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

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The Graceful Commentary

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on the book "Identification Cards

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for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

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by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Umar Nassif,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah Al-Mulk.

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

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,

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

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and upon all his family and Companions.

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We are still proceeding with "The Graceful Commentary

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on the Identification Cards,"

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and we have arrived at Surah Al-Mulk.

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I have three points of reflection concerning it.

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The first point concerns the surah's placement.

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He stated that it is the sixty-seventh surah.

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Perhaps one of the reasons for its contextual placement

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is that At-Tahrim and At-Talaq

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contained legal rulings,

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so it was fitting to provide a reminder

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in this surah

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that all sovereignty belongs to Allah.

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This is similar to how earlier surahs outside the Mufassal concluded,

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such as Al-Ma'idah and An-Nur.

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It was mentioned in the book

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and in the extended audio lessons—

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and it may be pointed out here as well—

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that after Al-Ma'idah,

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with all the legal rulings it contains,

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came Surah Al-An'am,

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which establishes creed

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and strengthens faith.

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And after An-Nur,

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which likewise centers on legal rulings,

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came Surah Al-Furqan,

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which is a surah on creed.

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Thus, it is fitting,

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following these legal rulings, to have a reminder

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of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

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This sequential arrangement of the surahs,

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which was not

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based on the order of revelation,

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is considered by many scholars

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to be divinely ordained (tawqifi),

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containing profound wisdom.

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That is why we discuss the surah's placement.

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For if a person were to occupy himself

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solely with legal rulings

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without renewing his faith, this would be problematic.

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Rather, there must be this

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harmonious blend achieved by

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the arrangement of the surahs,

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which is a beautiful matter

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truly worthy of contemplation.

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This is true even though the verses of legal rulings themselves

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contain admonitions

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and reminders of Allah

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and of being conscious of Him (taqwa).

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Within the very verse of a legal ruling—

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in a single verse—you will often find at its conclusion

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two of Allah's names,

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as well as a reminder of taqwa,

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among other elements that are readily observable

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and evident.

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Likewise, you find at the conclusion of those surahs

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that encompass numerous legal rulings

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a reminder of Allah's sovereignty

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over all creation

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and similar profound meanings.

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This is clearly present in what

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was pointed out regarding Surah Al-Ma'idah

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and Surah An-Nur:

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alongside the verses of legal rulings, there is a reminder of Allah;

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at the end of the surah,

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there is a reminder of Allah;

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and in the surah that follows,

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there is even greater elaboration

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in reminding of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

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Such is also the case

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with Surah At-Tahrim

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and At-Talaq before it,

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in relation to Surah Al-Mulk.

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As for the second point of reflection,

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it concerns the names of the surah.

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He stated: "Al-Mulk (The Sovereignty), because it opens

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with sanctifying and glorifying Allah Himself,

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in Whose hand is all sovereignty."

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"Al-Mulk, because it opens

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with the fact that He, Glorified be He,

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is the One in Whose hand is all sovereignty."

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Under this same heading,

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he said: "Al-Mani'ah (The Preventer); it was named thus

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because it protects its companion from the punishment of the grave."

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The word "as" should be added: "As

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authentically reported from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him),"

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and the statement ends there.

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As for mentioning that "it protects

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from the punishment of the grave" in parentheses,

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adding "[meaning] it is the preventer," there is no need for that.

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Rather, it was named so

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because it protects its companion

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from the punishment of the grave, as authentically reported

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from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

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The third point of reflection,

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which is the final one for this surah,

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deals with

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what was mentioned regarding its overarching theme and its thematic sections.

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Regarding its theme, he said:

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"Reflecting upon many of its verses guides..."

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It would be better to state:

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"By contemplating

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and looking into this..."

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in defining the theme based on

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this division.

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So we say: By contemplating

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its two sections, it becomes apparent

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that its central theme is the introduction

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to Allah and His absolute sovereignty

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over all creation.

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Then the word "generally" should be omitted—

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an introduction pertaining to Him,

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Glorified and Exalted be He.

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Here ends the theme of the surah,

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which is closely tied to its sections;

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thus I included it with them in the very same point of reflection.

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Regarding its thematic sections,

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he stated: "It can be divided into two sections:

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the first is an introduction [to Allah's majesty],

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and the second is a warning and admonition."

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As for the first section,

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it is written: "the eulogistic opening" (al-matla' ath-thana'i).

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It is more precise to say:

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"It contains a eulogistic opening,"

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without the definite article "al-",

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because no prior opening was mentioned

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to warrant adding "al-".

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Then he wrote regarding the second section:

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"the expository opening"—no,

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in the second section there is also a eulogistic opening.

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This is a matter of terminology:

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the finalized definition,

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which has been settled upon and

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will be incorporated into the second edition, by Allah's will,

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is that every verse

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that begins with the mention of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,

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or opens with the mention of

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a name of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He—

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and this includes

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cases where it is preceded by an emphatic particle,

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such as "Indeed, Allah..."—

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is considered among the eulogistic

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openings.

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This also encompasses instances where a pronoun occurs,

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such as "He" (Huwa), as found in this surah.

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“He it is Who hath made the earth subservient unto you, so Walk in the paths thereof and eat of His providence. And unto Him will be the resurrection (of the dead).” (67:15)

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The first verse, and this

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is likewise praise, because it refers back

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to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

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Likewise, anything containing praise—for the beginning of the surah is

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"Blessed is He in Whose hand is dominion"—

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is a eulogistic opening.

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Praise is accomplished through a word expressing

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praise, or through mentioning Him,

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for nothing is attributed to Him

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except that which conveys praise,

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and He is transcendent above all deficiency,

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Exalted and Glorified in His loftiness.

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Likewise, when a pronoun refers back to Him,

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it directly conveys

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praise as well.

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I will conclude with this.

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May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions

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all together, and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.