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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Concise commentary

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on the book *Introductory Cards*

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*for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*

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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Naseef,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-An'am.

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

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We are still engaging with this concise commentary,

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and today we arrive at Surah al-An'am.

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I would like to make three brief points regarding it.

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The first point

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concerns the occasions of revelation.

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The author mentions eight occasions for this surah.

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Of course, I have explained before

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that this is according to

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the reference book adopted here, namely

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*Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul* (The Authentic Occasions of Revelation).

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It does not mean that

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no other occasions of revelation were mentioned

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except these eight across all books of

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occasions of revelation—

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that would be incorrect.

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Rather, the intended meaning of the adopted reference text

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is the authentic occasions of revelation.

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However, I wanted to address

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another matter, which is

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that having only eight occasions

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across more than twenty pages—

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given the length of this surah, which

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is not far removed

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from Al 'Imran

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and An-Nisa' in length—

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why are there so few

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occasions of revelation cited for it?

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The truth is that occasions of revelation

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in Meccan surahs are few

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when compared to Medinan ones.

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That is because in the Prophetic biography (Seerah),

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we know

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its details regarding the Medinan period far more

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than we know of its details

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regarding the Meccan period.

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This brings us to the second point,

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which is the dating

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of revelation—a distinct issue,

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as we agreed previously.

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Dating revelation during the Meccan period

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is difficult. It is easy

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to date a Medinan surah in most cases;

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indeed, sometimes you know that

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an entire surah was connected

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to a specific year,

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even if the surah is long,

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or medium-length spanning ten

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pages, such as Surah al-Anfal.

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But in Meccan surahs,

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you might find a short surah,

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such as al-Qari'ah or at-Takathur,

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or others,

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and yet you cannot determine

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a precise date for its revelation.

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Therefore, you often find

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scholarly opinions regarding Meccan surahs

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and their dating

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that rely merely on

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subjective taste and textual reflection,

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which can contain flaws

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or represent weak opinions

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lacking solid evidence—

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unlike Medinan surahs,

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where the abundance of narrations

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regarding occasions of revelation and other

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biographical events makes it easy

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for us to know

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the date of revelation with precision.

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For instance, consider the difference with the Isra' (Night Journey):

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when did the Isra' occur?

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There is a long-standing disagreement.

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You do not find such disagreement regarding the timing of

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Badr, Uhud, or other events;

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if you do find disagreement, it is minor

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or due to differences in terminology,

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which is addressed elsewhere.

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The point is that dating the revelation of Meccan surahs

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is far more difficult. So when you see

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someone speaking about a Meccan surah

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and asserting that a certain surah was revealed in such-and-such a year,

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exercise caution—

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especially regarding Meccan surahs—

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for overreaching has occurred

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in a number of studies and books.

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The third

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and final point regarding Surah al-An'am

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concerns its main sections.

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It can be divided into two parts:

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A part that introduces Allah

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and expresses wonder

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at the disbelief of the disbelievers,

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which is evident from the very first verse of the surah:

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"Praise be to Allah, who

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created the heavens and the earth

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and made the darknesses and the light."

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It introduces Allah, then says: "Yet those who

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disbelieve equate others with their Lord,"

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expressing astonishment at the state of the disbelievers.

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In the second part,

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there is further introduction to Allah,

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as well as astonishment at the prohibitions imposed by the disbelievers

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and their legislating for themselves

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things for which Allah sent down no authority,

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along with an exposition of the true prohibitions.

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Thus, both parts trace back

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to the beginning of the surah.

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I want to emphasize that the introduction

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to Allah in this surah

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is perhaps unmatched by

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any other surah,

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because it is a long surah—

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among the longest Meccan surahs—

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and it is filled with introducing Allah,

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to the extent that some

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scholars noted that it is

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like Surah al-Baqarah

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among Medinan surahs.

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Surah al-Baqarah encompasses

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most of the legal rulings, whereas this surah

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encompasses the fundamentals of creed.

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It is as if the Medinan surahs

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are an elaboration of al-Baqarah, and as if

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the Meccan surahs are all linked

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to Surah al-An'am—a concept

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truly worth pondering.

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With this, I conclude my commentary

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on Surah al-An'am.

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I ask Allah to fill our hearts with His recognition,

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and may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

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and upon his family and all his Companions.

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.