1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,759 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:32,119 A Gentle Commentary 3 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:35,240 on the Book: "Identification Cards 4 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,640 for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf" 5 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:42,159 by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Umar Nasif, 6 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,420 may Allah preserve him. 7 00:00:44,420 --> 00:00:46,420 Surah an-Nahl. 8 00:00:46,420 --> 00:00:48,829 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 9 00:00:48,829 --> 00:00:50,829 Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings 10 00:00:50,829 --> 00:00:52,640 be upon the Messenger of Allah. 11 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,640 We continue with our gentle commentary, 12 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,640 examining Surah an-Nahl, 13 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,640 and with it I have three main points to make. 14 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,640 The first point pertains 15 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,640 to what is called 16 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,640 the chronological order of the surah's revelation. 17 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:06,640 As I have often remarked before, 18 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,640 the more precise designation 19 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:10,640 would be "the chronology of the surah's revelation," 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,640 so that it encompasses both the sequential order of its descent 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,640 and everything related 22 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:16,640 to its precise historical 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,640 context. 24 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:20,640 He states that it is counted as the seventy-first; 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,640 I will read the text directly here 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,739 due to several observations I wish to raise. 27 00:01:24,739 --> 00:01:26,739 It is counted as the seventy-first 28 00:01:26,739 --> 00:01:28,739 according to the well-known transmission. 29 00:01:28,739 --> 00:01:30,739 You will find in some books that it is listed as the seventy-second, 30 00:01:30,739 --> 00:01:32,739 but that is an error. 31 00:01:32,739 --> 00:01:34,739 I found it given as the seventy-second in certain works, 32 00:01:34,739 --> 00:01:36,739 such as the Tafsir of Ibn Ashur— 33 00:01:36,739 --> 00:01:38,739 Sayyid at-Tahir ibn Ashur— 34 00:01:38,739 --> 00:01:40,739 where it is repeatedly called the seventy-second; 35 00:01:40,739 --> 00:01:42,739 yet this is clearly questionable, 36 00:01:42,739 --> 00:01:44,739 and it is not a mere matter of legitimate difference 37 00:01:44,739 --> 00:01:46,739 in verse-counting or numbering systems. 38 00:01:46,739 --> 00:01:48,739 I point this out because I have noticed contemporary researchers 39 00:01:48,739 --> 00:01:50,739 in rhetoric 40 00:01:50,739 --> 00:01:52,739 relying upon it. 41 00:01:52,739 --> 00:01:54,739 The reality is that 42 00:01:54,739 --> 00:01:56,739 this numbering 43 00:01:56,739 --> 00:01:58,739 and this ordering found across various books, 44 00:01:58,739 --> 00:02:00,739 whether in the work of Sayyid Ibn Ashur 45 00:02:00,739 --> 00:02:02,739 or others, 46 00:02:02,739 --> 00:02:04,739 is derived from a report transmitted on the authority of Jabir ibn Zayd, 47 00:02:04,739 --> 00:02:06,739 which I mentioned at the very beginning of this series. 48 00:02:06,739 --> 00:02:09,310 This report 49 00:02:09,310 --> 00:02:11,310 was only transmitted with a full chain of narration 50 00:02:11,310 --> 00:02:13,310 by Abu Amr ad-Dani 51 00:02:13,310 --> 00:02:15,379 in his book *Al-Bayan 52 00:02:15,379 --> 00:02:17,379 fi Addi Ayi al-Qur'an*, 53 00:02:17,379 --> 00:02:19,659 and later books simply quoted from him; 54 00:02:19,659 --> 00:02:21,659 as-Suyuti quoted from him, 55 00:02:21,659 --> 00:02:23,659 and Jabiri versified the report, 56 00:02:23,659 --> 00:02:25,659 among others. 57 00:02:25,659 --> 00:02:27,659 Al-Jabiri composed a didactic poem in which he versified 58 00:02:27,659 --> 00:02:29,659 the order of the surahs based on this transmission, 59 00:02:29,659 --> 00:02:31,699 but they made an error in the count; 60 00:02:31,699 --> 00:02:33,729 they did not strictly follow the text 61 00:02:33,729 --> 00:02:35,819 of Abu Amr ad-Dani, 62 00:02:35,819 --> 00:02:37,819 and confusion occurred in the tallying. 63 00:02:37,819 --> 00:02:39,819 For that reason, I reviewed the narration of Abu Amr directly 64 00:02:39,819 --> 00:02:41,819 and adopted it consistently from the beginning of the book 65 00:02:41,819 --> 00:02:43,819 to its end, 66 00:02:43,819 --> 00:02:45,819 and I hope that no unintentional mistake 67 00:02:45,819 --> 00:02:47,819 has occurred here. 68 00:02:47,819 --> 00:02:49,819 As for the correct origin, the count 69 00:02:49,819 --> 00:02:51,819 derived here is indeed the seventy-first. 70 00:02:51,819 --> 00:02:54,210 He noted: "And there occurs within it..."— 71 00:02:54,210 --> 00:02:56,210 meaning, within the well-known narration— 72 00:02:56,210 --> 00:02:58,210 a detailed breakdown not found regarding other surahs. 73 00:02:58,210 --> 00:03:00,210 It states: "Then an-Nahl, forty verses of which are Meccan, 74 00:03:00,210 --> 00:03:02,210 and the remainder are Medinan"— 75 00:03:02,210 --> 00:03:04,210 meaning forty verses were revealed in Mecca 76 00:03:04,210 --> 00:03:06,210 and the rest in Medina, according to the view of Jabir ibn Zayd. 77 00:03:06,210 --> 00:03:08,400 He says: "It was revealed after al-Anbiya' 78 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,400 and before as-Sajdah." 79 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,400 This is also derived from the narration of Jabir ibn Zayd, 80 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,400 not verbatim, but in its intended meaning. 81 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,400 He also states: "And within it is that which was revealed before the verse of al-An'am," 82 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,400 because we observe that he cites 83 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,400 the statement: 84 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,400 From this we understand that 85 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,400 this particular verse of Surah an-Nahl 86 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,400 was revealed after that corresponding verse 87 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,400 from Surah al-An'am. 88 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,400 If you return to Surah al-An'am, you will find 89 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,400 internal evidence indicating a later period 90 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,400 of revelation for it, meaning that an-Nahl— 91 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,400 or at least certain parts of Surah an-Nahl, 92 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,400 to be more precise—would be even later. 93 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,400 He says: 94 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,400 "And that is supported by what was narrated regarding the story 95 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,400 of the conversion to Islam of Uthman ibn Maz'un, 96 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,879 may Allah be pleased with him." 97 00:03:54,879 --> 00:03:56,879 This pertains to the verse: "Indeed, Allah orders justice 98 00:03:56,879 --> 00:03:58,879 and good conduct..." regarding which 99 00:03:58,879 --> 00:04:00,879 it was reported 100 00:04:00,879 --> 00:04:02,879 that Uthman ibn Maz'un accepted Islam upon hearing it. 101 00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:04,879 However, this narration contains weakness; 102 00:04:04,879 --> 00:04:06,879 that is why I said "as was narrated," and it is recorded in the *Musnad*, 103 00:04:06,879 --> 00:04:08,879 where the editor of the *Musnad* graded it as weak. 104 00:04:08,879 --> 00:04:10,879 Then he says: 105 00:04:10,879 --> 00:04:12,879 "As for what was previously mentioned regarding the Medinan verses among them..." 106 00:04:12,879 --> 00:04:14,879 When the reader encounters "what was previously mentioned" here, 107 00:04:14,879 --> 00:04:16,879 they might not know where it was stated. 108 00:04:16,879 --> 00:04:18,980 It refers to the top of the page, 109 00:04:18,980 --> 00:04:20,980 where they stated at the head of the page— 110 00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:22,980 in the header inscription— 111 00:04:22,980 --> 00:04:24,980 "Meccan by consensus, with the exception of verse number 112 00:04:24,980 --> 00:04:27,069 110." That is what is meant. 113 00:04:27,069 --> 00:04:29,069 Thus, the cross-reference is not 114 00:04:29,069 --> 00:04:31,069 to something established within the body of the page 115 00:04:31,069 --> 00:04:33,069 itself, but rather to what was placed 116 00:04:33,069 --> 00:04:35,069 in the page header, which a reader might easily overlook; 117 00:04:35,069 --> 00:04:37,069 hence, it was necessary 118 00:04:37,069 --> 00:04:39,069 to draw attention to this. 119 00:04:39,069 --> 00:04:41,069 Then he mentions that the revelation of the final 120 00:04:41,069 --> 00:04:43,069 three verses of the surah was repeated, 121 00:04:43,069 --> 00:04:45,069 namely: "And if you punish [an enemy, punish them with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed]..." 122 00:04:45,069 --> 00:04:47,069 and there is a well-known scholarly discussion regarding them, 123 00:04:47,069 --> 00:04:49,069 detailed in connection with the historical period 124 00:04:49,069 --> 00:04:51,069 during which the surah was revealed. 125 00:04:51,069 --> 00:04:53,139 The second point 126 00:04:53,139 --> 00:04:55,139 concerns naming the surah 127 00:04:55,139 --> 00:04:57,139 "Surah an-Ni'am" (The Chapter of Blessings). 128 00:04:57,139 --> 00:04:59,139 In truth, 129 00:04:59,139 --> 00:05:01,170 most surah titles 130 00:05:01,170 --> 00:05:03,170 were transmitted from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 131 00:05:03,170 --> 00:05:05,170 and from the Companions in this book, 132 00:05:05,170 --> 00:05:07,170 alongside titles established through other authorities, including this name. 133 00:05:07,170 --> 00:05:09,170 In determining these, as I mentioned before, I relied 134 00:05:09,170 --> 00:05:11,170 upon al-Biqa'i. 135 00:05:11,170 --> 00:05:13,170 Mentioning the name *an-Ni'am* 136 00:05:13,170 --> 00:05:15,170 is reported from some of the Tabi'un, 137 00:05:15,170 --> 00:05:17,259 and 138 00:05:17,259 --> 00:05:19,259 it is supported by the overarching theme of the surah 139 00:05:19,259 --> 00:05:21,259 or the central objective 140 00:05:21,259 --> 00:05:23,259 of a major portion of it. 141 00:05:23,259 --> 00:05:25,259 This brings us directly to our third point, 142 00:05:25,259 --> 00:05:27,740 which is that 143 00:05:27,740 --> 00:05:29,740 when we examine the thematic divisions 144 00:05:29,740 --> 00:05:32,740 of the surah, we find 145 00:05:32,740 --> 00:05:35,019 that in this book, 146 00:05:35,019 --> 00:05:37,019 it is divided into two parts: the first covers the theoretical foundation 147 00:05:37,019 --> 00:05:39,660 for entering Islam, 148 00:05:39,660 --> 00:05:41,660 while the second covers the practical implementation 149 00:05:41,660 --> 00:05:43,660 of living Islam. 150 00:05:43,660 --> 00:05:45,660 What is titled the "theoretical foundation" 151 00:05:45,660 --> 00:05:47,660 spans from verse 1 152 00:05:47,660 --> 00:05:49,660 to verse 89— 153 00:05:49,660 --> 00:05:51,889 which constitutes the greater part of the surah. 154 00:05:51,889 --> 00:05:53,889 It consists entirely of 155 00:05:53,889 --> 00:05:55,889 verses that recount the blessings of Allah, Glorified 156 00:05:55,889 --> 00:05:58,019 and Exalted is He, 157 00:05:58,019 --> 00:06:00,019 and it is for this reason that those who designated it 158 00:06:00,019 --> 00:06:02,139 called it by this name. 159 00:06:02,139 --> 00:06:04,139 Countless blessings are enumerated, and toward the conclusion 160 00:06:04,139 --> 00:06:06,139 of those verses, He states: 161 00:06:06,139 --> 00:06:08,139 “And Allah hath given you, of that which He hath created, shelter from the sun; and hath given you places of refuge in the mountains, and hath given you coats to ward off the heat from you, and coats (of armour) to save you from your own foolhardiness. Thus doth He perfect His favour unto you, in order that ye may surrender (unto Him).” (16:81) 162 00:06:08,139 --> 00:06:10,139 "...that you may submit to Him." 163 00:06:10,139 --> 00:06:12,139 So the theoretical foundation, 164 00:06:12,139 --> 00:06:14,139 I say, of Islam is to constantly remember 165 00:06:14,139 --> 00:06:16,139 the blessings of Allah. 166 00:06:16,139 --> 00:06:18,139 These present days remind us that our homes are a profound blessing, 167 00:06:18,139 --> 00:06:20,139 especially with this lockdown that has occurred, 168 00:06:20,139 --> 00:06:22,139 and Allah says in the surah: 169 00:06:22,139 --> 00:06:24,139 "And Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest." 170 00:06:24,139 --> 00:06:26,139 Truly has Allah spoken, Glorified and Exalted is He. 171 00:06:26,139 --> 00:06:28,139 Sometimes we take a blessing for granted— 172 00:06:28,139 --> 00:06:30,139 such as the simple blessing of leaving the house, 173 00:06:30,139 --> 00:06:32,139 which we only truly recognized once we were deprived of it. 174 00:06:32,139 --> 00:06:34,139 We used to go out whenever we pleased, 175 00:06:34,139 --> 00:06:36,139 by night or by day—praise be to Allah, our land is safe— 176 00:06:36,139 --> 00:06:38,139 going out at any hour, 177 00:06:38,139 --> 00:06:40,139 coming and going as we wished. 178 00:06:40,139 --> 00:06:42,500 Now the situation has changed. 179 00:06:42,500 --> 00:06:44,500 Recognizing these blessings compels 180 00:06:44,500 --> 00:06:46,500 full submission to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He; 181 00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:48,500 that is the theoretical foundation. 182 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:50,500 As for the second part of the surah, 183 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:52,500 from verse 90 to verse 128— 184 00:06:52,500 --> 00:06:54,529 which is naturally a much smaller section— 185 00:06:54,529 --> 00:06:56,529 it provides a practical exposition: 186 00:06:56,529 --> 00:06:58,529 once I embrace Islam, how ought I to act? 187 00:06:58,529 --> 00:07:00,529 Within it lies a verse containing a comprehensive summary: 188 00:07:00,529 --> 00:07:02,529 "Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives, 189 00:07:02,529 --> 00:07:04,529 and He forbids immorality and bad conduct 190 00:07:04,529 --> 00:07:06,529 and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded." 191 00:07:06,529 --> 00:07:08,529 I strongly urge you to revisit these verses, 192 00:07:08,529 --> 00:07:10,529 as well as the verses immediately following them, 193 00:07:10,529 --> 00:07:12,529 which highlight the pitfalls 194 00:07:12,529 --> 00:07:14,529 of stumbling, 195 00:07:14,529 --> 00:07:16,529 relapse, backsliding, 196 00:07:16,529 --> 00:07:18,689 and 197 00:07:18,689 --> 00:07:20,689 the breach of covenants 198 00:07:20,689 --> 00:07:22,850 that a human being 199 00:07:22,850 --> 00:07:24,850 is susceptible to falling into. 200 00:07:24,850 --> 00:07:26,850 This section also contains 201 00:07:26,850 --> 00:07:28,850 a discussion on the proper etiquette of engaging with the Qur'an, 202 00:07:28,850 --> 00:07:30,850 which is the Qur'an itself, 203 00:07:30,850 --> 00:07:32,850 the path to knowing 204 00:07:32,850 --> 00:07:34,850 the deeds that 205 00:07:34,850 --> 00:07:36,850 we ought to perform once we enter Islam. 206 00:07:36,850 --> 00:07:38,850 That is to say, the practical implementation of Islam, 207 00:07:38,850 --> 00:07:41,259 or the practical demonstration of entering Islam, 208 00:07:41,259 --> 00:07:43,259 is found only within the Qur'an. 209 00:07:43,259 --> 00:07:45,259 And the greatest distractor from the Qur'an 210 00:07:45,259 --> 00:07:47,420 is Satan; 211 00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:49,420 hence, "So when you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from Satan the outcast" 212 00:07:49,420 --> 00:07:51,420 came within this very 213 00:07:51,420 --> 00:07:53,420 context. 214 00:07:53,420 --> 00:07:55,420 I conclude with this, asking Allah for success, 215 00:07:55,420 --> 00:07:57,420 and I ask Allah 216 00:07:57,420 --> 00:07:59,519 to grant me and all of you 217 00:07:59,519 --> 00:08:01,519 an understanding of His Book and the ability to act upon it. 218 00:08:01,519 --> 00:08:03,519 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, 219 00:08:03,519 --> 00:08:05,519 and upon all his family and Companions.