WEBVTT

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Gentle Commentary

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on the book *Identification Cards*

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for 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-Naml (The Ant).

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon

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the Messenger of Allah.

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We continue with our gentle commentary

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on the book *Identification Cards*

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by Muhammad Nasif.

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I have mentioned his name here

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because some brothers asked,

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"What is this book

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that you are commenting on?"

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Today, we are with Surah

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al-Naml.

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I have three reflections regarding it.

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The first reflection:

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It is mentioned in the schematic diagram

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and in the book itself

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that Surah al-Naml

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is one of the *Mathani*.

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It is stated in the diagram,

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under its classification,

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that it is one of the *Mi'in* (surahs of about one hundred verses).

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It was written as *Mi'atayn* (two hundred), which is an error.

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It is not one of the *Mi'atayn*,

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nor is it one of the *Mi'in*.

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The term *Mi'atayn* is not used here in these classifications;

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rather, the term used is *Mi'in*.

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It is, in fact, one of the *Mathani*.

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If you observe its merit,

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you will find that its merit

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is among the *Mathani* given to the Prophet (peace be upon him)

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in place of the Gospel.

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I mean, on the same page,

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a surah is either classified as this

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or as that.

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It has been previously noted that

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the hadith written

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on the twelfth page of the book

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was recorded using a weak narration,

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and this is a mistake.

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The correct version is what

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has been narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him):

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"I was given the seven [long surahs] in place of the Torah,

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and I was given the

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*Mi'in* in place of the Psalms,

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and I was given the

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*Mathani* in place of the Gospel, and I was favored with the *Mufassal*."

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We have already discussed

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the meaning of the *Mi'in*, *Mathani*, and *Mufassal*,

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and the seven long surahs.

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Someone might say—

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and they have the right to ask—why not pause at this issue?

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Many surahs were not addressed

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as to whether they are *Mi'in* or *Mathani*

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or among the seven long ones.

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The truth is that the importance of this issue

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lies in several matters.

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The first is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) divided the Qur'an

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based on this classification,

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so it is incumbent upon us

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to pay attention to it.

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This will become clear, Allah willing, when we reach

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the *Mufassal*,

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for knowledge of the *Mufassal*

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has several unique benefits

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that will appear there.

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The scholars have subtle indications,

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and the matter requires further

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research into the *fiqh*

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of this hadith which

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I read: "I was given in place of

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the Torah the seven, and I was given in place of

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the Psalms the *Mi'in*, and I was given in place of the Gospel the *Mathani*,

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and I was favored with the *Mufassal*."

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I included it in the book as a following [of tradition],

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yet it requires

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reflection and research, so that perhaps

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my Lord will make it easy for me

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or for someone else to write about it

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and reflect more deeply.

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But as I said, regarding the *Mufassal*,

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some benefits

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of this classification

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will become apparent.

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The second reflection: It came

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regarding the subject of Surah al-Naml.

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After mentioning its subject,

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it was stated at the end of the discussion:

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"Just as the merit of knowledge

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and the discussion about it

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is very apparent in the surah."

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The truth is

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that this was apparent

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to me the day I wrote the book,

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but every time I reflected on

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the surah more,

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I became more certain of it, and my

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understanding of it increased, by the grace of Allah first

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and last. I concluded that

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the entire surah is linked to knowledge,

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or most of it.

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The fundamental theme of the surah

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is perhaps the knowledge of Allah,

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and wisdom is added to it.

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Knowledge is clear in the surah.

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I say here

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that in some places,

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such as the story of Solomon,

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"And We gave David and Solomon knowledge,"

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and the story of Salih (peace be upon him),

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how their plotting was their own undoing:

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"We destroyed them and their people, all of them.

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So those are their houses, desolate because of the wrong they did.

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Indeed in that is a sign for a people who know."

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And in other verses, you find

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the issue of knowledge.

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But even in the verses where it is not apparent,

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you realize that it has a connection to knowledge.

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This leads us

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to the

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third reflection.

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The third reflection

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looks at the second section

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or the second part of the surah.

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The surah has an introduction

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that introduces the Book,

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praises it,

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and clarifies the state of

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the opponents who do not believe in the Hereafter.

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Then comes a section

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containing stories

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where there is a clear indication of knowledge.

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As for the second part,

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which is what I want to talk about—

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and the discussion of it follows

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from the second point

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or the second reflection—

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if you reflect upon it,

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you will find that the first verse in it,

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in the second part, is: "Say, 'Praise be to Allah,'"

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and the last verse

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in this section,

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which is the last verse of the surah,

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is: "And say, 'Praise be to Allah.'"

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Between them are directives

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on how to call the ignorant

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and lead them to knowledge,

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and it clarifies that their denial

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was due to

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their lack of concern for knowledge,

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and their denial was

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without knowledge.

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“Nay, but they denied that, the knowledge whereof they could not compass, and whereof the interpretation (in events) hath not yet come unto them. Even so did those before them deny. Then see what was the consequence for the wrong-doers!” (10:39)

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[They have no] knowledge of it.

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But in this surah, He said:

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"Rather, their knowledge is arrested regarding the Hereafter."

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“Nay, but doth their knowledge reach to the Hereafter? Nay, for they are in doubt concerning it. Nay, for they cannot see it.” (27:66)

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“Nay, but doth their knowledge reach to the Hereafter? Nay, for they are in doubt concerning it. Nay, for they cannot see it.” (27:66)

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And other such verses that

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clarify their ignorance and call them

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to knowledge by reflecting on the signs of Allah

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in the heavens and the earth.

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So, this second part

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of the surah,

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even if knowledge does not appear in it

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as clearly as in the first part—

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because the first part was speaking

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about people of insight,

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Solomon and others,

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and pointed to the ignorant—here, the focus

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is on calling these people to knowledge.

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And all knowledge is in the Qur'an.

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Here I say that

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Surah al-Naml requires

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a longer time and detailed research

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that gives us

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the landmarks of true knowledge

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upon which education should be based,

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whenever education is established

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anywhere—in schools, in universities,

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in any place

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where true knowledge is sought.

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It must not be absent

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from the Muslims:

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the knowledge intended in the Qur'an,

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the knowledge praised in the Qur'an.

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This is a very long subject,

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but it is apparent in Surah al-Naml,

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how it can be a model

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for discussing knowledge.

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Otherwise, as I said,

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the subject is vast and encompasses the entire Qur'an.

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I ask Allah

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to teach me and you.

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May Allah send peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

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...and upon all of them, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.