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 Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:02 "The Gentle Commentary

0:32 on the Book of Introductory Profiles

0:35 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an,"

0:38 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nasif,

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah Fatir.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,

0:49 and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

0:53 and upon all his family and Companions.

0:56 We continue with the gentle commentary

0:59 on the introductory profiles,

1:01 specifically with Surah Fatir.

1:03 "His face only grows in beauty the more you gaze upon it."

1:07 This line of poetry was spoken about a created being,

1:10 yet the reality is that such words are truly deserved

1:13 by the magnificent Qur'an, the speech of Allah,

1:16 which is uncreated.

1:19 "His face only grows in beauty the more you gaze upon it."

1:23 Whenever you reflect deeply upon the Qur'an,

1:27 it offers you more of its beauty,

1:30 majesty, and perfection.

1:32 Regarding Surah Fatir, I have three points of reflection.

1:36 The first point

1:38 pertains to dating the revelation of the surah.

1:41 He noted that there is an indication suggesting a relatively late revelation.

1:44 This inference is not derived,

1:46 as is customary

1:48 when dating revelations,

1:50 from historical reports, hadiths, or transmitted narrations;

1:54 rather, it is deduced

1:56 from the very wording and thematic content of the verses.

1:58 Allah said: ﴾So do not let yourself perish over them in regret.﴿

2:02 It is most probable

2:05 that this was not among the very first passages revealed to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

2:07 or from the earliest stages of revelation;

2:09 rather, such comfort comes only after enduring rejection.

2:11 That is why I said it may suggest a later revelation—

2:15 not necessarily for the entire surah,

2:16 but certainly for some of its verses:

2:18 ﴾So do not let yourself perish over them in regret.

2:20 Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do.﴿

2:22 The second point

2:24 concerns the complementarity

2:27 between Surah Saba' and Surah Fatir.

2:30 In discussing the correlation between the two,

2:32 I previously mentioned that both begin with praise (hamd).

2:35 In fact, there is a deep complementarity between them.

2:38 Observe:

2:40 Surah Saba' begins with praise,

2:42 yet it focuses on the disbelievers

2:45 who failed to praise Allah,

2:47 while also stating: ﴾Work, O family of David, in gratitude.﴿

2:50 The very name 'Saba'' serves as a thematic title for that ungratefulness.

2:53 Here, this surah speaks of praise

2:56 to draw out praise from the servants

2:59 and urge them toward gratitude

3:01 by coming to know Allah,

3:04 the Originator of the heavens and the earth,

3:06 Glorified and Exalted is He.

3:08 Thus, this surah introduces Allah's attributes,

3:11 while that surah refutes the doubts of the disbelievers.

3:15 Each leads to praising Allah,

3:18 but from a different approach.

3:20 Praise in Surah Saba' comes through

3:22 warning against the states of the disbelievers

3:24 and highlighting the stories of the grateful, such as David

3:27 and Solomon;

3:29 whereas here, in Surah Fatir,

3:31 there is a mention of Allah's bounties and blessings,

3:35 and His governance of the universe,

3:38 in a manner that directly inspires praise and gratitude.

3:42 Thus, the two surahs complement one another.

3:45 We also notice that both surahs

3:48 open with praise consecutively,

3:51 whereas the other surahs that begin with praise

3:54 are dispersed: first al-Fatihah;

3:57 then, after a number of surahs—

4:01 six surahs later—comes Surah al-An'am;

4:04 then Surah al-An'am,

4:07 which is roughly in the second quarter of the Qur'an;

4:10 then comes Surah al-Kahf

4:13 at the midpoint of the Qur'an;

4:16 and then, near the end of the third quarter,

4:19 right around there, come these two consecutive surahs of praise.

4:22 The surahs opening with praise are five in total;

4:25 two of them appear consecutively—namely, these two—

4:28 and there is a thematic harmony between them.

4:31 This brings me to the third point:

4:34 this consecutive occurrence of praise reminds me

4:37 of the pairing of two magnificent surahs,

4:40 the two radiant ones: al-Baqarah and Al 'Imran.

4:43 Both open with Alif-Lam-

4:46 -Mim. Then, other surahs

4:49 that begin with Alif-Lam-Mim appear

4:53 consecutively in another place: al-'Ankabut,

4:56 ar-Rum, Luqman, and as-Sajdah.

4:59 Here, I am reminded of the insightful remark of Imam Ibn Malik,

5:02 even though he was discussing a grammatical issue:

5:05 "A desire for good is good; and an act

5:08 of piety adorns; so analogize what has not been mentioned."

5:11 He was discussing rules regarding the subject and the predicate,

5:14 and when he finished giving his examples, he said:

5:17 "So analogize what has not been mentioned."

5:20 The Prophet, peace be upon him, nurtured his Companions and his Ummah,

5:23 teaching them that religion involves sound analogy.

5:26 When the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned—

5:29 as found at the beginning of Surah Yunus—

5:32 the surahs opening with similar introductory letters,

5:35 and encouraged learning them together,

5:38 or studying several of them in conjunction,

5:41 and then pointed out that al-Baqarah and Al 'Imran

5:44 share an intrinsic connection,

5:47 establishing a common bond between them,

5:50 as both are radiant, which is why they are called the two radiant ones—

5:53 we can draw an analogy from this:

5:56 just as the surahs opening with praise,

6:00 like those opening with Ha-Mim or the glorifying surahs (al-Musabbihat),

6:03 were specifically highlighted by the Prophet, peace be upon him,

6:06 we should likewise reflect upon the fact that two consecutive surahs

6:09 sharing the same opening must share a profound connection.

6:12 Just as there is a link between al-Baqarah and Al 'Imran,

6:15 so too is there an undeniable link

6:18 between these two surahs, Saba' and Fatir.

6:21 I will conclude with this

6:24 for this segment, and I ask Allah for His help and support.

6:27 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions,

6:30 and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

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

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