In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The concise commentary
on the book *Profile Cards*
*of the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*,
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah at-Taghabun.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and upon all his family and Companions.
We are still with the concise commentary on the profile cards,
and we have arrived at Surah at-Taghabun.
I have three observations regarding it.
The first observation
concerns the central theme of the surah.
For it is stated here
that its theme is the call to faith
and its prerequisites,
through introducing Allah, His attributes, and His actions.
It is better to adjust this
to state that
its theme is
the call to faith and its prerequisites,
along with a warning
against what hinders from it,
and we remove "through introducing Allah, His attributes, and His actions."
This
is superfluous detail.
There is no doubt that the call to faith includes
introducing Allah and His attributes,
and through this, the call to faith was made.
Therefore, as is evident to us, this introductory prelude came
at the beginning by introducing Allah,
His attributes, and His actions.
However, what I have proposed is better
so that it encompasses the entire surah;
for it contains a call to faith,
and it contains a warning against what hinders
from faith.
The second observation relates
to the surah's placement [in the Qur'anic order].
For it comes after Surah
al-Munafiqun. It has been mentioned
in the book regarding the placement
of the surah, based on what is derived
from the book of Imam as-Suyuti,
that al-Munafiqun concluded
with the urging to spend before the arrival of death,
while this surah mentions mutual disillusion (at-Taghabun).
Also among these connections is that the former
urged remembrance, while this one mentions
the continuous glorification of all creation.
All of this is sound, and it can
be added to this that
this surah preserves
faith, and preserving
faith protects, by Allah's
leave, from hypocrisy.
Perhaps what was pointed out
by Imam as-Suyuti—that the former,
meaning al-Munafiqun, concluded
with the urging toward remembrance, while this one mentions
the continuous glorification of all creation—
highlights here the benefit
of the present-tense verb here.
For the surah that opened with glorification
using the present-tense verb is al-Jumu'ah,
and it has already been discussed, as well as this surah.
For after
He said, "Let not your wealth
or your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah," He said in this surah:
"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah."
It is as though He is pointing out
that those who engage in remembrance
are simply joining the procession
of all creation that glorifies
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
Therefore, the opening of the surah
should be amended; of course, it is written here
that it opened with a declarative sentence, which is an error;
rather, it is among the surahs that open
with glorification (Tasbih),
and the glorification came
in the present-tense verbal form.
That is, the phrasing should be adjusted to match
what was amended in Surah al-Jumu'ah.
So let the section
of the concise commentary on Surah al-Jumu'ah be consulted.
There remains
the third and final observation.
We notice
that the surah contains an introduction,
a first passage commanding faith,
and a second passage
addressing the people of faith: "O you who have believed,
indeed, among your spouses
and your children are enemies to you,
so beware of them."
If you compare this
second passage in Surah at-Taghabun
with the second passage
in Surah al-Munafiqun, you will find
a similarity between them. There,
it explained the states of the hypocrites,
then directed
an address to the believers
urging them to remember Allah;
and here,
with an address to the believers
and an urging toward faith:
"So believe in Allah and His Messenger
and the Light which We have sent down."
Then He warned them,
just as He warned them there: "Let not your wealth [or your children distract you],"
“O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers.” (63:9)
so He said: "Indeed, among your spouses and your children
are enemies to you."
Thus we find that the two passages—
the final ones in each surah—
we find between these two passages
a clear similarity.
We also find them alongside
the end of Surah al-Jumu'ah:
"And when they saw a transaction or a diversion,
they rushed to it and left you standing."
These intertextual correspondences (munasabat)
are endless to discuss,
and I merely suffice here
with such brief indications.
Whoever explores further will find
a great deal more than
what I have mentioned. I ask Allah to grant opening to me and to you.
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.