The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:03 A Gentle Commentary on the Book "Introductory Cards

0:08 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

0:11 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Aziz Ibn Umar Naseef,

0:15 may Allah preserve him.

0:17 Surah al-Falaq.

0:20 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:22 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation,

0:24 and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

0:28 and upon his family and all his Companions.

0:30 We continue with our gentle commentary

0:32 on the introductory cards,

0:36 and we have now reached Surah al-Falaq,

0:39 by the grace of Allah and with good fortune.

0:41 I would like to make three reflective pauses regarding it.

0:43 The first pause:

0:46 this tremendous surah

0:49 is among the very first things memorized

0:51 by a young child.

0:53 Even before memorizing it,

0:55 the child hears it from their parents

0:58 as they recite the surahs of protection (al-Mu'awwidhat)

1:01 at a very early age.

1:04 Thus, the child learns that the One whose refuge is sought

1:07 is Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

1:09 This connects directly to the second pause,

1:12 which is that after a person completes,

1:16 for example, an entire recitation (khatmah) of the Qur'an,

1:19 they ultimately arrive

1:21 at these two concluding surahs:

1:24 al-Falaq and an-Nas.

1:26 We are now considering Surah al-Falaq,

1:27 where one recites: "Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.'"

1:30 So in his beginnings,

1:32 in his childhood,

1:34 and in his state of weakness and vulnerability,

1:36 he sought refuge;

1:38 and after he has gained knowledge

1:40 and recited the entire Qur'an,

1:43 he still remains in need of seeking that very refuge.

1:48 In both states,

1:50 the One whose refuge is sought is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He;

1:54 He alone protects from the evil of whatever He has created.

1:57 As for the third pause,

2:00 the surah opens

2:04 with the command: "Say."

2:06 We have encountered similar phrasing before,

2:08 and it corresponds directly with Surah an-Nas as well.

2:12 This opening command, "Say,"

2:14 reminds us that the supreme path of protection

2:18 against evil is divine revelation.

2:21 We may exert our own efforts

2:24 and try our best to guard against evils,

2:27 but complete protection

2:29 and ultimate refuge

2:31 are obtained solely through revelation.

2:34 The word "Say" points to this reality:

2:36 you do not seek refuge according to your own reasoning,

2:38 but rather through what your Lord has revealed to you.

2:41 I am reminded here of an exchange

2:44 I once had with someone

2:47 regarding the prayers used to seek protection for a child.

2:50 When I mentioned to him the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:

2:53 "I seek refuge for you both in the perfect words of Allah,

2:55 from every devil and poisonous reptile,

2:57 and from every evil eye,"

2:58 with which the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to seek refuge for

3:00 al-Hasan and al-Husayn,

3:01 may Allah be pleased with them both—

3:04 it seemed that when I presented this supplication to him,

3:09 he deemed it too brief,

3:10 saying, "Is that all?"

3:11 In the same way, someone might look at al-Falaq and an-Nas

3:14 as short surahs,

3:16 wondering, "Is this truly sufficient for seeking refuge?"

3:18 Yes, it is indeed sufficient for seeking refuge,

3:20 because we receive this means of protection directly from Allah,

3:23 Glorified and Exalted is He.

3:25 And whatever comes from Allah

3:27 suffices above all else;

3:30 it is greater than anything else

3:32 and far more profound than anything else.

3:35 Indeed, it has been narrated regarding the virtues of this surah:

3:38 "You will never recite anything more profound with Allah

3:41 than 'Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.'"

3:43 So let us be reassured: as long as we take the path of protection prescribed in Allah's revelation,

3:49 we can be confident that divine protection is assured, by Allah's leave.

3:53 And Allah knows best.

3:54 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

3:55 and upon his family and all his Companions.

3:57 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.

The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Falaq

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