WEBVTT

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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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The commentary series: "At-Ta'liq al-Latif

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'ala Kitab Bitaqat at-Ta'rif

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bi-Suwar al-Mushaf ash-Sharif",

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by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Insan.

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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

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We continue with the commentary series,

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exploring the profile cards of the surahs, now with Surah al-Insan.

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I would like to make three brief reflections on it.

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The first reflection

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concerns the virtues of this surah.

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Reciting this surah during the Fajr prayer

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on Friday,

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alongside Surah as-Sajdah,

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is from those surahs that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to recite

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in specific prayers

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or at specific times.

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One should be eager to observe them,

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first and foremost out of following the Sunnah,

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and out of a desire—

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a desire to imbibe

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what a person needs spiritually

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in this prayer, secondly.

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For the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not specify

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a surah except for profound wisdom,

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peace and blessings be upon him.

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We are in need of listening to

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and reciting this surah

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in this specific setting, even if it may seem somewhat long;

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yet in reality, it is not long.

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That is, reciting both as-Sajdah and al-Insan together

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constitutes a moderate recitation in prayer,

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not a lengthy one,

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even if we tend to perceive it as long.

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Thirdly, for the imams:

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if they choose to practice this Sunnah,

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they ought to recite deliberately and calmly.

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That is, they should recite

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at the same pace at which they normally recite

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in their prayers throughout the rest of the week.

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Reciting more Qur'an does not mean one should rush,

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especially if rushing

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undermines reflecting on the meaning

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and moving the hearts.

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I recall once

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that an imam,

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whose own mosque was undergoing

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renovation,

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would attend another mosque.

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I happened to pray behind him there.

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The regular imam was delayed,

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so they put this visiting imam forward to lead.

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He decided to recite Surah as-Sajdah and Surah al-Insan,

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but perhaps felt pressured by the congregants,

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so he rushed at an alarming,

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extreme speed,

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to the point that

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he made an egregious mistake in an ayah where no one normally errs

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in Surah al-Insan.

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As he was reciting,

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he suddenly realized that

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he had made a glaring mistake—

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no,

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he simply carried on reciting,

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then tried to correct it and continued.

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What compelled him to slip into such an error

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that could potentially invalidate his prayer?

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It may sometimes be beneficial

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to forego this Sunnah,

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or to vary

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the recitation,

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for a valid Sharia interest.

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However, if

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you are able to uphold this Sunnah,

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give it its proper due of deliberate composure

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in recitation and melodious chanting (tartil).

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For it is a magnificent surah that we truly need.

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As for the second reflection,

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it relates to what was mentioned regarding

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the placement of the surah: namely, that it comes

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right after Surah al-Qiyamah. The former described

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the Day of Resurrection, whereas this one details

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Paradise, while also referencing the Hellfire.

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One notices that Surah al-Qiyamah

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was more intense in inducing awe and dread;

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from beginning to end,

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warning and fright were predominant,

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though not entirely devoid of encouragement.

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Here, it is the reverse, which is why the exegetes noted:

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this surah gives a detailed account of Paradise—

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the description of Paradise is elaborated at length—

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while only briefly alluding to the Fire:

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"Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains..."

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aside from a few other scattered verses.

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But the majority of the surah

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focuses on Paradise. Therefore,

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whoever wishes to read extensively about Paradise,

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among the finest

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and most beautiful passages

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that a person

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ought to ponder are the verses of Surah al-Insan,

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while consulting the books of Tafsir

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that have paid special attention

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to elucidating these verses

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through hadith and through other Qur'anic verses

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prior to that,

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as well as the sayings of the Companions and the Tabi'un.

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The third and final reflection

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deals with

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the thematic sections of the surah.

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It was mentioned that the first section

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contains an urging to succeed in life's test

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through showing gratitude to Allah.

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One might also add,

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for clarity: "and through not falling into disbelief,"

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based on His words, Exalted is He:

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“Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.” (76:3)

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and before that: "from a drop of mingled fluid... and We made him hearing and seeing,"

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"Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful..."

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“Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.” (76:3)

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"...or ungrateful."

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Thus, both gratitude

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and ingratitude were indicated, whereas here

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only gratitude was highlighted in the outline.

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Of course, whoever upholds gratitude

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is safely protected from disbelief;

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nevertheless, stating it explicitly is fitting

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given what follows immediately after. He then mentioned a brief

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reference to the fate of the disbeliever,

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followed by a detailed description of the fate of the grateful.

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Notice how He said: "either grateful

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or ungrateful,"

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indicating two paths

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and two distinct groups.

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Then He said: "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers

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chains and shackles and a blaze."

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This corresponds to the ungrateful disbeliever.

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Then He said: "Indeed, the righteous...",

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and the verses proceeded to speak at great length

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about what corresponds to the grateful,

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along with all the delightful details contained therein.

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So the opening mentioned

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the grateful first, then the ungrateful;

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subsequently,

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He described the ungrateful very briefly,

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and then elaborated on the grateful

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at length.

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This deliberate shift in order—

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where the default expectation might be to mention "either grateful or ungrateful",

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and then discuss the grateful first,

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followed by the ungrateful—

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was inverted.

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Such inversion holds subtle benefits

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and rhetorical points in every single context.

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Whenever you observe such advancement or deferral

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between the mention of the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, seek out the underlying wisdom,

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for this is among the things that aid contemplation;

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then consult the works

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of the scholars.

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Among what is said here

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is that since the discussion

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of the grateful would be long, it was placed last,

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even though gratitude was introduced first,

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signaling its primacy and honor.

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Yet it was deferred in detail

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because the verse "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains..."

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is concise;

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once concluded,

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the listener's mind is left completely free and receptive thereafter

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to dwell upon the mention of the people

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of obedience.

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And Allah is the Granter of success.

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May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions.