WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.299 "The Gentle Commentary 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:35.299 on the Book of Introductory Profiles 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:38.299 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.299 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif, 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:44.460 may Allah preserve him. 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:46.460 Surah Maryam. 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:48.460 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:51.460 and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. 00:00:51.460 --> 00:00:52.700 "My Lord, make things easy and help!" 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:54.700 We are still with "The Gentle Commentary 00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:56.700 on the Introductory Profiles," 00:00:56.700 --> 00:00:58.700 and with Surah Maryam, concerning which I have three reflective pauses. 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:00.890 The first pause 00:01:00.890 --> 00:01:02.890 concerns the placement of the surah, 00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:04.890 which is one of the standard entry points 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:06.890 in the book, as you know. 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:08.890 It pertains to explaining the correlation 00:01:08.890 --> 00:01:10.890 between this surah and the one preceding it, 00:01:10.890 --> 00:01:12.890 and the primary reference for this 00:01:12.890 --> 00:01:14.890 is *Tanaasuq ad-Durar* by as-Suyuti, 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:16.890 as I have mentioned before. 00:01:16.890 --> 00:01:18.890 He stated that it is the nineteenth surah 00:01:18.890 --> 00:01:20.890 in the sequence of the Mushaf. 00:01:20.890 --> 00:01:22.890 Among the correlations with al-Kahf is that its stories 00:01:22.890 --> 00:01:24.890 comprise wondrous events, 00:01:24.890 --> 00:01:26.890 yet the stories of Maryam are even more wondrous. 00:01:26.890 --> 00:01:28.890 Surah al-Kahf contains wondrous 00:01:28.890 --> 00:01:30.890 things, but 00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:32.890 the existence of a child without 00:01:32.890 --> 00:01:34.890 a father is far more wondrous. 00:01:34.890 --> 00:01:36.890 This more wondrous story 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:38.890 was preluded by a wondrous one as well, 00:01:38.890 --> 00:01:40.890 namely the story of Zakariyya. 00:01:40.890 --> 00:01:42.890 It is as though the story of Zakariyya 00:01:42.890 --> 00:01:44.890 paved the way for the story of Maryam, 00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:46.890 and the stories of al-Kahf 00:01:46.890 --> 00:01:48.890 paved the way for the stories 00:01:48.890 --> 00:01:50.890 of Maryam—meaning the narrative 00:01:50.890 --> 00:01:52.890 at the beginning of Surah Maryam, 00:01:52.890 --> 00:01:54.890 unlike the story of Ibrahim 00:01:54.890 --> 00:01:56.890 and those after him. 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:58.890 Here, the question arises: 00:01:58.890 --> 00:02:00.890 these surahs were not revealed in this sequential order 00:02:00.890 --> 00:02:02.890 when they were revealed to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; 00:02:02.890 --> 00:02:04.890 so how can it be claimed that it began with the wondrous 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:06.890 and then moved to the more wondrous? 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:08.889 If we consider the chronological order of revelation according to the well-known view, 00:02:08.889 --> 00:02:10.889 we would find that Maryam was revealed before 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:12.889 al-Kahf. To this I say: 00:02:12.889 --> 00:02:14.889 First, scholars 00:02:14.889 --> 00:02:16.889 have two approaches. Some scholars hold 00:02:16.889 --> 00:02:18.889 that there is no need 00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:20.889 for an exegete to occupy himself 00:02:20.889 --> 00:02:22.889 with looking into 00:02:22.889 --> 00:02:24.889 the rationales behind the arrangement of surahs 00:02:24.889 --> 00:02:26.889 in the Mushaf, 00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:28.889 among whom is at-Tahir ibn 'Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him. 00:02:28.889 --> 00:02:30.889 Other scholars attempt 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:32.889 to discover these thematic connections, 00:02:32.889 --> 00:02:34.889 fully aware that it is a matter of ijtihad, 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:36.889 such as as-Suyuti 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:38.889 and al-Biqa'i, among others. 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:40.889 Therefore, discussing 00:02:40.889 --> 00:02:42.889 the sequence of the surahs in the Mushaf 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:44.889 is not a matter unanimously agreed upon 00:02:44.889 --> 00:02:46.889 as being something one ought 00:02:46.889 --> 00:02:48.889 to delve into. 00:02:48.889 --> 00:02:50.889 That is the first point. 00:02:50.889 --> 00:02:52.889 Second, when we look at 00:02:52.889 --> 00:02:54.889 the chronological history of the revelation of the surahs, 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:56.889 the explanations focus 00:02:56.889 --> 00:02:58.889 on how the discourse corresponds 00:02:58.889 --> 00:03:00.889 to the immediate contextual requirements of the revelation of that surah. 00:03:00.889 --> 00:03:02.889 But when we look at 00:03:02.889 --> 00:03:04.889 their sequence in the Mushaf, 00:03:04.889 --> 00:03:06.889 we examine the arrangement ordained and chosen 00:03:06.889 --> 00:03:08.889 by Allah for this Qur'an, 00:03:08.889 --> 00:03:10.889 so that it remains for the Ummah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:03:10.889 --> 00:03:12.889 perpetually preserved in this order. 00:03:12.889 --> 00:03:14.889 These are two distinct matters. 00:03:14.889 --> 00:03:16.889 For instance, we say that Surah al-'Alaq 00:03:16.889 --> 00:03:18.889 was revealed 00:03:18.889 --> 00:03:20.889 first, 00:03:20.889 --> 00:03:22.889 or that the opening of Surah al-'Alaq was revealed first; 00:03:22.889 --> 00:03:24.889 so we examine its suitability in being 00:03:24.889 --> 00:03:26.889 the very first thing the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard. 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:28.889 This is a connection related 00:03:28.889 --> 00:03:30.889 to the chronology of the surah's revelation. 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:32.889 Yet there is another connection: how Surah al-'Alaq elaborated 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:34.889 upon 00:03:34.889 --> 00:03:36.889 certain matters mentioned in Surah at-Tin. 00:03:36.889 --> 00:03:38.889 “Surely We created man of the best stature” (95:4) 00:03:38.889 --> 00:03:40.889 And regarding "Recite!", he said... 00:03:40.889 --> 00:03:42.889 “Createth man from a clot.” (96:2) 00:03:42.889 --> 00:03:45.050 Thus, there are two distinct perspectives, 00:03:45.050 --> 00:03:47.050 as was clearly pointed out 00:03:47.050 --> 00:03:49.050 by al-Biqa'i in his Tafsir. 00:03:49.050 --> 00:03:51.050 There is no contradiction between the two matters: 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:53.050 each verse was suited to the time 00:03:53.050 --> 00:03:55.050 in which it was revealed, and then the surah 00:03:55.050 --> 00:03:57.050 is suited to its canonical placement 00:03:57.050 --> 00:03:59.050 in the Mushaf—which is, 00:03:59.050 --> 00:04:01.050 as I said, a matter of scholarly deduction. 00:04:01.050 --> 00:04:03.080 The second pause 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:05.110 concerns 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:07.110 the only woman who 00:04:07.110 --> 00:04:09.110 was explicitly mentioned by name in the Qur'an, 00:04:09.110 --> 00:04:11.210 and after whom this surah was named: 00:04:11.210 --> 00:04:13.210 Surah Maryam. 00:04:13.210 --> 00:04:15.210 The most remarkable thing is that she is not from the Household of the Prophet, peace be upon him; 00:04:15.210 --> 00:04:17.209 she is not of the family of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:19.209 nor from the Muhammadan prophetic household, 00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:21.209 nor is she an Arab, 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:23.209 nor is she from the female Companions, for example. 00:04:23.209 --> 00:04:25.209 Rather, she is a Muslim woman 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:27.209 who guarded her chastity. 00:04:27.209 --> 00:04:29.209 Truth be told, I have not come across— 00:04:29.209 --> 00:04:31.209 and this may be due to my own shortcoming 00:04:31.209 --> 00:04:33.209 or something slipping my mind— 00:04:33.209 --> 00:04:35.209 I have not seen an in-depth study 00:04:35.209 --> 00:04:37.269 devoted to this woman whom 00:04:37.269 --> 00:04:39.269 Allah honored 00:04:39.269 --> 00:04:41.269 in a manner He did not honor any other woman in all creation. 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:43.269 For no woman was named, not even the wife of Pharaoh, 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:45.269 despite her immense virtue, as He said: 00:04:45.269 --> 00:04:47.269 "And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh." 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:49.269 Yet He did not explicitly state her name, 00:04:49.269 --> 00:04:51.269 nor did He explicitly name any 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:53.269 of the Mothers of the Believers. 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:55.269 The virtue of all 00:04:55.269 --> 00:04:57.269 of them is established; 00:04:57.269 --> 00:04:59.269 the virtue of all those noble women 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:01.370 is undeniable, yet 00:05:01.370 --> 00:05:03.370 this woman was singled out 00:05:03.370 --> 00:05:05.370 with this unique distinction. 00:05:05.370 --> 00:05:07.370 It is therefore incumbent that one seeks to comprehend 00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:09.370 the true station of this woman, 00:05:09.370 --> 00:05:11.370 her worth, and her attributes. 00:05:11.370 --> 00:05:13.370 Remarkably, some people 00:05:13.370 --> 00:05:15.370 have come to imagine 00:05:15.370 --> 00:05:17.370 that Christians have a greater claim to Maryam than we do. 00:05:17.370 --> 00:05:19.370 This is completely false, for Christians hold 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:21.370 an improper belief concerning her, 00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:23.370 attributing to her that which you well know, 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:25.370 things that should not even be mentioned. 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:27.370 As for us, we believe that she is 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:29.370 a created servant having no share 00:05:29.370 --> 00:05:31.370 in divinity whatsoever, 00:05:31.370 --> 00:05:33.370 and that Allah has taken neither a companion nor a son. 00:05:33.370 --> 00:05:35.370 Furthermore, naming 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:37.459 this surah Maryam 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:39.459 serves as a form of invitation 00:05:39.459 --> 00:05:41.459 to Christians, for Christians 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:43.500 love Maryam 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:45.500 even prior to their Islam. Thus, when 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:47.500 one embraces Islam and learns that Maryam 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.500 is in the Qur'an, or when called to Islam 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:51.500 and sees how revered Maryam is in the Qur'an, 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:53.500 this profoundly draws him 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:55.500 to Islam. I recall that one Christian, 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:57.500 upon embracing Islam, remarked: 00:05:57.500 --> 00:05:59.500 "I gained Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:01.589 without losing the Messiah." 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:03.589 He may have authored a book on that, 00:06:03.589 --> 00:06:05.589 and he posted a lengthy video on YouTube. 00:06:05.589 --> 00:06:07.850 Thus, when Christians 00:06:07.850 --> 00:06:09.850 realize that we deeply honor 00:06:09.850 --> 00:06:11.850 Maryam and 'Isa, this leaves an impact 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:13.850 on them, just as it was among the things 00:06:13.850 --> 00:06:15.850 that moved the Negus, may Allah have mercy on him. 00:06:15.850 --> 00:06:17.850 So, this is the second pause, 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:19.850 and I urge researchers 00:06:19.850 --> 00:06:21.850 to produce studies on 00:06:21.850 --> 00:06:23.980 Maryam, peace be upon her. 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:25.980 Such study should not merely consist of compiling 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:27.980 the verses, but of deeply contemplating them 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:30.009 and extracting their subtleties, 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:32.259 for they are numerous verses across 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:34.300 various surahs, as you know. 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:36.300 The third and final pause 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:38.490 concerns 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:40.490 what has been transmitted regarding the occasion of revelation. 00:06:40.490 --> 00:06:42.490 He mentioned that an occasion of revelation was recorded for it, 00:06:42.490 --> 00:06:44.490 one of which is that the Prophet, 00:06:44.490 --> 00:06:46.490 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said 00:06:46.490 --> 00:06:48.490 to Jibril: "What prevents you from visiting us 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:50.490 more often than you do?" 00:06:50.490 --> 00:06:52.490 Whereupon there was revealed: 00:06:52.490 --> 00:06:54.490 “We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful -” (19:64) 00:06:54.490 --> 00:06:56.490 "To Him belongs whatever is before 00:06:56.490 --> 00:06:58.519 us and whatever is behind us." 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:00.519 I wanted to dwell upon this occasion because you will notice 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:02.519 that the verses preceding it 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:04.519 and following it 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:06.519 do not relate to it 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:08.519 directly. The opening of the surah 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:10.519 up to the prostration describes the righteous servants of Allah, 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:12.519 while what follows the prostration refutes 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:14.519 the disbelievers and clarifies 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:16.519 their deviation from the straight path. 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:18.519 And these verses were revealed 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:20.680 for this specific reason; therefore, 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:22.810 keeping this context in mind 00:07:22.810 --> 00:07:24.870 helps one 00:07:24.870 --> 00:07:26.870 avoid forced interpretations. 00:07:26.870 --> 00:07:28.870 Some scholars attempt 00:07:28.870 --> 00:07:30.870 to find an intricate textual link between this verse 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:32.870 and the verse directly 00:07:32.870 --> 00:07:34.870 preceding it, 00:07:34.870 --> 00:07:36.870 whereas, in reality, it is distinct from it 00:07:36.870 --> 00:07:38.870 and was placed here by divine command. 00:07:38.870 --> 00:07:40.870 Among those who take a balanced approach regarding 00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:42.870 textual correlations and take such aspects into account 00:07:42.870 --> 00:07:44.870 is Sidi al-Tahir Ibn Ashur. 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:46.870 Hence, he remarked here 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:48.870 regarding "And we descend not except by the command of your Lord," 00:07:48.870 --> 00:07:50.870 saying that it is the conjunction of one passage to another, 00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:52.870 despite the change in addressee. 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:54.870 In the preceding verse, "Then there succeeded after them 00:07:54.870 --> 00:07:56.970 an evil generation who neglected prayer..." 00:07:56.970 --> 00:07:58.970 he stated: it is the coupling of one narrative to another, 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:00.970 despite the shift in addressee. 00:08:00.970 --> 00:08:02.970 By "story" he does not mean a literal tale; rather, 00:08:02.970 --> 00:08:04.970 it signifies connecting one theme to another theme 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:06.970 alongside a shift in the addressee. 00:08:06.970 --> 00:08:08.970 And Allah commanded His Messenger 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.129 to recite it here 00:08:11.129 --> 00:08:13.129 because it was revealed to form part of the Qur'an, 00:08:13.129 --> 00:08:15.129 just as he, may Allah have mercy on him, stated. 00:08:15.129 --> 00:08:17.129 This is an essential point, and alongside it lies an insight 00:08:17.129 --> 00:08:19.129 which I will dwell upon briefly, 00:08:19.129 --> 00:08:21.220 apologizing for taking too much of your time. 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:23.220 These verses that appear 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:25.259 as parenthetical insertions, 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.379 as in this verse—and an even more prominent example— 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.379 “Stir not thy tongue herewith to hasten it.” (75:16) 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:31.379 are like "Do not hasten with it..."; the verses before and after it 00:08:31.379 --> 00:08:33.379 in Surah al-Qiyamah discuss 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:35.379 other matters, and then the address shifts to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:37.419 And in other surahs, 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:39.419 there are indeed similar parallels, 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:41.419 where the Prophet, peace be upon him, is addressed amidst the verses. 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:43.639 This reminds us 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:45.639 of the lofty status of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:47.639 and that he was the very first person addressed by the Qur'an. 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:49.639 It was descending directly upon his heart, 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.639 conveying a general address to mankind, 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:53.639 and then suddenly directing a particular instruction specifically to him. 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.639 We should never lose sight of this reality, 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.639 for it is among the things that illustrate 00:08:57.639 --> 00:08:59.639 the supreme stature of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:01.639 and keeps his presence vivid 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:03.639 in our minds. 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.639 When we say in the prayer, "Peace be upon you, 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:07.639 O Prophet," 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:09.639 and as we recite the Qur'an, 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:11.639 suddenly, amidst the deep absorption 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:13.639 in the descriptions of the Resurrection, we find 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:15.639 that we hear Allah saying to His Prophet: 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:17.639 "Do not move your tongue with it." We immediately recall 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:19.639 this noble Prophet, to whom Allah 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:21.639 said: "So how will it be when We bring 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:23.639 from every nation a witness, 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:25.639 and We bring you as a witness against these people?" 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:27.639 He will come as a witness over us, 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:29.639 having conveyed the message and delivered this Book 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:32.279 to his Ummah. 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:34.279 We must therefore hold 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.279 ourselves accountable regarding how we engage 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:38.279 with this Book, 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:40.279 and remember that he, peace and blessings be upon him, 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:42.279 is a witness over us. 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:44.279 I ask Allah to grant us all success in doing what He loves and is pleased with. 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:46.279 May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:48.279 and upon all his family and Companions, 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:50.279 and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.