In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Graceful Commentary
upon the book *Introductory Profiles
of the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*
by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Baqarah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah,
and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Today's lesson in the graceful commentary
upon the book introducing the surahs of the Noble Qur'an
focuses on Surah al-Baqarah,
the longest surah in the Qur'an.
Because of this, I will dedicate to it
two or three segments.
In this particular segment,
I shall confine myself
to three reflective pauses.
The first pause concerns the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul).
I mentioned here
that Surah al-Baqarah has
sixty-eight occasions of revelation,
whereas I mentioned regarding al-Fatihah
that no occasion of revelation was recorded for it.
One of the esteemed scholars raised an objection
whom I met after the book was printed,
asking, "What was the methodology adopted here?"
The truth is that I did indicate
the methodology,
yet the matter perhaps required further elaboration.
So I say:
I relied upon a single book regarding the occasions of revelation,
which is *Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*
by 'Isam al-Humaydan.
Such is the title of the book:
*Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*
by 'Isam al-Humaydan.
The methodology was to cite his tally,
and then I might offer a critique,
noting that a narration is mursal,
weak,
or the like.
This critique was mostly drawn from the book
*Al-Muharrar fi Asbab al-Nuzul*
by Dr. Khalid al-Muzayni.
Furthermore, you may find an analytical comment;
for instance, here I mentioned sixty-eight occasions in al-Baqarah,
and then clarified that some pertain to the opening of the surah,
while others pertain to other themes—
offering a kind of thematic overview of the occasions of revelation.
This was an analytical effort on my part,
aimed at enlightening the reader
about the significant events associated with the surah,
which in turn grants insight—or rather aids—
in understanding the chronology of revelation as well.
I ought to have followed this uniform methodology
throughout the entire book; however, the reality
is that the book was published without my maintaining this consistently,
except in the earliest surahs and a few others.
I ask Allah to assist me in a subsequent edition
to apply this very same method across all surahs,
discussing the core themes
around which those occasions revolved,
even though this naturally varies from one surah to another.
And Allah is the One whose help is sought.
There remains the question: why did I choose this particular book?
The fact is that this work,
within the scope of my reading—and books on occasions of revelation are very numerous—
is among the finest written on this subject,
for two primary reasons,
or rather for a single reason that branches into two considerations.
Some books were overly lenient, including fabricated narrations
without critical refinement;
they cited the fabricated, the extremely weak, and the weak,
recording every single report that was transmitted concerning occasions of revelation.
On the other hand, some works strictly applied the rigorous standards of hadith scholars
used for hadiths of legal rulings and the like.
The author took a balanced middle path;
for the early hadith scholars did not treat hadiths of legal rulings
—meaning the early authorities—
in the same manner they treated occasions of revelation,
reports of Tafsir, and the like.
The author adopted a praiseworthy middle course according to
my understanding and assessment,
positioning himself between those who record any narration indiscriminately
and those who are overly rigid, treating
occasions of revelation as though they were hadiths on legal rulings.
For that reason, I selected this book,
*Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*.
It was printed long ago, so it may not be readily available in bookstores,
though it might be found online,
having been published in the year 1420 AH.
That was the first edition, which is the one in my possession,
and I do not know whether it was reprinted thereafter.
The second pause: the importance of devoting oneself to Surah al-Baqarah.
This is because it is the longest surah in the Qur'an,
encompasses numerous legal rulings,
and is called the pinnacle of the Qur'an.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called out—
when he commanded al-'Abbas to summon the Companions at the Battle of Hunayn—
"O companions of Surah al-Baqarah!"
It is also reported that the rallying cry of the Muslims at the Battle of al-Yamamah was:
"O companions of Surah al-Baqarah!"
From some of this, Ibn 'Ashur deduced
that the Companions devoted themselves to this surah with tremendous dedication.
It has been established through a good chain of transmission
that Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father,
spent four years learning this surah.
Therefore, a person should eagerly cherish this surah,
dedicating to it of his time and effort
a great deal, learning it and acting in accordance with it.
The third pause concerns the structural sections of the surah.
The opening of the surah spans twenty verses,
discussing the righteous, the disbelievers, and the hypocrites.
Then the first main section begins with the words of the Exalted:
"O mankind, worship your Lord."
I wish to speak about this section
and conclude this reflection of mine with it.
This section commands the worship of Allah leading to piety (taqwa).
I will not delve into all that was mentioned in the book;
you may refer back to it and review the detailed commentary.
However, I wish to point out that this section, as it were,
prepares the ground from its very beginning for the change of the Qiblah,
which occurs towards the end of this section, approximately,
and is linked to it, even though these are relatively few verses.
Five occasions of revelation are connected with it, as noted
and recorded among the occasions of revelation for this surah,
which demonstrates the momentous nature of this event—
the event of the changing of the Qiblah.
This is a matter that I believe still warrants further study;
I have not encountered an in-depth treatment
discussing the distinctiveness of this Ummah
and why it was uniquely designated with this Qiblah.
There may well be subtle indications that I have not come across,
for everything preceding it serves as a preparation for it.
Bear in mind from the opening of the surah
that it will lead you to see that the Qiblah of the Muslims
is distinct from the Qiblah of others.
Thereafter, at the conclusion of this section, comes
the preparation of the Muslims
through seeking help through patience and prayer,
so that they may embrace the legal rulings
that will be presented to them in the second section.
At the close of this section, there is also
the warning against concealing what Allah has revealed
of clear proofs and guidance.
This is what I wished to state:
reflect upon the matter of the change of the Qiblah;
prior to it, there is a critique dissuading reliance upon the state of the People of the Book,
an exposition of the flaws in their conduct
after Allah had favored them above the worlds,
and an exposition of the leadership (imamah) of Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
All of this is intimately connected with the Qiblah,
and upon deep reflection, this will become manifest to you, by Allah's leave.
One may also consult the extensive commentary in this regard.
I will suffice with this much.
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.