In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A Gentle Commentary
on the Book: Identification Cards
for the Surahs of the Noble Mus'haf,
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah ar-Ra'd.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We continue with this gentle commentary,
and with Surah ar-Ra'd,
with which we have three main pauses.
The first pause pertains to its name.
One of the notable observations
regarding the names is that there is
a group of surahs that appear consecutively
with names that share
a clear relationship. Here we have
Yunus, Hud,
Yusuf, and Ibrahim,
and between them came ar-Ra'd—
between Yusuf and Ibrahim—
followed then by al-Hijr.
Now, al-Hijr differs
from the rest
of these surahs, yet it also aligns with them:
it aligns in being centered
on Qur'anic narratives.
From Yunus through to
al-Hijr, they all focus on Qur'anic narratives.
Four are named after prophets,
while al-Hijr is the name of a place
where the disbelievers were punished;
I will return to this, if Allah wills, when discussing Surah
al-Hijr.
As for Surah ar-Ra'd, it has a distinct name—
a truly distinct name
that clearly differs
from the other names,
and its central theme is likewise unique,
distinct from the rest of the surahs.
When you recite each of these surahs,
once you conclude Surah Yusuf,
preceded by Yunus
and Hud, you begin reciting
Surah ar-Ra'd; the mere recollection
of its name draws your attention
to the fact that its subject matter is different.
The theme here revolves around the signs of Allah
that point to Him,
regardless of the stances of the disbelievers.
At the beginning of the surah, with "Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra,"
“Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture. That which is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth, but most of mankind believe not.” (13:1)
signs are mentioned
that point to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He;
rather, this
constitutes the overall essence of the surah,
unlike the surahs before it
which employed narrative stories,
and likewise those after it
among the group termed
the "Alif-Lam-Ra" surahs.
Some scholars also include among them the "Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra" surah
that accompanies them
in the order of the Mus'haf.
Thus, the variation
in the name and the type of name
reflects a shift in theme.
We now move to the second pause,
which is that the surah
consists,
as shown in its structural passages, of an introduction
and a single main section.
This single section has been characterized as having a dual opening.
These are technical terms I have formulated through careful study,
and they invite
further reflection.
Any noble reader
can
categorize them whenever they find
an opening described in a particular way,
noting it down
and recording it, so that
across their complete reading of the book,
the various openings of the Qur'an become clear to them:
the openings of each section.
The opening here is dual
in the sense that it makes Allah known,
and introducing Allah
inherently entails praising Him;
for nothing is attributed to Him or predicated of Him
except that which is deserving of
absolute praise, and He is truly worthy of all praise
and gratitude, Glorified and Exalted be He.
We notice that the passages mentioned
thereafter—and which I chose
not to provide explicit subheadings for,
though one could easily do so—
also follow this pattern; that is, beneath this opening
or main section, there are several passages:
three passages,
all of which extol Allah
and all of which begin with the name "Allah."
However, I did not wish
to turn these passages
into separate headings for their openings,
so as not to overburden the book;
otherwise, if you examine these
passages, you will find that they are
likewise parallel.
The surah's single section
begins with: "Allah is the One Who raised
the heavens," then
the second passage—
and naturally, the start of the section is the start of the first passage—
the second passage begins with: "Allah knows..."
“Allah knoweth that which every female beareth and that which the wombs absorb and that which they grow. And everything with Him is measured.” (13:8)
then the third passage begins with:
"Allah extends provision..." Thus, the name of
"Allah" is repeated,
Glorified and Exalted is He in the highest.
These openings
instill within us the realization that the surah
speaks directly
of Allah,
Glorified and Exalted be He.
This brings us
to the third and final pause:
surahs like this one
are immensely helpful
in receiving and appreciating
the Madinan surahs.
These Makkan surahs that introduce
Allah provide
an evident aid toward
understanding the Madinan surahs.
For in the Madinan surahs, we find
numerous legal rulings
that conclude with the names of Allah.
Who is this Allah? He is the One
Whom we came to know in Makkah.
We observe here that when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
witnessed the early conversions from Madinah
in the initial stages,
he dispatched Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)
and Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr with them
to teach them the Qur'an,
so that they might draw
from the very same spring that nurtured
the Companions who later became the Emigrants (Muhajirun),
following the Companions in Makkah.
Thus, the spiritual identity
of the Companions in Madinah was forged
through nurturing upon the Qur'an; so when the Prophet (peace be upon him) settled
in Madinah, they were fully prepared
to receive the Madinan Qur'an.
We ought to pay close attention to the name of this surah,
and rejoice in every verse
that begins with the name of Allah,
for it praises Allah
and makes Him known to us,
so that we may worship Him, Glorified and Exalted be He.
I ask Allah for success for all.
I will suffice with this much
regarding this surah.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.