In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The commentary series titled "Al-Ta'liq al-Latif
'ala Kitab Bitaqat al-Ta'rif
bi-Suwar al-Mushaf al-Sharif"
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
Ibn 'Umar Nasif.
Surah al-Ahqaf.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings
be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We continue with our gentle commentary
on the introductory profile cards of the Qur'an.
We have reached Surah al-Ahqaf,
and concerning it, I have three points of reflection.
The first point
relates to the second reason
for revelation referred to in his statement:
"The second requires
compiling and critically reconciling the narrations
alongside the verses of Surah al-Jinn."
A reason for revelation was reported concerning
the words of Allah the Exalted:
"And [mention] when We directed to you a group of the jinn..."
And Surah al-Jinn
likewise
has an occasion of revelation; between the two occasions
are both similarities and differences.
Hence, it requires—
as I pointed out—a dedicated,
specific study
that examines
the meeting of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
with the jinn, or—excuse me—
the jinn's listening to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and its connection to both of these surahs.
This is also
beneficial for
determining the chronology of revelation, as I noted
in the discussion on the dating
of the surah's revelation.
The second point concerns the context and placement
of the narrative of the jinn
within this surah.
It will become evident that
the surah primarily addresses the disbelievers,
threatening and warning them in the first place.
Yet the jinn
are mentioned within it, and therefore you find
regarding the surah's overarching theme
that among its topics
is refuting those who turn away,
warning them, and presenting examples
of their past counterparts—
which is what Allah mentioned
in the story of 'Ad
with their people
at al-Ahqaf (the sand dunes)—
as well as those who differed from them,
meaning those who took a contrasting path and answered
the call of faith.
Thus, the story of the jinn was brought in
to combine encouragement and warning (targhib and tarhib).
Just as Allah cautioned them
through the mention of 'Ad and al-Ahqaf,
He also encouraged them and drew their attention
to the path of true guidance
which the jinn traversed.
This is a wonderfully subtle
da'wah methodology, without doubt,
from which callers to Islam should actively benefit.
As for the third and final point,
it is that
the surah is identifiable
from its beginning
and its conclusion as being
primarily concerned with the disbelievers,
this being among its most prominent themes.
As I noted, look at
its opening: "Ha, Meem. The revelation
of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
We did not create the heavens and the earth
and what is between them except in truth
and for a specified term. But those who disbelieve,
from that of which they are warned, are turning away."
And this brings to mind
Surah Ghafir, Fussilat,
and al-Dukhan,
and some of this also occurs
in al-Jathiyah, regarding the stance of the disbelievers
toward the Qur'an after the praise
of this Mighty
Book. And at the end of the surah:
"[This is] a notification. And will any be destroyed
except the defiantly disobedient people?"
Thus, it can be added
to the central theme of the surah
that among the clearest indicators of its theme
are its opening
and its closing. This is frequent
in the Qur'an; al-Biqa'i attempted
to apply this across every single surah of the Qur'an
and to correlate the end
of each surah with its beginning.
I ask Allah for success for everyone.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad
and upon all his family and Companions.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.