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 The brief commentary on the book "Identification Cards

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

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

0:15 may Allah preserve him.

0:17 Surah al-Kafirun.

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 the worlds,

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

0:27 and upon his family and all his Companions.

0:31 We are still continuing with

0:33 the brief commentary on the identification cards,

0:35 and we have arrived at Surah al-Kafirun.

0:39 I have three points of reflection regarding it.

0:41 The first reflection concerns the virtues of the Surah,

0:44 as it was mentioned here that among its virtues

0:47 is that it is recited in specific instances,

0:49 including the first rak'ah of the Sunnah prayer of Fajr.

0:52 What I have noticed is that

0:55 in these instances where we recite Surah al-Kafirun,

0:59 the address in the Surah

1:02 is directed to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:03 and the believer follows his lead

1:05 in words spoken to the disbelievers.

1:09 Yet when you recite it in these instances where

1:13 it is prescribed for you to recite this Surah,

1:16 the disbelievers do not actually hear you,

1:19 nor are they aware of you.

1:21 When you recite it in the Sunnah of Fajr, for example,

1:24 in the first rak'ah after al-Fatihah,

1:26 "Say, 'O disbelievers,'" which of the disbelievers hears you?

1:30 In principle, none of them hears you,

1:32 and that is indeed the reality.

1:35 Why then do you recite this Surah,

1:38 addressing the disbelievers when they are not present?

1:42 The truth,

1:44 as it occurred to me,

1:46 is that by doing so you are reminding yourself

1:48 of a fundamental reality that must firmly settle in your heart,

1:52 which you constantly need to renew

1:56 regarding your stance toward the disbelievers:

1:59 “I worship not that which ye worship;” (109:2)

2:00 "Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.

2:01 Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.

2:03 Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.

2:04 For you is your religion, and for me is my religion."

2:07 As for the second reflection,

2:10 it is that the Surah begins with a command:

2:13 “Say: O disbelievers!” (109:1)

2:15 The Surah clarifies the Muslim's stance

2:19 toward the disbeliever.

2:21 So who defines this stance?

2:24 It is Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

2:27 Thus, this command—"Say, 'O disbelievers'"—reminds you,

2:30 O Muslim,

2:32 that your stance toward the disbeliever is not something you decide yourself;

2:36 rather, you receive it from the revelation sent down to the Prophet, peace be upon him.

2:42 As for the third reflection, it relates to the theme of the Surah, as it was mentioned that it clearly speaks

2:48 of disavowal of the disbelievers and steadfastness upon this religion.

2:52 This draws our attention to an extremely important matter,

2:56 for it is often claimed that the issue of disavowal of disbelievers was merely an idea

3:02 invented or fabricated by certain Muslim scholars during a particular era

3:08 due to specific circumstances—and this is categorically false.

3:12 The Qur'an is explicit on this matter;

3:16 an example of this is this very Surah,

3:18 along with other Surahs and verses that frequently address this.

3:24 Disavowal of the disbelievers is an unambiguous principle in this religion,

3:29 and it is made clear in this Surah, which we are prescribed to repeat and recite in various places

3:38 to reaffirm this stance within ourselves and to live by it in interacting with others,

3:46 along with the regulations and details found in other verses,

3:53 in the hadiths of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and in the texts of the scholars.

3:58 As for the claim that this is an extraneous innovation in the religion,

4:02 a Surah like this is a definitive refutation of such an allegation.

4:07 And Allah knows best.

4:09 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions,

4:13 and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

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

Transcript