In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The Graceful Commentary
on the book "Identification Cards
for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"
by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Umar Nassif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah Al-Mulk.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially 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 proceeding with "The Graceful Commentary
on the Identification Cards,"
and we have arrived at Surah Al-Mulk.
I have three points of reflection concerning it.
The first point concerns the surah's placement.
He stated that it is the sixty-seventh surah.
Perhaps one of the reasons for its contextual placement
is that At-Tahrim and At-Talaq
contained legal rulings,
so it was fitting to provide a reminder
in this surah
that all sovereignty belongs to Allah.
This is similar to how earlier surahs outside the Mufassal concluded,
such as Al-Ma'idah and An-Nur.
It was mentioned in the book
and in the extended audio lessons—
and it may be pointed out here as well—
that after Al-Ma'idah,
with all the legal rulings it contains,
came Surah Al-An'am,
which establishes creed
and strengthens faith.
And after An-Nur,
which likewise centers on legal rulings,
came Surah Al-Furqan,
which is a surah on creed.
Thus, it is fitting,
following these legal rulings, to have a reminder
of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
This sequential arrangement of the surahs,
which was not
based on the order of revelation,
is considered by many scholars
to be divinely ordained (tawqifi),
containing profound wisdom.
That is why we discuss the surah's placement.
For if a person were to occupy himself
solely with legal rulings
without renewing his faith, this would be problematic.
Rather, there must be this
harmonious blend achieved by
the arrangement of the surahs,
which is a beautiful matter
truly worthy of contemplation.
This is true even though the verses of legal rulings themselves
contain admonitions
and reminders of Allah
and of being conscious of Him (taqwa).
Within the very verse of a legal ruling—
in a single verse—you will often find at its conclusion
two of Allah's names,
as well as a reminder of taqwa,
among other elements that are readily observable
and evident.
Likewise, you find at the conclusion of those surahs
that encompass numerous legal rulings
a reminder of Allah's sovereignty
over all creation
and similar profound meanings.
This is clearly present in what
was pointed out regarding Surah Al-Ma'idah
and Surah An-Nur:
alongside the verses of legal rulings, there is a reminder of Allah;
at the end of the surah,
there is a reminder of Allah;
and in the surah that follows,
there is even greater elaboration
in reminding of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Such is also the case
with Surah At-Tahrim
and At-Talaq before it,
in relation to Surah Al-Mulk.
As for the second point of reflection,
it concerns the names of the surah.
He stated: "Al-Mulk (The Sovereignty), because it opens
with sanctifying and glorifying Allah Himself,
in Whose hand is all sovereignty."
"Al-Mulk, because it opens
with the fact that He, Glorified be He,
is the One in Whose hand is all sovereignty."
Under this same heading,
he said: "Al-Mani'ah (The Preventer); it was named thus
because it protects its companion from the punishment of the grave."
The word "as" should be added: "As
authentically reported from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him),"
and the statement ends there.
As for mentioning that "it protects
from the punishment of the grave" in parentheses,
adding "[meaning] it is the preventer," there is no need for that.
Rather, it was named so
because it protects its companion
from the punishment of the grave, as authentically reported
from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
The third point of reflection,
which is the final one for this surah,
deals with
what was mentioned regarding its overarching theme and its thematic sections.
Regarding its theme, he said:
"Reflecting upon many of its verses guides..."
It would be better to state:
"By contemplating
and looking into this..."
in defining the theme based on
this division.
So we say: By contemplating
its two sections, it becomes apparent
that its central theme is the introduction
to Allah and His absolute sovereignty
over all creation.
Then the word "generally" should be omitted—
an introduction pertaining to Him,
Glorified and Exalted be He.
Here ends the theme of the surah,
which is closely tied to its sections;
thus I included it with them in the very same point of reflection.
Regarding its thematic sections,
he stated: "It can be divided into two sections:
the first is an introduction [to Allah's majesty],
and the second is a warning and admonition."
As for the first section,
it is written: "the eulogistic opening" (al-matla' ath-thana'i).
It is more precise to say:
"It contains a eulogistic opening,"
without the definite article "al-",
because no prior opening was mentioned
to warrant adding "al-".
Then he wrote regarding the second section:
"the expository opening"—no,
in the second section there is also a eulogistic opening.
This is a matter of terminology:
the finalized definition,
which has been settled upon and
will be incorporated into the second edition, by Allah's will,
is that every verse
that begins with the mention of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
or opens with the mention of
a name of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He—
and this includes
cases where it is preceded by an emphatic particle,
such as "Indeed, Allah..."—
is considered among the eulogistic
openings.
This also encompasses instances where a pronoun occurs,
such as "He" (Huwa), as found in this surah.
“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)
The first verse, and this
is likewise praise, because it refers back
to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Likewise, anything containing praise—for the beginning of the surah is
"Blessed is He in Whose hand is dominion"—
is a eulogistic opening.
Praise is accomplished through a word expressing
praise, or through mentioning Him,
for nothing is attributed to Him
except that which conveys praise,
and He is transcendent above all deficiency,
Exalted and Glorified in His loftiness.
Likewise, when a pronoun refers back to Him,
it directly conveys
praise as well.
I will conclude with this.
May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions
all together, and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.