In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Subtle Commentary
upon the book *Identification Cards*
*for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*,
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Munafiqun.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,
and peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and upon his family and all his companions.
We continue with our subtle commentary on the *Identification Cards*,
and we have arrived at Surah al-Munafiqun.
I have three points of reflection regarding it.
The first reflection:
it opens with a conditional clause.
There is an error in the book stating
that it opens with an informative declarative sentence,
whereas it is correctly stated in the diagrammatic chart
within the very same book.
It indeed opens with a condition, according to the classification
adopted by al-Suyuti,
which was mentioned at the beginning of the book,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Six other surahs share this opening feature with it,
and it is beneficial to add that note here,
because the shared openings among surahs
are significant when comparing them
and observing their points of similarity and difference.
Thus, one may add that it begins with a conditional structure,
a feature shared by six other surahs,
or alongside which six surahs share this opening:
al-Takwir, al-Infitar, al-Inshiqaq, al-Zalzalah,
and al-Nasr.
This makes a total of seven surahs.
We notice that five of these surahs
are connected to the Day of Resurrection,
whereas al-Nasr and al-Munafiqun,
which precedes it in the codex order,
neither of them is about the Day of Resurrection.
The common denominator among all these surahs
that begin with a conditional clause
is that they are tied to a momentous event.
The share related to the Day of Resurrection
consists of five surahs,
which is fitting given that it is
the greatest event that humanity will ever experience,
occurring after the test concludes and the results are presented.
I ask Allah to deliver us.
The second reflection: it is mentioned here
that it was revealed during the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq,
regarding the chronological order of the surah's revelation.
The author favored the view that it was revealed during the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq.
Preceding that, the phrasing stated:
"It is counted as the one hundred and fifth in the chronological order of revelation
according to Jabir ibn Zayd;
it was revealed after Surah al-Hajj and before Surah al-Mujadilah."
Then he stated, "And it is also placed after al-Hajj in the other two transmissions."
This part should be deleted,
as it is not part of his original statement;
rather, it was added through the editor's own exertion.
Regarding the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq:
why did they prefer the view that it was the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq?
There is a scholarly difference of opinion on the matter,
but several scholars favored this position.
You can find this issue thoroughly discussed in the introduction
to the Tafsir of Surah al-Munafiqun
by al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur.
Among the points they examined regarding this issue is that
the hypocrites said, "The more honorable will surely expel the more humiliated therefrom."
This statement is consistent with an earlier period of revelation,
at a time when the hypocrites still held influence and strength,
whereas the alternative opinion—that it occurred during the Battle of Tabuk—
was after the power of the hypocrites had already waned.
What al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur mentioned here
demonstrates that the scholars did not merely pass
over historical reports passively; rather, they scrutinized,
compared, reflected, and engaged their analytical faculties.
These are self-evident matters obvious to anyone who has studied the sacred sciences,
yet I mention them because some contemporary critics who cast doubts
upon the Sunnah and the hadith scholars
create the illusion that they accepted any report or hadith indiscriminately
without reflection. But look at their deep reflection here regarding the verse
and the condition of the hypocrites at the time of revelation:
does it fit the Battle of Tabuk,
or does it align with the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq?
This, along with much else, confirms their meticulous care
regarding both chains of transmission and textual contents, may Allah have mercy on them,
and may Allah reward them with good on behalf of the Ummah.
The third reflection is truly a reflection
on the structural harmony between the first and second sections.
We notice that the first section clarifies the reality of the hypocrites,
but the second section
shifts to address the believers:
"O you who have believed, let not your wealth distract you..."
“O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers.” (63:9)
"And whoever does that, then those are the losers."
It is as though the believers, having learned the characteristics of the hypocrites,
were commanded to focus on themselves
and occupy themselves with their own spiritual rectification,
out of caution lest they resemble the hypocrites
or slip into hypocrisy through neglecting the remembrance of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted,
and becoming engrossed in wealth and children.
What I wish to draw from this insight
is that we should not become preoccupied with the affairs of the hypocrites—
even though we ought to recognize their states—
or with understanding the strategies and plots of the disbelievers,
to the point where that distracts us from ourselves, our own rectification,
and taking proper care of our souls.
I will suffice with this much.
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and companions,
and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.