In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The concise commentary
on the book *Profile Cards
of the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf*
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Aziz Ibn Umar Nassif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah ar-Rahman.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation,
and may peace and blessings
be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and upon all his family and Companions.
We continue with our concise commentary
on the profile cards, focusing today on Surah ar-Rahman.
I have three points of reflection regarding it.
The first reflection
concerns what is mentioned in the book regarding the name of the Surah,
and that among its names is
"the Bride of the Qur'an."
He stated that this is based on the report of the hadith: "Everything has
a bride, and the bride of the Qur'an is ar-Rahman."
It was noted in the footnote that this hadith is denounced (*munkar*),
cited, of course, from *as-Silsilah ad-Da'ifah*.
Here, someone might ask: "Why then do you mention this hadith?"
The truth is that this hadith was mentioned incidentally, not as an original proof.
It was not cited as primary evidence,
but rather to clarify why
some scholars called it
"the Bride of the Qur'an." As I mentioned
in the opening episodes,
with regard to the names of the Surahs,
reliance was placed on the book
*Masā'id an-Nazar* by al-Biqa'i,
alongside consulting his Tafsir.
Al-Biqa'i listed among its names
"the Bride of the Qur'an."
Where did this name come from?
It came based on this hadith,
which has been graded
as denounced (*munkar*).
I believe that this
clarifies the matter
in this manner. Likewise, for other Surahs,
where names were adopted
based on a weak report,
a denounced narration, or the like,
this is clarified simply to explain the origin of the name.
This contrasts with the virtues (*fada'il*), in which I only mention
what appears to me
to be authentic, as well as regarding
the occasions of revelation (*asbab an-nuzul*),
while relying on the specific book
designated for the occasions of revelation.
The second reflection
concerns the opening of the Surah. He stated:
"It opens with an informative declarative sentence."
We have previously seen that Surahs opening
with an informative sentence are numerous.
He noted: "And it is uniquely distinguished..."
Here one must pause whenever an opening is uniquely distinct;
it truly warrants reflection. He said: "It is uniquely distinguished by being
the only Surah
that begins with one of the names of Allah."
We saw recently in Surah al-Qamar
that its opening resembled
the opening of Surah al-Anbiya'.
Here, however, it is the only Surah
that opens with one of the names of Allah.
Such distinctiveness
in the Qur'an,
or textual uniqueness—
a story mentioned in only one Surah,
or a word mentioned in only one
specific place—
these matters are prime subjects
for study and contemplation,
because there must be profound wisdom
behind that.
Indeed, reflecting upon the opening
of Surah ar-Rahman
greatly aids in profound contemplation
of this noble Surah.
Furthermore, I would say,
within the bounds of my knowledge
—without claiming exhaustive research—
I say that those who discourse upon
Allah's name *ar-Rahman* (the Most Gracious)
do not give this Surah
its due share of attention in
explaining the meaning of the name *ar-Rahman*
and its manifestations.
This overlooks a tremendous resource
for understanding the name *ar-Rahman*.
It has a well-known linguistic meaning,
and so forth, as mentioned by
the scholars who wrote on the Most Beautiful Names of Allah.
But when we have an entire Surah
whose name is one of the names of Allah,
and which begins with this unique opening,
one ought to pause before this Surah
for a long time
to attain deep understanding (*tafaqqah*)
of the meaning of Allah's name
*ar-Rahman*.
Therefore, I believe
that regarding the central theme of the Surah, it is better
to add a word to the statement:
"A reminder of divine favors and blessings"
—this is obvious, as "So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?"
is repeated throughout—
"urging
the worship of the Owner of Majesty and Honor."
Perhaps it is more fitting,
in a way that draws attention to the significance of the name *ar-Rahman* in the Surah,
to say: "urging the worship
of ar-Rahman, the Owner of Majesty and Honor."
"The Owner of Majesty and Honor" was explicitly mentioned
because it appears in the Surah
twice: once in the middle of the Surah,
“There remaineth but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory.” (55:27)
and at the end of the Surah: "Blessed is the name of your Lord,
Owner of Majesty and Honor." Meanwhile, *ar-Rahman*
is how the Surah opens,
and it is the name of the Surah.
Thus, it would be beneficial
here to insert the word
*ar-Rahman*,
so that the phrasing becomes: "urging the worship
of ar-Rahman, the Owner of Majesty
and Honor."
As for the third reflection,
it concerns the dating of the Surah.
I have previously noted that the term "order
of revelation of the Surah"
should ideally be amended to read simply
"the revelation of the Surah,"
and that the word "its dating,"
found in the diagram,
should preferably be written as "its era."
Here I would like to mention
that if you examine
the dating of the Surah's revelation
in the diagram, you will find it
often more abbreviated
than what is stated in the main text
of the book. In the main text,
Surah ar-Rahman is considered the ninety-seventh
according to the well-known view, revealed after
Surah ar-Ra'd and before Surah al-Insan,
though the preponderant view is that it is Meccan.
The correct view is that it is Meccan,
and reports indicate
that it was revealed before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
openly proclaimed what he was commanded.
However, if we look at the diagram,
we find only the phrase: "Considered the ninety-seventh
according to the well-known view, after ar-Ra'd
and before al-Insan." This statement
is outweighed (*marjuh*),
for the preponderant view is that it is Meccan.
So when someone reads this text
in this abbreviated form,
it creates confusion for them.
This well-known report,
as we noted,
contains weakness, is subject to critique,
and has been debated;
it was mentioned solely due to its fame,
unless contradicted by stronger evidence,
and indeed it has been contradicted.
Perhaps this occurred in other Surahs
as well, where abbreviation
in the diagram led to
this issue. Allah willing,
it will be corrected in the upcoming edition.
So please amend it on your end
and add it to the diagram;
it ought to be added.
Note also that
the expression "and it has been reported"
indicates that
the matter is open to possibility,
and that the report is not decisively established
within the scope of my research, but rather subject to difference of opinion,
or that I was unable
to definitively evaluate
the chain of narration for one reason or another.
Therefore, the word "reported"
signals this nuance,
showing that the matter is not
firmly established, unlike when it is expressed
in other sections as "authentically established."
I ask Allah to grant success to me and to you
in all that He loves and is pleased with.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.