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

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A Gentle Commentary

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on the book "Introductory Cards

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to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

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by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,

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may Allah preserve him.

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Surah al-Mu'minun.

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

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All praise is due 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 his family and all his companions.

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We continue with our gentle commentary on the introductory cards,

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and with Surah al-Mu'minun.

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I have three reflections regarding it.

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The first reflection concerns the placement of the surah.

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He said regarding its correlation to Surah al-Hajj,

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which is the surah immediately preceding it,

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that toward the end of the former it says: "that you may succeed,"

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“O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper.” (22:77)

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"and do good, that you may succeed,"

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while the beginning of this surah states: "Certainly will the believers succeed."

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I have paused here specifically to point out

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that in discussing thematic links between surahs,

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even the slightest connection is sufficient,

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and this is not meant to be exclusive;

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there could very well be other connections,

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and in most cases, multiple correlations exist.

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At the end of the former surah, He says: "that you may succeed,"

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and here He clarifies who the successful are,

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or rather, who those who have succeeded are,

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if we wish to be precise in our wording.

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This represents a form of correlation,

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which shows you that a correlation is not required

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to be purely conceptual and subtle;

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rather, it can be verbal, just like this example.

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The second reflection

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is that with this surah,

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if we look at its central theme,

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which is apparent from its opening

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and from the motifs recurring throughout it,

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its theme is strengthening faith

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and clarifying the qualities of its people.

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Consequently, it is appropriate

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that in studying the qualities of the believers in the surah,

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one should not merely look at its opening;

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rather, examine the entire surah for the qualities of the believers

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and for what renews faith.

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How could one not, when this is the very name of the surah?

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If you have a surah named al-Mu'minun (The Believers)—

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in the Qur'an there is a surah called al-Mu'minun—

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and you wish to learn about faith,

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it is inconceivable that it would be absent from your research

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among the sources you consult.

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Rather, it is essential to return to it.

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The same applies to surahs named after the names of Allah:

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how can you understand the name of Allah al-A'la (the Most High)

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without referring to Surah al-A'la?

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Or the name of Allah ar-Rahman (the Entirely Merciful),

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without reading Surah ar-Rahman?

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These are the fundamental sources

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for researching faith:

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returning to the Qur'an, and specifically to Surah al-Mu'minun.

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Naturally, other surahs also discuss faith,

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but this surah is named "The Believers."

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Therefore, attention should be paid to the title

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and to seeking its manifestations throughout the surah.

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At the beginning of the surah are their qualities,

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and in the middle of the surah there is also reference to them:

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"Indeed, they who are of apprehension of their Lord fearful..." through the verses,

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and at the end of the surah is a clarification of their destiny

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and the destiny of those who used to mock them.

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All of this is beneficial regarding faith,

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alongside other themes that stimulate the innate disposition (fitrah)

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in the hearts of the disbelievers so that they might believe—

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through warnings and through the call that seeks to stimulate the intellect,

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that provokes intellectual reflection:

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"Say, 'To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?' They will say, 'To Allah...'" through the verses.

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The point is that faith and everything pertaining to it

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are prominent in this surah,

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so one should be keen to search for it

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and not settle only for the qualities mentioned at the beginning,

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even though they are truly magnificent qualities:

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"Certainly will the believers have succeeded: they who are during their prayer humbly submissive..."

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As for the third reflection,

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it is a link between two matters recurring across many surahs.

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You will notice in the chronological order of revelation,

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which is effectively dating the surah,

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he noted that it contains such warnings to the polytheists

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as to indicate a later period of revelation.

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Now, if you look at the sections of the surah,

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you will find warnings in them.

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In the second part of the surah,

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there are two warnings to the deniers:

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“Till when We grasp their luxurious ones with the punishment, behold! they supplicate.” (23:64)

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"...they cry out for help" in verse sixty-four;

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then a few verses later in verse seventy-six:

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"And We had already seized them with agony,

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but they did not submit to their Lord, nor will they supplicate humbly."

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“Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

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“Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

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“Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

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Then comes a third warning involving death,

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which you will find in the final lines

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of the sections of the surah:

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a third warning involving death:

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"Until, when death comes to one of them,

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he says, 'My Lord, send me back...'"

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Then a fourth warning involving the Last Day:

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"So when the Horn is blown,

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“And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another.” (23:101)

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nor will they ask about one another."

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What do we infer from these warnings?

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We infer that they suggest

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a later revelation,

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because intense warning

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is predominantly expected to occur

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at an advanced stage

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of the Meccan period,

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even if only relatively speaking;

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it is not among the earliest revelations

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to contain such detailed exposition

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in threatening punishment.

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And Allah knows best.

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May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,

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and upon his family and all his companions,

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