradise
and abides therein eternally,
while the disbeliever abides eternally in the Fire.
This is indeed a distinction, but it concerns their ultimate destiny.
Verses have occurred in the surah,
especially toward its end,
indicating the contrast between the two groups
in their ultimate destiny; however,
between them
lies a profound difference in their worldly state as well.
An example of this is His saying:
◁Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night,
prostrating and standing in prayer, fearing▷
“Is he who payeth adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, (to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.” (39:9)
the Hereafter? And His saying, Glorified is He:
◁So is one whose breast Allah has expanded
to Islam
and he is upon a light
from his Lord?▷
Thus the surah draws these contrasts.
These contrasts, as I have said,
are exceedingly vital; it is essential for a Muslim
to know who he is,
and to recognize who the non-Muslim is.
Thereupon,
he feels honored by his Islam,
rejoices in his Islam,
and strives to rescue the disbeliever
from the plight he is in.
He could never envy him,
ever,
nor would he say,
as some Muslims say
out of sheer ignorance and heedlessness:
"How fortunate they are, enjoying this worldly life!"
For such a person fails to realize that the true pleasure of this life
and the Hereafter is attained solely
through obedience to Allah, Glorified and Exalted;
true delight lies solely
in obeying Allah, Glorified and Exalted,
and finding tranquility in Him.
Indeed, the distinction between the believer and the disbeliever
is a recurring theme
throughout the Qur'an,
and it recurs frequently within this surah.
I noted that the surah's name points
to this, as it is titled
*az-Zumar* (The Throngs). It is true that the throngs are mentioned
at the end of the surah:
"And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell
in groups, and those who feared their Lord will be driven
to Paradise in groups"—
that is, in crowds. However,
it was mentioned in the surah amid these contrasts,
some of which I have already noted.
Ibn Kathir hinted at
a particular meaning of "in groups" (zumar).
Regarding the verse, "And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell
in groups," he saw its counterpart
or likeness
in what appears in other verses, such as
the words of Allah the Exalted: "Gather those who wronged
and their kinds,"
and His words: "And when the souls
are paired." This was an allusion from him
to these verses, even if he did not cite them explicitly,
meaning that the disbelievers
are gathered in groups.
As for the righteous: "And those who feared
their Lord will be driven"—which is where
Ibn Kathir explained the crowds in this manner—
“And those who keep their duty to their Lord are driven unto the Garden in troops till, when they reach it, and the gates thereof are opened, and the warders thereof say unto them: Peace be unto you! Ye are good, so enter ye (the Garden of delight), to dwell therein;” (39:73)
"to Paradise in groups,"
he noted: the exceptionally righteous,
then the devout, or as he phrased it,
may Allah have mercy on him,
categorized according to their deeds—
in groups based on their righteous
deeds,
just as the former are in groups according to
their misguidance.
We ask Allah to make us among those gathered
to Paradise in groups.
“And those who keep their duty to their Lord are driven unto the Garden in troops till, when they reach it, and the gates thereof are opened, and the warders thereof say unto them: Peace be unto you! Ye are good, so enter ye (the Garden of delight), to dwell therein;” (39:73)
"And its keepers will say to them,
'Peace be upon you;
you have done well, so enter it to abide eternally.'"
O Allah, admit us into Paradise
without reckoning or punishment.
And may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.