In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The concise commentary
on the book *Profile Cards*
*of the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*
by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,
may Allah preserve him.
Surah al-Mursalat.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
We continue with our concise commentary
on the profile cards,
focusing on Surah al-Mursalat.
Regarding this surah,
I have three reflections. The first reflection
concerns what has been narrated about the circumstances of its revelation.
It was mentioned that 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: "While we were with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in a cave at Mina,
'By the emissary winds sent forth' (al-Mursalat) was revealed to him."
The word "al-Mursalat" was omitted here—
"in it,"
meaning in this cave.
"And indeed, he was reciting it,
while I was taking it directly from his mouth,
and his mouth was still moist with it..."
to the end of the hadith.
The takeaway here,
and the point I wish to dwell upon,
is the sheer precision
in receiving and transmitting the Qur'an.
For our religion
is one built upon oral reception
and absolute precision in that transmission.
Ponder how Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him,
remembers
the exact place where
this surah was revealed, with complete accuracy,
and remembers
his own state and that of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
as well as the exact moment
of the recitation
of these verses.
Indeed, this instills in us profound confidence
in this religion,
which has been preserved and handed down to us
with a transmission unlike
that of any other religion
on earth,
or indeed any body of knowledge on earth.
So all praise is due to Allah, first and last.
Whoever traces
instances like this will find astonishing
and marvelous details in the books of hadith,
the Seerah, and biographical accounts.
Up to this very day, the Qur'an continues
to be received through direct, oral transmission from teacher to student,
by the grace of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
The second reflection
relates to His saying, Exalted is He:
"Woe, that Day, to the deniers."
For this verse
is repeated, as is readily apparent, in this surah
many times.
Whatever is repeated in the speech of Allah,
Glorified and Exalted is He,
must possess immense significance.
However, when something is repeated
and we fail to give it due heed,
its impact upon our souls weakens,
leading to an outcome
entirely contrary to what was intended;
instead of that repetition serving
as a prompt for greater mindfulness,
it turns into a cause
for skimming through quickly without reflection.
Therefore,
each of us should increase
in vigilance and care.
Matters that are reiterated in the Shari'ah
carry great importance
and profound wisdom,
and we should pay closer attention to them
lest their impact upon our souls diminish
due to mere familiarity and repetition.
The same applies
here in this surah,
and to this specific verse:
"Woe, that Day, to the deniers," for it is repeated
across many places.
One ought to consult books of Tafsir
regarding the reason for its repeated occurrence,
and one must reflect,
not rushing past it heedlessly,
but rather granting it each time
a measure of deliberate attention
and contemplating its words:
"Woe, that Day,
to the deniers."
Doing so leaves a tremendous impact upon the heart.
The third reflection
is that this surah is predominantly characterized
by themes of warning and intimidation,
far more than good tidings,
in contrast to Surah al-Insan,
which we previously reviewed.
Therefore,
whoever reads the Qur'an
and continuously completes its recitations
time after time
will attain balance,
kept upright through the uprightness of the Qur'an,
far removed from exaggeration
where excess is unwarranted.
One who stays close to the Qur'an
lives between fear and hope,
encouragement and deterrence.
Even so,
one needs to ponder why encouragement abounds
in one surah
while deterrence predominates in another,
thereby learning from the wisdom of this Wise Book.
And may the peace and blessings of Allah
be upon the Messenger of Allah,
upon his family and Companions,
and upon whoever follows his guidance.
All praise is due to Allah, first and last, outwardly and inwardly.