WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:37.539 A brief commentary on the book *Profile Cards for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*, 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:43.539 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif, may Allah preserve him. 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:45.600 Surah al-Qamar. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:47.600 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:52.820 All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:55.820 and upon his family, his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. 00:00:55.820 --> 00:00:59.049 We continue with the profile cards 00:00:59.049 --> 00:01:03.049 for the surahs of the Noble Qur'an, and with Surah al-Qamar, concerning which I have 00:01:03.049 --> 00:01:06.049 three reflections. The first reflection 00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:08.049 concerns the opening of the surah. 00:01:08.049 --> 00:01:11.079 He stated that it begins with a declarative sentence. 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:14.079 It would be better and more complete to add: 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:17.079 "It resembles the opening of Surah al-Anbiya'." 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:21.079 This surah opens with: "The Hour has come near, and the moon has split," 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:25.079 while the beginning of al-Anbiya' is: "Mankind's reckoning has drawn near for them." 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:28.079 This similarity in the opening 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:30.079 is accompanied by a similarity in theme. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:35.079 The first surah in the Mushaf's order, Surah al-Anbiya', 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:38.079 speaks extensively about the disbelievers and their severe denial, 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:43.079 and the same is evidently true for this surah. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:47.079 This has been pointed out in the book *al-Asas fi al-Tafsir*, 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:52.079 noting that this shared opening corresponds to a thematic parallel, 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:56.079 which is a striking feature found across several Qur'anic surahs 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.079 worthy of contemplation. 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:04.180 We can also add this very statement over in Surah al-Anbiya': 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:07.180 since it also opens with a declarative sentence, 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.180 we may say: "It resembles the opening of Surah al-Qamar." 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:14.180 Perhaps I will amend this for several similar surahs, 00:02:14.180 --> 00:02:19.180 because vocative openings, for instance, are explicitly noted, as are others; 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:22.180 but declarative openings are numerous and varied, 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:27.180 so wherever such parallels exist, it is good to mention the corresponding surah 00:02:27.180 --> 00:02:29.180 to draw the esteemed reader's attention to it. 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:33.560 The second reflection concerns its order of revelation. 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:36.560 He stated: "It is considered the thirty-sixth according to the well-known view, 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:38.560 after al-Tariq and before Sad; 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:43.560 and there is evidence indicating it was revealed before the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) marriage contract with 'A'ishah, 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:47.560 for it is narrated that she said: 'It was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Makkah 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:49.560 while I was a young girl playing.'" 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:54.560 Yet this does not follow the book's standard methodology of citing hadiths here, 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:56.560 which usually settles for general statements; 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:58.560 perhaps he sought brevity, 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:00.560 but it remains beneficial. 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.560 He noted that because it mentions the splitting of the moon 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:05.560 and conveys the disbelievers' intense denial, 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:07.560 these factors might place its revelation midway through the Makkan period. 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:10.719 It is more accurate to say it was revealed late in the Makkan period, 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:12.719 because the intensity of denial on the one hand, 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:15.719 and the fact that the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:17.719 was mindful and conscious of 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:19.719 the revelation of this verse, 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:21.719 indicate a later date. This is because the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.719 was born after the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commissioning; 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:27.719 so if she was fully aware of what was happening, 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:31.719 it was most likely during the final two or three years, 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:35.819 or let us say even four years, of the Makkan period. 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:37.819 Prior to that, she would not have had such awareness. 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:41.819 Thus, it is more fitting to say it was revealed late in the Makkan period, 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:44.389 and Allah knows best. 00:03:44.389 --> 00:03:47.520 There remains the third and final reflection. 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.710 If you observe the theme of the surah and its conclusion: 00:03:50.710 --> 00:03:54.710 regarding the theme, he wrote that through pondering its recurring verses, 00:03:54.710 --> 00:03:57.710 one can say that among its most prominent themes is 00:03:57.710 --> 00:04:00.710 the momentous warning to the deniers, 00:04:00.710 --> 00:04:03.710 along with the encouragement to benefit from the Noble Qur'an. 00:04:03.710 --> 00:04:06.710 The momentous warning to the deniers is clearly prominent in the surah, 00:04:06.710 --> 00:04:09.710 recurring frequently: "So how [severe] were My punishment and My warnings?" multiple times; 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:12.710 "So taste My punishment and My warnings" more than once; 00:04:12.710 --> 00:04:14.740 "Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness," 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:16.740 “On the day when they are dragged into the Fire upon their faces (it is said unto them): Feel the touch of hell.” (54:48) 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:18.740 "Taste the touch of Saqar," 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:22.740 alongside mentions of the destruction of previous nations. 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:25.740 Then he stated regarding the surah's passages in the last line: 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:29.899 "And concluding with glad tidings for the believers," 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.899 which is His saying, Exalted is He: "Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers," 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:35.899 “Firmly established in the favour of a Mighty King.” (54:55) 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:36.899 Here is where I wished to pause. 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:39.899 The surah's central theme is the momentous warning to the deniers, 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:41.899 alongside the encouragement to benefit from the Magnificent Qur'an, 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:44.970 for: "And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance" is likewise repeated: 00:04:44.970 --> 00:04:46.970 "So is there any who will remember?" 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:49.970 Given this theme, I would like to offer an analogy here 00:04:49.970 --> 00:04:52.970 to illustrate something 00:04:52.970 --> 00:04:57.970 that occasionally happens in audible prayers. 00:04:57.970 --> 00:05:02.029 Suppose an official letter containing threats and stern warnings 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:04.029 was issued by an official or a ruler, 00:05:04.029 --> 00:05:06.160 and at the very end 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:07.160 he stated: 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.160 a closing remark that softens 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:18.160 and tempers the severity conveyed in the message. 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:22.160 It would be inconceivable for someone delivering that message to merely 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.160 read its final line, 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.160 announcing: "The king or official says: 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:30.160 'Best wishes to you, and may Allah grant you success,'" 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.160 while omitting all the warnings and threats. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:35.160 That makes no sense, yet it is what happens in practice, 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:37.160 because an imam will often begin— 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:38.160 and I have witnessed this frequently— 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.160 reciting in an audible prayer right after al-Fatihah: 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.160 “Lo! the righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers,” (54:54) 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:47.160 "In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability," and then bow for ruku'. 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:52.160 Why did he skip all the warnings, narratives, and admonitions in the surah? 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:55.160 Why omit them and do so intentionally? 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:58.160 This is repeated by the same imam and by others. 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:03.160 Likewise: "Indeed, the righteous will be among shades and springs" at the end of Surah al-Mursalat— 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:05.160 why not recite the preceding verses? 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:09.160 This truncates the meaning and truncates the message, 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.160 according to the analogy I presented—and to Allah belongs the highest attribute. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.160 The Qur'an combines fear and hope; 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:18.160 it is not appropriate to limit oneself strictly to hope, 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.160 nor to limit oneself strictly to fear. 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.160 Rather, the proper approach is for a person to hear the word of Allah in full, 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.160 as long as there is no pressing necessity. 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:27.160 There is no hardship in starting from: 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:29.160 "Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness," 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:30.160 for example, though what is best and most complete 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:32.160 is to begin from the start of the surah 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:35.160 and recite it in a prayer that accommodates that length. 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.160 Elaborating on this would take too long, 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.160 but I wish to cite a quote from Ibn 'Ashur 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:43.160 regarding the verse: 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.160 "Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:50.160 The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.160 then—this being the subsequent stage— 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:55.160 their skins and their hearts soften at the remembrance of Allah." 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:57.160 What does the Shaykh say? He says, 00:06:57.160 --> 00:06:59.160 as part of his profound commentary on this verse: 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:04.160 "When the believer hears the verses of warning and threat, 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:05.160 he fears his Lord 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:09.160 and avoids what He warned against, causing his skin to shiver. 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:13.160 Then, when that is followed by verses of glad tidings and promise, 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:14.160 he rejoices and feels delighted, 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.160 measuring his deeds against those verses 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.160 and seeing himself adorned with the righteous actions 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:21.160 for which Allah has promised reward. 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:25.160 His heart then finds tranquility, and his trepidation and fear turn 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:26.160 into hope and anticipation; 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.160 and that is the meaning of the softening of hearts." 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.160 This is a practical example: 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:33.160 a surah containing severe intimidation, 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:35.160 so that when the believer hears it, 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:37.189 his skin shivers; 00:07:37.189 --> 00:07:40.189 then he hears: "Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers," 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:43.189 and his heart softens thereafter: 00:07:43.189 --> 00:07:46.189 "Then their skins and their hearts soften at the remembrance of Allah." 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:49.189 I ask Allah to make us among those who truly benefit from the Qur'an. 00:07:49.189 --> 00:07:51.189 I will conclude with this. 00:07:51.189 --> 00:07:53.290 May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. 00:07:53.290 --> 00:07:55.290 And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.