WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:37.539 A Gentle Commentary on the Book *Identification Cards for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*, 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:43.539 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif, may Allah preserve him. 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:45.789 Surah al-Hijr. 00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:50.789 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. 00:00:50.789 --> 00:00:54.789 We continue with our gentle commentary and with Surah al-Hijr. 00:00:54.789 --> 00:00:57.979 The first aspect I wish to examine is its name. 00:00:57.979 --> 00:01:01.140 Indeed, if we consider the name of this Surah, 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:05.209 it differs on one hand from the surahs that begin with *Alif-Lam-Ra*, 00:01:05.209 --> 00:01:11.209 which are named after prophets, whereas this one is named after the dwelling place where punishment befell those who denied 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.209 the Prophet of Allah, Salih. 00:01:14.209 --> 00:01:17.209 On the other hand, however, it resembles Surah al-Ahqaf, 00:01:17.209 --> 00:01:20.209 in that it mentions the dwellings of 'Ad. 00:01:20.209 --> 00:01:29.370 Thus, the Surah shares with another the feature of mentioning the place of punishment: al-Hijr and al-Ahqaf. 00:01:29.370 --> 00:01:34.370 If you contemplate both surahs, you will find that they primarily speak 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:39.459 about the disbelievers and their vehement denial. 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:43.459 This brings us to the second point of reflection. 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:47.689 The second point concerns the opening of the Surah. 00:01:47.689 --> 00:01:49.689 The opening of the Surah: 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:53.689 Its opening begins: "Alif-Lam-Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur'an." 00:01:53.689 --> 00:01:57.689 “It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims.” (15:2) 00:01:57.689 --> 00:02:03.719 "Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for they will soon know." 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:07.719 This stern warning right from the beginning corresponds harmoniously with the name, 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:12.819 and it corresponds with the manner in which stories are presented throughout the Surah. 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:16.979 I will turn briefly to the third point of reflection, 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:19.979 which concerns the benefits of recognizing the opening and central theme. 00:02:19.979 --> 00:02:22.979 We noted that the opening of the Surah contains a warning, 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:26.979 and its theme clearly revolves primarily around the disbelievers. 00:02:26.979 --> 00:02:30.979 I say: among the benefits of knowing the opening and the overarching theme 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:33.979 is what pertains to the science of verbatim similarities in the Qur'an (*al-Mutashabih al-Lafzi*), 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:37.199 as modern scholars term it. 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.199 Al-Suyuti devoted a section to it in *Al-Itqan*, 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:44.199 establishing it as an independent discipline—namely, the sixty-third type— 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:46.199 concerning similar verses. 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.199 He spoke upon it at length, and I strongly recommend consulting his discussion. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:52.199 For those unfamiliar with it, what is meant by it 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:55.199 is verses that resemble one another yet contain variations. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:58.229 This is evident in the narratives and elsewhere. 00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:01.229 Even when al-Suyuti mentioned narratives, he did not mean narratives alone, 00:03:01.229 --> 00:03:03.389 as proven by the various verses he cited. 00:03:03.389 --> 00:03:06.389 For instance, regarding narratives, the story of Lot is found in this Surah 00:03:06.389 --> 00:03:08.580 and is also found in other surahs. 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:11.580 The story of the angels coming to Abraham, 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:14.580 on their way to destroy the people of Lot, is mentioned here 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:17.620 as well as in multiple other surahs. 00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:20.620 Thus you find that narratives recur, 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.620 exhibiting subtle variations alongside similarities. 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:26.680 Understanding the wisdom behind these variations is precisely what this field entails, 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:29.680 the sixty-third type in al-Suyuti's classification. 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.710 I maintain that knowing the opening 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:35.710 and the theme of the Surah greatly aids in understanding it. 00:03:35.710 --> 00:03:37.710 Let us take an example of this, 00:03:37.710 --> 00:03:39.710 even though it is broader than mere verbatim similarities. 00:03:39.710 --> 00:03:41.710 For instance, it is stated in the story of Lot: 00:03:41.710 --> 00:03:43.710 "By your life, [O Muhammad], they were indeed wandering blindly in their intoxication," 00:03:43.710 --> 00:03:45.710 which occurs exclusively in this Surah. 00:03:45.710 --> 00:03:49.710 It is a profound description unparalleled elsewhere in the Qur'an, 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:53.740 illustrating the severity of their delusion and that they were in a state of stupor. 00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:57.319 This corresponds directly with the fact that the Surah 00:03:57.319 --> 00:03:59.319 portrays the intense insolence of the disbelievers. 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:02.319 In it is also: "And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:06.319 and they continued ascending through it, they would say, 'Our eyes have only been dazzled.'" 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:08.419 Observe this subtle correspondence! 00:04:08.419 --> 00:04:10.419 Likewise, it is stated in it— 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:12.419 I say: observe also the statement of Allah Almighty 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:16.420 describing the destruction of the people of Lot: 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:18.420 "So We turned it upside down 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:20.420 and rained upon them..." 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:22.670 whereas in Surah Hud it says: 00:04:22.670 --> 00:04:24.670 "and rained upon it." 00:04:24.670 --> 00:04:26.670 Saying "upon them" is more specific 00:04:26.670 --> 00:04:28.670 in indicating that the punishment descended directly upon them, 00:04:28.670 --> 00:04:30.670 which is fully fitting 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:32.670 given the extremity of their disbelief. 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:34.670 Contemplation in this area is an expansive domain. 00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:36.670 If you comprehend the opening of the Surah 00:04:36.670 --> 00:04:38.670 and its ultimate purpose, 00:04:38.670 --> 00:04:40.670 you will be able to recognize 00:04:40.670 --> 00:04:42.670 the underlying reason for the variations across verses, 00:04:42.670 --> 00:04:44.670 with all their nuances of resemblance and difference. 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:46.670 This benefits the memorizers on the one hand— 00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:48.670 memorizers of the Qur'an in mastering similar verses— 00:04:48.670 --> 00:04:50.670 but on the other hand, 00:04:50.670 --> 00:04:52.670 it benefits scholars exploring the miraculous inimitability (*I'jaz*) of the Qur'an. 00:04:52.670 --> 00:04:54.670 It is indeed a vast discipline, 00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:56.670 such that the scholar 00:04:56.670 --> 00:04:58.670 Dr. Muhammad Abu Musa 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:00.670 pointed out in some of his works 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:02.670 that this represents the true practical application 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:04.670 of the science of rhetoric (*Balaghah*), 00:05:04.670 --> 00:05:06.670 and that traditional rhetoricians 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:08.670 did not give it extensive attention, 00:05:08.670 --> 00:05:10.670 whereas scholars of the Qur'anic sciences 00:05:10.670 --> 00:05:12.670 who authored works on this subject, 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:14.670 such as Ibn al-Zubayr al-Gharnati, 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:16.670 al-Iskafi before him, 00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:18.670 and a group of scholars after them— 00:05:18.670 --> 00:05:20.670 some of whom al-Suyuti referenced in his book—did so. 00:05:20.670 --> 00:05:22.670 We shall content ourselves with this much, 00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:24.670 and may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions.