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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The concise commentary

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on the book *Bitaqat al-Ta'rif*

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*bi-Suwar al-Mushaf al-Sharif*

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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar al-Nusayf,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Nazi'at.

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah,

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and may peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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We continue with our concise commentary on *Bitaqat al-Ta'rif*,

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and we have arrived at Surah al-Nazi'at,

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with which I have three points to highlight.

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The first point

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concerns

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the reasons for the revelation (asbab al-nuzul) of the surah.

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Of course, only one reason has been narrated for it,

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regarding the questioning of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about the Hour.

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It has been noted that objections have been raised

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against both its chain of narration and its text.

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The reason for citing it in the first place

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is that the book

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which was adopted

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as a reference for reasons of revelation

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established it and considered it strong.

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Otherwise, it has been contested,

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and indeed the objection carries weight.

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For example,

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the narrations suggest

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that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was asking

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about the Hour

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or continually mentioning it, or as stated

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in the hadith; whereas the verse reads:

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"They ask you about the Hour," confirming

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an individual asking about the Hour,

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or people asking

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about the Hour. Therefore, it was

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subject to scrutiny from this

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aspect, alongside other aspects

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found in the book *Al-Muharrar*

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*fi Asbab al-Nuzul*.

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As for the second point, it concerns the order of revelation

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of the surah, where it is stated

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that it is counted as the eightieth, revealed after Surah al-Naba'

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and before Surah al-Infitar.

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The reason for revelation of its concluding verses,

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despite the critical remarks concerning it, gives an impression

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of its being relatively late in revelation.

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Here, you will observe

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that

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pointing to the reason for revelation while it contains

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weakness—if it indeed has weakness

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and is contested—how can it

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be cited as evidence here?

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The issue has two aspects.

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The first aspect is the absence

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of strong narrations

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that define the exact time

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of the revelation of this surah

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or the dating of its revelation.

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And perhaps I have pointed out

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repeatedly that it is more fitting here

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to say "the dating of the revelation,"

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and I clarify this:

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it is truly about the dating of its revelation.

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Thus, in the absence

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of strong narrations, one may draw supporting evidence

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from these reports. The first is

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its being counted as the eightieth according to the well-known narration

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from Jabir ibn Zayd,

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which I have discussed extensively before.

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Another is the existence of this narration,

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which may suggest a somewhat late period of revelation,

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as the questioning about the Hour did not occur

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at the very beginning. This is merely

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circumstantial evidence, even if weak.

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So its being counted as the eightieth

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indicates its lateness,

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and this reason for revelation also suggests its lateness.

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The convergence of both

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may support the view that it was

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indeed revealed late,

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towards the end of the Meccan period.

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Of course, I mean

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its lateness within the Meccan period,

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because the surahs revealed in the Meccan period

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are slightly more than eighty.

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Thus, its being

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the eightieth means it belongs to the end

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of the Meccan period,

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and Allah knows best.

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As for the third and final point,

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it concerns the story

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of the Prophet of Allah, Musa, mentioned

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in the passages of the surah.

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In the first passage...

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Surah al-Naba' before it

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spoke about the Resurrection from beginning to end,

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along with the proofs of the Resurrection.

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Here, the Resurrection is mentioned

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from the beginning of the surah to its end,

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and then comes this passage

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that speaks of the story of Musa

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with Pharaoh.

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So what is the relationship between this story

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and the Resurrection?

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And what is its connection to the verses before and after it?

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This draws attention:

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when a single story appears

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in a surah rather than a collection of stories,

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and it comes right in the middle of the surah

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or even in

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other placements,

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as will come in Surah al-Shams,

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this is indeed noteworthy.

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The scholars have paused at this

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and considered it a parenthetical remark—

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this is an inserted clause

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or inserted sentences

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within the discourse on the Resurrection,

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serving as a solace

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for the Master of the Messengers,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and for the believers with him,

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and as a warning to the disbelievers who deny

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the Day of Recompense.

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Nevertheless,

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if you consult the Tafsir *Nazm al-Durar*,

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you will find that he elaborated at length

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on the suitability of this specific story,

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to the exclusion of other stories,

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for the theme of the Resurrection.

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The destruction of Pharaoh,

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what befell him and his people

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until they were eradicated,

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is deeply fitting with the theme of the Resurrection.

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You will find this explained in detail there;

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I do not wish to prolong it here,

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at this juncture, upon His saying,

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Exalted is He: "Has there reached you the story of Musa?"

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Among the observations to note,

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which al-Biqa'i also pointed out

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in his Tafsir at this point,

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is that Quraysh and the Arabs

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in general did not possess the power

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that Pharaoh possessed.

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Yet, their power availed neither Pharaoh

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nor those with him:

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“How many were the gardens and the watersprings that they left behind,” (44:25)

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"and crops and noble sites,"

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“And pleasant things wherein they took delight!” (44:27)

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"Thus. And We caused to inherit it another people."

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“And the heaven and the earth wept not for them, nor were they reprieved.” (44:29)

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So what then of those who are

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in a far weaker state than them,

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namely the disbelievers in Mecca

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and the Arabs in general?

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Eradicating them

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is the easiest and most trivial matter for Allah.

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It is as though anyone who acts tyrannically,

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even if

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his capabilities are limited,

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resembles Pharaoh.

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For this reason, Abu Jahl was described as

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the Pharaoh of this Ummah,

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even though he did not possess a kingdom.

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Thus, the character of Pharaoh is not

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restricted to someone who possesses a vast realm,

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but applies to whoever walks

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in his path

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of tyranny—

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we seek refuge in Allah.

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This much is sufficient,

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and I ask Allah to make this surah

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a light for me and for you.

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May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

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and upon all his family and Companions,

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