WEBVTT

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

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Gentle Commentary

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on the Book: "Identification Cards

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for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"

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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 an-Nisa'.

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

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Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,

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and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

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and upon his family and Companions all together.

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We continue with the gentle commentary

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on the identification cards,

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and with Surah an-Nisa'.

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I have three reflections upon it.

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The first reflection:

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You know that among what is included for each surah

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are its virtues,

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and you will find the discussion in the diagram here concise.

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He stated that its established virtue

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is coupled with the seven long surahs:

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"Whoever takes the first seven

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is a profound scholar."

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Here we place a comma,

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because he will mention after it

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another virtue

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based upon

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another piece of evidence,

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which is: "And an-Nisa'

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is beautified (muhabbara) or brings immense joy (muhibbara)."

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If we were to turn back

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to page thirty,

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we would find the phrasing

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elaborated: its virtue is established by Allah

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alongside the seven long surahs,

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that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever takes the first seven is a profound scholar."

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And I did not find for it an independent virtue

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authentically attributed directly to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

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And this is often the case;

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you find surahs

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that have no specific, independent virtue.

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That is to say, this surah

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has a virtue coupled

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with another surah,

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but an established,

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independent, marfu' virtue

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traced to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—

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I have not found

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anything transmitted in this regard;

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I have not found anything authentically traced

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to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

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However, it is narrated as a mauquf report from Ibn Mas'ud:

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"And an-Nisa' is muhabbarah."

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And we will return

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to this in the second reflection.

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But I want to clarify here:

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what is the methodology in selecting

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the virtues of the surahs,

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and my saying "I found for it" or "I did not find for it"?

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In truth, the books on

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the virtues of the surahs are numerous,

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even if the book

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belongs to one

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of the early scholars

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from the books of Musnad.

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That is because virtues are not known

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through independent reasoning,

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but rather through divine textual revelation

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from the Prophet (peace be upon him).

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And we may find support in the statements of the Companions,

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or even at times the statements of

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the Tabi'un.

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Moreover, the statements of the Companions sometimes

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possess the legal ruling

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of being elevated to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

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So, in fact,

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these musnad books

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are limited to only some of the virtues.

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Modern authors have written many books on virtues;

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I consulted more than one

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of them,

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and through them I would trace back

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to the original musnad works

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to verify the authenticity of the narration

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and the like.

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Therefore, I did not rely upon

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a single book alone,

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and I tried, to the best

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of my ability, to find for every

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surah an independent virtue.

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If I did not find any from the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him),

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I would attempt to find one

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from the words of the Companions.

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And I did not resort to the Tabi'un,

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as far as I recall, in the book.

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Yet the matter remains ever-renewed;

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from time to time,

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I discover a virtue

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that I had overlooked,

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especially among the statements of the Companions.

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And with this,

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we move to the second reflection,

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which is pausing

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over the narration: "And an-Nisa' is muhabbara."

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This narration is connected to

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or is an excerpt from a tradition;

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of course, it is not a marfu' hadith,

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but rather mauquf, stopping at Ibn Mas'ud

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(may Allah be pleased with him).

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If we were to turn to Surah Al 'Imran,

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we would find among its virtues,

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as a mauquf narration from Ibn Mas'ud:

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"Whoever recites Al 'Imran is self-sufficient."

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The completion of this narration

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is here in Surah an-Nisa':

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"and an-Nisa' is muhabbara."

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I refer you, regarding the explanation

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of what pertains to Al 'Imran,

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to the detailed commentary on that surah,

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and here we pause with this specific virtue.

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I will mention something important concerning virtues:

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which is that virtues,

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even though one of their benefits

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is encouraging a person to recite

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the surah, nevertheless

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they also draw one's attention

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to that which is worthy

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of deep reflection within the surah.

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And this is a tremendous domain,

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though references to it among

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the early scholars may be few.

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For why is it that whoever recites Al 'Imran

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is self-sufficient?

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What is the meaning of this?

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You hardly find anything about it

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from the people of knowledge.

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Yet regarding certain hadiths, they pay closer attention;

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studies have been written, for example,

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about the surahs designated

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for recitation on Friday,

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or in the Eid prayer,

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or on other occasions:

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why were these specific surahs singled out?

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What meanings do they contain

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that make it fitting for them to be recited

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on those particular occasions?

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This is a subtle and exquisite subject,

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and it still requires further exploration.

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But here, regarding Surah an-Nisa',

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he said: "an-Nisa'

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is muhabbara or muhibbara."

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There are two vocalizations

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for the narration. If we say

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muhabbara, it means adorned and embellished,

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as interpreted by ad-Darimi, who is a narrator

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and one of those who transmitted this narration.

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This gives the sense

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that it is exquisitely crafted,

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firmly constructed.

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And indeed it is; at its end there has come:

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◁ O humanity! There has come to you ▷

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“O mankind! Now hath a proof from your Lord come unto you, and We have sent down unto you a clear light;” (4:174)

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◁ a clear light. ▷

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Recall this meticulous perfection within it

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as you recite it,

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and this beauty it holds,

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and this source of pride for the Muslims,

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among whom were safeguarded

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the right of the orphan

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and the right of the woman—

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a safeguarding

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that bears no resemblance to the purported protection

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in the culture of the disbelieving West

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today,

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which people seek to import

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into the Muslim lands.

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The surah is muhabbara,

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and it is a point of pride for Muslims

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in the preservation of rights.

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Among what is crafted with utmost perfection within it—

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and all of it is perfected—

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are the verses of inheritance, which have been treated in dedicated treatises,

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and upon which

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an entire discipline was founded from just three verses:

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two verses at the beginning of the surah,

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and one verse at the end of the surah.

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Rather, the very distribution

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of verses in this manner within the surah

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carries profound significance.

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In truth, the surah is muhabbara.

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As for muhibbara—

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this is the other vocalization, and there is no contradiction;

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it can be both muhabbara and muhibbara—

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muhibbara is derived from hubur,

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which is immense joy and delight.

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It is plausible that this is because Ibn Mas'ud

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recited the surah to the Prophet (peace be upon him)

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when he said to him: "Recite to me."

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Ibn Mas'ud said: "Shall I recite to you when unto you it was revealed?"

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So he said, "I love

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to hear it from someone else,"

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or as he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said.

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Thereupon, he recited to him the opening of Surah an-Nisa' [the speaker slips and says Al 'Imran]

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until he reached the verse: "How will it be then, when We bring

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from each nation a witness and bring you as a witness over these?"

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I say: this may well have been

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the cause of Ibn Mas'ud's joy,

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or it might have been the rulings it contains,

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the delicate nuances,

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and the matters that resolve

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disputes among heirs,

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along with everything else contained in this

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magnificent surah.

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Indeed, reflecting upon such traditions and other

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virtues is something one should always

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call to mind as we recite the surah,

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for this unveils to us profound meanings

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concerning both him and the surah itself.

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There remains the third and final pause,

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which is

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regarding the structural divisions of the surah.

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The surah consists of three parts,

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and we can examine

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the first two parts in light of the concluding verse

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of the first section, which is the words of the Exalted:

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"Indeed, Allah commands you

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to render trusts to their rightful owners,

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and many of the verses preceding

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this verse pertain to trusts,

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“Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their owners, and, if ye judge between mankind, that ye judge justly. Lo! comely is this which Allah admonisheth you. Lo! Allah is ever Hearer, Seer.” (4:58)

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and to judge with justice."

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And many of the verses

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that follow this verse

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pertain to justice, so it is as if the first section is devoted to

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trusts, and the second section is devoted to

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justice, although

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it contains other themes as well.

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Furthermore, the rulings

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in the first section were such that

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each set of legal rulings

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was followed

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by verses urging repentance,

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softening hearts, and awakening hope and awe.

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This is an exquisite

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Qur'anic methodology:

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to accompany and follow legal rulings with

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verses that soften the hearts,

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so that they yield completely

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to all of these rulings.

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There remains the third section, which is of great concern

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to me here.

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If you look at the thematic chart for the third section,

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its opening call

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is written as a call

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addressed to the believers.

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In truth, this was the view I initially adopted, along with a number

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of exegetes,

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including Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him.

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Later, upon reviewing al-Tabari,

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whom I have mentioned as being one of the fundamental pillars

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I relied upon

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to verify the division

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and confirm it,

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I found that

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he favored a different view altogether,

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alongside his absolute mastery in Tafsir

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and his keen attention to context.

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Therefore,

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I am revising this in the book,

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and it is entirely customary

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for an author to revise his work.

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Thus, I say:

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the third section begins with an address

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directed at the People of the Book,

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describing them by their prior faith,

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meaning: "O you who believed

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in Moses

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and the Torah,

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believe in Allah

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and His Messenger,

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Muhammad, peace be upon him."

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And what al-Tabari preferred was not chosen

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arbitrarily;

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rather, he considered the verses that follow it.

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“Lo! those who believe, then disbelieve and then (again) believe, then disbelieve, and then increase in disbelief, Allah will never pardon them, nor will He guide them unto a way.” (4:137)

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“Lo! those who believe, then disbelieve and then (again) believe, then disbelieve, and then increase in disbelief, Allah will never pardon them, nor will He guide them unto a way.” (4:137)

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One may refer to his exceptional

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commentary on both verses

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to understand why he chose this interpretation.

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He seems,

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evidently,

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to have relied upon the second verse

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to understand the first verse,

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and in the second verse, he relied upon

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the statement of Qatadah.

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This is what distinguishes his consideration of context,

00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.259
for many exegetes

00:10:52.259 --> 00:10:54.259
rely in contextual analysis merely on

00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.259
their personal understanding

00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:58.259
of the flow of the verses.

00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:00.259
While that is fine,

00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:02.259
al-Tabari firmly anchored himself in the reports of the salaf (early generations),

00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:05.539
beyond any doubt.

00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:07.539
Shaykh Mahmud Shakir pointed out

00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:09.539
in his edition of the Tafsir of al-Tabari

00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:11.539
that many exegetes

00:11:11.539 --> 00:11:13.539
consult al-Tabari's Tafsir

00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:15.539
too hastily,

00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:17.539
finding that he prefers a certain opinion

00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:19.539
without grasping the contextual reason behind his choice,

00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:21.539
contextually,

00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:23.539
because they did not read his commentary

00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:25.539
from the beginning of the surah, but merely checked this single passage.

00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:27.539
Thus, a person might read it

00:11:27.539 --> 00:11:29.539
“O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger and the Scripture which He hath revealed unto His messenger, and the Scripture which He revealed aforetime. Whoso disbelieveth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily hath wandered far astray.” (4:136)

00:11:29.539 --> 00:11:31.539
and say, "Why does he prefer that it addresses the People of the Book?

00:11:31.539 --> 00:11:33.539
Rather, it is an affirmation for the believers,"

00:11:33.539 --> 00:11:35.950
as others have argued.

00:11:35.950 --> 00:11:37.950
But those who look at it so superficially,

00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:39.950
without examining al-Tabari’s discussion

00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:42.340
from the beginning of the surah at times,

00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:44.340
or at the very least from the verse immediately before or after it,

00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:46.340
will inevitably fail

00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:48.340
to understand

00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:50.340
al-Tabari's words.

00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:52.340
And understanding the words of the leading scholars

00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:54.340
must precede criticizing them

00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:56.340
before understanding.

00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:58.340
The very first thing you must strive for

00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.340
regarding the words of the leading authorities and scholars

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is to properly understand their statements as intended

00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:04.340
and comprehend their evidence;

00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:06.340
only then can

00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:08.340
an objection be raised, after deliberation

00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:10.340
and with due scholarly etiquette.

00:12:10.340 --> 00:12:13.169
I should note here

00:12:13.169 --> 00:12:15.169
that al-Tabari was differed with on this;

00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:17.169
Ibn 'Atiyyah held another view

00:12:17.169 --> 00:12:19.169
with which he countered al-Tabari.

00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:21.169
Nevertheless,

00:12:21.169 --> 00:12:23.169
I say, as I have said before:

00:12:23.169 --> 00:12:25.169
such an endeavor,

00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:27.169
the structural division of surahs,

00:12:27.169 --> 00:12:29.169
is one in which a person exercises scholarly judgment.

00:12:29.169 --> 00:12:31.169
The methodological path I have chosen

00:12:31.169 --> 00:12:33.169
for myself

00:12:33.169 --> 00:12:35.169
at this stage

00:12:35.169 --> 00:12:37.169
is to adhere to Imam al-Tabari

00:12:37.169 --> 00:12:39.169
and al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur

00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:41.169
regarding these structural divisions, until

00:12:41.169 --> 00:12:43.169
one broadens their study; and after that,

00:12:43.169 --> 00:12:45.169
a student of knowledge can

00:12:45.169 --> 00:12:47.169
gradually expand and refine

00:12:47.169 --> 00:12:49.419
whatever they wish. I ask Allah

00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:51.419
of His bounty for me and for you.

00:12:51.419 --> 00:12:53.419
I will conclude with this, and I apologize

00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:55.419
for taking so long.

00:12:55.419 --> 00:12:57.419
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.